Chevy/GMC Van 4x4 conversion - Page 2

b. rock · 04-25-2019, 03:55 PM

Also look into BOR's traction control setup. Someone was venting about that very heavily in one of the 4x4 fb groups the other day. Those vans do look sweet up on 37s though.

For those with the IFS 4x4, how are the cv axles holding up?

WhitH · 04-25-2019, 09:15 PM

I’ve done a lot of snow and some trails, nothing super taxing though. No cv issues.

karma · 04-25-2019, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhitH

My 2 cents is that there needs to be some serious, hard core off roading in your future to opt for the solid axle conversion over the torsion bar/independent set up. It rides that much better on road and over uneven dirt and gravel roads and trails.

I completely agree, but the CV axle is a custom made part on all these IFS conversions. In the weldtech setup there's more custom stuff like control arms, sway bars etc...... sourcing them could get challenging in future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by b. rock

Also look into BOR's traction control setup. Someone was venting about that very heavily in one of the 4x4 fb groups the other day. Those vans do look sweet up on 37s though.

For those with the IFS 4x4, how are the cv axles holding up?

Tried reaching them on phone but had no luck, sent a query via email about conversion ..... got a 1 line response

WhitH · 04-26-2019, 02:56 PM

I'm not sure the CVs on my Quigley are custom, but they may be. I do know that the LCAs and obviously the mounting bracketry all are but for some reason I thought the whole axle assemblies were 2500 truck parts. It could be thought that for length reasons they did have to do some customization though. Did you ask Weldtec if theirs are custom?

I've got the whole build sheet to my van from Quigley so I could take a look if needed.

karma · 04-26-2019, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhitH

I'm not sure the CVs on my Quigley are custom, but they may be. I do know that the LCAs and obviously the mounting bracketry all are but for some reason I thought the whole axle assemblies were 2500 truck parts. It could be thought that for length reasons they did have to do some customization though. Did you ask Weldtec if theirs are custom?

I've got the whole build sheet to my van from Quigley so I could take a look if needed.

Looking at the weldtech's control arm on their website, the definitely look custom.

Got hold of BOR, they have 3 months wait list

can't believe so many van's are being converted....... I've only ever seen two 4x4 converted vans driving around.

What kind of MPG's are you getting on flat HWY's? What gearing do you have on?

WhitH · 04-26-2019, 04:15 PM

I have 3.54 gearing and mpgs vary wildly depending on wind and how fast I'm going. I almost never drive under 70 on the freeway so that hurts things, and since going with bigger tires and a mild tune I've found that the engine computer really isn't very accurate at all. Having said that, every now and then when I'm on a road trip and I can do a mileage from point A to B then calculate after adding fuel I'm consistently high teens in an average wind traveling around 70. In places with a higher speed limit it drops off pretty quickly. I do have a 3 inch lift, full length rack along with roof box, a 200 lb bumper and said larger tires. Stock Quigley form, which is wasn't for very long, I legitimately got close to 20 and a few trips from Eugene to Portland and back.

I figure its about as good as I could reasonably expect to get so I don't really monitor it anymore. I mostly checked it out of curiosity when I bought to compare to my E350 then again out of curiosity when I made mods.

karma · 04-26-2019, 04:35 PM

I believe 3.54 is the stock gearing in the rear from factory. Think i read on one of the converters website that 3.54 gearing is not available for front end so they switch over to more common 3.7 on both ends.

Looks like we both transitioned from 6.0

WhitH · 04-26-2019, 09:08 PM

Quigley does keep the 3.54 rear 4x4 Vans : Quigley Motor Company, Inc. > Quigley Products > Quigley 4x4 GM Vans > 4x4 Models

Moving from the Ford 6.0 to the Duramax is like moving to the 21st century. I actually had relatively good luck with my 6.0 and liked its....charm. Loved the sound of it when it fired up (insert joke here) but this is just another level of good in every aspect. You can tell that the emissions stuff on it keeps it from spooling up as quickly, but I found a tune did wonders in that area. I’d highly recommend it.

Djp087 · 04-27-2019, 06:54 PM

I talked with Jeremy at Weldtec through Instagram and over the phone and will say he flat out cares. I hadn't even bought a van yet and he was explaining vehicle weights and bow different parts work better for different reasons and length of van/use of van. Didn't try to upsell and even talked me back into a 2wd with locker setup to test before spending cash on the 4x4 unknowing if I actually "need" it. I didn't end up going with their stuff just due to parts availability but anyone who owns their own business and still talks directly to customers on the phone is worth my time and money.

Conversely, I talked with someone at Advanced over the phone and had very specific questions. I too have a Duramax (2006) van and he basically gave me the "we would have to see it to know" to a lot of questions that Timberline vans and Jeremy knew without hesitation.

FloridaNative · 04-28-2019, 06:44 AM

I don't know anything about any of this other than what's in this thread and I don't have a 4x4 van or even a full-sized van.

I will say that chasing a few dollars in up-front cost savings is a fool's errand in so many cases. It ends up costing more in the long run. Especially when talking about something that you are relying on to get yourself and family safely and reliably from point A to point B, often without easy access to services/facilities.

-Mike