Chevy & GMC Vans

Anyone use multiple body spacers to raise the front end, i.e. using two 2" spacers for a 4" lift instead of 2" spacers and torquing the torsion bars?
I know some of you know the pros and cons to doing this so please chirp in.
Thanks

Using a stack of spacers would not be a good idea.
Lots of people have welded a 4" pipe to the frame instead of using the spacers.
Then cap the pipe with a plate that has a hole in the right size for the original rubber cab mount bushing.

Thanks Lynerd. I thought that was the case. Maybe someday I'll try using Marktainium's idea with the aluminum stock.


Joe

all goes fairly normall, untill you exceed 2 inches of body lift.
After 2" you will find thatthings dont reach anymore.
Especially the steering shaft link piece that stretches/extends.
It wont stretch long enough and you will need to make it extend somehow, (like with a welder)

I am saying this with the background of building many,many tube frame drag race cars and a complete understanding of the mechanics involved with that.I believe all the owners of Overland vans limited the spacers to 2" because of the stress levels was too much to the needed longer body mount bolts.I believe that is logical and reasonable.

I believe to use a aluminum material which is a soft metal and then to use it as a spacer for a 4" lift having to use longer body mount bolts is high risk.I would not now or ever suggest that because of the mechanics just doesn't make sense.Case in point is you better believe as your turning on a on ramp with a over 4,000lb van to a interstate there are side forces involved on longer bolts which end up being a longer lever.It's just the facts of life and then to compound that over time with a soft metal aluminum spacer just isn't mechanically logical.

I believe that over the many,many,yrs this site and it's members have been involved with the mod's to these vans,they have found the best solutions.The time those mods have been on those vans without a single failure is the proven track record.That is a proven mechanical fact.

The name "spacer" is miss-used all too often.The spacers from the past in use are welded to the sub frame becoming a solid part of the frame and with the body mounts slid into schedule 40 tubes cap off so the bolts are standard length are even stronger than O.E.M.

Commandments of Locdoc's build:



The sound mechanics and logical approach I believe is without question and at a 0 risk factor short of changing the CG of the van.For the steering shaft,you can go to a pick and pull to get one from a full size van that is long enough.

If you doubt the above,I've giving you all I have.

One other thing I forgot to add to this thread.If you look at the two hafts of the O.E.M. body mount,one fits inside the other through the frame mount as a sandwich and the bolt holding the two together.By eliminating that with a blank spacer is a really bad idea.The pipe lift method maintains the same mounting as the original O.E.M.

This is a pic of the sub frame I'll use for my project and you can see the holes where the body mounts fit through.



There are two hafts.A top and a bottom.

I believe that over the many,many,yrs this site and it's members have been involved with the mod's to these vans,they have found the best solutions.The time those mods have been on those vans without a single failure is the proven track record.That is a proven mechanical fact.

That is why I asked. I have the greatest respect and admiration for those of you with the experience and skills to build these vans correctly.

Joe