Chevy & GMC Vans

Yeah, those captions had me rolling!!

Haha thanks! I had to put something fun in there....like the old pop-ups bubbles from music videos back in the day!

Ya the captions are great. The tires look good meng.

I may have the bumper piece you need laying around. It won't be the same colour tho that's for sure. PM me on that if you want it.

Know where I can get the "truck" emblem any one got one kicking around??

potskie wrote:Ya the captions are great. The tires look good meng.

I may have the bumper piece you need laying around. It won't be the same colour tho that's for sure. PM me on that if you want it.

Know where I can get the "truck" emblem any one got one kicking around??

Haha thanks! Just tried them in the snow that we're getting now and MUCH better than the old tires! ABS barely kicked in. For the GMC Truck emblem, I found mine at the junkyard on a 95 Jimmy. Your best bet would be to go junkin' and search for GMC Jimmys (~93-96?), Suburbans (93-95), and Safaris (95-96). Just too cold to go junkin' yet! Thanks for the offer on the bumper piece. I'll save you the shipping/hassle and just search junkyards around here in the spring and paint up one (if have to) to match.

OKAY...this sort of answers my question before I even asked it, but I need some clarification:

So let me tell you what we use our van for. We bought a 91 Astro shorty, 2wd, to tow behind our RV when we travel...and to drive when we get to our destination. Our destination is always Renaissance Faires...my wife and I own Siege The Day, and we design and make catapults and other siege weapons, and sell them at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals. That means that when we travel, we load the Astro to the gills with our whole workshop and stock and supplies. So that means we need big beefy tires for towing, and ones with good traction, since so many RenFaires are on muddy dirt roads, etc. We want to go with all terrain light truck tires.

But...we don't want to lift the van at all...we want it to keep its nice smooth ride when we drive it around.

So...what are the biggest AT tires we can squeeze under the front fenders without major modifications?

I really like the ride and look of 235-75R-15s...will they fit? Or will they rub like hell whenever you turn the van or go over a big bump?

I know they'll fit in the back...but what about the front?

If they will ALMOST fit with minor mods, what are the minor mods? How much would I have to trim off the front fenders, or is it just a matter of removing or relocating some of the plastic wheelwell parts?

I don't want to lift it at all because that would alter the geometry and open up a whole other can of worms.

In the rear, I plan on adding adjustable air shocks...any ideas on this?

But mostly, will the 235 75 R15s fit easily with only minor mods, and what are those minor mods?

Thanks!

Kev

I'd keep going with 235 / 70 R15s. Something like one of the Bridgestone Dueler tires should fit with minimal rubbing (ie rubbing when wheel are around full lock and the suspension compresses).

So the concensus seems to be 235-70-R15s...these are the biggest all terrain tires that will fit on a stock 91 Astro with minimal rubbing and no lift...do I have that right?

Thanks again guys! This forum rocks!

Kev

Yeah, the 235/70R15s seem to be the biggest tires to fit with zero mods. I've heard the the torsion bar adjustment lift/mod gives the 235/75R15s barely enough room, but then you'll probably want to lift the back to match.

235-70-R15s it is then! I'll post some pics as soon as I have them put on. The Astro is in the process of some major renovations...it is already gutted from the driver's seats back into a cargo van...we are going to line the floor with black bedliner and I'm making panels to fill in the back between the supports which will also be coated with bedliner, with styro insulating panels behind them to reduce road noise...I spent a few hours yesterday rewiring the back so that all the wires will be behind the panels. The factory headliner, which I removed and cut down, will be recovered, so the cockpit will still have the nice headliner...and the cargo area is going to get durable white fiberglass panels like folks put in their bathrooms and kitchens..that way the cargo area will stay nice and be easily maintained, and the front will still be nice and comfy for the wife!

We are coating the roof with white Herculiner bedliner and putting a three-bar black contractor roof rack on the van...we load all of our tent poles and tables on the van when we travel, so we need the racks...eventually I'll have a custom 4x8 roof basket made for the racks.

The van is then getting painted back to white...the old paint is peeling away! Although I'm going to keep the panels between the side windows black, and I'm going to connect the 2 rear windows with a black panel inbetween so I can have lettering made that can transverse the windows...something like "Siege The Day! For all your Catapult needs!" and then the website and pics of catapults and trebuchets...lol! (The website is in my profile if you want to check out all the cool toys we make!).

Anyhow, I'll post pics of the progress!

Also...what brand of tires do you all recommend? Michelin, Uniroyal, Firestone? My last van (a Dodge, had Firestones, and the tread started to separate after just 3000 miles...but they may have fixed that problem?)...I don't want to pay a fortune, but I want decent tires...all terrain with a nice open tread on the sidewalls, but a decent street ride...and of course white lettering...lol!

Kev

1st of all welcome to the site...

The 235-70-R15's might be o.k for when the Astro is being towed,but its gonna be right on the border as far as rubbing goes on turns,especially if those roads you travel to these Fairs are rutted and bumpy. A 2" lift wouldn't hurt your ride ( http://www.overlandvans.com/0104_liftkits.html ) but it would give you the room needed for 235/75/r15's
Either way, throw up some pics and show us how she looks when your done.

Sounds like you got yourself a plan.

FYI, I don't remember who, but somebody on the board has made roof baskets that mount in the same spots as the factory rack. Looked sharp too. Somebody please chime in here.

For tire brand, my current 235/70R15 tires are BFGoodrich Radial T/As. Unfortunately they don't make an off-road tire in that size. I like the look of the Bridgestone Dueller series, but I have no experience with them.

I response to Zam's rubbing concerns, I ran my BFGs on every bit of two track I could find in Glacier National Park and didn't notice any rubbing during normal driving, only near full lock when the suspension compresses. So during slow speed tight maneuvers, such as parking, be prepared to hear it.

Thanks for the advice, Zam! I went to the Overland site, and its only 140 bucks for the 2 inch lift...so I might just go that route after all! And since its a body lift and shackle lift, it doesn't look like it will alter the steering geometry at all! Very cool! Anyone ever do one of these before? Can it be done in an afternoon, or is it a long process? My van is a Florida van, so even the bolts and hardware on the van have no rust, so that won't be a problem, but is it something that can be done in one day? I only have Mondays to work on personal stuff, like the van and the RV...the rest of the week is taken up with making catapults, and then the weekends we are at faire.

And Aaron...Overland is making some VERY cool roof baskets...I talked to the owner today about a custom basket to go on the heavy duty contractor rack we are buying, and we are discussing shipping it in peices so I can weld and finish it myself to keep the cost down.

Kev

One more question...will a 2 inch lift allow the use of 235-75-R15s without rubbing, or would I still be better off with the 235-70-R15s?

Thanks!

Kev

I have LT235-75-15 BFG At's with the two inch lift from Overland and torsion bars cranked one inch. Plenty of room for 235's but I did shave a tiny bit off the front bumper cladding.
But then again, mine is a 1999.



Pic below before I trimmed about 1/4 inch where the circle is

As one of the mods for the cargo area of your van,you might want to consider e-tracks which is slotted for racheted tie down straps that I strap down stackable product cases.I am installing that in the rear of of Ole Yellar which is a high top that I use as a tow van for my flea market business.The straps wouldn't allow the load to move at all and that is a good thing.