On this episode of HOT ROD Garage presented by Lincoln Tech
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00:00 This time on Hot Rod Garage, we build a half ton of fun.
00:27 Welcome back to Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech.
00:30 In this episode we're going to do something that Lucky and I have not done before.
00:33 We're going to build like a fun 70's boogie van.
00:35 Boogie van?
00:36 So what we have here is an 87 G10 van and we're going to backdate the whole thing and
00:41 make it look like a 77 using headlights, grill, doors, a bunch of sheet metal and then we'll
00:47 do a bunch of suspension work, maybe some side pipes, make it loud and get the right
00:51 wheels and tires on here and turn it into a sweet cruiser.
00:54 We're doing like a couch and a bed and a bean bag.
00:56 I'm with you on that, I'd like to see like a fish tank and a bunch of weird lights and
01:00 lava lamps.
01:01 This is my buddy Lindsey's van and he's a motorcycle racer too and I know he wants to
01:05 put his bike back in there.
01:06 This is going to be like authentic California cruiser.
01:09 Driveable.
01:10 Low buck, grimy, sleazy.
01:12 Sleazy rider.
01:14 Sleazy rider, that's what I'm talking about.
01:15 So I'm here, I've got my 70's shirt, I've got my 70's stash and I'm ready to party.
01:20 Out of 10, how sleazy do you think I look?
01:22 11.
01:23 Perfect.
01:24 I'm going to put these in my 11's.
01:26 Alright, let's get started.
01:28 Let's go.
01:29 Don't crash into the van.
01:43 Alright.
01:44 So what have we got here buddy?
01:45 I've got all these front end parts.
01:47 We have G30 springs, super cool cross drilled rotors, new calipers and upper arms, pads
01:55 and drop knuckles.
01:57 You mean spindles.
01:58 Spindles, yeah whatever you want to call them.
02:00 Anyway so that should lower this thing but with the heavy duty spring it'll still have
02:03 good travel.
02:04 Sure.
02:05 That'll transform the front end and get our stance the way we want it.
02:07 Where do we get all this stuff?
02:08 Rock Auto.
02:09 You just get on the app and you're like beep bop boop boop, done.
02:12 So you get started on the front end upgrades and I'll find Lindsey, he's got all the old
02:15 sheet metal he dug out of a junkyard, pick him up, bring that stuff back here, that way
02:19 we're both getting stuff done.
02:21 Lindsey's the guy with the pretty hair that owns the van.
02:22 You got it.
02:23 It's going to be good times.
02:24 Alright, I'll see you.
02:25 Ok.
02:26 So now we're getting ready to pull out all the old stuff.
02:27 Some of it's not so old, I see he's been doing some work in it.
02:29 We got some gas adjust shocks on there, looks like we got a heavy duty coil spring.
02:34 So we're going to snatch all this out and put in all the new stuff.
02:36 Cover your ears.
02:37 Ow.
02:38 Ok, so it's never good to let brake calipers hang by the hose, the brake lines.
02:56 If they're old, they will crack and fatigue, so you want to hang them by something.
03:00 And if you don't have a coat hanger handy, that leads me right into your zip tie moment.
03:04 So I run it around here, tie it to the sway bar, hook it up in the dark, and there it
03:11 is.
03:12 Another brake line saved by a zip tie, and that's your zip tie moment.
03:17 So after I lower the control arm with the spindle screw, spring pops right out.
03:24 New control arm time.
03:29 Always important to line up the pig tail with the little dimple in the pocket.
03:41 Oh yeah.
03:46 So now that these drop spindles are all installed, here's Tony with your Lincoln Tech Tip to
03:50 tell you exactly what drop spindles do.
03:52 Welcome back to another Lincoln Tech Tip.
04:01 Today we're going to talk about drop spindles as Lucky calls them, or drop knuckles, what
04:06 they do and how they work.
04:07 A drop spindle is a replacement aftermarket knuckle that has had the spindle moved up
04:12 on the knuckle in order to lower the front end of the vehicle.
04:15 The traditional method of lowering a car is to use a shorter spring, which lowers the
04:19 car by putting the suspension arms lower in their stroke.
04:22 This system has two disadvantages.
04:24 One negatively affected suspension geometry and reduced suspension travel.
04:28 A drop knuckle solves both of these problems by preserving the factory geometry and mounting
04:33 positions while raising the spindle up onto the knuckle, effectively lowering the car.
04:38 Two things to consider when using a drop knuckle is that the distance from the center of the
04:42 wheel to the lower arm will be increased by the amount you're dropping the car, so you'll
04:46 have to probably run a bigger wheel than stock.
04:48 And secondly, the track width overall will change, so you want to keep that in mind as
04:52 well.
04:53 So now we've got drop knuckles all figured out, let's get back to the shop.
04:57 Lincoln Tech can teach you how to have a career working with cars.
05:00 See LincolnTech.edu.
05:01 All right, I found him.
05:09 This is my buddy, Lindsey Ross.
05:11 I've known him for a million years.
05:12 Lindsey is an automotive designer.
05:14 He's designed some of my favorite race cars that I drove in FD.
05:17 He designed 10 Blocks Hunicorn, maybe you saw that one.
05:20 And now he works full time for our buddy Vaughn Gittin, building everything.
05:23 Yeah, Mustangs, RTR stuff, his Formula Drift program, and all of his cool projects.
05:28 But not his facial hair concepts.
05:29 No, no, no, that's him on his own.
05:32 So what do we have here?
05:33 We've got a whole bunch of parts from 70s vans.
05:36 Streamlined thin bumpers, an old grill, smooth doors, C10 sport mirrors from a truck, which
05:43 are super rare and awesome to find, and old rear doors as well.
05:47 It's an 87, it'll look like a 77.
05:48 So it's going to be smoother, tighter.
05:49 Tighter, just more boogie.
05:50 Got it, more boogie.
05:51 And obviously it needs a bunch of metal work, which is the worst.
05:57 So we'll let Lucky keep working on the front end, and we'll start doing a little Bondo
06:00 and sand work.
06:01 My favorite.
06:03 So we ordered everything from Rock Auto, all the wheel bearings, the seals.
06:06 The only thing we forgot were the nuts for the spindles.
06:09 Knuckles.
06:10 Knuckles.
06:11 So we're going through the stuff that Lindsey got from the junkyard, the earlier doors for
06:36 the back of the van, and it turns out that the passenger side door is exactly the same
06:41 as the one that he has already, which is in far better shape.
06:44 The only difference is the glass is different, and his door, although the outside is perfect,
06:49 somebody kind of hacked up the door limiter area, so I'll just cut out that metal here,
06:53 graft it in there, we'll swap the glass, we won't have to get this painted, and the car
06:57 will look great.
06:58 All right, dude.
06:59 Let's do it.
07:00 Then I'll mark, cut, transfer this metal over here, and we'll put it back together.
07:06 All right.
07:35 I think it looks cool.
07:39 When they ship the rotors, they put something on them to stop them from rusting, and when
07:43 you touch them with your greasy fingers, you contaminate the metal, and you want to wipe
07:47 all that off before you put new brake shoes in, otherwise the grease and grime gets impregnated
07:51 in the brakes, and they don't work as well as they should.
07:59 It's pretty much done.
08:06 So we're putting drop knuckles from a C10 truck that CPP makes on the front of Lindsey's
08:10 G10 van, and that would work fine on a truck, but it turns out that the tie rod opening
08:16 here does not fit with Lindsey's tie rod, so I got a hand reamer from a local truck
08:21 shop, and I'm just going to try to get it out.
08:23 When you buy these things, you have to make sure you get the right taper, the angle exactly
08:26 right, because sometimes if it's wrong, it'll tighten up, but it'll work itself loose.
08:32 You need that contact all the way down the shank.
08:39 We have a couple welds that we're trying to knock down, so when we body fill them, they're
08:43 not going to be bumps.
08:44 They'll be smooth.
08:45 So Lindsey is ready for me to lay some Bondo into those divots that he made.
08:49 We're going to send these things off to get painted professionally, because body work
08:53 is the worst.
08:54 I mean, I think this is the kind of thing where being an expert, you're faster, you
09:00 have to sand less, but take your time, you'll be able to sand it out and make it look good.
09:17 These look nice.
09:18 Yeah, they do.
09:19 Let's load them up and get them out of here.
09:21 Hell yeah.
09:22 Off to paint.
09:23 Off we go.
09:25 It's a fresh new day.
09:32 We're going to swap the grill and the headlights.
09:34 I know there's a little bit of metal that's got to get moved around up here.
09:38 Bumpers, marker lights, everything's going back to the '70s.
09:42 Then we're going to install some portal windows, which are weird and awesome.
09:53 Here you can get up with it.
09:57 Helping Tony stay in shape is what I do.
09:59 All right, so this is the '87 bumper, and that is the '70s bumper.
10:03 As you can see, that one is more streamlined, and it doesn't have these big 5-9 hour rubber
10:09 blocks on it.
10:10 Just a nice, clean, cool '70s look.
10:14 Lindsey's actually already test fit this old style grill on here and hacked it into place.
10:19 We're going to clean up this installation, but the major things you need to know is that
10:22 there's a ridge of metal here.
10:23 You have to trim off, I think, about a quarter, three-eighths of an inch to let the old grill
10:29 sit a little bit flatter.
10:31 Then you've got to make room here for a headlight bucket, a round headlight bucket, which he
10:36 did, but again, it's not the prettiest thing.
10:37 We'll clean it up, weld in those headlight buckets where they're supposed to go, and
10:41 it'll be much, much nicer.
10:43 You ever been knifed by one of those?
10:49 Yeah.
10:50 That was an injury waiting to happen right there.
10:53 Yeah, it was.
10:54 I got my tetanus shot for nothing, though.
10:56 We got it all cleaned.
10:57 Shoot, we're done, dude.
10:58 All right, let's go home.
10:59 Let's go to lunch.
11:00 It fits pretty good.
11:07 Cool.
11:08 All right, so before when Lindsey Tess fit this, he just drilled a little hole to accept
11:22 the lower turn signal, but it doesn't sit exactly how we want it, so we're going to
11:25 hog this area out and make a different mount.
11:28 Hog it out.
11:29 Hog it out.
11:30 Get hogging.
11:31 We decided to cut out this whole area behind the turn indicator.
11:43 I'll put two little tabs in, drill one little hole on either side, and we'll bolt the front
11:47 turn indicators in just like they were factory.
11:52 I'm making some sparks here in just a second.
11:54 It's going to be badass.
11:56 Ow, ow, ow.
11:59 Perfect.
12:00 All right, so we're going to put this on.
12:01 We're going to put this on.
12:02 We're going to put this on.
12:03 We're going to put this on.
12:04 We're going to put this on.
12:05 We're going to put this on.
12:06 We're going to put this on.
12:07 We're going to put this on.
12:08 We're going to put this on.
12:09 We're going to put this on.
12:10 We're going to put this on.
12:11 We're going to put this on.
12:12 We're going to put this on.
12:13 We're going to put this on.
12:14 We're going to put this on.
12:15 We're going to put this on.
12:16 We're going to put this on.
12:17 We're going to put this on.
12:18 We're going to put this on.
12:19 We're going to put this on.
12:20 We're going to put this on.
12:21 We're going to put this on.
12:28 We're going to put this on.
12:35 We're going to put this on.
12:36 We're going to put this on.
12:37 We're going to put this on.
12:38 We're going to put this on.
12:39 We're going to put this on.
12:40 We're going to put this on.
12:41 We're going to put this on.
12:42 We're going to put this on.
12:43 We're going to put this on.
12:44 We're going to put this on.
12:45 We're going to put this on.
12:46 We're going to put this on.
12:47 We're going to put this on.
12:48 We're going to put this on.
12:49 We're going to put this on.
12:50 One thing you just have to be careful of with the new weather stripping is that it doesn't
12:54 get crunched and you start leaking water everywhere because it's brand new and the van is not.
13:02 Make sure it's seated right and screw it in.
13:12 We're installing these round porthole windows.
13:14 They're super 70s for these vans.
13:15 You're going to drill in, cut it out, seal it up.
13:19 I'm just making a quick template.
13:21 I'll hold this up to the side of the van, trace it properly, make sure it's exact, and
13:25 then we're going to cut a hole in the side of Lindsey's van.
13:27 Let's see what this thing says so we can consult.
13:30 Yeah.
13:31 Did we do it right?
13:33 This entire book is just naked women.
13:35 It's unbelievable.
13:36 Sounds like we're on point.
13:37 Yeah.
13:38 Perfect.
13:39 Yep.
13:40 Yep.
13:41 I'm putting some caulk style tape.
14:00 It is called strip caulk.
14:04 It's semi-hardening but super pliable so it won't hold the window out.
14:09 The longer you hold it there, the flusher the window will be.
14:13 Oh yeah.
14:14 To figure out exactly where to place these port windows so they would look right but
14:18 also not interfere with any of the strengthening ribs on the inside of the van, we discussed
14:23 it a bit and figured out exactly where we wanted these to be because once they're cut,
14:27 they're cut.
14:35 We have to bleed the brakes on the van because Lucky replaced the front calipers when he
14:38 did all the suspension upgrades.
14:40 Motive Products makes this cool one-man brake bleeder so the two of us together should be
14:44 able to work this thing just fine.
14:45 I actually have one of these at home.
14:47 They work really good.
14:48 If you get up to 10, you're done.
14:50 Yeah, I agree.
14:51 All right.
14:52 So now this reservoir is pressurized with clean new fluid and we should be able to just
14:56 go to the calipers, crack the bleeders, and it'll pump down.
14:59 Is it flowing?
15:00 It's flowing and it's getting cleaner.
15:03 It's coming out great.
15:04 It's clear enough.
15:05 There she goes.
15:06 Drink it.
15:07 I dare you.
15:08 Pass.
15:09 All right, I'm going to lock it down.
15:10 So that's it.
15:11 Brakes are bled.
15:12 You can do this with one person.
15:13 So I just got done pulling out the stock starter motor.
15:14 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:15 AC Delco all covered in grease.
15:16 Oh, look.
15:17 From an AC Delco.
15:18 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:19 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:20 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:21 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:22 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:23 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:24 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:25 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:26 It's a giant tanker of a starter motor.
15:55 So the headers are in and they fit great.
15:57 We had to remove the dipstick and kind of sneak them around the new starter.
16:03 The hardest thing about installing these was taking out all the stock stuff, which is garbage.
16:08 Okay, so we have the hooker headers on Lindsey's van.
16:11 It's time to put the side pipes on, but the lift is in the way, so we're going to put
16:14 it on the ground, which means it's time for new wheels and tires.
16:19 Lindsey, tell them all about these.
16:21 These are ET4 slot mags from the '70s and they're unilugged, so they fit anywhere from
16:26 5 and 4 1/2 to 5 and 5.
16:28 These little spacers change your PCV pattern.
16:39 So we're really hustling to get this thing done.
16:41 While I'm putting in these '70s side pipes and connecting them to our long tube hooker
16:45 headers, Lucky is in the back installing the doors that just came back from paint.
16:50 Getting closer.
16:51 Bring the bottom one in and in and in.
17:05 Two down, two to go.
17:14 See ya.
17:15 So after locking everything up, I'm going to remove a couple inches out of this chrome
17:19 90 that's basically the first part of a side pipe because there's just not enough room
17:24 for these pipes to meet together.
17:26 So I'll cut it, remove it, weld it up.
17:32 Okay, lift the bottom up.
17:35 Yeah, you gotta kind of go out.
17:43 Close the door.
17:47 Oh, there we go.
17:58 Lindsey, have you thought about your own personal safety and issues with the van?
18:09 No, I mean, we've got new brakes on it.
18:11 Like what about the hordes of middle-aged women who used to listen to Rad and Winger
18:15 throwing themselves at this thing?
18:17 Yeah, I mean, it's kind of the point of it.
18:19 Stay safe out there.
18:20 Yeah.
18:21 All right, so we've got the front lip installed.
18:25 Tony's finishing up the last side pipe, which he's exceptionally good at.
18:30 And we're going to put graphics on this thing and start the part.
18:42 That's pretty much it.
18:43 You've got to put clamps on, but it fits pretty good.
18:47 Okay, so we have the headers, the side pipes, the old doors, lights, grill, everything,
18:53 bumpers, all done, but we're not there yet.
18:56 Nope.
18:57 Because Lindsey is a designer.
18:58 So we designed out this Z28-inspired graphics package, kind of get that late '70s street
19:04 machine vibe going on.
19:06 Yep.
19:07 So vinyl is like about being super clean and taking your time and getting everything right,
19:12 and it's super annoying, and I hate it.
19:14 Yeah, we used to do it a ton for Tony's race car, so I know that he loves it a lot, and
19:18 I'm going to put him to work.
19:19 Yeah, let's do it.
19:20 I've done it on my cars a few times.
19:34 We want to make sure we leave enough vinyl to roll in and wrap around the front of the
19:38 door lip and get into the door jamb so that it's nice and well-secured.
19:42 So I laid some tape down and put a mark on the body so that we have a front-to-back measurement
19:48 because we basically have to now pull everything off and do it by hand, but we've got a good
19:52 idea of where it all goes.
19:56 Some people will just throw it down with not a ton of Windex or soapy water or whatever
19:59 on it, get bubbles, and then kind of start to work them out.
20:02 But if you have enough of this lube on there, you can pull the whole thing up and then,
20:06 like I said, just sort of lay it down all at once in one flat motion and not have any
20:10 bubbles to begin with.
20:12 Any kind of grit on your fingers or anything you get is going to be really easy to see
20:16 on the vinyl when it's laid down.
20:17 Just to keep it perfectly clean.
20:23 When you're peeling this back, you want to keep it super flat because every leading edge
20:26 has a tendency to pull up and then you can tear stuff.
20:29 It gets really dangerous.
20:32 So I'll run it right around the door and at the first lip, I'm just going to cut it off.
20:47 So all I'm doing is in the compound negative surfaces here, we're hitting it with a little
20:51 bit of heat.
20:52 It makes the vinyl want to stay and stretch into that valley so it doesn't peel up.
20:57 Okay, Lindsey's van is on the ground for the first time with the stripes and everything.
21:01 It looks awesome.
21:02 What are we going to name this thing?
21:04 Street loaf?
21:05 I like that one.
21:06 Vendito.
21:07 I think still, Vandolf.
21:10 And you airbrush a hand, like Lucky said, holding up the bubble mirrors.
21:13 Go like real wizard style with it.
21:16 Magical.
21:17 Get in losers.
21:18 We're going vanning.
21:19 Oh yeah.
21:20 This feels fun, dude.
21:21 Step on it.
21:22 Funnest, slowest car we've ever driven.
21:23 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:24 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:25 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:26 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:27 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:28 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:29 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:30 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:31 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:32 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:33 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:34 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
21:55 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
22:19 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
22:45 I'm going to go for the one with the most power.
23:14 of Hot Rod Garage presented by Lincoln Tech.
23:16 I think I love vans now.
23:18 - You think?
23:19 - I think I do.
23:20 Don't forget to check us out
23:21 on social media between episodes.
23:23 The show is Hot Rod Garage Show on Facebook and Instagram.
23:27 - Traffic.
23:28 - I'm Tangelo96.
23:29 - I'm MobileTechLucky.
23:30 - See you guys next time. - Help, help me.
23:33 (laughing)
23:35 - Help, send help.
23:36 - Replacement parts in this episode
23:39 provided by RockAuto.com.
23:42 ♪ Tomorrow ♪
23:45 ♪ Tomorrow ♪
23:47 ♪ Only a day away ♪
23:50 Bye.
23:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]