Welcome, my friends. I'm not a dealer. I’m just a guy, standing in front of fellow adventurers, asking you to give a good home to my dear “Battle Tank”. I’ve tried to capture everything in the photos, and will make any notes below. Please ask any questions.
I have the utmost confidence in the van, but it’s being sold as-is, with no warranties expressed or implied. The sale is final, with no returns or backsies. I have the title, and will transfer to the buyer (this is a new process for me, and I’ll do all I can to make it as painless for both of us as possible!). BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SHIPPING COSTS & ARRANGEMENTS. I’ll do my best to be a good neighbor, and accommodate your shipping arrangements.
The Story:
I bought this beast in 2018, from the largest Quigley van dealer in the country (White Bear Lake Superstore GMC in Minneapolis) who had just taken it on trade-in from the original owner. It was the pride and joy of the original owner who was a surfer and drove coast to coast surfing, but it was very well maintained as his baby. It was in great, used condition in regular use, with all highway miles. It has always driven like the great, hulking champ that it is. I bought it to haul my family of 4 plus dog on road trips to nearby mountains as well as coastal locations. It’s amazing to drive around, gets a lot of attention and is extremely useful. In fact, we love it so much that we have restored her with a lot of new components, including a new motor, new transmission, new radiator, new front suspsension (IFS), new AC and many other upgrades. SO, this is basically a new van mechanically with many cool add-ons for bugging out, mountaineering or just #vanlife. It’s been a lot of fun and we love her, but kids getting older and life changes mean that we are using her much less. So, it’s time to pass this incredible van on to someone else who will get as much enjoyment out of her as we have.
The Great:
• Chevy Express 2500 Explorer extended conversion van
• Quigley 4x4 FWD conversion (4x4 works in High and Low ranges)
• This is an extended van that could seat up to 9 passengers, but set up for 7, second row swivel captain chairs, third row bench that lays down to a bed. Large carpeted cargo space in the rear.
• 3” lift with upgraded XD wheels with BF Goodrich all terrain tires LT285/70R17.
• NEW GM rebuilt engine (6.0L Vortec) has approx. 5k miles.
• NEW transmission rebuilt with now approx. 5k miles (replaced with new motor).
• NEW transmission hoses and assembly.
• NEW radiator.
• NEW AC front.
• NEW front suspension done two months ago.
• Set up for towing with trailer brake set up, hitch etc. 10,000 pound towing capacity!
• Yakima roof racks and ski/snowboard racks (not in attached pictures, but will post new pics with racks shortly).
• Viper alarm system, keyless entry, and remote start.
• Power steering / Power doors / Power locks
•Removable NRG steering wheel
• All NEW carpet replaced 2 years ago.
• Dynamat under new carpets (2x/3x layers in some areas to help make it quiet).
• Upgraded rugged running boards.
• Upgraded rear leaf spring to heavy duty stack for towing and support.
• Interior is in great condition converted by Explorer with valence lights.
• Leather upgraded seats restitched and restuffed about 4 years ago. Front seats are power adjustable and have lumbar.
• 27in HDTV (with HDMI connection and Google Chromecast).
• Pioneer AV upgraded head unit with Apple CarPlay. Upgraded subwoofer.
• Full solar system installed includes 3 x 100 watt panels on the roof, 155ah Vmaxtanks AGM solar battery in rear custom box with fuse box, and Xantrex 1000 pure sine wave inverter.
• Upgraded 110plugs (w/USB) added to interior side panels.
• High intensity light bars in front and rear.
• Rigid fog lights.
• Rigid backup high intensity LEDs built into rear bumper.
• Whelan Arges® Remote Spotlight searchlights installed on each side.
• Rear backup camera.
• Led brake light strip and underglow led color changing LEDs.
• Vixen train horn with onboard air (3 gal tank and 200psi compressor mounted under van)
• Combined fuse/relay box in engine compartment with switches mounted on dash (one switch is open for add ons).
• Extra full size spare and XD wheel mounted to rear barn door.
• Water tank under van, water pump, and shower head. Tank needs new hoses for refill (currently empty) but pump works great.
• 5 gallon fuel tank mounted to rear barn door.
• Front brush guard installed
• Just had a shop replace all door panel clips on all doors (they tend to wear out, stretch and break on vans)
• Fluids, brakes, etc. have all been regularly serviced and replaced as necessary since purchase
The Less-Great (let’s be honest, shall we?):
While she’s no spring chicken, she’s just about all new under the skin (new motor, transmission, and AC among others). Pictures make it look amazing, and it is, from just a few feet away (and haven’t we all dated that gal or guy before?)…but if you’re up close, you can see the reality of the years on the road. There are some nicks, chips and dings and there is an outline on the passenger side where a decal used to be. Maybe some surface rust around the wheel wells, however, none of this is very noticeable from a distance. There are minor plastic trim squeaks/rattles inside when the road gets bumpy…just like you’d have in any good, “seasoned” vehicle. The undercarriage is in pretty typical condition for the age and miles.
4x4 works well, but the bulb indicator light hasn’t worked for about 6 months. I have had it checked by GM dealership recently to confirm it was only the bulb or a loose wire for the light, so I’ve left well-enough alone.
Overall, the interior is in great shape, although the electric seat controls for the driver and front passenger seats could be remounted, but work great. The front seats even have lumbar pumps (manual).
Anything else, please ask. I can’t possibly cover every single thing, but have tried to show or reference the high spots as best as I can. The van is for sale locally, and on other outlets. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time, if the van sells elsewhere.
Takeaway:
Deep down in places you don’t like to talk about at parties, you want you in this van! You need you in this van! Don’t let this brute getaway. You’ll have some room for your own tweaks or upgrades when you take ownership, and that’s half the fun. Please ask any questions.
I have the utmost confidence in the van, but it’s being sold as-is, with no warranties expressed or implied. The sale is final, with no returns or backsies. I have the title, and will transfer to the buyer (this is a new process for me, and I’ll do all I can to make it as painless for both of us as possible!). BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SHIPPING COSTS & ARRANGEMENTS. I’ll do my best to be a good neighbor, and accommodate your shipping arrangements.
The Story:
I bought this beast in 2018, from the largest Quigley van dealer in the country (White Bear Lake Superstore GMC in Minneapolis) who had just taken it on trade-in from the original owner. It was the pride and joy of the original owner who was a surfer and drove coast to coast surfing, but it was very well maintained as his baby. It was in great, used condition in regular use, with all highway miles. It has always driven like the great, hulking champ that it is. I bought it to haul my family of 4 plus dog on road trips to nearby mountains as well as coastal locations. It’s amazing to drive around, gets a lot of attention and is extremely useful. In fact, we love it so much that we have restored her with a lot of new components, including a new motor, new transmission, new radiator, new front suspsension (IFS), new AC and many other upgrades. SO, this is basically a new van mechanically with many cool add-ons for bugging out, mountaineering or just #vanlife. It’s been a lot of fun and we love her, but kids getting older and life changes mean that we are using her much less. So, it’s time to pass this incredible van on to someone else who will get as much enjoyment out of her as we have.
The Great:
• Chevy Express 2500 Explorer extended conversion van
• Quigley 4x4 FWD conversion (4x4 works in High and Low ranges)
• This is an extended van that could seat up to 9 passengers, but set up for 7, second row swivel captain chairs, third row bench that lays down to a bed. Large carpeted cargo space in the rear.
• 3” lift with upgraded XD wheels with BF Goodrich all terrain tires LT285/70R17.
• NEW GM rebuilt engine (6.0L Vortec) has approx. 5k miles.
• NEW transmission rebuilt with now approx. 5k miles (replaced with new motor).
• NEW transmission hoses and assembly.
• NEW radiator.
• NEW AC front.
• NEW front suspension done two months ago.
• Set up for towing with trailer brake set up, hitch etc. 10,000 pound towing capacity!
• Yakima roof racks and ski/snowboard racks (not in attached pictures, but will post new pics with racks shortly).
• Viper alarm system, keyless entry, and remote start.
• Power steering / Power doors / Power locks
•Removable NRG steering wheel
• All NEW carpet replaced 2 years ago.
• Dynamat under new carpets (2x/3x layers in some areas to help make it quiet).
• Upgraded rugged running boards.
• Upgraded rear leaf spring to heavy duty stack for towing and support.
• Interior is in great condition converted by Explorer with valence lights.
• Leather upgraded seats restitched and restuffed about 4 years ago. Front seats are power adjustable and have lumbar.
• 27in HDTV (with HDMI connection and Google Chromecast).
• Pioneer AV upgraded head unit with Apple CarPlay. Upgraded subwoofer.
• Full solar system installed includes 3 x 100 watt panels on the roof, 155ah Vmaxtanks AGM solar battery in rear custom box with fuse box, and Xantrex 1000 pure sine wave inverter.
• Upgraded 110plugs (w/USB) added to interior side panels.
• High intensity light bars in front and rear.
• Rigid fog lights.
• Rigid backup high intensity LEDs built into rear bumper.
• Whelan Arges® Remote Spotlight searchlights installed on each side.
• Rear backup camera.
• Led brake light strip and underglow led color changing LEDs.
• Vixen train horn with onboard air (3 gal tank and 200psi compressor mounted under van)
• Combined fuse/relay box in engine compartment with switches mounted on dash (one switch is open for add ons).
• Extra full size spare and XD wheel mounted to rear barn door.
• Water tank under van, water pump, and shower head. Tank needs new hoses for refill (currently empty) but pump works great.
• 5 gallon fuel tank mounted to rear barn door.
• Front brush guard installed
• Just had a shop replace all door panel clips on all doors (they tend to wear out, stretch and break on vans)
• Fluids, brakes, etc. have all been regularly serviced and replaced as necessary since purchase
The Less-Great (let’s be honest, shall we?):
While she’s no spring chicken, she’s just about all new under the skin (new motor, transmission, and AC among others). Pictures make it look amazing, and it is, from just a few feet away (and haven’t we all dated that gal or guy before?)…but if you’re up close, you can see the reality of the years on the road. There are some nicks, chips and dings and there is an outline on the passenger side where a decal used to be. Maybe some surface rust around the wheel wells, however, none of this is very noticeable from a distance. There are minor plastic trim squeaks/rattles inside when the road gets bumpy…just like you’d have in any good, “seasoned” vehicle. The undercarriage is in pretty typical condition for the age and miles.
4x4 works well, but the bulb indicator light hasn’t worked for about 6 months. I have had it checked by GM dealership recently to confirm it was only the bulb or a loose wire for the light, so I’ve left well-enough alone.
Overall, the interior is in great shape, although the electric seat controls for the driver and front passenger seats could be remounted, but work great. The front seats even have lumbar pumps (manual).
Anything else, please ask. I can’t possibly cover every single thing, but have tried to show or reference the high spots as best as I can. The van is for sale locally, and on other outlets. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time, if the van sells elsewhere.
Takeaway:
Deep down in places you don’t like to talk about at parties, you want you in this van! You need you in this van! Don’t let this brute getaway. You’ll have some room for your own tweaks or upgrades when you take ownership, and that’s half the fun. Please ask any questions.
