Hetman's Econoline saga

Greetings, folks!! It's nice to be here again after a long break. I've been quite busy with work and two young boys and working on purchasing some land to build a house, etc. However, my desire for cars continues unabated, and I have directed this energy toward getting an old Ford van like my dad bought new when I was 2 years old: a 2nd generation ("mid") Ford Econoline, this one a 1974 E300 Chateau Club Wagon. I bought it over a year ago and the build has been ongoing on Bangshift.com until a week ago or so, when the moderators shut it down. You can read it here:

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=15606.0

I also have a concurrent build thread on an Econoline-based forum:

http://econolines.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3443

And since I took the van away from the scoundrel who cheated me out of my life's savings, I started a thread about it on vannin.com, when it arrived in New Jersey to be completed by a new builder. I hope eventually it gets done!

http://vannin.com/threads/ubbthreads.php/topics/418727/Redemption_my_1974_Ford_E300_C.html#Post418727

There is a relevant topic about how the first builder ripped me off, and how the BS.com people are covering up his crimes:

http://rodderscorner.informe.com/holy-shit-dt9711.html

I am known as yogreasygramma on those forums. Enjoy!!

My addiction to Econolines apparently knows no bounds, and meanwhile I bought two more! The first (and it's already in Poland) is a 1973 E300 Parcel Delivery Van, which is a very rare beast anymore.

Here are the threads on vannin.com, econoline.ipbhost.com and BS.com:

http://vannin.com/threads/ubbthreads.php/topics/397057/1973_Ford_E300_Parcel_Delivery.html#Post397057

http://econolines.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=4075

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=24846.0

And here's a nice rust-free California desert 1972 E300 Chateau Club Wagon I picked up for parts, but it's too nice to cut up. Boy, I am a real coward to not cut up these vehicles!! LOL This van is still in Los Angeles, awaiting transport, but I want to locate as many spare parts as possible before I put it into a container and ship it.

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=25433.0

Well, I had a nice Thanksgiving. I was called down to the customs office by the building administration to help move the van from its parking spot to make room for the snow-removing tractor, and seeing as how we had our first snow on Wednesday, I guess they have good reason to move it. Recall that the flatbed couldn't maneuver into the gate of the customs impound lot, which is very narrow and adjacent to the building where I was told to park the van. So they decided to tow my van around into the narrow impound lot with the tractor. Of course, once we got into the lot, there was no room to turn it around with the tractor, so I unhooked my tow rope and the two of us pushed and heaved to get that two-ton monster backed up into the proper spot. Man was that hard!!!

Still no word on my appeal yet, but I hope the van doesn't spend too much more time in customs prison. On the other hand, if they rule against me again, I can take them to court, which I will. But that does nothing to get my van out of there and protected. I still haven't had a chance to fix the driveshaft yet!! And after that I have to pass a rigorous inspection process and other formalities before being able to register it.

I was overcome with an overwhelming desire to check up on my box van out at the customs yard today, though it's -5 F to -10 F outside with an even worse wind chill factor going on. I nearly froze my hands off in the time it took me to take the pictures (without gloves). Before winter, I checked to see if the engine had antifreeze in it, and it does (fortunately because if not, it wouldn't be easy to change it over there!) but I don't know how cold it's rated at. Let's hope the block doesn't crack because of this travesty of justice. This place is adjacent to the Chopin international airport, in case you're wondering what all the razor wire is for (no, it's not to keep the van in...LOL). Tom, these are for you!

It looks colder in Poland,than here Mike .Hope you get it off that place soon,and can register it and use it.

Looks like you have a lot of snow in Poland, were in poland , do you live?

Hi, old friends! Per, I live in Warsaw. Arild, yes it's been pretty cold lately, down to nearly -20 C. I hope the coolant in that engine can withstand the temperature because I haven't had a chance to change it!! Just one more way for the government to destroy our old cars.

Per, you have some cool cars in your signature line. Are these new additions? How did you drive the Malibu to your house? LOL. The windows are all dusty so it would be rather hard to see out of them.

From time to time I find new members from Norway on various vanning forums, and I always guide them to this forum. I hope they join!

Take care, guys!

Hi
Yes, its some project cars I have bought in Tx, the 59 Ranchero I've had for a while , but bought the Malibu and Hudson on the last trip , also bought a 68 Buick Electra.

I gone ship home the Electra and maybe the Malibu, I will sell them in Norway , I wish I could have kept the Malibu , but you know, when you are not rich , you have too sell something , to keep the wheels rolling

Those fools (for lack of a better, more accurate or more appropriate term) at the Customs office have requested I send them more information to support my claims that this box van is historically valuable, innovative and represents a significant step forward for society. How many times and in how many different words can you express the obvious? How hard is it to take the licensed experts' word in this regard? We have been round and round over these same issues, and they had the legal obligation to accept the sworn affidavits of the officially licensed experts from the very day I submitted my clearance request back in early September. My van should have been trapped in customs no more than 3 hours. But no, they break their own laws, and in doing so commit treason against their own country, and waste inordinate sums of money and time trying to justify their opinions borne of ignorance and avarice. And they are violating their very raison d'etre and job description by allowing another valuable piece of history to languish and rot at their hands as they dither and dally and twiddle their thumbs.

So here's what I came up with after spending about another 6 hours on researching this information. I hope the Marti Report that Hoofbeats hooked me up with proves instrumental (and it should, but at this point I can't help but wonder if this whole operation is one giant circle jerk and chain yank).

----------------

The Ford Motor Company has always been known for its quality vehicles and market-leading innovation, from before the Model T up until today. The Econoline van line is no different, always at the forefront of technology and innovation, from its introduction in 1960 until today, where it continues to be the best-selling van in the United States for over 40 years. This market success is due directly to the Econoline’s quality and innovation.

My 1973 Econoline 300 Parcel Delivery Van is recognized as a historical vehicle because it embodies many innovations that Ford brought to the market. In 1968, the second generation of the Econoline appeared with many market-leading features, as attested to by factory brochures and documentation. These vans featured a unique front suspension giving tremendous strength and stability. No other van had this type of suspension. Econolines offered more loading space than any other van on the market for their size, due to Ford’s innovative engine-forward design. Placing the engine all the way in the front of the vehicle gave the Econoline more load capacity and a higher weight payload as well, over two tons in a vehicle only 4.8 meters long. This was better than any other vehicle available on the market. They also had nearly vertical sides, giving more space inside for building cabinets and loading than any other van. Econolines also offered tighter (narrower) turning radiuses than their competition, allowing easier and safer maneuverability.

In mid-1972, Ford introduced a special version of the Econoline van, called the Parcel Delivery Van. This vehicle type revolutionized the transportation world, as is evidenced today by how many of these vehicles do regular hard delivery duty in cities around the world. The Parcel Delivery Van represented an incredibly huge and important step forward in the development of society, and 1973 was the first full year of production of this famous and valuable vehicle. Some features of this van include 82% greater load space than the regular Econoline, over 2 meters height inside to walk around in, a 4-meter long box, and a total vehicle length of less than 5.4 meters! The load capacity was 2 tons, making for an incredibly compact yet heavy-duty transportation vehicle for the tight spaces of the city.

I am attaching a Ford sales advertisement from 1972 (attachment 1), a Ford sales brochure from 1973 (attachment 2) and the Ford dealer Fact Book for 1973 (attachment 3) to show where Ford advertises these unique innovations.

Since so few of these vehicles survived, the sale price of the remaining ones is always determined on a case-by-case basis. However, since very few people want them, the sale price is always low, and usually ranges from $1000 to $2000. I paid a total of over $7400 for mine ($2700 purchase price plus $4700 transportation cost), not including taxes, so I paid much more for mine than what is usually paid in the United States for these vehicles, when they come to market. I bought my van from an advertisement on a specialty site dedicated specifically to these Ford Econoline vans (www.econolines.ipbhost.com). The exact advertisement can still be seen, and I have printed it for your convenience (attachment 4). This advertisement was active for 4 months before the owner said he would dismantle and junk the van if nobody stepped up to buy it, so I decided to save this historical and valuable vehicle. I have highlighted where the owner said this. I have also highlighted where another person, an owner of another PDV, mentions how rare they are, saying he’d never seen another one.

Less than a month ago I received a message from a new member of that site, who had found and bought a PDV last year, for $2000. He also confirms that these vans are very rare, saying he has never seen another one (attachment 5). So, these vans are extremely rare, but do not command high prices on the market when they come up for sale. Even the service NADA does not list the Ford Econoline PDV in its price lists, because they are so rare.

In order to get an idea of the general value of other regular Econoline vans on the market, I have printed the last week of advertisements from this specialty site. The 19 vans listed during this time period (January 10 to January 17, 2011) ranged in price from $650 to $3500, with nearly all of them below $2000 (attachment 6). So it’s clear that the price I paid for my van is much higher than the average in the United States.

I have just acquired a definitive report about the rarity of my Ford Econoline Parcel Delivery Van, using official Ford production numbers. This is called a Marti Report (attachment 7), and it lists all the options my van was built with. It shows that my van (as were all PDVs) was a special ordered vehicle, and furthermore, it shows that my van was unique to all others; there was never even one other van like mine, making mine completely unique, even from the moment it left the factory’s doors. This fact alone should put to rest all remaining doubts as to the historical value of my Parcel Delivery Van. But in fact, all of the very few remaining Econoline 300 PDVs deserve special attention and protection, being so rare today and having proven so valuable to the development of society over the past decades. My 1973 Ford Econoline 300 PDV, the great-grandfather of all delivery vans, is the only one in the European Union, and thus clearly deserves special consideration.

Sincerely,

Michael

I got some more good news yesterday from the Customs Office. They informed me that they went back into their records and are reopening the cases of the previous cars I imported (4 Chevrolet Monte Carlos) with the intention of reclassifying them as normal vehicles, not historical vehicles, saying their previous classification as historical vehicles is in error, so I can expect a fight with all of those vehicles, even though they were imported, cleared customs, inspected and registered as antique vehicles, and added to the country's National Historical Register 3-4 years ago!!! Can you believe that? They think they have the right to turn back time and overturn their previous decisions?! I am floored. Of course it's illegal on their part, but they feel they are above the law. Even their own laws.

Sorry , to hear about that , in Norway we the American car club and they have done a lot of good work , when i comes to import Classic cars and also newer cars.

In Norway , the cars have to be older than 30 years , to import antique cars and pay less tax.

Oh,i can imagine they have alot of time and money to spend on this case Mike..guess its a lot more expensive to import them as regular cars too?

Arild, it's only slightly more expensive to import a car that's not historic. I think the customs duty is only 10%, plus 22% VAT (which is not applied to historical vehicles; instead the VAT rate for them is 7%). So there's not a lot more money to be earned by them for disallowing a car its historical rights.

Well, Valentine's Day came and I got not one, but two nice letters from the customs office. The first one merely stated that they were extending their own deadline from 2 to 3 months to answer my appeal. The second letter was far more ominous, relating the opening up of the case of one of the previous cars I'd imported in 2008 - a 1973 Monte Carlo Landau. They followed through on their threat of a couple weeks ago and demanded I send within 3 days, all relevant information and proof that my car was in fact historical. This is not only horrible BS because of the fact that the case was decided 3 years ago, but to support their argument they are requiring information that pertains only to cars less than 30 years old but at least 25 years old. Since my car was 35 years old 3 years ago, what they're asking for is completely without merit on a number of grounds. I wrote them a letter saying so. We'll see how it goes from here. They must really despise me for "defying" them.

Not to mention the fact that I sold this Monte a year ago, and no longer have access to the 400 pages of documentation that came with it, from the original dealer order form, bill of sale, each yearly registration and insurance card, every receipt and a log of every fill-up or repair done to it.

After reading this i must say that we are really fortuned in Norway with todays customs-and registration-rules. 20 years ago it was difficult to import and register Cars to Norway. We had a lot of "special" registration-demands for cars that made it difficult espesialy for American cars to get registrated.(Needed a lot of modifications, especially on ligths,seatbelts, brakes and lots of documentation...)

It was-and is-very expensive to import and registrate a Car in Norway, but lots of the "special"demands for Norway is removed, so its easyer today.

But luckily we got the 30-year import-rule for veteran-veicals. With no other dokumentations than the model-year of the car(30 years or older)we can import and register an veteran-veical with almost no taxes.. , and the customs and regisration-department got spesial educated employees that helps you through the prosess... I will never complain on them again.....

I really hope it works out for you, and you get your Ford out on the road where it belongs!

Greetings, folks! I just got back from a 2-week trip to Los Angeles to try to wrap things up with my vans out there, my 72 E300 Chateau parts van and this newly-acquired 72 E200 Chateau, which Charlie picked up for me in San Francisco about a month ago or so. This van is a Craigslist find with a bad engine, so I knew I had to do something with that problem. So while cutting up my 72 E300 parts van, I wanted to switch engines to have a decent one in this van. I had a lot of work lined up for me for my visit, but wasn't able to accomplish everything, due to (normal) setbacks....LOL. It turns out that the engine in the parts van had a broken crankshaft (even though we got it running!!), so after I pulled a lot of parts off it in anticipation of the swap, the idea was a no-go and now I have to find another engine or rebuild the one from this van. It is currently sitting in a buddy's shop awaiting the engine rebuild, and it is already packed with most of the items I wanted to get from the parts van, including most of the doors and front sheet metal for my box van in Poland.

The van itself is in remarkable, unrusted and original condition. It has obviously been very well cared for most of its life. All of the latches and locks and doors work smoothly. The original gas cap is even still there!! All the paint is original, though at some point in a few places (door hinges) someone took a spray can to cover some wear and tear. The interior is all there and in very nice condition, save for a couple cracks in the dash and a cracked engine tray. This Chateau is an 8-passenger model with a 3-on-the-tree manual transmission. I hope to get the engine rebuilt soon and have it shipped to me in Poland, where it can serve our family for daily driver use in non-winter months. It has been outfitted (long ago) with some Indy slot mags, and I've bought new BF Goodrich Radial TA tires for them, so it should look cool when everything is ready to go and the paint is polished and waxed again.

So, without further ado, here are some pictures, starting with shots taken by Charlie when he picked it up in SF and drove it back to Stanton, where it sat in the back lot of John's shop for a couple weeks.















Does anybody know what this special DSO code is for?



Pictures taken the week of April 8-17 in Stanton, California.













The model in the van is Charlie's beautiful and charming daughter Holly... ))











]






In order to ease access to the engine prior to the swap, I removed the grill and radiator. I found some neat factory chalk markings from the build. Imagine if this were a Mustang, how people would be going crazy over these factory markings.







Anybody know the purpose of the black tar paper-like shroud attached to the underside of the hood?



Interesting South Dakota state park admission sticker from 1973.



Johnny Q came by to lend a hand. He's got a mighty sharp van!!





The parts van arrived on the 14th so my attention turned to parting it out. If anyone's following the registry thread, they'll notice that the VIN numbers of these two vans are only 23 digits apart, which might have placed them on the assembly line the very same day!! I don't actually know if they were produced on the same day, but it's possible. And surely they would have been together at some time at the plant or on the parking lot or maybe on the same truck or train. In any case, this would be the last time they were together. By the 18th, this van was sliced and diced.







At Andy's shop across the street, work on the van continued out of the hot sun. I was able to get the engine, transmission and driveshaft out by myself, though the transmission did fall off the jack and grazed my knee. I was extremely lucky it didn't crush my knee.... and even so it nearly incapacitated me. There was very little room under the van for the cherry picker, two jack stands and two jacks.











Loading it up. Now all it needs is the new tires mounted and rebuilt engine installed! From the parts van, I gave the engine, transmission, rear axle and side pipes to John. In the van I managed to fit all the doors (plus one extra front door), the driveshaft, spring packs, glass and 5 wheels/tires, as well as all the front sheet metal from the parts van (hood, roof section, rocker panels and fenders), two grills and other parts. Dang, these vans have rather limited carrying capacity. B)

Nice ride
72 = San Jose CA Ford District Sales Zone Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

2914: Domestic Special Order number. The truck was special ordered by the original purchaser, not "bought off the lot."
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/875372-dso-codes.html

Thanks, Chief! I know about DSOs but was wondering what specifically was different or special about my van that was special-ordered (which is why it has the extra 4-digit code after 72 (San Jose office).

Here's what that link says also:

6 numbered DSO: The first two numbers refer to the District Sales Office.

The next 4 numbers are the: Domestic Special Order number. In other words, the original purchaser ordered something that was not an RPO = Regular Production Order.

This can be special paint, special body, etc etc etc...the list is endless.

My van was bought very close to its original San Jose office, so it's spent its whole life in the San Francisco/San Jose area. I'm curious what is unique about my van. I've ordered a Marti Report for it, so perhaps Marti will have the answer for me. My Parcel Delivery Van is also a special-order with a 6-digit DSO code.

Hey Mike .Great example of a Econline you have got there..looks rustfree and sound..totally diffrent than one of or two of the others you have bought .Looks like all cars you buy,grow into 3-4 more of the same type

Arild, I think you are definitely on to something! LOL. It must be a trend with me. It's always overkill with me.

My Econoline Parcel Delivery Van is still in customs prison, with no word from them. I guess they don't have to comply with their own laws.

So, the next cars I import will be through the Netherlands. I've heard that's the best gateway to the EU. And I would like to start doing this for a living, too. I picked up two cars while in LA - a 1963 Cutlass F85 and a 1969 Barracuda, both nice original rust-free California cars. Hopefully they'll sell well in Poland.

Per, are you interested in doing business with me? Are there any nice old American cars down there you can send my way? Seriously, I'm in the market.

I went to visit the van yesterday and took some pictures of the ongoing damage incurred at the hands of the disrespectful idiots at the Customs Office. Not only is there a sizeable leak-down from the transmission as well as from the engine, two freeze plugs are lying on the ground. This, at the very least, entails a complete tear-down and rebuild of the engine. I hope the block isn't destroyed; this was a professionally rebuilt, non-leaking and perfectly running engine prior to this miscarriage of justice. It was below -20F for weeks on end and below 0F for months during the winter.




Rust is running rampant on the vehicle now, and the birds are using it as a commode.

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that the van is now safe at my home.







The bad news is that I've spent the past 6 weeks running around to every conceivable Customs office, consulting with various lawyers and certified experts/appraisers and generally trying to get my van out. Despite having a positive decision, nothing seems clear or simple. After receiving the decision by mail, I went to the customs office where the van was impounded and asked about the procedure for freeing the vehicle. They said they didn't have the file for the case, and referred me back to the appeals office, and I called the lady there who'd been handling my case and thanked her for her work and professionalism in getting the decision made (10 months late, but still). I asked her how I could pick up the van, and she said she'd send the case file back to the original regional customs office the next day. I went back to that office and told them I'd talked to the appeals office and they could expect the file within a day or two, and they assured me they'd call me as soon as they got it.

So I waited one week, two weeks, three weeks and finally went back there and talked to the same officer who'd promised to call me. He said, yes, they'd gotten it and the van was ready to pick up after some financial arrangements were finalized. I asked what he was talking about, since I'd already paid 100% of what I owed (about $500) the very day I picked up the van at the port. Furthermore, I paid an additional $1700 security deposit due at the time my van was denied historical status (that decision was handed down nearly a year ago, and incurred the necessity of paying a further security deposit if I challenged and appealed their decision, which I did). So, to make a long story short, within the ensuing few weeks, I made about 8 trips to the regional customs office to figure out why they didn't have record of my payments. I showed them my receipts, and the chief purser tried to straighten things out. The first problem is that she said my initial duty payment over a year ago was no longer in their system because they close out their books every calender year. I have yet to get that money back from the port's regional customs office. But the second problem was that the second security deposit (paid by bank transfer) was on the books of the finance arm of the customs office and had to be transferred back to the regional office before I could pick up my van. OK, I needed to wait a few days before that was ready.

During one of these visits to the regional office, I was looking at my van with a licensed appraiser to document the damages incurred to the vehicle during its tenure at the customs office. I was met by the owner of the building and grounds which rents the space to the customs office. He told me some interesting news - that he'd never let my van leave the premises without paying an additional parking fee for the year spent there on his "private property" as he put it, especially in light of the fact that the van had "caused tremendous damage to his property". He said that my stay would cost me nearly $3000, which "exceeded the value of my van" and that we could come to some kind of "gentleman's agreement" about the actual payment. I told him I had no business with him and his private property, but rather with the customs office, for they had kept my van, not me, and even against my will, so if he wanted something, he'd have to talk to the customs office director (who had assured the lady who was handling my case at the appeals office, in my presence by telephone, that I would not in any way be charged for the van's stay at the customs office because the case was still under appeal). He then said I was wrong and he could by legal right tow away my van at any time he wished, and I would need to pay him prior to removing the vehicle. I reiterated that I neither intended nor would do any such a thing.

Being quite upset about his treatment of me and threat to steal my vehicle, I went back to the regional office where they assured me that he was in the wrong and couldn't demand any money from me, as per the regional office director's decision. Further, I went to the headquarters of the customs office in Warsaw and presented my case. They said that what the owner claimed wasn't true, but directed me to the appeals office which had handled my case. I drove over there and talked to two different officers and one of them not even familiar with my case did some investigations, calling different customs officers and reported to me that in no case would I incur any charge for keeping my car there unless the customs office itself imposed some kind of charge (sometimes this happens if someone doesn't pick up their vehicle on time), and the owner of the building has no right to impose any other fees on me, nor physically or in any other way impede my removal of my vehicle from the premises. She went on to explain that the customs office has an agreement with the owner of the property (as is always the case) to rent the property for its needs, including parking vehicles there, and always pays the owner, negating the need for the customer (taxpayer) to incur any additional fees for parking. Hearing this from so many different sources made me feel a bit more secure in the knowledge that I would not have any complications trying to take my van out.

However, I went back down to the regional office to talk to the director in person to make sure there would be no problems whatsoever from the property owner who was threatening me and trying to extort extra money from me. I presented my experience of the previous week and she was very concerned about what I relayed to her but reassured me that no such thing could or would happen, because I owed nothing for parking the van there since the customs office itself is the one who'd impounded it and furthermore, the customs office pays 100% of all charges associated with vehicles impounded. In our presence was the vice-director, the same officer who'd told me almost a year ago that I shouldn't even appeal the decision because if I did, my van "would be destroyed" and "I'd have to pay a huge amount of money for parking". The director told me she would do some investigations and I should call the chief purser in a couple days when I finally got the word that the financial aspect had been cleared up. So I called back in a few days and was told that the payment had been transferred (only partially but enough to release my van) and the van was ready for full customs clearance and release, and that the issue of parking had been discussed with the property owner and the director had said that my van was to be released without any trouble or encumbrance from either the property owner or the customs office. I told the chief purser I'd come in two days (last Thursday, 3 days ago) with a flatbed and pick up the van.

Being in a rather good mood, though a bit hesitant after all that's happened to me over the past year, I hired a flatbed to come meet me at the customs office to pick up the van. Before doing so, I went first to the purser and signed the release form for my van, and received my parking release (now stamped with the official seal of the customs office) which I'd signed when I drove onto the premises over a year ago. I was told I could present this to the gate guard and leave without any trouble. So I called the flatbed driver and he showed up within half an hour, and we proceeded to load up the van onto the flatbed. No sooner than it was strapped to the flatbed did the owner of the property arrive with his security chief and told the driver to shut off the engine, that we weren't going anywhere until I settled the parking fees for the year the van had sat on his "private property". I told him to talk to the director (I didn't know yet that she'd taken the day off and left the vice-director in charge); that everything had been settled and I was not to pay any fees, and that I had no business with him but rather with the customs office. I instructed him to leave me alone and stop blocking me from taking possession of my property. He threatened to call the police, and did so. Meantime, I went back to the office to ask what was wrong. I overheard the chief purser tell the security chief that my van was supposed to be released without any parking fees, according to the director of the regional office. He said the property owner had told us all otherwise and it was he (the property owner) who called the shots on his property, and wouldn't release the vehicle without settlement of the extra parking fees.

Having put my huge case file back in my car after receiving my release from customs, I wanted to retrieve it to prove to the police, who were on their way, that I was the legal owner of the van so they could stop the property owner from blocking my exit. The security chief followed me out to the gate, telling me that I wasn't allowed to leave, that "fleeing from the police wasn't allowed" and then he physically restrained me as I reached the gate. I defended myself and screamed at him to get his hands off me. Then he yelled, "what's wrong with you, are you insane?" and I yelled back that he was the one who was crazy and had no right to restrain me or hold my property. Then I left and retrieved my documents from my Jeep and headed back to the customs office compound. The police (who'd been summoned by the property owner) arrived and I talked to them and the owner of the property in front of my van, and the the police not only weren't interested in whose van it was (they didn't check all the paperwork I had) but instead supported the property owner, asserting that I'd voluntarily delivered my van onto private property and must settle the parking fees incurred to the property owner, which were listed on the parking receipt I'd signed upon driving onto the property a year ago. The fees listed for a delivery van are $10/day. The property owner then claimed what he was doing was completely legal, and was even prepared to offer me a discount for the 380 days my van had been impounded there by the customs office. The police officers asked him what kind of a discount he had in mind, and he told them $200. I also told the police that the security chief had physically assaulted me, but they were not interested, and left.

I was furious but paid the $200 to get my van out that day. I got a receipt for the parking fees and will go back to the customs office tomorrow to try to inquire further about the nature and reasons for being gang-raped on Thursday by the customs office, property owner and police. I'll keep you informed.

Wow Mike...you could make money,just by makin a film about this mess.It reminds me of the troubles we had to go through here in Norway 20-30 years ago,when importing a car from the US.Nowadays it isnt possible,due to the taxes..in the old days it wasnt possible,due to the nazis that run the rules..go figure.

Hopefully you can in a short time run this van as your daily freight train,and not worry anymore

Daily freight train....I like that idea!! I'm not sure it'll ever pull daily driver duties for me, but I sure am itching to get it back on the road!! I want to use this beast! Not to mention intimidate all the weaker members of the species on the highways. I think I'm going to install LPG in the van eventually so I can operate it cheaper.

So this past weekend I dove into its mechanical issues, trying to sort them out. Recall that the engine's freeze plugs had popped out. I filled the radiator with running water until the engine started gushing water out the right side, so I took off the right side exhaust manifold (bolts came off easily). The two freeze plugs that had fallen out are on that side. The other freeze plug is halfway popped out. Now I know that I must take off the left manifold to hammer all those plugs back in too (even though there's no leak on that side; they are probably loose). I also took out the drive shaft (bent by a forklift in Gdynia) and had it repaired. I picked up the new shaft today! Yippee! It's going in tomorrow, and I should have the freeze plugs in on Thursday and then it's test time!! I can't wait to get the beast back into driving form.