Chevy & GMC Vans

heres that project Ive been meaning to post.



It started with a single 40w panel and got a little out of hand.
now a total of 346 watts from two 43w panels and two 130w.

this battery is the first addition I added with the 40w panel. its an odessy 110ah VRLA AGM that mounted about where a left side passenger would be seated behind the driver.



I added this Lifeline 230ah VRLA AGM later where the factory spare tire goes, I had to remove the tire support bracket to get the most clearance and that was the biggest PITA of this project.



under the hood. a litle messy with the wires but I can keep an eye on them this way. havnt had any problems so far.



drivers side just behind the door is where the first inverter and Batt selector are mounted.



alltogether its not too noticable and my yakima racks are 3/4" higher than the panels so they are still fully functional that was important all along as I use them quite a bit.

oddly I had more wind noise with one single panel and was considering a yakima fairing but now that they are all in place the noise isnt too bad



not shown is a morningstar SSD charge controller specifically designed for RV and multiple battery use. http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/sun-saver-duo

and also a Duracell 1500w inverter http://www.duracellpower.com/power-i...rter-1500.aspx that Ive mounted in the drivers side interior panel.

Id add more panels if I had room.. considering a fold-up or slide out deal where I can double them up and then extend them out when needed.

costs add up quickly and youre looking at ~ $4000 in equipment onboard allready.

anyone else into solar?

I've read a bunch on solar, but haven't implemented anything. That's quite the setup you have, what do you use it for?

ihatemybike wrote:what do you use it for?

nothing in particular I just wanted a self substaining power source.

I guess I should post more about the van too huh. I have several posts here on different aspects of my van but not one about just the van so I'll try to combine some of them here.

the van is an '86 Safari with +350,000mi. on the original 4.3 and rear axle. I bought it from the original owner in 1990 who's also a family friend so I know all the history too.

Originaly a custom conversion by Explorer. heres the earliest photo I have.



its allways been maintained well by me. its had three transmissions (sometimes tows a double axle trailer w/car though the mountains), the second that came with a hefty price tag didnt last long. it was then I decided I needed to learn how to rebuild an automatic transmission (If you want it done right...)


years ago I aquired a highly desireable 327 V8 that I pulled out of a '55 chevy durring a resto for partial payment. at the time we didnt know just how special it was. we knew it had the doublehump heads but a few years later I looked up the numbers and its from an early Z-28 and complete including the factory steel crank! its been ready to install for over 10yrs now and I fully expected to have needed it by now but I just havnt had the urge to replace a perfectly good 4.3 and Ive had other projects all along too so the 327 has been ready to roll for a long time now. after the 300,000mi mark I along with the original owner of my van and several friends are really intrested to see just how long this 4.3 will last. I guess the van will join the "V8 club" whenever its ready to.

heres a shot after Id owned it for 10yrs. you can see the roof rack mounts, I used to only put them on as needed. you can almost see where the roof was just starting to fade. I repainted it about a year after this photo, it was getting bad and just starting to rust. that was also the toughest paint job Ive done. mainly the prep work but spraying it wasnt easy either. If I had to do it again I think I would try to find a way to tilt it 45deg. Man what a pain that was (again though, if you want it done right...)



at that time I did learn how unique this factory paint was on these early ones. I watched them mix it up for me. it is a tripple pearl mixture with no metallic and I was really suprised to see him mix in quite a bit of black. I allways thought it was a nice metallic but its three different pearls in there!


this shot is just after I put the second battery but you can see the unussual trans cooler mounting with electric fan on top and the remote filter I added at the time I rebuilt/upgraded the trans. I also have a factory towing package cooler in the front too so it has two external coolers and the factory heat exchanger inside the radiator. and an electric fan behind the radiator I added but it still has the belt driven fan too.



this shot is from a couple of years ago. back when I had just the single solar panel and no roof vent.


my unique rims are factory GMC, the rims themselves are from a '90 Sierra and the center caps are from a '98 Sonoma but they were charcoal Ive painted them black. I also have allways ran sportcar tires but recently I decided to fit BFG all terrain. I mis that exceptional handling and tarmac grip


I dont mis getting stuck and the BFGs have allready proven themselves to me. thats real Georgia red clay mud stuck on them and that stuff is about as slick as it gets let me tell ya.


and heres the roof vent I added earlier this year:


I previously posted the details on that install here:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4443



my most recent mod besides upgrading the solar equipment was the front hitch:


some will remember I detailed that install recently here too
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5138


and this is just a neat pic when the skys were awesome














to be cont.

Very cool!

Very nice.
=D>

mdmead wrote:Very cool!

ihatemybike wrote:Very nice.
=D>

thanks mdmead and ihatemybike!

I'll post more history about it as I have time but for now I'll add that this van has with the exception of whatever the factory used for break-in, never had anything other than Mobil-1 full synthetic engine oil and I use Mobil-1 exclusively in the trans, diff, even their grease too. I was skeptical but not anymore.

I have six pages front to back detailing every mile of maintenance, repair, upgrade on it too.

off the top of my head though Ive done the ball joints twice, two water pumps and replaced the timing chain and gears with the last one while I was there. three altenators, replaced the power steering pump once. only replaced the fuel pump once many years ago but keep a brand new spare onboard.

many belts and hoses over the years but all were preventative maintenance. replaced the u joints twice. what else.. I look through my folder when I get a chance.

should also mention that even with it being an Explorer conversion. obviously its not a high-top, it has factory side glass not aftermarket and it didnt have power windows or tilt steering wheel.

Im glad it wasnt a high-top or aftermarket windows but early on I installed a factory tilt wheel and spal aftermarket power windows which move remakably fast even still.

more photos

my onboard air tanks I made from scratch with deck supports to fit under the slide door step.


onboard VIAR 100% duty cycle compressor.


my best buddy talkin about the new tread. you can also see I keep the carpet and seats covered here the passenger side is swiveled arround, its a neat swivel too because its quick release. one latch pull and it lifts out completely and thats a neat feature when you have something really big to haul. they all still look almost new. obviously I removed all the other seats including the mini sofa/bed but still have them.



somewhere smooth in South Carolina


oh yeah, also worth mentioning that this van has been driven in every state of the USA with the exception of Hawaii and Alaska by the original owner. wish it was by me but I'll give it another go first chance I get LOL

Very ambitious project. And very nice van. I've always liked the shortys.

Very Very Nice. Jim

my latest mod is this TCI transmission pan:


it is 2" deeper than stock and cast alluminium with fins and I also relocated my temp sender from the external spin-on filter adaptor to it so now my temps are more accurate.

Im not sure if it was because I relocated the sender or from the pan itself but temps are way down from before. about 10deg less after fully hot but it takes a long time to get up to that now.

my next mod planned is for a 2" lift kit. the pan is flush with the exhaust now but Id still like to have a tad bit more clearance.

LOVE IT!

Don't know how I missed this thread 1st time around, but I'm glad I didn't miss it 2nd time around. Nice mods, thanks for the pics and write up batmo

Very good job and nice looking. Great work and thought involved.

batmo wrote:heres that project Ive been meaning to post.

It started with a single 40w panel and got a little out of hand.
now a total of 346 watts from two 43w panels and two 130w...

...anyone else into solar?

Nice looking install!

Could you elaborate, please, on the make/model/source
for the panels themselves? All the typical panels I see
for vehicle use seem to be for interior use (dash,
visor) and recommend against installing on the exterior.


Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke

www.n0eq.com

Lumpy wrote:
Nice looking install!

Could you elaborate, please, on the make/model/source
for the panels themselves? All the typical panels I see
for vehicle use seem to be for interior use (dash,
visor) and recommend against installing on the exterior.


Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke

http://www.n0eq.com

hi Lumpy, how did I forget that info.. thats the main components!

Kyocera is THE top name in solar panels and they are guaranteed for 20 years including for RV/Marine use.

are you considering something for the van?

I started off with one of these panels:
http://store.solar-electric.com/kc-40.html
then added another and then later two of these in stages:
http://store.solar-electric.com/kysokc85wa12.html

I also have another KC40 on my cargo trailer to keep the pager/alarm system live when its not in use.

havent had any issues at all with this equipment. I also use this adaptor:
http://store.solar-electric.com/mopcmeadm.html
to link to my PC so I can reprogram the controller to the exact battery specs and also monitor everything more precisely when experimenting with the system.

I dont run it in a standard configuration and Im still learning what all I can and cant do with it. I dont expect it to pay for itself but it is a fun hobby and I dont have to worry about a dead battery or buying ice for the cooler anymore. ;-)

if you have any other questions about it I'll try to help if I can.

thanks