1989 Ford Club Wagon XLT DIY Sportsmobile Project

JakeC

Member
1989 Ford Club Wagon XLT 3/4 Ton
351w 5.8l Engine
C6 Mechanical Transmission
Gear Vendor Overdrive, hooked up to a dimmer switch on the floor
Dana 60, 8 Lug Axles, 3.54 Rear Gears
2 Wheel Drive
Dual Fuel Tanks, both operable, switch works, total capacity of around 40 gallons


I'm contemplating the sale of my Sportsmobile Project as a whole unit. I'm toying with the idea of going another route but I have to gauge interest on this project first.

The Van: I have owned this van for around 2 years and I've tracked it back to the last 4-5 owners, the oldest being the one who rescued it from sitting in a deceased man's yard, after buying it from the son. My plans for the van were to convert it to a camper van, fix some of the rust in the floor where the body is mounted (a common spot on these vans). Currently there is no carpet in it, it does have brackets and a bench seat as well as swivel seats (not yet installed) for the front seats. The rear heat has been bypassed, I never got around to fixing someone's previous work of bypassing, but I had always planned on removing the rear heat and installing a diesel heater. The van also comes with a full spare tire, brand new, as well as a rear tire carrier I have yet to install. All gauges DO work! Cruise control does work... about as well as it would work on a 30 year old vehicle. Once initiated, it drops 5 mph, then holds. Hot heat, A/C does not work (see "issues" portion of ad). I've towed quite a bit with the van, multiple cars on a dual axle trailer, it handles the weight extremely well and will cruise at 60-70 easily.

Recent Work: New Front Speakers, New Radiator, New Heavy Duty Transmission Cooler, New Speedometer Cable, New Throttle Position Sensor, New Thermostat, New Spark Plugs, New Distributor Cap & Rotor, New Spark Plug Wires, New Air Filter, Installed the CORRECT ECM for the van, some rust repair underneath the hood and cowl, New Temperature Sending Unit.

Build Thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...wagon-xlt.html

The Issues: The gear in the driver's side window motor has sheered some teeth within the motor, a repair kit is around $12 on Amazon, I've replaced it before. Has some rust in the floor of the van, can be seen currently as the carpet has been removed. I was going to use the metal from the roof when cutting the hole for the Sportsmobile top, to patch the holes in the floor. Very little rust overall though. The exhaust tips also clang together over bumps, I haven't been able to find a leak in the exhaust system though nor have I reinforced them so they don't do this. The A/C Condenser has been cut from the vehicle, I assume when the water pump was replaced. If you want A/C, the entire A/C system will probably have to be looked over, dried out, and some of it replaced.

The Top: The Sportsmobile Pop Top has been removed from a later 1970's model. The paperwork for this is currently being sent to me from the owner of the donor van. My father, brother, cousin, and I removed the top of the Sportsmobile Top by cutting the metal roof in order to get a template for this van; the top is currently still technically installed on the roof of the donor van. The top functions as it should, latches with seat belt buckets installed in the ceiling. The top weighs somewhere around 300-400 pounds. My brother and I can lift it and move it, but it's quite the chore to do so. I'd recommend taking it on a trailer, with the van.

I'm open to offers, but I'd like to get around $4,500 for the entire package. I might consider trades for 4x4 Pickups, preferably 3/4 ton, as I am toying with idea of a slide in camper. Also may be interested in a 2000+ Chevrolet Astro/Safari AWD. If you think the price is incorrect, make me an offer, the worst I can say is no. Negative comments
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