> It destroyed all the
> wiring and all all the plastic parts in the engine area, including wiring
> harness, overflow tank, crankcase vent tower, the left side electrical box,
> vac hoses, and I don't know what else.
Steve:
Sorry about your bad luck.... you did the right thing in opening the license
plate door first.  A larger fire might have flared and burned you and the
interior if you had opened the engine cover first.

All the parts that you mentioned are pretty easy to replace... screws and
bolts and nuts; no real mechanic stuff. In general, these are the parts that
are still viable after the main components go... most of which it seems
you've already replaced in your van.  Even here in Southern Ohio I've seen
the damaged/needed parts in local junk yards.
I would be leaning towards at least putting the original setup back in
working order and then going from there.
Your insurance would be more likely to cover this route than a conversion
IMHO.

Sorry about the fire.

--
Stephen
Chillicothe OH