STORM POOPER; 2007 AWD chevy express
- Thread starter Slapmackie
- Start date
Slapmackie
Observer
Man, I really don't have any plans to haul my spare anywhere but under the van (providing it will fit?) so I'll probably just get the same size in something cheaper. My roof will be full with a cargo box, fan and solar panels and I'm pretty sure I'll use the rear for hauling mountain bikes. I was looking at the original spare the other day and it's all beat up (the wheel mainly) from all the debris hitting it from the road so just getting a cheapo of the same size will work for now.
Slapmackie
Observer
Thanks a lot tk! There are so many cool set ups on here, I'm just robbing ideas here and there and trying to come up with something unique. The big thing I'm losing the most sleep over is the interior and my solar set up. I'm pretty green when it comes to solar, guess I need to jump over to another forum and get some solid advice. Stay tuned though, this will be a lot of fun! Cheers
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fire_strom
Adventurer
Please post up on how that goes. I have a iPad and even though I just bought a new head unit that iPad as a head unit could be awesome.
Slapmackie- That grill guard looks great. Did it go on sturdy?
-G
Slapmackie- That grill guard looks great. Did it go on sturdy?
-G
Slapmackie
Observer
Thanks man! Dude, that guard was a bit of a pain in the butt to mount! I tackled it solo at the beginning and quickly realized I needed help, luckily a good friend of mine lives just a few houses down and after a quick call he came to my rescue. The biggest issue was where the bumper mounts to the frame, there are some "C" style clip bolts that go in between there and would not go on without removing the entire bumper. Not such a big deal once we realized that but the instructions made it look like this all could be done without removing the bumper. But yeah, after a few cuss words and metal manipulation it finally went on and I love it. It's super stout! I lucked out and found it on e-bay for $160, had a <1" scratch on it so it was marked way down. Looking at bar lights to mount in there now, that'll set it off I think...
What offset did you go with? I have the same wheels in a 18x9 +25mm offset with 275/75r18 (33.2")on my Express. I think the +12mm offset would have looked a little better, but would have required a tad more trimming.
Slapmackie
Observer
Looking for a swivel passenger seat! I know there are some lesser quality designs that I'd like to stay away from, whatchu guys working with!?
Slapmackie
Observer
Mine actually have the -12mm offset. Straker101 has the same offset on his "RubyRed" van and I really dug how that looked so I went with it.
Slapmackie
Observer
About to install these bad boys once my lift is on, thinking tomorrow!
Slapmackie
Observer
Whelp, ran into a problem with the lift. The torsion bar is rusted to the key and will not break loose, straight up rust fusion! A friend of mine and I tried for hours the other day with no luck. Ended up taking it to a local 4x4 shop and after an hour they gave up. I guess I'll need to order a new crossmember so I can cut the old one off in order to install the Traxda keys. Frustrating! I did install the new wheels/tires and just cranked the torsion bar all the way up so I can turn the front wheel with out it rubbing, looks pretty good but I really don't like driving around like that. Hope to have this remedied soon. Here are a few pics of the new set up.
villageidiot327
Explorer
if you're going to cut something, can you cut the torsion key?
id start with a 50/50 ratio of acetone and atf and brush it on liberally every day for a week or so, and take another stab at it before i cut something.
id start with a 50/50 ratio of acetone and atf and brush it on liberally every day for a week or so, and take another stab at it before i cut something.
Slapmackie
Observer
The crossmember covers the keys pretty much so I don't believe that's an option? I just sprayed it with kroil oil and dropped it off at a 4x4 specific shop, they said they've delt with this before, hopefully they'll get it.
villageidiot327
Explorer
fair enough. i don't have a chevy van, just spitballing ideas.
Slapmackie
Observer
That's awesome man, thanks for the feedback! All this is way above my head, good friends pitching in along the way and learning as I go. If this doesn't work, I'll definitely try soaking it for a week or so with kroil and investing in a 40lb sledge!! Lol
villageidiot327
Explorer
the only way to make this stuff not over your head is to dive in and make it work, then next time, it won't be over your head. i do this stuff all day for a living. stuck bolts/keys/shafts, whatever, they all suck.