Chevy & GMC Vans

New member, first time poster. I am a freelance Director of Photography and just purchased a 2004 Safari passenger van to haul my camera gear and lighting equipment. I built shelves on the left side for gear in an effort to leave a rear view out my back window and to allow for even more gear, at times, on the right side which now results in a slight list to the left because of the weight. Can I add a beefier rear left shock or another leaf spring to counter balance this lean? Any answers or advice will be helpful. Thanks!

David Wolf
2004 GMC Safari

If you carry that weight full time you'll want to replace both springs with the heavy duty packs.
You shouldn't load any vehicle all to one side regardless of sag, even weight distribution is a safety issue that suspension can't compensate for, you make an emergency stop with a right hand turn and your on the side in a heartbeat.
if you made a raised platform the full width of the van w/ hatches on top you could store underneath what you use everyday and have a full 4'x8' plus cargo area on top. Your load would be evenly distributed and hidden from prying eyes.

Hi,

Yes it is easy to get extra weight on the left side. The driver is on the left and so is the fuel tank.

You could try to move some heavy gear to the right side.

You also could add Monroe air shocks and have a separate air line for left versus right. Or could install Air Lift or Firestone air bags and have separate left and right Schraeder air fittings to put more pressure on left side to level vehicle.

AP

My vote is for air shocks also. I carry an extra 1k pounds of hot air balloon equipment. My air shocks do exactly what I need them to do.