I would think strut spacers in the front and extended shackles in the rear would be cheapest way to gain a little ground clearance. You would also possibly need to move the brake lines and sway bar mounts if you do this, but also not a big deal.
I would think strut spacers in the front and extended shackles in the rear would be cheapest way to gain a little ground clearance. You would also possibly need to move the brake lines and sway bar mounts if you do this, but also not a big deal.
Vigo's doom and gloom about the power of these things has me a bit worried. I have no ability at this point in time to do a 5spd or turbo swap. An full-size van, even an E150 with the 302 would have considerably more power, but also be more difficult to fix.
I live at nearly 7,000ft. There are many steep hills in the region.
I don't need to go fast, but being able to stay with traffic at 75mph would be nice.
Finding a manual LSx GM pickup has been difficult. Looks like I'd need to spend a weekend in Phoenix and spend at least $4,000. Can't sleep in a truck, either, at least not without a cap.
In reply to PHeller:
Think of the slowest vehicle that you've ever driven...it was probably significantly faster than this van. That being said, I have a '93 2.5 turbo engine (mostly complete and minus turbo) and matching turbo auto transmission in my garage you can have if you want it. (Offer stands for anyone else as well, come get it and its yours!!)
Savanna/Express time? No stick, but you can sleep in it.
I just saw a grand voyager rolling on 20s. Made me Think of this thread.
PHeller wrote: Vigo's doom and gloom about the power of these things has me a bit worried. I have no ability at this point in time to do a 5spd or turbo swap. An full-size van, even an E150 with the 302 would have considerably more power, but also be more difficult to fix.
One of my best friends had a '92ish example of this van when we were in high school. Coupled to the automatic, the 2.5 felt significantly slower than his '88 Nova base model with a couple hundred thousand miles on it. Cruising in the Nova was a treat for us.
i think you are overestimating the amount of time you would spent fixing a fullsize van with the engine in a doghouse. they are pretty darn reliable.
I drove a chevy G20 with the 4.3 for 5 years and 100k miles (from 75k to 175k) with nothing but routine maintenance. I did have to replace an alternator once, and yeah, it was helpful to have a second set of hands, but we had it swapped in under an hour without much trouble. It was still running GREAT when I let it go.
before that chevy van I had a 92 chrysler town and country. believe me, if you are talking about camping out of it, you will really appreciate having the extra space a full size van offers.
Something to think about for sure. Like I said, I can let this one go and only lose $100.
I say get it. FWD will give you an advantage if you happen to hit a sudden mud bog (can't go around it, got to go through it, etc.). And for that, you also need rugged tires. If you have 14" wheels, your options are slim. The available 195/70/14 tires basically suck at everything except having pretty whitewalls. 27x8.50x14 may not fit, and will screw up your overall gearing. 195/75/14 BFGs or Wranglers are $$$$. So let me throw these retreads out there. I ordered a set of these for my Mighty Max. Should be delivered tomorrow, so I can't say much about them yet: https://www.tirerecappers.com/tires/light-trucks-tires/lt19575r14-retread-mega-mud-mt/
Or a bit less aggressive: https://www.tirerecappers.com/tires/all-terrain-tires/lt19575r14-retread-rambler-at/
And get a big tranny cooler.
Those are some seriously aggressive little tires.
As much as I love the idea of one of these vans, I feel like maybe I should hold out for a turbo or the 3.8l v6. Actually there is a 3.3l V6 Caravan for sale right down the street from the one I made the deposit on. It's higher miles, but newer.
I like the 3.0 V6, but maybe I'm just a Mitsubishi fanboi.
Wasn't that the terribly unreliable one?
In reply to PHeller:
Not really. They had issues with the valve guides on early models, but most were repaired under warranty as a TSB. The same basic block structure has been used on the 3000GT/Stealth RT twin turbo as well as in their trucks up to 3.6 or 3.8L.
It just doesn't get as much press in the community since you can't turn the boost up on them like you can with the turbo cars.
Does anyone know how to convert one of the AWD versions to manual? My Dodge-fu is weak.
In reply to sobe_death:
It isn't easy since it wasn't offered from the factory that way. Ever. There was a build thread on here that detailed the work needed to do it.
Biggest issue with the AWD system is how it doesn't really work too well due to the lack of locking or limited slip differentials because the rear wheels are driven off of the passenger side of the differential output. So if the right front starts spinning (and they do) then you'll lose power to the rest of the system.
The only fix to that is to install a limited slip in the front and the rear, but I don't think the front LSD units are compatible with the PTO solution they used on the AWD vans.
AWD was a marketing gimmick, pure and simple.
Ok,
So lets say I was ok with going the V6 route, what automatic do I want?
Why not lifted astro van with the engine, stick, and 4WD system from an S10? It will give you pretty much everything you need.
I guess that I would'nt be too scared of slow. I drove a 69 VW bus for a summer in Denver (similar altitude and steep hills). That thing was slow. but it was fun!
Also, I was just back in town for a wedding a couple weeks ago. Our rental 2015 Jeep Patriot (we named him Quincy, because John Quincy Adams was a patriot) with 6,000 miles on the clock could not hang with 75 MPH and 7000 ft and i-70 (sometimes exceeds 6% grade). I'm just pointing out that 75 MPH steady in the mountains is actually a pretty tall order. Not sure a normal 26 y.o. full size van could handle that easily either. Heck, my parents 2003 v8 explorer would be iffy. Loaded with camping gear, no chance.
G_Body_Man wrote: Why not lifted astro van with the engine, stick, and 4WD system from an S10? It will give you pretty much everything you need.
No garage. No access to a garage or shop. No off street parking.
PHeller wrote:G_Body_Man wrote: Why not lifted astro van with the engine, stick, and 4WD system from an S10? It will give you pretty much everything you need.No garage. No access to a garage or shop. No off street parking.
Lifted AWD Astro? I know the AWD system in the Astro isn't as robust as the S10 4x4 system, but it will still do the job.
PHeller wrote: Ok, So lets say I was ok with going the V6 route, what automatic do I want?
I would say none. They are not so great.
I say get the first van. It's the one you really want.
Astro Safari would make a great adventure vehicle, but not the best daily. The 2wd version will do 20mpg highway, but so will a larger Savanna. There is one Safari nearby that I could check out. 2003 with 155k and I may be able to get the guy down to $2250.
The 2.5l/auto Voyager would be ok as a daily driver, but I'd probably need to stay off Jeep trails and steep inclines.
PHeller wrote: Astro Safari would make a great adventure vehicle, but not the best daily. The 2wd version will do 20mpg highway, but so will a larger Savanna. There is one Safari nearby that I could check out. 2003 with 155k and I may be able to get the guy down to $2250. The 2.5l/auto Voyager would be ok as a daily driver, but I'd probably need to stay off Jeep trails and steep inclines.
2.5 auto Chrysler minivans are gutless. At least the astro can make it up inclines because torque.
sobe_death wrote: Does anyone know how to convert one of the AWD versions to manual? My Dodge-fu is weak.
You can't without also engine swapping it. There was not a manual option with the 3.3 or 3.8 that I'm aware of. You can run a 3.0 and A543 with the AWD system.
Top Gear USA did an episode where they took three minivans across the continental divide or some such. Mostly silliness but one was a Ford Windstar with a V-6 5 speed RWD.
All the discussion of early Dodge minivans reminds me that my mother nearly yelled at a salesman in the early eighties because at 5'2" she hated driving the boatlike station wagons of the day. She liked the seating of the full sized vans but felt they were too big. Her words were "just take a regular van and throw it in the dryer for an hour and shrink it, make it a mini-van". Two years later Chrysler released it and changed motoring for moms everywhere. We bought an '85 Grand Caravan in white, fake wood sides, wire wheels and a red velour interior. Drive that thing everywhere. Got my license in it. Everything.
You'll need to log in to post.
