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Oh and check the joints on your control arms and tie rods. When those get worn and loose it can certainly result in a loose, wandering feeling.

I think you can remedy that. Start with new shocks and then Id also look into new front bump stops. They are pretty inexpensive and can make a difference as they are a more active part of the front suspension than most realize In these. I’d recommend sumo springs. Next would be the rear...

i would consider a shock upgrade before doing something that drastic. They can be made to ride really well in my opinion with the right shocks and yes, a custom leaf pack in the rear does wonders. Can you describe what you don’t like about the ride a little bit more?

Dunno about that but most Explorer conversions I've seen have a custom wheel that isn't GM but the bolt pattern is the same. Should probably clarify for this thread, do you have a 4x4 conversion or are you 2wd?

Factory GM 8 bolt pattern for vans is 8x6.5

I think they are talking about the mounts for the rear seats which your van may not have. The passenger vans have rails running along the rear of the body for the passenger seats that you sit them in and push a large L shaped pin through to fix them in place.

I remember seeing somewhere at some point where somebody (how vague is that?) removed the seat rails but I seem to remember they were not just bolted through but rather riveted. I could be wrong though. That's maybe the most unhelpful post I've ever made...sorry. I'd be interested to see what...

Congrats. Lots of good advice here already particularly from Vintageracer. Most of the issues you will want to tackle will be relative to where its lived and how it was cared for....rust etc. The engine and overall drivetrain should be pretty solid and if anything needs replacing the parts...

this is great stuff. Can you clarify, you bought a standard Espar D5 for $60 on ebay? Are you planning to run it off the cranking batter still or are you going to wire to a house batter? Further info once completed would be appreciated.

My 6.6 has a factory cooler. You could try one of those? Its a pipe cleaner looking thing that doesn’t look too impressive but its done the job for 100k miles now.

Offering congrats on the endeavor and some encouragement. I've had both a solid axle Ford setup and now for the last 6 years an IFS from Quigley. If all you're looking to do is get to private camping areas then you should have no concerns about the IFS. In fact on a lot of the forest roads...

I just keep a Packasport box on mine permanently. It will be used pretty often to carry stand up paddle boards, firewood, shovel, axe, an awning etc. depending on what I'm doing. I did purchase a couple platform pieces for it to make it easier to carry firewood in particular. One I got from...

I have one on my Express and really like it. Easy to put together, quality seems top notch, and pretty light for the coverage it provides. Wind noise is minimal as well. It exists but is very reasonable.

I don’t have any experience towing with an AWD 1500 model but I would seriously consider lower gearing if you’re headed that direction. How heavy are you talking? The trans cooler, at least on the HD models, looks like an oversized pipe cleaner positioned down in front of the radiator.

Nice, love that idea. I recently installed one from Victory 4x4 and am really happy with it. I'll try and get a photo up soon of it. Went together really easily and is much lighter than what I had up there before.

If you have stock length shocks then yep I'd start there. Also look at the front sway bar if you have one.

I like Weather tech products but these didn't work for me. The fit was off from the beginning so I sent them back. I've had AVS ones for several years and they fit perfectly and work as expected. No issues.

I'd be interested in an Express version. Looks like I'm just down the road from you too so local pick up would be great.

I’ve broken two, one to be fair was when the door was frozen shut and it was the first time I realized how fragile they could be. I replaced it and the new one broke after about a year so I just fixed it. I ended up drilling out the part that breaks and reinforcing it with some metal bits and...

You can add a lift to an AWD GM van for around $250-300. Do that. I’ve spent a lot of time in a 4wd van keeping it in 2wd as long as possible in snow before changing. No offense to those who have suggested 2wd may be just as good, but they are simply wrong. The AWD is a good suggestion though...