"Big Red" GMC Savana build

[aksavanaman]

A slew of kids, IMO, would be more than 3. I've got 3 princesses and a female Chocolate Lab, that's busy enough for me. But if I had started earlier, I'd have filled up that 12 passenger.

Oh, nice van BTW. I like the driver side doors.

That's why any interior modifications need to be removable! Gotta keep the option of that 2nd bench and cargo when I need it! I figured a slew would be more than three! We'll see when we get passed that point! I just finished putting in a layer of insulation in the back... just the doors and side walls of the cargo area... will do the headliner and front doors next. Kept it simple for now, just one layer of "foil-bubble-foil" insulation (not cheap up here on the Emerald Isle) and used 3M type spray adhesive... turned out pretty well I think, good enough for my standards anyways.

****LESSONS LEARNED****

The driver side blower in the rear isn't just there to blow air (I'm usually quite mechanically inclined so please forgive my laps of judgment!) It's got both AC and Heater Lines running back there into the unit. In my "laps of judgment" I just thought it was en electric fan that was glued to the floor after removing 2 bolts....WRONG! Lucky me I didn't break any AC lines.. just disconnected the heater line as I tried to be Hercules at 1 AM... losing about a quart+ of coolant...DUH. Thankfully no lasting harm done, just extra work re-attaching the heater hose.

Did a driveway trial of sleeping in the back without the insulation and a (very) small space heater in the front (electric)... still quite cold even with the heat, averaged about 15 degrees warmer than outside temps (dropped to 31...in MAY!) Will do another test soon now that insulation is in....

[alexrex20]

van looks great, looking forward to this build!

[aksavanaman]

Before I dropped the money on a professional linex or herculiner for my exterior weather striping, I thought I'd give the good old spray can a try. This is Dupli-color spray on bedliner, and I think ran around $10 for the can. I figured if it works and actually last without major chipping, this would be the cheapest and easiest way to add some protection and would be easy to touch up. If it ends up sucking...oh well, some sand paper and elbow grease and I can go with the other options. I took my time prepping the surface, giving it a good sanding with 180 grit sand paper and a wipe down to remove dust. I then used the whole can on just this part of the hood, probably 5-6 coats... I'll keep you guys posted on how it holds up. If I'm satisfied, I'll do the fenders doors and quarter panels next.




And here are some real horsepower adding accessories!




And just so you know what kind of weather this stuff has to hold up to.... this is what's left of the 5" of snow we received last night... even for AK snow the middle of May is a little over the top, I'm ready for some green!!!!

[Hoosier Daddy]

Love the stickers!
It will be high 80s before the week is out in Dallas. I figure the right climate is found somewhere between us.

[foytix]

dude I have to get one of those Zombie Outbreak decals.....awesome. My wife and I settled on 3 kids, lucky for us the 3rd came with a twin, so that's 4. That allowed me to convince the wife we needed the "man van" over the suburban, she loves it now.

[r_w]

I have had good luck with the duplicolor when it has a good base coat to grab on. If you have a problem it will probably be the edge.

Lesson I learned: Do the horns on the front fenders, too. You should have a good line from where you did the hood down to the lights. Once you are satisfied it will work.

[aksavanaman]

It's been a while!!! Had to actually search for my own post. Sorry for the long delay, been deployed most of the summer. Finally have some time off so I'm packing up the family and dogs and heading on a mainland Alaska trip!!! Since my last post I've got a few things in place, mainly my 2" lift , and custom roof rack. Also got finished building a raised sleeping platform to allow storage underneath. Since it's dark out, I'll have to take Pic's tomorrow before we hop on the ferry. I'll either post my progress here, or start a new thread in the trip section. Stay tuned...