Cool project ! Always wanted a A100 van. Please post pic's as you go. As far as color goes maybe a two tone ? Either way good luck with it.

Here's a picture of it with the wheels just rolled in front.
Current thoughts are NO stripe or two tone. I like it looking stubby/boxy ,and any side stripe tends to make it look longer.
I want a light color to mask waves and body issues. I will try to get it fairly nice, but to make one really straight requires WAY too much work. White is what I'm thinking, but may go for something else. MAybe an industrial color, like the Yellow or Industrial Yellow HERE .

Although this is a FERD van, it's an indication of where I want to go with this project.



I'm researching the transmission choices.
It's currently got a 3 speed manual.
I talked to a guy who has one with a 4 speed. He used a 65 barracuda one, with the wide ratios and a flanged output. He did away with the ball and trunion, and put in a driveshaft with a slip joint (4X4?). He also fabricated a mount that goes around the tailshaft and bolts to the lower trans mount and the upper body mount. He added a third linkage to the 3-on-the-tree, and uses that to shift. Others have added a third lever somewhere to actuate the reverse fork.

I can also try to find an A-100 specific 727 (short, rubber bushed top mount), or adapt a B van mount to the body. That will require a trans cooler and shifter too.

Thats what I'm talking about! Flares on your van like that would look sweet!

A photoshop a friend did

That's going to be a fun project. I like the SS wheels with it too.

Joe

Well, not much progress, but lots of pushing!
Got the 40 moved back into the rear corner, fired up the 47 to move to the front, and moved stuff around so there is just enough room for the van inside too.
Fired it up again on the borrowed battery and the hose in the 5 gal. gas tank, and tried to get it up the driveway. No go with the mud, snow and flat tire. I did prove it has a one-legger (3.55)! So I swapped on the other front SS, again without washers (a week away) and got it into the garage!

Now I'll be able to jack it up and pull the lift blocks and weld inside the garage, even though I still have to run it on an extension cord from the house. No power in the garage...

Can't wait to see it with the rake. I'll have to see if I can pull the third leaf and drop it a bit more in front. There should be plenty of room in the back with the wheelwells cut to pull the 3rd and 5th leaf.

Next is to get an electric grinder to dress the welds, since my air compressor died.

Worked on the shorty a bit today. Pulled both 2" lift blocks out of the front axle. It's got RAKE now! Sorry, no pictures with it stuffed in the garage. The U-bolts were too long to reuse, so I went searching, but no joy in this small town on a Saturday. I did get a nice Makita grinder for dressing welds. It was a bit cold when I got back, so I just researched U-bolts. Seems there is a Fastenal nearby, so I'll round up the first group of hardware and drive over next week. Hope they have the doghouse bolts and clipnuts, the door panel screws, the grille screw and bolt, the wave washer and regular washer for the shift linkage, and the side door jamb bolt (so far), and of course the U-bolts. I'll see what else they have to use on this project. Maybe they will have the J bolt for the gas tank strap. The one in there was custom built by someone, and it works but isn't right. I'll look at the rear U-bolts too, to see if I need new ones back there too. The rear only has a 1" block, so they may work.

Check out vannin.com for van ideas, an awesome forum.

If your local ACE Hardware store is like mine, take the old doghouse bolt and clip and get them there like me. Was a piece of cake as I needed like 8 of them. Check NAPA for the U bolts. We Need more Pics!!!!!!!

I got the doghouse bolts and clips.
No one seems to have the U-bolts or the door panel screws. A friend is checking other sources today.

No pics since it's buried in the garage, and without U bolts I won't risk rolling it out down the driveway.

I'm going to weld up more holes today and start to dress them. I'll get some pictures of that.

right rear door

Best pic I could get of the rake while it's jammed in the garage with 4 other cars.

inside holes, practicing on the ones that don't count to get better to do the outside holes...

Here is the right front, can't see the rake too well, but the front tire doesn't have 3 inches above it any more!

I have a boatload of trim screws somewhere. Let me know what you come up with.

Stubbs, thanks. The door screws are strange.
Phillips oval head, countersunk, 10-24 machine screw with a small undercut at the base of the head. These are ~1/2" total, but longer is okay.

Here's the latest. Got the rear blocks out and it's down on all 4 Cragars. I pulled the 47 out so I could get pictures. It lost some rake, but sure doesn't look 4X4 any more.

another

today I removed the heater, the dash switches and headlights/front markers. All handles except front outside are out. All emblems except the front and 2 hole pins on the rear door are out and bagged. cluster would be out, but I don't want to open the oil pressure line and forget.
It looks good so far, once I get the front axle bolted on, I'll roll it out in the sun and get some of the rubber out. No sense fighting old, hard rubber when it's cold! I'll be able to restore some of the items removed (handles, heater) when it's too cold or dark to get stuff done on the body.