Chevy & GMC Vans

I drove mine to work and back...again.

Yesterday, I finally retrieved the license plates from the buyer of my truck, so that I could put them on the new Astro, then I cleaned the wheels and tires. The raised white letters were nearly as black as the sidewalls and the chrome wheels were very dingy. It's amazing what kind of a difference clean wheels and tires make.

Today, I will begin my first road trip in the van. Gonna clock about 700 miles in the next couple of days. Somewhat optimistic about better mileage than my '97 used to get, from the past couple of days driving. This one feels like it has higher gears in it, and the computer is reporting better gas mileage than I ever experienced before. We'll see if the math at the next fill up agrees.

Starting out with about 60 miles on the tank of gas before I left today, and a cumulative starting average MPG of 15.3, after driving about 220 miles more and topping off, total cumulative MPG was 19.6. Very happy about that. I am convinced I can coax a 20+ MPG out of it, if I behave myself, as pure highway mileage.

I have 18.4 mpg on my current tank and that was traveling at 70-75 and city. I am very happy with the improvements in mileage over what I get in winter.

had a little quick and dirty fabrication done, I'm not worried about the looks because no one will see it anyway.

C11MAN wrote:....

had a little quick and dirty fabrication done, I'm not worried about the looks because no one will see it anyway.

Shoot some paint on there and it'll look like bitchin mod'd bumper bracket!

I installed a right cv axle today... Lift has been on for 10 months and have lost inner cv boots on both sides. I am a lot quicker this time than last time but hoping this is not going to be a continuing problem.

Ryan

Checked everything from bumper to bumper. Oil and filter change. It's ready for the trip to Portageville N.Y. Letchworth State Park here I come. Gonna fly the gorge. YAAAAAAA HOOOOOO

coaxed 21mpg out of the van today, with about 175 miles of fairly well behaved driving in rural Arkansas. I highly doubt that I will repeat that tomorrow, as I will be heading home with my foot in it!

Hung lawn chairs on dutch doors viewtopic.php?f=38&t=9243

Spending the whole weekend assembling my new bumper and doing electrical for the lights...

got the van back. rear wheel well rust fixed (body guys had to cut out 3"x 3" of metal on both sides due to rust through). left it for a day at the mechanics and he fixed the rest of the wires in the drivers door. the unlock wire going to the drivers door was broken, so he replaced it from the module to the door lock. power locks work fine now.
Also worked on the caddy. custom center console installed, drivers bucket seat pulled so that I can make it a drivers seat (it's a passengers seat- recline mech is on the wrong side.) I picked up a drivers seat at the junkyard for the mechnaism and seat back. In the next few days, I'll skin the seat, swap the foam over to the new seat back (apparently bravadas and blazers have non universal seat backs), add padding to the seat (because the padding is sagging after 23 years and I want the seats firmer)




where my gauges are going (radio is going in the console)

I've just been messing around with my new toys...

video (click on it):




video:


The amber light in the tail light housing has a strobe bulb inside. It's too fast to video well so I didn't fire it up. For emergency purposes.

van hit 194k today.

Well we are on vacation in Lincoln City, Or this week and drove down to a beach access. Because I don't spend much time in sand I always wonder how well I will do at not getting stuck. Well as many of your know the sand was no problem.

Got down onto the beach with no problem. Set up the poptop so my sister and mom could stay out of the cold and wind while the rest of us explored some tide pools and played around on the beach.





In the mean time a lady decided to drive her Saab 9-3 onto the beach as well. And well that is when the beach trip became a lot more fun.
You carry a shovel and tow strap for years just so that you can do this once in a while.

You can't see it here but there were a few 4x4 rigs that didn't offer up any help.... So the "mini van" had to come to the rescue

Dad and I dug out the front of the vehicle and set things up







I wasn't going to have the traction to pull her back ward so we pulled her the rest of the way through the soft sand and out onto the beach, turned around and set up to pull her back through.






Kinda wish that i got to do this stuff more often

Finished the tire carrier a while back and then started a new project....armor plating.

1/16" thick firetruck rated aluminum double embossed tread plate, cut from 4'X16' sheets...bringing it home:





Making templates:



Lots of precision cuts:









Gonna cover the sides and then coat them in bed liner. This is majorly time consuming.

Oh...and then this afterwards:





Lots to do.