2005 GMC Savana 3/4 Ton Adventure Van Build Thread....

[ADVANTR]

And so I finally started to build an adventure vehicle. I have been putting together mental notes and compiling ideas for quite some time. The usual impediments stood in the way. Finances, time, grad school....the usual stuff. But, after finally putting together enough greenbacks and meeting the right woman (the right GF can make an excellent build companion), I decided to take the plunge. Just a few notes before I begin. I am, by no means, an experienced mechanic or fabricator. I have dabbled in motorcycle repair, welding, and general mechanics, but I am essentially just a guy willing to turn a wrench and not afraid to strip a few bolts in the process

Your comments and advice are both welcomed and appreciated. This is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. There have been several people that I could credit for ideas, tools, space, and even extra labor. They know who they are.

Some basic desires for the vehicle:
- Stealth camping ability in the populated and dense northeast landscape
- Long trips --> mainly on highways, but certainly occasional dirt roads and backroads
- ability to haul mountain/road bikes, surfboards, climbing gear, 1 black pooch named Roux and the crazed Montana fem I associate with
- Killer sound system --> this was essentially the GF's number 1 desire, but who doesn't appreciate a nice subwoofer

I had finally settled on a van purchase after lusting over a 4WD Sportsmobile for some years. I had thought of a 4WD fullsize truck but knew it would not meet our current needs for stealth camping...the numerous officers of the law love to pinch you for sleeping in packed Subarus. My total budget for the vehicle was set at around 20-25k. That includes vehicle purchase and mods to follow. I really wasn't interested in paying something off forever or having so much debt that I was unable to actually take this on some long trips. I first tried to seek out a used sportsmobile, but quickly realized I would be at the top range of my budget and end up with a van that had quite a few more miles than I wanted. I then moved onto looking for a used "handyman's van" such as a Ford E-series or even a Sprinter. I would end up searching for about 5 months, before I finally fumbled upon the following for sale in Virginia.

2005 GMC 3/4 Savana
42,000 miles
Sportsmobile top previously installed
No other mods done other than some basic walls and a rubber mat

This van had the window configuration I was looking for to avoid prying eyes and nosey bluecoats. I also really liked that it had not been modified much at all yet. Also, already included the top which is a modification I liked and was unwilling to attempt. The owner checked out, and before long I had my brother on the job. After a quick inspection, he played the role of transporter and delivered the steed to the northeast. The ideas were already running rampant in my head.....

After spending some time getting a basic build list going, and aquiring some tools, parts, etc. I thought about the upcoming build. I want to keep this van overall very simple, very useful, and have it serve its purpose. I do forsee taking this on many weekend trips, a few longer trips, and quite possibly a 6-8 month AK to Central America run in the next couple of years. It will be used daily to haul bikes, avoid lodging fees, and segway into what I hope will be quite the alternative lifestyle in the future......

And so let me present where I am so far on this build. I started a few weeks back, basically when I had time after work or occasionally on weekends.

Luckily, I had a good place to get this build going.....my awesome friend Sam's polebarn.....very gracious host!!!

I started with something simple.....just getting that front passenger seat to swivel.....it allows for really funny looks from passing cars when parked:sombrero:.

Then I began to take down the interior, the carpet, and the doors for installation of the MUCH upgraded stereo.
Complete with the following:
- Alpine head unit
- JL Audio amplifier
- W3 10" inch subwoofer with sealed enclosure
- JL component speakers in front
- 2nd battery to power the amp, inverter, and any future accesories (more on this later)
- Sound deadening - temperature insulation with Dynamat and Dynaliner

You gotta love a woman who is willing to help dismantle an interior when she is fresh off a 26 hours shift at the hospital....where do these women come from??? Apparently, they are like this in Montana:elkgrin:

Got the doors nicely sound insulated. Makes the component speakers really thump.....

And this is essentially where we were with all the sound deadening and insulation.....

Hopefully, I've at least peaked your interest. I've got more to post and will be tackling a number of more mods over the course of the summer. I just wanted to get the ball rolling and see what some of my fellow adventurers were thinking about my build prospects thus far. I in the process of putting in the gaucho sofa/sleeper, upgrading wheel/tires, further insulating and lining the walls, setting up plans for the galley....installing second battery isolation as well as some other goodies.

More to come soon....

 

[iridewheelies]

You're off to a good start! Can you tell us more about the seat swivel? Where did you get it and are you happy with it?

I'm looking to add swivels to my new 2014 express cargo AWD.

 

[david.lemke]

going to be following this build

especially how you do your dual battery set up

 

[olddodgevan]

New here as well. Great 1st post.

 

[ADVANTR]

So the swivel I bought from www.discountvantruck.com
It's not the best engineered piece of hardware, and I wouldn't mind a few extra features, like being able to lock into a position when reversed, but overall, it does work and there aren't exactly many people offering a product such as this. In fact, they were the only company I could find online after looking for quite a bit of time. It's worth it. It takes a little bit of adjusting to get the seat to rotate the full 180 degrees without opening the passenger side door, but it certainly does work. I did not want to mess with the driver's seat as there are more electrical hook ups below the seat (GMC decided to put huge fuse box below seat) and the steering wheel is major impediment to getting this thing to properly swivel.

On a side note, maybe someone could help me here. I have been able to upload some pics here as attachments by hitting the "insert image" feature on the screen. Still, the issue with this is that my photos cannot be viewed by anyone who is not logged onto the site. Kinda sucks. I noticed I can view from other build threads when not logged in. Many of my friends don't have accounts, and can't see my pics. Anyone have some insight as to the funky details of posting pics??

Thanks in advance.

Test Run here...

 

[packmule]

If you use Photo Bucket, Flickr, or any other number of image hosting services for your build pictures, you can link to your pictures via URL instead of uploading to the site. After you click the "Insert Image" button, click the "From URL" tab and insert the URL for the image you want to add. Images added using URLs are displayed whether the viewer is logged in or not.

 

[Steamboater]

Looks sweet - Is it AWD? Extended wheel base?

 

[ADVANTR]

I am in the process of uploading some more pictures. Looks like the consensus is that if they are linked from photo hosting site, they can be viewed by anyone, as packmule had indicated.

Steamboater --> It's not AWD. GMC only gives the AWD option on the 1500 series vans, and mine is 3/4, not 1/2 ton. I debated this for a while --> The possibility of getting a 4WD/AWD set-up. I think you have to be realistic about this. If I lived further west, espcially in the four corner states, I would have been hard pressed not to go the 4WD route. Out here, in the famous big brother state of NY, if you so much as head down the wrong dirt road, you are sure to get pinch or harrassed. Few options for off road here. Also, you quickly realize that these vehicles don't go off road like a Jeep or a Tacoma. Turning these around can be a bear. Also, you certainly get a hit on the MPG with AWD, and even more so with a full 4WD since it would be a heavier vehicle with a more complex front end. I simply didn't see the need for it.....not yet at least. I am, though, keeping my eyes squarely on the new Sprinters being offered in 4WD, with a true low range option.

I am going to mount a more agressive tire, and eventually likely add a manual come along winch. In addition, I will probably get the Boulder Off Road leveling kit for the front end to gain an extra two inches. That should be enough to get me down any dirt road or in and out of light off road situations. I think the kit is a bit pricey for two simple coil spacers, but I don't there are many other options. Anyone have experience with this kit?? Feedback would be great.

Also, I like the 3/4 ton option with the GMC/Chevy's --> bigger brakes, ride higher, increased load capacity, etc.

And it is the extended body also....in my opinion, that's a no brainer option to go for the extended body. Unless I were routinely riding solo, or really looking to go off road and worried about approach angles, I don't see the point to the regular sized body.

In the process of uploading and getting my pics straightend out.....I will keep you guys posted Pardon the pun....

 

[Herbie]

It's not AWD. GMC only gives the AWD option on the 1500 series vans, and mine is 3/4, not 1/2 ton.

Technically, there were a few AWD 2500-series vans sold, but these are REALLY rare. Like unicorn-rare.

 

[ADVANTR]

More pics and some more updates....

Sorry if I have some redundant photos, I have been figuring out this upload thing from Google photos. Should be all set.

So, we've been continuing with the stereo install and some other things as well. We have been working lots on the interior. We were held up by some April snow, cold temps, and the occasional wrench being aimed at my head by the poorly satiated GF.....

We drilled some custom holes in the front door panels to mount the front tweeters. The front component speakers, I must say, are well worth the extra work of wiring and mounting of the crossovers. They sound terrific. Also, I am sure the Dynamat in the doors also helps. On a side note, I will say that GM didn't do us any favors with the interior. The clips used in the door panels are an absolute pain in the *** to get out. Good luck on taking off the dash panel without cursing the ex mother-in-law.....Still, we did win the war on that one. Surprisingly, wasn't too bad going back in.

These are the door panels with tweeters mounted.

We "mocked" up a rear panel to house the second battery and the JL Audio 500 watt 3 channel amplifier. I went with a second battery kit from XS Power for now. It had basically everything I needed and was well priced. The second battery is not the biggest, but I also wasn't looking to carry a huge 2 battery as this adds significant strain to charging system. I know in the future I may want more power in the back, but I figured this would be a good start. I really plan on having power in the back for just the following:

- power amp and stereo when parked
- 800 - 1200 watt inverter (future mod)
- charging of computers, phones, etc.
- occasional heater, fan, appliance
That's about it.

Here is the first rendition of the rear battery set-up. Obviously, in future we are going to clean up and shorten many wires. We are holding off until gaucho sleeper/sofa is complete to shorten all wires appropriately.

When doing all the wiring for the second battery, I wanted to be able to isolate the rear battery when necessary. There are so many ways to do this that you can get dizzy just going over the details. There are expensive, fully automated, isolators which I am sure do a fabulous job but I simply didn't want to add another variable to think about and my needs simply don't require something as advanced as this. I's rather put the money towards something else like a better front fork for my GF's mountain bike or beer:. I did, nonetheless, find the following diagram quite useful. It is an exceptionally simple way to wire a second battery, and I took it one step further.

In this set-up, you would have an "automatic" connection whenever you turn the key to "ignition". It prevents them being connected for long periods of time or the driving forgetting to isolate them. I basically ran this set-up, but I made the relay completely manual.

I purchased a standard battery disconnect that is often used in race cars or even ambulances. I used to work as a paramedic for years, and still remember reaching down to connect "the box" when going on calls. Now, instead of reaching down before going to pick up drunks and dead people, I reach down to give some juice to the rear amp I mounted this relay right below the passenger seat, easy access.

Gotta love these knee pads:sombrero:

Final install, when connected. It is overly simple, I know, but I love it. Works great. I also like it because it gives me total control. I like the ability to start the car and let the van run for 10 minutes or so to just charge the starting battery and then I connect them. Pretty cool. Let me know what you guys think.

Interior going back together.....I know what you guys are thinking. Does this chick do all the work?? And, where can I find a girl like this?? Well, someone has to shoot the damn pictures, and yes, she is pretty damn gifted. Not an easy girl to find....if you look closely, check out that trick Craftsman hat with the LED lighting built in

No adventure van is complete without proper footwear. The stock rubber was still on the van. Still had some tread, but definetly not ideal condition after 9 years. I figure I would go with a wheel upgrade as well. I have, since I was about 17, a sucker for black rims.....And, the matte black, even better.....

We are not planning on keeping this van completely white for very long. Planning out some possible decals/vinyl over the summer.

I will post the updates on the gaucho couch/sleeper, curtains, interior paneling coming up shortly......

Please let me know what you guys think, and of course, any suggestions!!!

 

[draaronr]

Did you put spacers on or keep it stock height? What size tires?

 

[ADVANTR]

Have not done the spring spacers as of yet. They are on my "to do" list. I was actually trying to find even one person who had reviewed the spacer lift by Boulder Off Road (ride quality, ease of install, directions, etc.), but can't find anything. I am likely going to do this in the future. Had thought in the past about going the full 4 inch kit with new A-arms but I have taken this van down some very light off road situations and you quickly realize it's a bull in a china shop.....

The tires --> I went with the stock size just much more aggressive tread, and I am happy I did. 245/75R16. I had thought about going up one size to the 265's, but GMC wheel wells in the front are tight on the trucks, and even tighter on the vans. The Fords, by comparison, look like they could take a bigger tire pretty easily. I think any bigger tire it would rub. Certainly would be an exceptionally tight fit. Also, really didn't want to mess with the stock gearing. I like the way the truck currently pulls.

I am going to also do some trick custom mud flaps in the future. No luck finding any fender flares for the Savana's/Express vans....so I think I can make some mud flaps work pretty easily.

 

[Bigbadmother]

Very nice build!!!! Great to see both of you have are working on the build. Now that's teamwork!!!!

Keep the pictures coming!!!! Maybe the wife will get inspired by the example and maybe we can turn her walk-in closet into a house-on-wheels. Thank you for your service!!!!!

 

[draaronr]

being nosey what did the initial van run? and any pics with the top up?

 

[hammerhome]

Looks great, looking forward to seeing your build progress.