Chevy & GMC Vans

OK, so I just bought a Xenon Cobra body kit and a Cat's Eye grille (I had to buy all - the seller would not sell just the grille). I love the grille, but the body kit is not my style. It looks very west coast-ish, like something Xzibit from the TV show "Pimp My Ride" would use, along with a wild paint scheme. If I could have chosen a body kit, I'd prefer the Xenon Python a Stillen body kit. They're not quite as wild looking.

I kind of like the clean looks of a stock van, but with just a few subtle and classy upgrades (like a cat's eye grille with billet inserts and LED tail lights). But I'm thinking maybe I should do something wild and crazy and install the body kit. I could never go incognito and blend in with traffic anymore. Everyone will notice me coming! My friends and family will think I'm having an early mid-life crisis (I'm 39).

If I end up installing the Xenon Cobra body kit...

1. Height: Could I get away with leaving my van the stock height? (I like the stock height, and it would save money and kind of goes with the 2000s trend Toyota started with the increased height in their cars) or to pull off the look would I need to lower my van a couple of inches? Lowering might even improve handling, so it doesn't feel as top-heavy, and would definitely improve the looks of the van if this body kit was on it. Otherwise I would not even consider lowering it.

2. Could I get away with stock wheels? My winter tires are on the 16" steelies and my summer tires are on the 16" Chevy Silverado chromies (see pic of my blue van with those wheels). Or would I need 18" or 20" wheels? It seems the nicer looking wheels are only available in 20" - either way, I'd need to spend money on new rims and tires.

3. Would it look OK to stay with my stock color (Cadet Blue)? I love this color. But it might look too bland in one color - a lower 2 tone, or half and half 2 tone might look better (possibly with silver, gunmetal gray, yellow, orange, pearl white, light greenish-yellow), or even a wild graphics theme?

4. Grille, body kit or both? If I install the Xenon Cobra body kit, should I also install the cat's eye grille? Or just one or the other?

The Chevy Astro is an American classic. Is this kit an insult to an icon, or a compliment to it? I'm not sure it would suit my style. Let's just say if you saw me and you saw the van pimped out with that body kit, you probably would not think the two of us go together! But, I admit, I like being different. That's why I drive a van when everyone else is driving an SUV or crossover. I was thinking of some subtle upgrades, but nothing like this!

I'd really appreciate everyone's opinion, feedback and comments (good or bad). Below are some pics of this kit installed on other people's vans, and a pic of my stock passenger van 2005 Astro. Thank you in advance!

And for a reference point, here is my stock 2005 Astro (rear wheel drive) passenger van in Cadet Blue. Regardless of what I do, I'd like to take the roof rack off. Pictured here are my 16" Chevy Silverado chrome wheels with my summer tires. For winter, I have gray steelies, pretty much the same rims, except painted, not chrome. Not sure if I could get away with those wheels if I put on the wild looking Xenon Cobra body kit. Stock height might be OK, but I think these wheels will look out of place, what do you think?

I am not a fan of body kits but then again I don't like driving an attention getting vehicle either.

If it'll cause women in bikinis to come over and hang off it then ....

Too many people on this forum love stock vans. I say do it. Go crazy. Pimp that bucket. But if you're going to do it don't half-ass it. Once you start with a body kit you need to pimp the whole van. Otherwise it will look like that red one you have pictured that screams "I aint gots da Benjamins o skillz to breaks it off realz proper-like. Representin' poverty YO."

Not that I have any distaste towards people who talk like that.

You would atleast need to put bigger wheels and lwo profile tires on it. Not neccessarily new wild paint . Stock sized tires just would'nt look right.

The green and red vans have spinners....

A lift and some bigger tires would accent your vans blue paint quite well....dont'cha think?

I say lift it 4", run some 30 - 31" tall rubber on some 18" wheels, paint the body kit and grill black and install them! If the black doesn't work, go with the stock cadet blue. I think it would look awesome lifted with the body kit.

I say go all the way if you can. Or don't. As was stated earlier... Half assing it just says i cant do it.

The las pic with just the body kit on it just looks to funky.. (not good funky liek the music but funky like moldy cheese.... i migh be ok to eat from the clean side, but you never know...))

:P

But all that really matter is how you like it.. I have seen some awesome mods that other would call abominations. If you finish it off it should be great what ever you end up doing.

personally, im not into that kind of nasty cheesy stuff, I like subtle mods.

BUT

If yer gonna do it, do it ALL, do it RIGHT! I agree, some big wheels with low profiles are reqd. don't cut corners. we'll be watchin!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! I agree with those of you who said that if I'm going to do it, go all the way with it. No half-@$$ job.

Soooo.... I've decided NOT to install it. I'm only going to install the cat eye grille, which was all I really wanted from the beginning. The Xenon Cobra kit is nice, but it's just not the look I was envisioning for my van - a bit too over styled for my liking. And I agree - I'd need to lower the van and get 18" or 20" wheels and tires for it to look its best with that kit, which is even more money.

By just installing the cat eye grille (and LED tail lights), I can get away with the stock height and keep using my 16" chrome Chevy Silverado wheels for the summer tires (and stock 16" wheels for my winter tires). I've realized I like subtle mods.

There's someone who expressed interest in the kit if I decided to sell it, but if that falls through, the kit will be up for sale for $500 firm. I'll post an ad in the classified section if the other person decides not to buy it, or just PM me if interested.

97CargoCrawler wrote:Too many people on this forum love stock vans. I say do it. Go crazy. Pimp that bucket. But if you're going to do it don't half-ass it. Once you start with a body kit you need to pimp the whole van. Otherwise it will look like that red one you have pictured that screams "I aint gots da Benjamins o skillz to breaks it off realz proper-like. Representin' poverty YO."

Not that I have any distaste towards people who talk like that.

Haha, love it! In all seriousness though, this just helped reinforce my decision. Not that I want something totally stock, but I've realized that I like subtle mods. And I really don't have the funds to go all the way with this and pimp out the whole van to make that kit look right.

97CargoCrawler wrote: A lift and some bigger tires would accent your vans blue paint quite well....dont'cha think?

Now that sounds better! Keep it mostly stock, just the cat eye grille and LED tail lights and with a bit of a lift and some bigger tires is more my style. Not sure how that would affect handling - I'm sure it will make it more top-heavy, but the ground clearance would be excellent. Lowering the van would probably improve handling but I'm a pretty easy going driver - I don't drive my Astro like it's a Corvette.

I wouldn't be too concerned with raising the center of gravity. My van has a decent amount of lift and I do drive it like a Corvette everyday....at least for another week until my 200Lb roof rack is installed.

If you lower it I don't think you'll like the handling. There seems to be more compromises to be made lowering than lifting. Of course that all depends on how extreme you want to go with either of those. New front end components and tire width have the biggest effect on handling.

I say go with your gut. If that says subtle then do a combo of what you like. As long as you're happy with the results who cares what everyone else thinks. Some folks on this forum say they wouldn't be caught dead in my van, while others like it. I could give a $hit what anyone thinks! OK, I side with those that like it.... I think a lifted van with some body styling would be cool. I'm adding some bling to my van soon. Those items will make my van look more like a military truck, but hey that's my preference and it's what I like. Others here will hate it.

Good luck! Don't put it off for much longer.....we all need something to watch!

Interesting that there are more compromises with lowering than lifting. I've never pushed my vans to its limits, but I can see it flipping over if I took a sharp corner on a freeway exit ramp at the right speed and turned the wheel just the right way - and that's at stock height. My van still sits pretty high - I'd say close to what it was like when new. Being an ex-fleet van (ex-cop van), they probably kept up on maintenance and if any suspension components needed replacing, they did it. I've seen some Astros out there that must have sagged out suspension because they sit noticeably lower, and you know they didn't install a lowering kit. All I really have to do is replace my front bearings, aside from that, everything's nice and tight.

I was going to say lowering a van might be more for looks than handling (or maybe not)? I'm not sure if the same can be said for lifting the van, but I think it can be practical to have a bit more lift. I used to have an old 84 Toyota Land Cruiser (BJ60) and I put a 3" lift on it. Mind you, the stock suspension was really sagged out (maybe by 2 or 3 inches), so it was probably more than a 3" lift - probably 3" from stock height. It looked amazing, and rode pretty well. Didn't feel like it was too top heavy or that the center of gravity was drastically changed. But I know my 5'2" mother had a heck of a time getting in. She practically needed a step stool! She struggles getting into the Astro at stock height, so I bet with another 2 or 3 inches of lift she'd probably not be able to climb up.

My next few mods won't be anything drastic. Over the next few months I will install my Cadillac 4 note horns, Billet grille and cat eye grille shell, LED tail lights and new front bearings. And of course, put my 16" chrome Silverado wheels with summer tires back on in a couple of months. Then I'll see about a new sound system and remote starter/alarm kit. And maybe a custom dual exhaust. Then I can think about a lift.

Mmmmmmm Land Cruiser! I have an 82 FJ40. Been driving it since I was 6, starting on my pops lap. I basically turning my van into my cruiser.