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oops i did it again

H20 Toie

H20 Toie

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jun 13, 2016
Posts
501
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710
Location
Valencia California
Well kind of, not sure if its considered a square body or not even thou it is really a square body.
Now the question is what do i do with it, i have an extra 14 bolt rear end and my first thought was to convert it to four wheel, but i have a 89 4x crew cab dually, 90 4x suburban, 91 4x blazer so a 92 4x van just makes sense in some weird sort of way. its a blank slate so can go anyway i want and kind of like the 70's style surfer vans, big ass tires in the rear, flares, cool paint job. but there are some sweet looking 4x vans around also.

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Man I want a van so bad . Very cool. I think suspension mods interior all pimped out and lower it. Then just minor engine mods. Or swap a big block in.
 
Wish mine still looked that nice...back when I bought it in 1990,it was only 9 years old,got it from an elderly man who said "the transmissions no good--only goes in first & reverse"..he only wanted $500 for it,so it was a no brainer to buy it..(ride home was a bit scary--long story!)..

Turned out the govenor gear was stripped in the transmission,it was a simple 10 minute fix..drove that thing to TN,NY,and all over new england,it had stickers from Nova Scotia provincial parks on the windshield ,so its been around..hoping to put it back on the road again..
The long nap it's had since 2004 hasn't been kind to it really cosmetically,but it still runs like the day I parked it..

Two photos,one is when I first got it,the other taken about 6 months ago.1972 Chevelle Nomad Station Wagon (4x4) 002.jpg my tractors,trucks and garage stuff 022.jpg
 
There is a photo of a 4x4 van just like mine I posted in a thread here or on the lounge..wish I had $1000,I'd buy it..
 
I say give it a small lift and turn it into a camper like a vw bus. You could put a bed, small fridge, a sink and maybe some storage but make it more modern and maybe add electrical outlets or something...go to ikea lol jk.

But I say turn it into like a camping rig but still usable to daily use it and it would be good for long trips as well cause youd have a bed in there to sleep.
 
I think an LS swap is in order. I found my buddy doing this for a guy the other day when I was over at his shop checking on progress on one of my trucks. I just shook my head. The guy is going to keep the exterior and interior exactly as you see it here. His intention is to use it as a drift car...:haha:

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I had this as a kid and always kind of wanted to build one. The wife has no enthusiasm or humor towards 4x4 vans, despite the obvious overlanding potential.

latest


Actually I think one of my boys still has this one.


So yeah, see how low it can stay with 4WD and set it up for off-road adventure. Vans are so high to begin with that much lift starts to ruin everything.
 
If I remember right, the vans don't have a full frame, correct or not? I watched a van conversion once on you tube and it got a little complicated due to the frame issue. You do realize the van rear diff is wider than the truck so if you have a 4x4 truck and the gears match you could swap it in to make the track width the same. Just do your research thoroughly ahead of time. 4x4 vans are totally COOL! Good luck!
 
Most GM vans were unibodies,only some 1 ton cube vans had frames like a pickup...one of them would probably be simpler to convert to a 4x4,but the older unibody vans aren't that difficult to adapt a solid front axle with leaf springs onto them,and adding a transfer case..

Gas Monkey Garage did a 4x4 conversion on a Chevy van almost identical to mine in a double episode,unfortunately they kind of skimmed over the actual build,and just focused on the usual stupidity instead..
Basically they had to remove the original engine cross member and front suspension and make a cradle to hold the engine to the unibody rails,and make custom spring hangers for the leaf springs..they didn't show much as far as how they rigged the steering up,I think the 4x4 steering box will bolt up to the van's original mounts..

They also bought a donor 4x4 pickup that was a shame to just strip for parts and they destroyed the remains instead of selling them to someone needing a rot free cab & nose..

This van almost a clone of mine ,was for sale a few months ago on FB Marketplace,says "sold" now..price was down to $900 last time I looked,kind of wishing I had gone to look it over,but I'd probably have bought it and I have enough vehicles I cant keep up with..4x4 chevy van.jpg
 
That's the video I was referring to. I know they did a lot of fabrication to make it work. Looked like too much work to me. I once wanted a 4x4 van also but decided against it after watching that build. I agree about the waste of good parts. SHAME!
As for the Facebook van, if you build it you know what you've got. Buying someone else's conversion might be fraught with problems. Big gamble!
 
I built a 4x4 van from that generation van.
It has a full frame but it's welded to the body like a unibody.
It's a real box frame though.
It's a little bit of a challenge for the tcase to clear the frame because there is no hump.
The tcase cross member has to drop quite a bit.
Some have built a new frame and stuck the van on top even made it all sealed and made it an air tank.
I just sold my 97 van that I was planning on converting to 4wd ifs.
Still might if I find a better candidate later
 
I agree buying someone else's backyard conversion might be a big gamble--but I know enough about 4x4's to know what to look out for,and if they did a decent job making the leaf spring hangers and engine cradle,etc,then the hard work is already done..

Many of these backyard conversions I've seen locally were not all that badly done,it was things like annoying driveline vibrations and the fact the owners got tired of working on it that led to them selling them,plus getting an inspection sticker on one is a hassle if its not a factory built one..

I have seen a few factory Pathfinder Chevy vans in my area,some were for sale,but all rotted,and they still wanted a ridiculous amount for them..like 7K for one that was basically only good to use as a donor for another van in decent condition..

One not far away had a 400 small block and TH400 tranny factory,and a divorced NP-205 transfer case..but still had wimpy 10 bolt axles !..thought that was a waste,it should have at least had a 14 bolt SF in the rear and an 8 lug 10 bolt up front..guy wanted $8500 for it "firm",and it had no rockers or door bottoms left on it..!..

Just because he bought it new for the "new" price,he felt it was worth at least that much still..thing sat in his driveway for at least 5 years before I finally saw a for sale sign on it and checked it out..it was pretty ripe from sitting..a shame,it was a very nice van at one time..
 
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