Recent content by KirkL

6.0 L! Drove it to Asheville yesterday and eats up inclines!

I got a new pair of seats and a swivel off Facebook marketplace. My intention is to eventually recondition and recolor the leather, which I am moderately confident I can do based on watching some YouTube videos. That should be a decent winter project. I put the passenger side and the swivel in...

Called another dealer before Thanksgiving, and the service advisor said they would research and call me back, but then he never called back. There was a private mechanic who specializes in reprogramming who confirmed I had all the parts installed, but said I need a compatible instrument panel...

The title captures it. I am in the southeast US and I want to buy an Aluminess front bumper with grill guard for my 2011 Chevy Express 2500. I would also consider other lighter weight front bumpers. I’m also looking for any brand rear bumper with swing outs for at least a spare tire, and...

Yeah, I’ve thought about just doing something like a laser cut carpet to really minimize any interior height impact. Self-building the top would be a real stretch for my comfort zone from both a skills and shop perspective!

It occured to me, as I was thinking about subfloor options, that I need to decide on a high top before I move forward with my subfloor. If I went with the Mory high top with 71 inches max standing height, my subfloor needs to be as thin as possible. If I go with Wasatch/Tufport, I can go with...

It occured to me, as I was thinking about subfloor options, that I need to decide on a high top before I move forward with my subfloor. If I went with the Mory high top with 71 inches max standing height, my subfloor needs to be as thin as possible. If I go with Wasatch/Tufport, I can go with...

I got myself a junkyard seat this morning. The seat itself is pretty ratty, but I mostly wanted the manual jack knife frame, which appears to be in good shape. I’ll recover and repad the seat after I find a set of nice front seats, so I can try to match the fabric to the front seats. I’ll...

My local dealer told me that they will only flash the cruise control update if I buy a kit, and that kit costs $1,600, which seems a bit absurd if I already have the parts installed. The guy I have been dealing with initially told me it wasn't possible to install cruise control through GM, then...

I added a steering wheel with the cruise control buttons, and took my van to the dealer to get the cruise control installed on a Saturday morning. My service advisor told me that GM will not install cruise control as an aftermarket add-on because there is no associated part, but I left my van...

Lots of surface rust, and one of the body mount perches was pretty rough. I thought they might end up tossing my hitch, but they ended up salvaging it with the laser. Because of the pitting, it doesn’t look quite as slick as it did on my Land Cruiser, but I don’t spend too much time looking at...

I found what I think was a 20 inch Fiberine aerodynamic top, and I was planning to go to the salvage yard yesteray morning after a failed removal attempt the previous weekend, but looks like the van with the hightop was removed from their inventory Friday afternoon. I got all the bolts off, but...

I’m told DOT highway safety vehicle. The engine hours per mile was something I wish I thought to ask about, in hindsight, but at least it was fleet maintained.

Cargo in the back with plywood and plastic paneling. That will get removed when I eventually put in thinsulate. Also has rear A/C, and I’ll probably remove that if I decide to add 12 volt AC.

I just purchased this 2011 Chevy Express 2500 Quigley converted cargo van with passenger windows, and it has been dubbed thee, “The Granite Tortoise.” I almost bought a white passenger van a few months ago, and I would have named that one, “MichelVANgelo, The Albino Turtle.” Michelvangelo didn’t...