Chevy & GMC Vans

how high do i have to lift the van to get the engine out? what tall jack stand are safe to use? is that the engine lift tha ya be using to lift the van off the engine chasi?

Welcome to the site Tito. The body has to be lifted enough to clear everything. When that's done rotate the sub frame ninety degrees and roll it out the side. Then you can lower the body and sit it on standard jack stands.

I've done this several times, and it is NOT safe to put the van on stands while removing the subframe. The stands have to be too far towards the rear and the body is at a severe angle. I have a set of jackstands that are 36" tall, and worked in an emergency, but are not the way to do it.

Smilie has it right, and the front of the van has to be about 4' off of the ground. Put a 2x4 across the bottom of the core support to reinforce it for safety.

Make sure the rear of the van is clear, 'cause the bumper will more or less be on the ground.



viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5767

Welcome titocrx88.

Pic stolen from Lockdoc...

thanks guys. its going to be my first time doing a swap but i feel good about doing it by doing what i see in this forum.i live in bronx ny and i do not have a place to do this so im going to have to tow the van to PA so like that i can take tho motor off from the van.all i know is that i have to disconnect what ever is holding the motor so like that it can be free from the van. and after i take it out im going to see if is not that hard to drop a v8 in it.i dont really know how mush work is to have it done or where to get a v8 from that can be dropped in there that can be as easy as dropping a 4.3 v6.

Post what year your van is, RWD or AWD, and we can help with details. The RWDs are easy, all you need is a set of mounts on many years, and some simple wiring and a chip or PCM flash.

On the AWDs, the oil pan is custom also, but other than that, it is similar to the RWD.

The year of the van determines the difficulty IMO.

thanks. is a 1998 awd the high top one.if there is a place where i can buy all the parts i need like mounts,harness,oilpan etc let me know and some tips.ho and best year v8 i can use like 350 car model thanks

titocrx88 wrote:thanks. is a 1998 awd the high top one.if there is a place where i can buy all the parts i need like mounts,harness,oilpan etc let me know and some tips.ho and best year v8 i can use like 350 car model thanks

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/

Jags That Run (JTR) is probably your best source. They offer some parts and a swap manual.