A less conventional "GMT400": My '97 Express Conversion Van

[red98]

Hey folks, I know this isn't technically a GMT400, (GMT600 methinks) but these pre-'03 vans share much in common with GMT400s, and I thought y'all would like to see how darn clean this thing is. Bought it off an old couple up in North GA, only 90k miles as of now and a 2 owner before me, of which was related to the previous owner so I think I'll call it one owner. Has the 350 w/ a 4L60e. Has already ate through one transmission 40k miles ago, hopefully this 5 year old 4L60e lasts longer. Don't have many plans for it as far as mods since it's a conversion van, but right now I'm just fixing on the minor issues that entail a 23 year old truck. Will be using it for road trips (as it should) and occasional towing.

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I don't care if its a 400 that thing is badass! Welcome to the forum.

 

[stutaeng]

Wow! I appreciate all the information you've got for me. I think for now I'll focus on getting that 11 blade fan on (Is this a direct bolt on, and where would I get the fan clutch you have? I'm not the most well versed in working on vehicles, but I try to do my own work & teach myself), and doing the trans cooler upgrade writeup on this website, if you recommend that. I'll also look into getting a steeper rear end, this can get out of its own way fine but would be beneficial considering the conversion equipment + the hightop.

Not sure if I'll get to the 3/4 ton/1 ton suspension upgrade but I'll definitely consider it if I end up needing to tow more than I thought

I also had a question. I don't think any 4l60e can be slapped into any year truck, as the trans on my van was replaced before my ownership (bought it last December) 6 years ago under warranty. Would the shop just have used a "NOS" '97 4l60e or a 2015ish era one modified to work with mine? I doubt y'all would know for sure, as I can try and call the shop and ask them if they know. Was curious if this got a slightly revised 4l60e or not.

Great information!

I happen to be shopping for a passenger van (but not a conversion)... Only the 2500 and 3500 are in production at present.

My wife thinks those "Euro" F#%d Transits are "cute," LOL. I've driven them a few times and and they do ride nice, because they are unibody! V6? No thanks! I've talked to some families that have them and they don't actually get very good gas mileage any ways.

I'm leaning towards the Chevy's, 'cause that's what I'm familiar with, V8 and towing capabilities. I do dream of owning a travel trailer and going cross country with the family! Someday! Probably later 2000s to early 2010s is what I'm looking at.

Regarding your question about the tranny. The 2014 was the last year of the 4L60e in the 1500. I think any 4L60e will work in your application. The 2500/3500 had the 4L80e up until 2009. Later is the 6L90 with 3.42s it seems like...The 4L80e is a great swap BTW, as L31MaxExpress I'm pretty sure will tell. Some guys here (including myself) get a finger pointed as a 4L60e hater, if you know what I mean. I'm fine with that, LOL.

 

[zetros]

Great information!

I happen to be shopping for a passenger van (but not a conversion)... Only the 2500 and 3500 are in production at present.

My wife thinks those "Euro" F#%d Transits are "cute," LOL. I've driven them a few times and and they do ride nice, because they are unibody! V6? No thanks! I've talked to some families that have them and they don't actually get very good gas mileage any ways.

I'm leaning towards the Chevy's, 'cause that's what I'm familiar with, V8 and towing capabilities. I do dream of owning a travel trailer and going cross country with the family! Someday! Probably later 2000s to early 2010s is what I'm looking at.

Regarding your question about the tranny. The 2014 was the last year of the 4L60e in the 1500. I think any 4L60e will work in your application. The 2500/3500 had the 4L80e up until 2009. Later is the 6L90 with 3.42s it seems like...The 4L80e is a great swap BTW, as L31MaxExpress I'm pretty sure will tell. Some guys here (including myself) get a finger pointed as a 4L60e hater, if you know what I mean. I'm fine with that, LOL.

I mean I got very little brand loyalty. I'm very partial to GM trucks in all their crap interior glory (Although I'd say Chrysler would be even worse in terms of 90s-2000s, with Ford being just slightly better than GM) since the family Tahoe worked so damn well for how long we had it. My daily is a Ford panther platform car though. Damn solid vehicles.

I do agree with your sentiment on Chevy vans being superior due to their engine choice and Body on Frame design. Hell, even if I won't ever actually use the BoF design's benefits I'm still gonna be irrational and demand a full frame for a van, as I like the durability. I'm sure the Transit is a solid vehicle but I'd rather go with the traditional BoF full size Express van with a big ol' V8. If you do go with an Express, I'd personally go with a 2003+ just because less electrical gremlins (hell, the gauges on these older trucks are a big PITA alone!), but I'm far from a professional.

Eh, the 4l60e in our 2004 Tahoe never gave us any issue and still runs fine. (Honestly, I really wish I found a 3/4 ton conversion purely for the heavier duty tranny and other goodies, but they're far and few, and this one was to good to pass up) We've towed with it a lot, but I it has the towing package, and not to mention we kept very good care of it. They seem to be pretty hit or miss!

 

[phatphuck]

This thing is super nice! One of these days I'll build a 4x4 or snatch up a quigley.

I did lift my buddy's Astro last year. It's a 2wd but very tough fun van. Also a hi top.

He got it for free so we did some maintenance and a 5" lift and 30" ats and now he daily's it.

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[1ton-o-fun]

OP's VIN decodes to this...
1GBFG15R0V1026171

Vehicle:
VAN 1/2 TON CARGO EXPRESS
Year:
1997
Build Date:
1996-11-25


Found 26,832 vehicles matching that year and model in our database.
RPO Description Matches
UL0 RADIO AM/FM STEREO, SEEK/SCAN, AUTO REV MUSIC SEARCH CASS, AUTO TONE, CLOCK, ETR. STEREO,AM/FM W/AUTO REV CASSETTE,AUTO TONE(UL0) 8,157
UP8 RADIO,PROVISIONS FOR STEREO INSTRUMENTATION STEREO RDO PROVISIONS(UP8) 26,612
U75 ANTENNA,POWER(CHROME) PWR ANT(U75) 15,979
VK5 SEAT TEMPORARY, FOR SHIPPING SEAT,TEMP(VK5) 21,073
VXT LABEL INCOMPLETE VEHICLE INCOMPLETE VEH LABEL(VXT) 21,077
V22 GRILLE,RADIATOR(CHROME) CHROME GRL(V22) 21,599
V37 BUMPER,FRONT AND REAR(CHROME) CHROME BPR(V37) 21,599
V73 VEHICLE STATEMENT - US/CANADA US/CANADA VEHICLE STATEMENT(V73) 26,832
WEN PLANT CODE - WENTZVILLE, MO, BOC WENTZVILLE,MO ASSEMBLY PLANT(WEN) 26,832
XHB TIRE FRONT P235/75R15/X XNW R/PE ST TL ALS (9591073) TIRE(XHB) 10,187
X88 MARKET BRAND CHEVROLET CHEVROLET(X88)(EXPORT) 26,832
YB9 PAINT PROCESS - INTERIOR - DELETE 21,077
YD3 AXLE FRONT (BASE EQUIP) FOR SCHEDULING GVW PLATE FRT AXLE(YD3) 26,832
YD5 SPRING,FRONT(BASE EQUIPMENT) FRT SPRING(YD5) 26,832
YD6 SPRING,REAR(BASE EQUIPMENT) RR SPRING(YD6) 26,832
YF7 RECREATION VEHICLE UPFITTER PACKAGE RECREATION UPFITTER PKG(YF7) 21,077
YHB TIRE REAR P235/75R15/X XNW R/PE ST TL ALS (9591073) TIRE(YHB) 10,187
ZHB TIRE SPARE P235/75R15/X XNW R/PE ST ALS (9591073) SPARE TIRE(ZHB) 10,187
ZP0 SEATING ARRANGEMENT TEMPORARY DRIVER TEMP DRIVER SEAT(ZP0) 21,077
ZQ2 DRIVER CONVENIENCE PACKAGE DRVR CONVENIENCE PKG(ZQ2) 21,459
ZQ3 DRIVER CONVENIENCE PACKAGE II(MERCHANDISING OPTION) DRVR CONVENIENCE PKG(ZQ3) 22,258
ZW3 Unknown 25,150
ZW9 BASE BODY OR CHASSIS BASE BODY/CHAS(ZW9) 26,832
ZY1 COLOR COMBINATION SOLID SOLID PAINT COMBO(ZY1) 26,479
1SF PACKAGE OPTION 06 OPTION PACKAGE 06 OPTION PACKAGE 06 (1SF) 11,920
50U EXTERIOR COLOR ,PRIMARY,OLYMPIC WHITE (50U) 11,451
52I INTERIOR TRIM LIGHT NEUTRAL (52I) 10,268
52W TRIM COMBINATION VINYL, LT NEUTRAL (W) (92) (52W) 10,048
6WZ SPRING COMPTR SELECT FRT LH SUSP(6WZ) 20,076
7WZ SPRING COMPTR SELECT FRT RH SUSP(7WZ) 20,076
AJ1 GLASS,DEEP TINT(REAR SIDE WINDOWS AND REAR DOOR WINDOW) DEEP TINTED GLS(AJ1) 20,229
AK5 RESTRAINT SYSTEM,FRONT SEAT,INFLATABLE,DRIVER AND PASSENGER DRIVER & PASS F/SEAT INFL RST SYS(AK5) 26,776
AU0 LOCK CONTROL,REMOTE ENTRY(KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM) REMOTE ENTRY LK CONT(AU0) 14,839
AU3 LOCK,SIDE DOOR,ELECTRIC ELEC S/D LK(AU3) 21,459
A18 WINDOW,SWING OUT GLASS,REAR DOOR SWING OUT GLS(A18) 21,366
A19 WINDOW,SWING OUT GLASS,SIDE REAR DOOR SWING OUT GLS(A19) 21,311
A31 WINDOW,POWER OPERATED,ALL DOORS PWR WINDOWS(A31) 21,459
BG5 COVERING FLOOR ---DELETE BG5) 21,077
C5Y GVW RATING(7100 LBS) 7100 LB GVWR(C5Y) 23,532
C60 AIR CONDITIONER,FRONT,MANUAL CONTROLS A/C MAN CONT(C60) 25,633
DE5 MIRROR,OUTSIDE,LH & RH,REMOTE CONTROL,ELECTRIC,DEFOG,FOLDING,PAINTED O/S MIR(DE5) 20,835
DH6 MIRROR,INSIDE,VISOR VANITY,RH AND LH(ILLUM) ILLUM S/S MIR(DH6) 20,233
E24 DOOR,HINGED SIDE REAR CARGO/SEAT ACCESS HGE CARGO/SEAT ACCESS DOOR(E24) 25,457
FE9 FEDERAL EMISSION CERTIFICATION FED EMIS(FE9) 24,785
GU6 AXLE,REAR,3.42 RATIO 3.42R(GU6) 22,997
JB6 BRAKE SYSTEM,VACUUM POWER DISC,DRUM VACUUM PWR BRK SYS(JB6) 26,832
KD1 COOLING SYSTEM,TRANSMISSION OIL TRANS OIL CLG(KD1) 26,832
KW2 GENERATOR,124 AMP 124 AMP(KW2) 21,377
K34 CRUISE CONTROL,AUTOMATIC,ELECTRONIC CRCONT(K34) 22,258
L31 ENGINE,GAS,8 CYL,5.7L,CPI 5.7R(L31) 17,625
M30 TRANSMISSION,AUTOMATIC 4 SPEED,4L60E,ELECTRONIC 4-SPD A/TRANS(M30) 26,832
NA1 EMISSION SYSTEM,LESS THAN 8500 LB GVW EMIS SYS(UNDER 8500 LB GVW)(NA1) 26,832
NF2 EMISSION SYSTEM,FEDERAL,TIER 1 FED EMIS SYS(NF2) 25,523
NP5 STEERING WHEEL,LEATHER WRAPPED LEATHER WRAPPED STRG WHL(NP5) 20,153
N33 STEERING COLUMN,TILT TYPE TILT STRG COL(N33) 22,258
N90 WHEEL,15X7(CAST ALUMINUM) AL WHL(N90) 17,034
PNA PANEL TRIM, FRT DOORS FRT DR TRIM PNL(PNA) 20,993
PNC PANEL TRIM, FRT DOORS & SI RR DOOR(S) & RR DOORS ALL DR TRIM PNL(PNC) 20,765
R6P CONTROL - SALES ITEM NO. 15 21,185
SLM SALES PROCESSING - STOCK ORDERS 23,950
TL5 Unknown