While we chase the “ghost in the machine” regarding the engine’s refusal to stay running, we decided to step away from the grease and focus on the exterior. For the first time in over twelve years, the Vice Van was subjected to a thorough decontamination. A decade of storage grime and moss was stripped away to reveal the true state of the canvas beneath.

The Surface Evidence

The results were not necessarily unexpected – After a light scrub with a stiff brush, we confirmed that the body is remarkably straight and the paint—while heavily “chalked” and faded from sun exposure—is in surprisingly good shape. More importantly, there’s no obvious “rot”. Aside from some surface scale, there isn’t significant rust to be found on the rockers or wheel wells.

However, the wash highlighted something important: the hood and the roof are in significantly worse condition than the rest of the body. The paint there isn’t just faded; it’s localized rust and oxidization that doesn’t match the rest of the body. This isn’t abnormal – the roof and hood would have seen a lot more sun exposure over the years than the rest of the body.

A Cold Case Lead

A possible explanation for the poor condition of the hood came to us by surprise – We’ve been in contact with a retired detective who once worked in “The Vice Van” – and he shared some unexpected intel. The Vice Van had once survived an engine fire. Details are scarce, but the detective jokingly commented that it was likely “put back together with duct tape and zip ties” – a sad but common story regarding government service garages.

It’s safe to say – The extreme heat from that internal blaze cooked the paint from the inside out. The hood wasn’t just weathered by the sun; it was heat-treated by a fire that nearly ended the van’s career before we ever found it.

Shockingly – It fared remarkably well and was put back in good working order, with very few obvious signs of damage.

The Verdict

Knowing the van’s history slightly changes the perspective on the restoration. We aren’t just fighting twelve years of neglect; we’re working on a survivor that has literal battle scars. It’s undetermined yet if we’ll paint the hood, or if we’ll preserve its scars to tell a story.

The Vice Van looks better than it has in a decade, but as we’ve learned with the cooling system, a clean exterior doesn’t mean the investigation is over. We’ve cleared the first layer of grime, but the mystery of why she dies at operating temperature remains the priority.