Chevy & GMC Vans

This is the forum where a guy can toy with "what ifs", I think. So...
I think that most of us here really dig our vans and have lots of reason to. It'll haul a lot of people, a lot of stuff, tow a lot of weight, has pretty good power, and lots of customization possibilities. I know some like them slammed, some like them lifted, some like them with a V-8, etc...

Mine is lifted 2", subframe, OLV lift. Mostly stock otherwise. 1996. I love how it looks and drives. I love its functionality. I have an old 4Runner to get me places the van won't. I have other cars to drive when I want a car. I have a crappy old pickup truck to haul stuff and a flatbed trailer if needed.

On my van, what I think I need are a solid front axle, a low range 4WD, an engine rebuild some day (though it's fine for now, with 203K.)

What I'd like it to be able to do is go off road up and down some very steep, moderately rocky roads. Hence, the need for Lo Range, solid axle, another 2-3 inches lift max, and skid plate. I'd say this is reasonably do-able for my budget.

The harder part is that I'd also like it to be able to tow a 3600 lb car on a tandem axle trailer at 70 mph with some degree of safety. I'm picturing bigger brakes, maybe a V-8, the better gearing I'd get during the SAS up front and gearing in rear.

AND, I've got to pay someone else to do all this. I'm guessing 12K to do it right. But will it really be good enough?

Then, I've got to be practical, too, sadly. A friend'll be selling his '04 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup within a couple years for less than that. Probably 9K and it's very nice, low mileage, mint. It is the sensible alternative.

If I get the truck, I can get rid of my 4Runner, my crappy old pickup, and my Astro. But it just doesn't feel right. It feels too practical and I lose that spacious I can camp anywhere feeling. What to do?

I've gone the full size AWD lifted van route before. Not again! Ride was brutal, fuel economy 8-12 mpg. (It was a Dodge Pathfinder.)

Any thoughts?

Having done most of what you want, except the V8 swap, I am guessing $12k won't cover it. It would if you do all the work yourself. I had almost $5k into my SAS using junkyard axles, rebuilding the front myself and not doing anything to the rear except a disc brake swap. You will need to swap the rear axle too for strength. Don't forget skid plates and rock rails for rocker protection. The hard part is that paying a shop to do it will eat so much money that buying a truck almost makes sense a lot of the time. I built the SPB because I couldn't afford a truck and needed to haul a family of 4 with a black lab and all our tent camping supplies comfortably. Would I do it again…ABSOLUTELY!

That being said, If I didn't need the room for the dog and had just the 2 kids, Getting a solid axle truck like a Super Duty or Ram heavy duty, gets everything you need plus the ability to lift rather cheap and run 35" - 37" tires without much fuss. And those trucks in the 10 - 15 year old range can be had for less than $12k easily even with a lift and larger tires.

Read through my SAS build in the Off Road section.

AstroWyo I basically want to do the same things as you and LiftedAWDAstro is the man i asked for advice particularly about the towing ability. I love my van but am very close to buying a pick-up to do the heavy towing, I don't have space to do the work you speak of and would also have to pay some (either for the space or the work) and it's just not practical for me. I would however never replace my van with the pick-up, there are too many things i feel more comfortable in my van doing.

LiftedAWDAstro I'm suprised you didn't comment about how it felt towing your camper.

With the SPB finalized, I only ever towed the Jeep flat or our pop-up. It towed great but any more weight was too much for the V6. Once we went to the 23' camper, I started with a 2003 AWD Astro but soon went to a truck as the Astro was too small for heavy towing duties.

Just my two cents here, but I zoned right in on the fact that you wanna climb up very steep hills in your lifted van.
Mine is roughly 4 to 5 inches lifted depending on where and how ya measure, and I live on the BC coast where terrain can be ridiculously steep and rocky.
I've owned jeeps and dirtbikes and am no stranger to offroading, and in my lifted van I get pretty nervous when it comes to hills that are really steep.

These vans are pretty good offroad, to get you out camping and stuff, but they do have a pretty high center of gravity and I get real nervous on steep hills, especially if you end up not making it to the top and have to reverse down. It wouldnt take much to get just a bit sideways and roll it over because its got such a tall CoG.
Dont get me wrong, I love my 4wd-Lo 5 speed van, it goes great in the bush. Gets me to all my favorite fishing holes and camping grounds etc, But, I just get nervous on real steep hills (and extreme side sloped hills) with it. If I wanted it for using as a hard core four wheeler, hill climber, etc, I would just build something with a lower CoG. As a 'backwoods family camping rig' its awesome. As a 'rock crawling hill climber', it could be a lot better.

Remember to take all of that in the context of....
"I live on the BC coast where terrain can be ridiculously steep and rocky."

LiftedAWDAstro wrote:It would if you do all the work yourself.

Don't have the time. It took me 8 years to finally just pay someone else to lift my van 2".

LiftedAWDAstro wrote:Read through my SAS build in the Off Road section.

For a while, I had that almost committed to memory. Incredible build. One of the most inspiring builds. Gives me plenty of hope.

Cobra wrote:there are too many things i feel more comfortable in my van doing.

Hmmm. That could very well be the most important point to consider.

doyoulikeithere wrote:These vans are pretty good offroad, to get you out camping and stuff, but they do have a pretty high center of gravity and I get real nervous on steep hills, especially if you end up not making it to the top and have to reverse down. It wouldnt take much to get just a bit sideways and roll it over because its got such a tall CoG.

That is something I'd been wondering about. Wyoming is pretty steep in places, too, and there is one place I like to go that I really need the low gear to climb and descend. I used to do it in my full-size lifted AWD Dodge Van and it did fine. I think I'd be scared to sidehill it. But, this isn't meant as a hard core rock crawler and I agree, I'd build my 4Runner for that if it were my thing. Really, if I were to put a skid plate on it with my 2 inch lift, that'd be enough lift but not enough low gear. And, still, no towing a trailer with a 3600 lb car on it.

I know I've brought this up before and someone suggested the Klune underdrive system, main downside being the space it would take dropped down and dead center of van underside where it would bottom out too easily.

Anyway, as always, I'm trying to imagine the perfect rig, based on the Astro van. Thanks for your ideas and patience! And anyone's 2 cents.

Why don't you do a V8 swap, 4x4 and bigger brakes then spend a couple years sourcing and researching parts for the SAS and if you still feel the need for it do it then?
Like i said earlier funds and space are an issue i have, so i have to do things slowly and in stages. I'm sending truck to body shop to make sure it's good and sounds for a V8 and 4l80E a friend will be getting rid of in the next year or so. It's also my daily driver so i can't take it out of commission for years to get everything done at most i'll leave it down for the summer, i love my AWD in the snow too much not have it through winter