Chevy & GMC Vans

"The 2 front most bolts give some folks headaches because they can spin around and around forever.
The secret is to not push up hard on those bolts or you lift the nut out of its retainer inside."

If you remove the front bumper first, you can add a wrench on the nut side of this bolt to keep it from spinning.

I thought the nut retainer was inside of the radiator support.

loopie wrote:The job can be done in 2parts too Eh. The van is driveable with just one end completed. So one end one evening, the other the next if you need to.

If you do it this way, please lift the rear first. Otherwise I will come over and make snide comments about how funny your van looks with it's nose in the air.

timelessbeing wrote:I thought the nut retainer was inside of the radiator support.

Ya, it isnt very accessible, so to avoid the need for cutting a hole or something like that to get at the nut, be careful not to push it up.

Mine was a big PITA. The nut was rusted solid to the bolt which I hacksawed off. I didn't cut a hole though. Instead, I insertws a wrench through the hole in the side (pictured) to hold onto a new nut while I tightened the bolt. The nut retainer was just a flimsy piece of sheet metal. But in this province, we're used to everything being seized by rust.

Yes, especially on this coast!!

I must admit I was very surprised that i got those out of an 87 van, without incident.

Herbie wrote:

loopie wrote:The job can be done in 2parts too Eh. The van is driveable with just one end completed. So one end one evening, the other the next if you need to.

If you do it this way, please lift the rear first. Otherwise I will come over and make snide comments about how funny your van looks with it's nose in the air.

You see, I'm the exact opposite. I hate seeing vehicles with the rear higher than the front.
The rear lower has a Baja or Desert Prerunner look if you use the right bumpers
I think I snapped a pic of mine with just the front done....

loopie wrote:

Herbie wrote:

loopie wrote:The job can be done in 2parts too Eh. The van is driveable with just one end completed. So one end one evening, the other the next if you need to.

If you do it this way, please lift the rear first. Otherwise I will come over and make snide comments about how funny your van looks with it's nose in the air.

You see, I'm the exact opposite. I hate seeing vehicles with the rear higher than the front.
The rear lower has a Baja or Desert Prerunner look if you use the right bumpers
I think I snapped a pic of mine with just the front done....

Looks pretty nice Loopie!
I am concerned about all that body cladding on the lower body and around the wheels.
It looks in that pic like there isnt a helluva lotta room around the rear tires for spring flex. if you go over a rock or a log, your rear tires can collide with the body at the front lowest corner of the wheelwell.
Maybe just an optical illusion, but these vans do like to rub there. I ripped almost every lug on a brand new BFG, just by going thru a dip, when I first did a 2" lift.
I suggest you have a friend back your van up onto a ramp on 1 side only, slowly, keeping the other wheel on the ground, and watch for that rub spot/tire damage potential. It might be surprisingly easy to find! Personally, I would ditch the pretty cladding too. but thats just me and I'm, well, not average.

Now I have way more rear lift and its entirely springs, no blocks. Seems to have no rubbing now.

I thought I read someones post stating that the AWD's had to ride level. I plan on going all weekend if need be anyhow.

Also got home yesterday and their were boxes on the porch, like a kid in the candy store!!! Gerald sent the shackles, spacers and...heck didn't really fish through the whole box. Still missing the bigger stuff, springs etc. So that's cool.

Thanks and Happy Friday.

Sean

can anyone tell me where I can get standard replacement frame to body mount bushes/pucks??....best brand to get, and er, how many are there in total? thanks.

there was a thread on the body bushings gm part numbers i did a quick search this should be it
viewtopic.php?f=67&t=1967&hilit=body+mounts

thank you!

doyoulikeithere wrote: I am concerned about all that body cladding on the lower body and around the wheels.
It looks in that pic like there isnt a helluva lotta room around the rear tires for spring flex. if you go over a rock or a log, your rear tires can collide with the body at the front lowest corner of the wheelwell.
Maybe just an optical illusion, but these vans do like to rub there. I ripped almost every lug on a brand new BFG, just by going thru a dip, when I first did a 2" lift.
I suggest you have a friend back your van up onto a ramp on 1 side only, slowly, keeping the other wheel on the ground, and watch for that rub spot/tire damage potential. It might be surprisingly easy to find! Personally, I would ditch the pretty cladding too. but thats just me and I'm, well, not average.

Now I have way more rear lift and its entirely springs, no blocks. Seems to have no rubbing now.

Thx.
There is more room than it appears in that pic for sure...but in that configuration(2" front, 0" rear)...I only carefully went to the Beer store and back.
The rear is in now and I'll be double checking clearance under full load/torque but really, the traction bar(reducing spring wrap) and the fact that I also moved the rear axle back 3/8"...the tire can't get anywhere near the front of the wheel opening

Getting ready to do my lift here in the next month or so. I already have the shackles for the rear, and pucks for the subframe. Can anyone tell me the size, length and thread pitch I need for the subframe bolts for a 2" puck?

OKflyboy wrote:Getting ready to do my lift here in the next month or so. I already have the shackles for the rear, and pucks for the subframe. Can anyone tell me the size, length and thread pitch I need for the subframe bolts for a 2" puck?

Of the six puck/bolt combo, there are two different size bolts. My suggestion is remove the back and middle bolts and make a parts run getting the same, but 2" longer.