Classic '87 GMC Safari Explorer Conversion van story

[Minivanmotoman]

Striping after repaint. Hmmm...

Well that opens up Pandora's box.
Repaint Same color or different? Stripes? Type and color? Same or different? Paint the van to match the Moto? Moto to match the van, race team style. Low key stealth or brash and bold?

Having a bit of automotive graphic design background...

It's all personal choice. What do you prefer? What do you want?
Stripes add contrast and snap.  The A team style? Lol.
Wine red and gold are a classy color combo. Pin stripes add subtle classy accent. 
Oem or custom?
Modern? Classic? Monochrome? Bold stripes? Easy maintenance and dirt hiding? Full on flames and murals? No limit to options, only your imagination and preferences. It's all good.
Suggest you think about your preferences and main points and that should help you decide exactly what you want and will be happy with. Mull it over and the answer will come to you.

 

[highdesertranger]

a couple of points, I am curious why the 307 or 327? the 307 was only in production for a few years 68-73. they are generally considered a low output smog motor, very rare motor now a days. the 327 was a great motor but production ceased in 69. the early 327 have the small crank journals, shorty water pump, and press on balancer so you need the accessory brackets for these, very rare today. the last couple of years of 327 they used the large crank journals, large balance, and the long or short water pump. accessories brackets for these are easy to come by because you can use 350 parts. also the early 327 heads were not drilled for accessories which further complicates matters. the large journal 327 is a highly sought after core by restorers so you must compete with them which drives the price up. plus trying to find any of these blocks that hasn't been bored is like trying to find hens teeth. if it was me I would just go with a good ole 350.

second you want to lift a Safari 4 inches? please don't. put a one inch body lift and the tallest tire you can fit without rubbing. DO NOT do a suspension lift of the front end. you will thank me for this in the end. and get rid of those air shocks get your springs worked to lift it. shocks were never meant to be a load bearing part of the suspension. this is all my 2 cents I have lifted thousands of trucks I know what I speak of. highdesertranger

 

[safarivan]

Striping after repaint. Hmmm...

Well that opens up Pandora's box.
Repaint Same color or different? Stripes? Type and color? Same or different? Paint the van to match the Moto? Moto to match the van, race team style. Low key stealth or brash and bold?

Having a bit of automotive graphic design background...

It's all personal choice. What do you prefer? What do you want?
Stripes add contrast and snap.  The A team style? Lol.
Wine red and gold are a classy color combo. Pin stripes add subtle classy accent. 
Oem or custom?
Modern? Classic? Monochrome? Bold stripes? Easy maintenance and dirt hiding? Full on flames and murals? No limit to options, only your imagination and preferences. It's all good.
Suggest you think about your preferences and main points and that should help you decide exactly what you want and will be happy with. Mull it over and the answer will come to you.

not changing the color. the hood got so faded out a few years back I decided to repaint it and a friend has a paint shop and mixed some OEM code up for me while I was watching.

I was very surprised to see what went into it. the amount of black surprised me the most but it also has three different pearls in it too. I figured it was a really fine metallic but had no idea it was triple pearl. I really like this color and it only came on them the first few years then they switched to a more maroon/brown with no depth. so same color just fresh.. but replace the stripes or no?

 

[safarivan]

a couple of points,  I am curious why the 307 or 327?  the 307 was only in production for a few years 68-73.  they are generally considered  a low output smog motor,  very rare motor now a days.  the 327 was a great motor but production ceased in 69.  the early 327 have the small crank journals,  shorty water pump, and press on balancer so you need the accessory brackets for these,  very rare today.  the last couple of years of 327 they used the large crank journals,  large balance,  and the long or short water pump.  accessories brackets for these are easy to come by because you can use 350 parts.  also the early 327 heads were not drilled for accessories which further complicates matters.  the large journal 327 is a highly sought after core by restorers so you must compete with them which drives the price up.  plus trying to find any of these blocks that hasn't been bored is like trying to find hens teeth.   if it was me I would just go with a good ole 350.

second you want to lift a Safari 4 inches?   please don't.  put a one inch body lift and the tallest tire you can fit without rubbing.  DO NOT do a suspension lift of the front end.  you will thank me for this in the end.  and get rid of those air shocks get your springs worked to lift it.  shocks were never meant to be a load bearing part of the suspension.  this is all my 2 cents I have lifted thousands of trucks I know what I speak of.  highdesertranger

hey highdesertstranger, I have both already that were removed from old chevys in the past. also have a 283 powerpack but they dont have the later engine mount holes in them. Im not looking to hot rod it up, more looking into the most reliable and fuel efficient V8.

I also have a 305 but its locked solid. I may end up finding another 305 anyway but the 327 does have that extra cool factor with it. I think the heads do have the mounting holes but I need to double check that for sure.

Im not so much interested in tall tires, just want the extra ground clearance. only reason I put the air shocks on was because the original fiberglass leafs were not holding it level at all anymore.  I dont even air the up anymore with the steel springs except to level out the odd trailer once in a blue moon.

I have the deep sump alloy trans pan hanging down and I get on some pretty rutted out old dirt roads occasionally and too much stuff underneath to mess up now so I want to raise it up. three inches might be better than 4"

Im all ears on what the best way might be. but for one or two inches, why even bother?

 

[highdesertranger]

so what's your plan to get 3-4 inches of lift? taller tires is the really only way to really get more ground clearance overall. if you have the engine blocks great, do not bore more than 30 over. highdesertranger

 

[safarivan]

so what's your plan to get 3-4 inches of lift?  taller tires is the really only way to really get more ground clearance overall.  if you have the engine blocks great,  do not bore more than 30 over.  highdesertranger

well it was with a kit but I see what you mean now.  maybe I'll just skid plate it up instead. its rare I get into anything bad with it but the roads I travel sometimes can change alot in a year and I hate scrubbing stuff. never know till I get there sometimes guess I'll just leave it alone and carry a bigger shovel or back it out and turn around if I get into anything serious.

I got bikes for that stuff if I just have to go there no matter what.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah 1/4 inch hardened aluminum plate makes a great skid plate and will not effect steering geometry. highdesertranger

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Imho, those particular stripes don't particularly look appealing nor enhance the body style. Wouldn't duplicate them exactly.
But an antique metallic gold accent, stripe or section or pinstripe would give it a classy touch.

 Remember the old 80s S10 Blazer? 
The black and gold models had the lower panels in gold front to back, about 6-8". That would look good. As well, a wide midpanel gold does too. On yours, between the two side mid panel creases, approx. 24" wide, full length .

 Both classic Chevy paint schemes that look good. Google image search to see what it would look like and if you like.
 Then would matching 2/3 strip pinstripe on above/below the gold. 
Then highlight your rims with burgundy outline and gold pinstripe to tie the color scheme into the wheels.
Subtle, yet elegant.

 

[safarivan]

yeah the ones with the gold down at the bottom, some of these came with that also and I thought it looks good. even considered it. I never really cared for these stripes myself but it came with them. well, Explorer added them before it was sold as new anyway.

I can always add them or even the Gold later too I guess. the stripes look alright and Im not interested in anything more customized than that really. just curious what others think about it.

paint the rims? no way lol  these came on the '88-'90 full size GM trucks and I got them as dealer take off for next to nothing. I couldnt even believe they took them off but that was when the van conversion companies were getting into the pick-up truck market and was putting wider tires and stuff on them too.

I did change the center caps from the ones that came with these rims that had exposed lug nuts to the ones that came on the '95 S15 sonomas but they require special lug nuts and the sonomas had smaller threads than the safaris so I had to machine out each side of the hex surface on everyone of them to make it work.

the rims transformed it. not sure why they didnt change the wagon wheels out at Explorer when they did all the other stuff. Ive seen others they have done that had after market rims but these rims make it mine for sure ;-)

and the stripes i guess since thats probably what everyone else notices first on it.

my Dads friend is still around that I got it from, he used to ask every other time I saw him if I still had the van. after about 15 years he quit asking me that. HAhaha!

 

[highdesertranger]

if you are planning on driving off road, which it sounds like, paint jobs takes a beating. around here we call it desert pin-stripping. anything more then your basic paint job is kinda a waste of money IMO. highdesertranger

 

[galladanb]

Wow! What a great project! It looks really great!

Thank you for sharing with us! I needed some motovation for sure!

Such Fun!!!

 

[safarivan]

more photos

these are the telescoping awning feet. what I did here was weld on a big flat washer to the end and also drilled a hole big enough for the gutter nail stakes to go through at an angle. with the stakes in the awning aint going anywhere in high winds. Ive camped through at least 50mph winds and rain, probably more, It was the remnants of a hurricane. that was fun!


the 5000btu A/C unit and the wine rack/table that the van came with that I used for spares and stuff


buncha junk ;-) I keep everything tied down best I can when on the road. lotsa bungies and in front of the milk crates is a truck bed cargo bar that fits between the wheel wells in the van good.


these are the little bungie nets I put over the side rear windows. I have reflectix bubble wrap cut to fit over the windows so it should help protect them from getting broken if something bangs into them. I get these at dennis kirk or bike bandit, they are for motocycles so they are small and fit the windows perfectly.


even use a bigger one up top. great for clothes and light stuff and you can hang stuff from it too. also keep the WRT54G-TM wifi router I hacked so that it auto connects to any wifi. took over 100 hours to make that happen but it is really cool, it connects as youre traveling so you can connect to it and as long as youre somewhere where there is wifi, it will connect to that on the fly and then the next one as you move, all seemlessly! used Linux DD-WRT and AutoAP but good luck figuring out how to make it all work.. probably the most complicated project Ive ever done but I never give up!



table I made so its easily removable. I took the original curtains out of the side windows and made the table fit in that opening. but you can see what I replaced the curtain with here. thin cardboard backed foam board cut to fit. two pieces so you can slide it either way or close it completely to block all the light.


here is the table put up in the window. it fits but I actually almost never put it there because its mounted well enough to travel with when its down. also in this photo you can see the cut out ovals I did to access the dead space. my solar switch box middle right. axillary fuse box and 200w inverter behind there too lower right.


the table removed for anyone interested


a close up of its leg mountings. again I used 1/2" conduit and cut the couplings in half, welded a flat washer on to screw it into the wood. and welded a nut on the other end and use a bolt to screw in or out to level more if needed




hope the photos are helpful to some. I havnt made anything permanent into the van that would keep me from being able to utilize the full cargo capacity at anytime because sometimes I do that too. If nothing else Ive learned how to cram alot of stuff in this van.

 

[ratfink56]

So many good ideas! Thanks for taking the time to post all this. I never would have believed that one of these vans could hold so much. I'd hate to see what you'd do to my Ram 3500 extended.

 

[SoulRaven]

I am a lifelong motorcyclist so Ive been outfitting the van mostly for primitive camping areas out in the middle of nowhere as a basecamp for moto expeditions and Im also a racer and camp at the racetracks alot too.

one of the things I haul around everywhere is the light weight blue bike lift/crate


so up till now I hauled around everything but the kitchen sink. I hated to throw away the piece of the roof I cut out and I had an old VW westy sink. so..
 

its amazing how something so simple can be so nice to have sometimes! this one just fills up and I dump the water out but Ive since bought a nice surflow pump and have it set up with a common kitchen sink nozzel and have added a removable drain tube and made a very inconspicuous hole that I route it through so the sink can drain itself outside when Im in the dirt somewhere.

I really like the idea of the sink and bucket. I don't have enough money yet to buy a pump and all that, I'm looking into building my own overhead camper by cutting out the top of my topper camper in a tiny 5ft bed and really like this idea of a sink. I bought a really cool narrow 1.5gallon container that I could rig something to have it right next to the sink. The water container is really good plastic for water and it came with a nozzle with handle to pull when you want water. Thanks for the idea.

 

[safarivan]

hey NomadicMario, someone on here shared a video of a guy who made a kitchen in the back of one of those tiny european cars and in the vid, the guy used a stainless steel bowl, like a wok but a little deeper, and had bought just a small sink drain, so he cut a hole in the bowl to fit the drain. then another hole in his tiny countertop for the bowl to sit in. ran a hose off the drain into a milk jug.

the vid was posted last week and I'll link to it if I can find it but I think that gives you the idea. I thought it was such a good Idea that I plan to make one like that but put it in a crate with a jug or bucket in it to drain into.

just something else to consider if you dont have a small sink available. I already had that one but before I made it work in the van like that I was just using an old laundry detergent jug, one of those that have a push button valve in the spout, and setting it on its side outside on a table or something just to wash my hands with.

glad you liked this one and perhaps these other ideas will be of use also. I really didnt like cutting a hole in the roof of this van I had already had for over a decade. shortly after I finished the roof vent, that sink was sitting in my garage not being used and I just happened to notice the roof piece I had cut out was about the same size.. hmmm, this piece may still fit in somewhere! lol

 

[ratfink56]

I'm going to try using two plastic dishpans stacked together for a sink. I'll cut a hole in the counter and drop them in. The double strength edges should hold sufficiently so they don't fall through. I'll use a hole saw to cut through the bottom(s) and install a two inch sink drain. If it fails I'm out less than $4 for the dishpans.

 

[SoulRaven]

The other idea for this sink is to wash clothes. When I was living in my truck I had to constantly wash my sox after riding my bicycle and of course the underwear but usually had to do this at a park and lock myself in the bathroom, I'd shower in there also by taking a small bucket and filling it up with water then throwing it over my head, so refreshing. I now have an outdoor shower bag I can use. These bathrooms where big and used by lots of homeless people. Now that I want to travel for my birthday Id like to use that sink for washing clothes and hands. And if possible the same water can be used (recycled) to give a brief cleaning on the truck. I have always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle and now that I'm getting older (I'll be 51) I'm planning on what type of vehicle I can get to load the bike in or the back along with the bicycle, a foldable mountain bike would be great. I'm looking at all possibilities to make this a great planned full time living and a trailer is one of them. Not sure where (money wise) the hell I'm going to get my 4x4 van or truck but its going to happen, it has to! I want to be happy and enjoy life and sitting on my couch in this tiny town alone is taking a toll on my mental health and I'll be leaving soon to one of those BLM lands (never been to them) for 14 days and I'm going to sit out there overlooking some beautiful view with a cold bottle of champagne celebrating my 51st Bday because I feel its only going to get better from here and on.

 

[safarivan]

that sounds like a great plan to me! about the motorbike, you will get all kinds of advice but I have what I think is the best for total newbs to motorcycles. I eat, sleep, drink and was born riding them, Im also a personal trainer, former racer of all forms of moto racing so please consider this.

motorcycles are risky and the folks who have rapid reflexes usually take to it right away without difficulty. riding on the streets is by far the most risky and learning how to ride on them is beyond foolish.

fear can have deadly consequences and  confidence overcomes fear.

I train adults who have zero experience in wide open grassy areas, this makes everything 'softer' for the first fall and its good to get that one out of the way in the grass.

I remove the front brake lever and train them to learn the rear brake. this is most important skill of all. trying to learn the front brake right out of the box is almost always the first crash. its touchy so I eliminate that difficulty until after the most important brake is mastered. this also help those who may get the clutch and front brake levers confused. once the rear brake is familiar to them I then show them how the clutch lever also works as a brake when the engine is decelerating. this is another important skill. then once they have those two main skills I put the front lever back on the bike and tell them only use it in a straight line and in combination with the rear brake.

the bikes I train them on depends on their size. small adults I train on a Honda XR100 or CRF100 (same machines just a name change on the newer ones) larger adults I train on Honda XR250 which is full size and only 6' adults can flat foot them to hold them up which is actually not that important but is feels safer to them and this gives them more confidence.

this is also why the XR100 or in some cases (short people) an XR80 is best for them. it only takes a day on these to get the basics down for most people and after that day they have more skills than at least 50% of the people who learned to ride on pavement. and these are the skills required to make quick evasive maneuvers on pavement and to navigate oil or engine coolant spills on pavement safely also. 'the art of the slide/skid'

so try to find someone you know near you that has these machines or something of the same size if you can and learn from scratch in the grass, then move to loose dirt, then the streets. dont do it backwards like most do or avoid dirt/grass altogether because one can not learn the skills as safely on pavement as off it and to do that on the streets with cars that can and often do kill is just pure ignorance of all the risks involved in motorcycling.

first bike for an adult who wants to ride on the street for whatever reason 'should' be a Honda XL or XR or NX or CRF 125 to 250 cc or something of the same type from other manufacturers. a small off road capable but street legal machine. these are most often called 'dual sports' or 'dual purpose' bikes. the most reliable today is the CRF230 by Honda. all these dual sport bikes are extremely nimble and easy to ride. much easier that anything else and that also makes them more fun at the same time.

thats just my opinion but Im kind of an old pro at it with life long experience. if you follow it, I am confident you will be very glad you did. if you have any more questions about it, I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Ive not found anything else that even comes close to the freedom experienced on a motorbike. I think a wing suit might but have not been able to try one yet. they may seem more risky but I can assure you that the risks are quite high riding motorbikes on the streets. where one minor mistake by the rider or another driver can be the most costly one ever and/or a total tragedy.  not trying to scare anyone away from them, just showing how one can eliminate most of the risks.

hope some readers will find this helpful and maybe even inspiring.

 

[SoulRaven]

Absolutely creative! The fold down table becomes a "stealth" window? Love the idea!