FINALLY! "Neused" 1992 GMC Rally Passenger Van

[Otis]

I found this van about a month ago and almost bought it (120,356 original miles). Then I changed my mind because it was so old and did not have airbags. Then I found a great 2007 van that was sold out from under me on my way to the bank. Then I found several more but I kept thinking about this one. The other day I drove past the lot and it was still there. Now it is in my driveway. I weighed passenger vs cargo and figured they both had their good and bad. I prefer a lot of windows. First order of business is getting the seats out. I am going to have to grind the bolts off from the inside. The back seat is over the gas tank and I don't want to drop it to get to the bolts. Then I will work on the floor (not sure what to put down for insulation then plywood and linoleum). I want to insulate the walls and ceiling but the panels and headliner are in excellent shape. I am not sure how to get them off and I don't want to wreck them. Perhaps insulation on the walls is not that big of a deal. I won't be living in the van, just using it for winter camping. There is usually a bit of insulation in passenger vans but not enough. I thought about trying some spray insulation but that would probably make a huge mess. Any thoughts? I love this forum and have learned a lot here already.

 

[LeeRevell]

You'll find the spray foam insulation gets a lot of negative feedback here. Get a good Haynes or Chilton manual, and it will show the removal process for the interior panels. There is a tool used to safely remove clip-on panels without damage - trying to use a screwdriver as a pry bar will damage something.
You can then access the voids in the body and doors, and see what kind of insulation to put into them.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

if you can afford more propane, you can heat anything with a heater. get a 20lbs tank and a big buddy and use it on high. prolly cost you 20 a week tho in winter lol at least where i am.

hey you can always shag carpet the interior ...mine is and its good insulation lol
covering the windows prolly help most anyway

 

[66788]

You might find that those bolts have welded in nuts and can be removed from the top. My Dodge was that way. Not sure about Government Motors though.

 

[Otis]

Thanks. I read about the foam and interior rust right after writing the post. I was out working tonight and it was pretty warm in there so maybe I will not need much insulation. I ground off the bolts for one seat that I could not budge the bolts. The angle grinder got things pretty hot even with all the doors open so in the daylight I will get under the van and look at the nuts. The carpet melted in some spots but I was going to take it out anyway. I just want to get the seats out this weekend so I can use it next week3nd for a solstice campout.

 

[gypsychic]

Congrats on the van. Looks like a fun project. Enjoy your solstice campout. That sounds like a great reason to get your new-to-you camper ready.

Cheers,

GypsyChic

 

[Otis]

I worked on the seats today. They unfortunately did not have locking nuts. I started out working alone and trying to grind the bolts off one of the single seats. I still don't have that seat out even though the bolts are ground all the way down. I think I am going to have to try and drill them. Then I got some help and we got another double seat out (one of us in the van and one under the van). The back seat was a problem because it is over the gas tank. I got four bolts out that were not under the tank. This is a big bench seat on a big frame. So I just cut the frame in half and have just a small part still attached. i will use that piece (about a foot square) to support the bed frame and to tie my spare tire on. Two seats out of 6 left. There is a heat shield under the exhaust that I need to remove to get to a couple of bolts but it looks like it will come off easy. I got the carpet up in the front part and under it is a layer of insulation with a plastic cover. I read somewhere on here about putting pennies over the holes with epoxy. I will probably do that and then shoot it with some rustoleum from the underneath. I am leaving the insulation layer and will attach plywood. I pulled up the insulation and there is no rust. Only a few of my pictures will load as they are too big.