Chevy & GMC Vans

just looking for ideas on the best way to gain an additional inch or 2 on my van which already has an Overlands van 2in body lift, my main concern is if there would be any issues with clearances on brakelines, harness, radiator hose, and driveline angles/vibrations or anything else I'm not thinking of. Also does anyone use extended bumpstops? I know that on my van, on large incline and angles I'll sometimes get a nasty rub with the rear tires from the shackles pushing the axle forward a bit.
any input is appreciated

That is nice blue van. I recomend just use a slightly narrower tire to avoid rubbig.
Make sure your rims are correct offset too. Are they stock wheels? What size tires? They look pretty wide in photo... My 2003 AWD astro has OV 2" lift and i have 225/70-16 BFG TA KO all terrain tires C on stock 16-7 rims, rated and they clear on rear. Had to trim a bit of plastic fascia trim on front spoiler.
Narrow tires are lighter and gas mileage will be better. Good luck with van.
AP

Those are stock steel rims with brand new 235/75/15 tires, so I won't be changing tire size anytime soon! I've already trimmed and hammered front and rear wheelwells and its perfect for street driving, it's the forward corner of the rear wheel arch that's rubbing I think, and it only seems to happen at more extreme angles, like while driving up steep incline and making sharp right/left turns

The rear could also be lifted slightly by installing firm rear shocks such as Bilstein or kyb momo max. Also, i forgot to mention, i have Monroe air shocks on rear of my van. By running 10 to 20 psi or more i can lift and level rear.
You could install rear aux air springs as well, i have used Air Lift rear 1,000 pound assist air bags on my full size chevy g20 van.
Firestone also sells air lift springs.
I like air spring more than Timberen fix rubber spring assist since air pressure can be adjusted for soft hiway ride, firm for towing etc
AP

I would look at something like this:



http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/Zero%20Rates.htm

You can gain lift and slide your rear axle back an inch. You will likely need to address driveshaft length though.

well, my shocks are new as well, so I'd like to keep those as well, I was thinking more along the lines of a coil spacer and a block for the rear, for a 1in bump in the lift. I'm trying to retain stock components as much as possible

You can add an extra leaf spring to the rear pack to stiffen it up a bit. When you do this, you'll need to level it off with dropping the shackle or going back to stock. Another way is using the blocks Matt posted...only issue will be more axle wrap due to spacing the axle 1" further away from the leafs.

Probably the best solution would be to install a traction bar. This will keep the axle from wrapping into the fender and still retain the stock ride and current height.

I had a back wheel rub in the exact same location. It was worst if one wheel was at full down travel , whilst the other wheel was stuffed fully up!
I ripped most of the lugs off a brand new BFG AT tire that way, Grrrrr!

How did you achieve your lift on the rear?
I tried shackles, then I tried shackles Plus 2" blocks between spring/axle.
But, Still had rubbing issues.

Only way I got it to stop was to quit using things like blocks and shackles to attain lift in the rear.
I bought new leaf springs that would do all of the lifting, and I have had no prob ever since.

Bottom line, don't waste time/money trying to keep your old springs and add lift with blocks or shackles.
Instead, invest in some springs that do all of the lifting. (an add a leaf is the second best thing)
You will be much more pleased with the end result.

Ok, I've come to the conclusion that the reason I've started scraping recently is due to the fact that I have recently been hauling a lot of people and cargo/gear, on top of that I also installed the 2nd row back bench seat, a class 3 hitch and a full size spare, all the additional weight must dropping the lift to more like 1 or 1.5 inch, and its probably dipping lower on acceleration. I was thinking about maybe installing some of those load helper shocks, the stiffer ones with the coils on top, might this resolve my problem? Can anybody recommend a good brand/series of that type of shock? If that doesn't work it looks like I'll be heading to the JY to make a bastard pack AAL for an additional inch.

the leafs i think are where you should start they are not as strong as they should. then you can buy shocks to make ride more comfy or whatever you like

Or:
http://www.timbren.com/

anybody have any experience with this product? thinking about this or just going the easy route and buying the additional parts for a 4in lift from OVL

http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products ... r-springs/

have you looked in your yellow pages for places that specialize in new leaf spring for trucks in your town?
You might be suprised to find that a local spring shop can sell you a set of S10 ZR2 springs that will give you about 4" of lift in the rear of your van using your stock astro shackles.
Mine were about 300 bux for the pair of new springs and on a bench, they had about 7.5 inches of free arc.


you should be able to get about 4" in front just by using the OLV 2" body lift, and then twist your torsion bars up.
That being said, For the front, you could try using 3" blocks, but you will need to lengthen your steering shaft and a few other things.

unfortunately I have a 2wd, and a very slim budget of at the moment, until I move, so still looking at the cheapest options available, even if temporary.

Sorry, I missed the 2wd part.
Lifting the front of a 2wd is a diffrent story alltogether!

Get some coil springs out of a G20 van
OLV has a couple sets listed for about 200 bux, I have a brand new set here I never even used, from OLV.
The ones I have are the 1.5 inch lift ones listed at OLV... and I think there is a 3" set listed there too.