Hello again! Well it looks like I am restoring another mid 90's Dodge vehicle. This time, it is a 1994 Dodge Caravan.
This van is an almost complete example of the Classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Van. Here are some pictures of it when I got it, and how it looks now. I just bought it on July 10th for $500. With minimal rust and the 3.0L V6, I couldn't resist!
So far I've done:
-One of three complete cleaning jobs
-New Anco wiper blades on front
-New steering wheel cover
-New spark plugs
-New air filters
-New Rain-X Lattitude wiper blade for back
-New licence plate light sockets
-New stock brake pedal (the old one was taped on!)
-Fixed clips on liftgate trim panel
-Restored headlights
-New front motor mount
-Complete removal of rust and repair on door bottoms, fenders, and rocker panels
-Three coats of truck bed liner underneath the van and on the rocker panels
-New head gasket
-New water pump
-New timing belt
-New fuel line bundle
-New passenger door dome light button
-Replacement hood prop clip
**I finally painted the van, and it is almost done. Scroll down to the bottom to see the progress if you've been here before and are checking back!**
Page 1: EXTERIOR
Page 2: INTERIOR
Page 3: PROGRESS
Here is a before and after of the 179K miles 3.0. It is clean enough to be ready for the paint.
The driver's side. Before the body work, and after.
Removal of the side trim and grinding the nubs off.
The passenger's side. Before the body work, and after.
Some extra care on the fenderwells. I filled the holes from the mudflaps with fiberglass, sanded it smooth and then sprayed three coats of truck bed liner.
The back and the Rain-X Lattitude. I tried them on my Spirit and loved them, so I got one for here.
Here are the new licence plate light sockets. The old ones were cracked and broken!
This is a before and after of my headlights. I used a 3M kit for a drill. I recommend the kit!
I took the luggage rack off of my van, and quickly fiberglassed the holes to keep the water out. When I am ready, I will grind the metal stubs off, refiberglass the holes, and completely smooth the roof. The little things on there are leaves because I brought my van home and parked it before I took the pictures!
I ground the metal stubs off and fiberglassed over them. Then I sanded to make it smooth. I also used the disc sander to get rid of the crusties left behind from the four rubber strips in the center.
The Turtle van had plain lenses in the back, with no black outlines or fancy sections. I painted the back lenses to match the "real" van.
I finally got the cubes sanded and attached. Here are some pictures of the steps. First I used trim tape to tape them in place.
Then I fiberglassed around the bases of them, and masked to show only what will be orange, and primed that.
I spent much time sanding around the cubes to make them look seamless to the door.
Here is another picture, as well as a picture of the van to show what I am doing. (There were only FOUR cubes in the cartoon, so I decided to only make four here, because they are so much work.)
Finally I was ready to prime them. Now the door and strip are ready for the orange paint!
Masking and getting ready for paint.
Primer and then green.
Green and the shell pattern.
Yellow and the wing!
So far, as of Monday night, November 30 2009. I still have to:
I will be working on it as often as I can! Check back for updates! Here is what I have left to do.
COSMETICS LEFT TO DO:
-hand paint the van designs (hood, front bumper, sides)
-attach the passenger side step
-clear whole van
-unmask and replace lenses, etc.
OTHER THINGS LEFT TO DO:
-new struts and shocks
-lift blocks for the back
-new battery
-new compressor
-summer tires
-new windshield
-new passenger side front parking light lens
-Polk DB691 speakers x2
-Polk DB521 speakers x2
-DVD player swap from my Spirit
-new clock spring
-new exhaust with straight tail pipe instead of side exit
Page 1: EXTERIOR
Page 2: INTERIOR
Page 3: PROGRESS
