Can you tell me about your front hitch Mr. Nacho? Looking to add this to my van. Thanks!
Chevy AWD
- Thread starter kntr
- Start date
Can you tell me about your front hitch Mr. Nacho? Looking to add this to my van. Thanks!
Ah, The Frt. Hitch a must have for me. Well no one makes one for the Chevy AWD Van, It's most likely a clearance issue the vans are just to low to the ground to make them work well and I would not recommend it unless the van is lifted at least 3". I have on one occasion hit the hitch into the dirt when going through a deep rut. I use the hitch to carry my Thule/Sportsworks 916 T2 Bike Rack but would be great for a winch etc... The Frt. Hitch came off my 2000 Ford E250 Sportsmobile a good friend did a pretty simple add-on welded bracket and made it fit the frame. Once the brackets were welded on the hitch we just bolted it in place using preexisting holes located in the frame. Since it was only a single hole on each side of the frame the hitch could pivot a little which helped get the proper alignment angle then we put a few welds to secure it to the frame. The next issue was that it's sits back further than is useful but a 6" hitch extension worked perfect to correct that problem and the Bike rack fits perfect to the bumper when in the folded upright position.
I got these from Van Tech, super nice racks for the money. I think they are rated for 750lbs for all three, great if you ever need it.... They also fit all Thule and Yakima Aero bar accessories. http://vantech.us/H3-Rack-3-Bar-System-for-a-Chevy-Express-1996-On-H3218W.htm
Trim molding is working out great I tend to park in busy locations. http://www.brandsport.com/prtrco60.html
Trim molding is working out great I tend to park in busy locations. http://www.brandsport.com/prtrco60.html
Been a while but I'm back. Haven't converted anymore vans since my last post. Been busy converting my van to a 4 wheel drive with a part time transfercase. I installed a 1998 231c unit out of a Siverado K1500 with 90,000 mies on it. Thanks to Zuren for his conversion help. The only thing I haven't done yet is install a shift lever. I found a floor mounted cable driven lever from a earlier model Pathfinder conversion. My tranfer case is running in 2WD mode and all I have to do is climb under the van and move the lever into 4WD (Kind of a Pain) but havent had the time to work on it due to being busy at work and the weather getting colder. The conversion is easy. The tranfercase bolted right onto the transmission in place of existing, the rear drive shaft was used as is and a new front drive shaft was built ($300.00). The existing speed sensor worked great so I reused it. It is a good idea to open the case and check for chain stretch, mine was still tight so I resealed it, installed it and filled with fresh lube. Took me about 12 hours including the time to pick up the new case. Here are pictures of my van in its current state. I love my Chevrolet Van, have had it off road and performed very well. Next addition is a winch. Possibly wheels, just haven't found a set that I like and that will work with the sliding door.
ben2go
Adventurer
33's maybe not,but recommended.35s highly recommend it.
brianr - I read back through most of this thread but wanted ask what suspension setup you have in the van pictured? Is this your Skyjacker 7000 shocks/SuspensionMaxx keys/2" rear lift block recipe? What size tires are pictured?
View attachment 133341
Now that you, others and Boulder Offroad have come up with suitable options, I may look to lift the suspension on mine this year and possibly remove the 1" body lift. What is your impression of the Boulder Offroad 2" kit vs. your home-brewed option?
Do a search for member "dewalt". He came up with a very clean install for a which but requires cutting and welding. The only issue is that the winch is in a spot that is not easily accessed and would be in the salt spray during the winter. You would have to decide whether to keep it on or remove it each winter.
I'm glad my conversion write-up helped you! I'll be curious to see what you figure out for a shifter. Mine is not elegant but it works and since my build, I have been laid off and got into grad school so time, energy and money has been limited. I'm definitely interested in ideas. I also need to explore installing a jumper and switch to fool the computer's shift points when in 4Low so the transmission shifts correctly. Considering that if/when I'm in 4Low, I plan on being in 1st gear so it hasn't been a priority.
So my goals for 2013 are job, susp. lift (2" is about right), t-case shifter, 4low switch (low priority) and use it more!
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Zuren,
I like my "Home Brewed Kit" because of price vs. Boulder Offroad (basically their kit are lift keys, rear lift blocks and shock spacers) and my choice of Part and Part Manfacturer. Yes this van is my personal favorite and of course my personal vehicle. The Skyjacker shocks in my opinion are better than Bilsteins, I feel the Skyjacker's give better control and cost about 1/2 of what the Bilsteins cost. Maxx Suspension Keys allow infinte adjustment from 2-1/2 lower than stock to 3" higher than stock (Lifted). This van has been lifted for about 40,000 miles now with no problems (fingers crossed). Tire size is 265/75/16 on stock chromed steel rims.
As for a winch, I'm going to mount it to my push/grill guard, I like his idea and there is quite a bit of room behind the bumper, but i feel at this point that if the winch fails after all the work of hiding it, I would have to remove bumper, bumper support and grill again and again.
I love my van and the way it looks. I still may put an aftermarket set of wheels on it if I find ones I like and that will fit with a sliding door. As far as your 4X4 conversion idea used on my van, due to weather I haven't worked on the transfer case shifter yet. I'm trying to come up with a idea to use a floor shifter from a 1986 Chevrolet 4x4 and relocate it next to the driver seat similar to the Pathfinder shifter I have. I'm going to modify the shifter to work with a cable instead of linkage. I feel the forward/backward pivot will work better than push/pull, though your idea takes up less room. When I use Low 4 I just let off the gas pedal before shift point, I've got it timed pretty well. I've only used Low 4 to pull bushes, tread through mud, climb a steel incline and to pull some trees out of the woods after they were cut down so it rarely shifts into 2nd gear. This Van Is A Hoss..................
Zuren: Did you figure out what the noise in the front end was?
Not yet. A friend of a friend is a mechanic and offered to look at it. He has some sort of audio system that you attach microphones under the vehicle and someone inside has a set of headphones with a control box. You flip to different microphones to pinpoint the source. The bad thing is he is 7 hrs. away and the timing hasn't working out yet. I don't have a flat, level area to put it on jack-stands and run it in gear so I haven't done it myself. Seems like a bad idea to have someone underneath a vehicle while drivetrain is spinning at 30+ MPH anyway.
My bets are on:
- U-joint(s) on the rear drive shaft (both are factory with ~140k miles)
- Bearing noise in the t-case
Front wheel bearings and front diff. have been replaced. All had issues. Driveshaft u-joint at front diff. and driveshaft u-joint at t-case were new when doing the conversion. I replaced the u-joint at the diff. about a year later since it had an issue. So everything forward of the t-case is new. T-case was a reman'ed unit. I've run out of drivetrain parts in the front to replace. Everything behind the t-case is factory. Its too cold to mess with anything for now.
Back to suspension - did you look at KYB shocks at all and any reason you chose twin-tube vs. monotube shocks? When I replaced my OEM shocks I went with KYB Gas-Adjust monotubes. I'm very happy with them but they won't be suitable for a lift. A monotube shock is typically considered an upgrade from twin tube, especially for a vehicle that sees mostly highway, so I'm just curious.
Thanks!
Aloha All!
Been reading up and had to join the fun! Just had Don and the crew at Boulder Offroad Vans Do their 2" AWD lift on my Express they were able to get 3" from it and I am stoked! They Don and Kelly took the time as busy as they are to talk to me about some of my ideas and how we could implement them pretty happy to have such a amazing resource in Colorado. I will keep yall posted on the conversion as it progresses. Really thankful for this resource and hope to contribute some additl goodness to it.
Been reading up and had to join the fun! Just had Don and the crew at Boulder Offroad Vans Do their 2" AWD lift on my Express they were able to get 3" from it and I am stoked! They Don and Kelly took the time as busy as they are to talk to me about some of my ideas and how we could implement them pretty happy to have such a amazing resource in Colorado. I will keep yall posted on the conversion as it progresses. Really thankful for this resource and hope to contribute some additl goodness to it.
Thunderyukon
New member
I've got a 2009 awd with high top. I went in today to have a 2" lift put on that I had read about in these forums. The shocks recommended are skyjacker h2003 and h2017. The rear did not work. The shop recommends I should return them and use nitro shocks from skyjacker anyway but there is no part # for them.
Any idea what works? Thoughts about the skyjacker shocks?
Any idea what works? Thoughts about the skyjacker shocks?
I've been watching this and other forums about lifting the express AWD, I have a 2004 sport top santa fe conversion. I just installed a traxda Key lift. Full 3 inches in front and almost 4 inches in back. The new keys worked perfect and blocks in the back. I think the 3 inch blocks would be too much for regular van but with my taller roof I like the look. I also installed the skyjacker shocks but found the rear didn't fit perfect, the shaft through the top of the shock is too small diameter. I installed anyway(it works, just a little sloppy) and am going to look for something that fits better soon. But it handles great, like has been mentioned before now it sits off the bump stops and has some travel before it hits the rubber bump stops. Will post pics soon.
boardrider247
Weekend warrior anarchist
I just re-read this entire thread (again) because I had a 2010 AWD GMC Savana cargo follow me home yesterday:wings:
So Far I'm rather happy with it. Bare bones model, crank windows and manual locks, nothing but a rubber floor mat in back.
Going to order parts to do the 2" lift this week.
My current tires are OEM 17" Generals and will be pretty well used up by winter.
I see many of you are listing 16" wheel size on your van's.
Does anyone know if 16" wheels will fit my 2010? I sure would like to use some OEM 16" Silverado alloys if that is possible.
So Far I'm rather happy with it. Bare bones model, crank windows and manual locks, nothing but a rubber floor mat in back.
Going to order parts to do the 2" lift this week.
My current tires are OEM 17" Generals and will be pretty well used up by winter.
I see many of you are listing 16" wheel size on your van's.
Does anyone know if 16" wheels will fit my 2010? I sure would like to use some OEM 16" Silverado alloys if that is possible.
Sorry to chime in to this thread, but I've got a question - It seems on my van (2005 GMC savana AWD) the part I seem to drag is the really low tail pipe. I do plan on getting the Boulder 2" lift kit soon, but is there any sort of protection that could be added there? Is there something simple already in production that can be added/changed vs. having a shop weld something up custom? I put a pretty good dent in mine the other day and it solidified that I need a lift.
I searched online and the only thing that came up when i searched was this, which is pretty awesome - http://texcaliburarmor.com/vehicles/specialpurpose/chevyexpressswatt.html
I searched online and the only thing that came up when i searched was this, which is pretty awesome - http://texcaliburarmor.com/vehicles/specialpurpose/chevyexpressswatt.html