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"Britains Fastest Van"

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#1 ·
------------------------------"BUILDING BRITAIN"S FASTEST VAN"-------------------

Three years ago I decided that a quick van for the street was the way to go and had the idea of building a moggy van with the rover v8 etc until I saw Dave Sidaways Fordson van on youtube,after seeing the van in all its glory there was no turning back,building and owning something that resembles Daves van for the street is my ultimate goal.

After three years of searching one was eventually found in cambridge as steel ones arent exactly rollin out of showrooms these days! I have built a bespoke 80x40 box chassis and she"s going to have a tuned ford 289 V8 (350bhp) C4 auto box along with a very narrow 41-1/2" jag rear with 3.54 powerlock diff and narrowed triumph GT6 front.

I will be building the rod with economy but also safety in mind and most parts will be hand built by myself inc engine/box - chassis - front and rear suspension - fuel tanks etc.

Im looking for it to handle well and am placing the engine as far back and as low as possible but without the sump or transmission protruding below the chassis line which iv"e set at seven inch front to back. Pics to follow!
 
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#31 ·
Fordson Van

Well,winter is now here in old britain so im back on with the build! Seat rails and prop loops now welded in - home made headers and front pipes fabbed - propshaft - gearbox mounting and servo mount fabbed n fitted,289 heads seriously ported! Fuel tank is this weeks project together with the boot ( trunk ) floor! Thanks for all your kind words everyone :) Pics of narrowed and modified triumph spitfire front suspension and steering to follow...
 

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#38 · (Edited)
123pugsy said:
Should sound OK.

Any pics of how they're made?
I have taken three pics of the build up. start by cutting two 3mm end plates and hole saw them 2.25 inch for my application,then a length of baffle for each muffler for the length required 16 in my case.. weld the baffle to the end plates keeping them straight in the floor,then draw a centre line through the middle of the correct size tin plate,I used 16x0 inches. then inch by inch tack weld to the boxes,do both ends together or the tin plate will not meet properly.stuff the mufler with loft insulation or glass fibre quite tight,then fully seam weld. ; ) pretty basic stuff...
 

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#41 ·
Awesome idea, basically. Do it as a 347 stroker with AFR 185 heads and the FMS E303 legal cam, it'll do 450 HP no problem, still daily street driveable, and run forever. Forget the c4, do a wide-ratio AOD. The OD with a 3.54:1 should still make the 347 do 25+ MPG. And this combo should actually be capable of your dream of 0-60 in 3 seconds. No point sticking with obsolete parts. If you can't afford to do it right the first time, then no sense doing it at all.
 
#42 · (Edited)
Fordson van update

Hi

Not for me on the stroker,its standard 289 but 40 over with a crower level 3 beast cam,edel rpm intake,600 edelbrock,roller rockers,about 375 bhp on UK fuel,good recommendation on the g/box tho but its only for street use and our streets in the uk are only small! :) http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=61270&stc=1
 

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#50 ·
No Hijack intended.. just wanted to show you my Thames,, I might just finish it some day.

You have a nice project going there,, making great progress,, and should be a fast momma,, any idea how much yours will weigh wnen finished?
 

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#51 ·
Fordson van update

Hi buddy,

I have seen your threads on your van and must say that I am VERY impressed with your skills. Your vans bespoke chassis is nice. Im hoping my van will be under 850 kgs in road trim and circa 365 bhp so should be a little rocket! Thanks buddy....
 
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