ExpoMike
Well-known member
Hi all,
Long time member but new to "VanLife". Well not 100% new as I had a couple vans in my distant past... like before digital cameras and I didn't take any film pics back then. LOL Well I am now starting in a new direction for my overlanding journey. As I am getting older, I am having some back issues and finding I am not up to the task for some of the big projects I had planned. I currently have 3 other overland type projects but came to the realization that my current health state, they are just too big to deal with. You can see those build threads in my signature. After some discussion with the wife, we decided to go the direction of building a van and selling off the other projects. Though it will still be a lot of work, it will not have the major mechanical overhaul I planned on the M1010 ambo or the hours of welding/fab work on the camp trailer project. We had some specific needs in mind, which greatly limited what we were looking for. It could not be a Ford platform, as the passenger side offset of the doghouse was not comfortable for the wife to sit for any period. I wanted a true 4x4 with hi/lo range. It also had to be within a price we could afford. I wanted something with lower miles and mechanically sound. Sprinters were out because of pricing on 4wd models and wasn't impressed with the 4x4 system when in Hawaii on a tour and it had problems in the mud.
This really had left us down to Chevy/GMC or Dodge. Since it would need to be one with an Advance 4x4 or Quigley 4x4 conversion, there are very few Dodge rigs so it really left us with Chevy/GMC option. I started looking online in as many resources I could find. They were out there but either too costly, high miles or require a lot of travel to get to where they were located. I kept looking and FB Marketplace popped up a GMC Savana that was in our area. We made arrangements to look at it and were very impressed with it. We made a deal on a price that was fair for each party and made it happen.
Let me introduce our new build. It's a 2013 GMC Savana 3500 LT with an Advance 4x4 4WD conversion. It is an extended length (155" WB) passenger van (seats and seat rails already removed) and has every option other than nav system. 6.0L V8, 6L90 6 speed trans, 285/75-16 tires on GM truck wheels. It has 85K miles and has been very well cared for. Our plans are to have a Fiberine High Top roof installed (standing height is a must) and build out the interior as a camper van. Before I can get started on the build (as the roof will be the first item) I need to get the other vehicles sold and recover some funds. The start of the build will depend on that. Fingers crossed I can get that done quickly.
Some pics arriving home
Long time member but new to "VanLife". Well not 100% new as I had a couple vans in my distant past... like before digital cameras and I didn't take any film pics back then. LOL Well I am now starting in a new direction for my overlanding journey. As I am getting older, I am having some back issues and finding I am not up to the task for some of the big projects I had planned. I currently have 3 other overland type projects but came to the realization that my current health state, they are just too big to deal with. You can see those build threads in my signature. After some discussion with the wife, we decided to go the direction of building a van and selling off the other projects. Though it will still be a lot of work, it will not have the major mechanical overhaul I planned on the M1010 ambo or the hours of welding/fab work on the camp trailer project. We had some specific needs in mind, which greatly limited what we were looking for. It could not be a Ford platform, as the passenger side offset of the doghouse was not comfortable for the wife to sit for any period. I wanted a true 4x4 with hi/lo range. It also had to be within a price we could afford. I wanted something with lower miles and mechanically sound. Sprinters were out because of pricing on 4wd models and wasn't impressed with the 4x4 system when in Hawaii on a tour and it had problems in the mud.
This really had left us down to Chevy/GMC or Dodge. Since it would need to be one with an Advance 4x4 or Quigley 4x4 conversion, there are very few Dodge rigs so it really left us with Chevy/GMC option. I started looking online in as many resources I could find. They were out there but either too costly, high miles or require a lot of travel to get to where they were located. I kept looking and FB Marketplace popped up a GMC Savana that was in our area. We made arrangements to look at it and were very impressed with it. We made a deal on a price that was fair for each party and made it happen.
Let me introduce our new build. It's a 2013 GMC Savana 3500 LT with an Advance 4x4 4WD conversion. It is an extended length (155" WB) passenger van (seats and seat rails already removed) and has every option other than nav system. 6.0L V8, 6L90 6 speed trans, 285/75-16 tires on GM truck wheels. It has 85K miles and has been very well cared for. Our plans are to have a Fiberine High Top roof installed (standing height is a must) and build out the interior as a camper van. Before I can get started on the build (as the roof will be the first item) I need to get the other vehicles sold and recover some funds. The start of the build will depend on that. Fingers crossed I can get that done quickly.
Some pics arriving home
