Gandalf the Roadtrek - Page 3

Mat Mobile · 03-02-2018, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppster66

wow, that looks great, really nice to see it come to life, just wanted to ask how are you atatching it to the fibreglass roof ?,really looking forward to see the final look,,,good luck

Thanks!

It will be attached using 1/4 inch SS screws and nutserts. The shop will also be putting some kind of thread sealant and probably some caulking. I will double check and confirm.

Also remember the whole thing will be powder coated white so the final look should be pretty awesome!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BBQ · 03-03-2018, 01:24 AM

.

Wow

how much does it weigh?

Mat Mobile · 03-03-2018, 02:15 AM

Good question! I don't know yet. It's aluminum so I'm guessing is comparable to an Aluminess roof rack.

I'll find out and let you know.

User1213 · 03-06-2018, 01:18 AM

Great work!

Looking forward to more details on the roof rack & what you'll be doing with it.

Mat Mobile · 03-16-2018, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

how much does it weigh?

The fabricator estimates the weight at around 110 lbs. but he'll weigh it officially once it comes back from powder-coating.

Mat Mobile · 03-29-2018, 03:09 PM

A couple of weeks ago, the garage taking care of the suspension picked up the truck from the general fabricator. I went in on a Saturday to participate in the inspection and to help out with the grey tank removal.

Here she is on the lift, just because these are cool pictures:

The garage had a few appointments to squeeze in the following week but started working on the van on Monday.

ELocker installation:

Leaf spring and Fox shocks installation:

They started working on the front suspension but I haven't received any pictures yet. Soon...

saenzm · 03-30-2018, 02:57 AM

Man your rig is looking sweet! Are you lifting it or just putting in the locker and adjusting gears?

Would you mind sharing the cost to add the locker and gears if you are doing them?

I am about to do the same? I think I am going to do it in two phases though. Lift first then the lockers etc.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Cheers,
Mark

Mat Mobile · 03-30-2018, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saenzm

Man your rig is looking sweet! Are you lifting it or just putting in the locker and adjusting gears?

Would you mind sharing the cost to add the locker and gears if you are doing them?

I am about to do the same? I think I am going to do it in two phases though. Lift first then the lockers etc.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Cheers,
Mark

I am lifting it. 3" spindles with coil springs that are taller by 3/4" (but some report a 2" lift) and leaf springs in the back that should add 3".

I have a 14 bolt locker with 4.11 gears so I'm leaving that as is. The Eaton Detroit Locker is 594$ + 20$ of oil + 3.5 hours of labor (280$ in my case) for a total of 894$Canadian + tax. Not bad...

I'm having it done all at once. Including changing the fuel pump that I'm pretty sure gave me grief twice last summer (heating up... and the gaz...). The garage will be removing the leaf springs, working on the diff, removing the fuel tank, adding a rear swaybar... Might as well have it all done at once!

Mat Mobile · 04-02-2018, 03:46 PM

The suspension Weldtec suspension installation is almost complete:

Those are 285/75R16 tires on 16" Method racing wheels. I love the result!

You also have to imagine that the blue will be sprayed with black Line-X paint for protection. Front and rear bumper will be replaced soon. The skirts on the front will need a little bit of trimming too. The roof rack is currently at powder-coating.

For the suspension, all that is left is the alignment (it currently has a very bad postive camber angle but the garage has barely touched it at this point) and the rear sway-bar installation.

Here's some pictures of the actual suspension:

The exhaust also needs replacing.

The cool thing is that the garage let my dad and I work on the sewer Saturday afternoon once they had closed for the week. Working with the van on the lift made the job much easier. And I'm sure the garage is happy not having to work on ABS plumbing. Lol!

User1213 · 04-02-2018, 04:51 PM

Awesome work!

Nice to see that the 285's fit- I'm going to be looking at going to those after the 4WD conversion.

What wheels & offset did you use?

Mat Mobile · 04-02-2018, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondo

Awesome work!

Nice to see that the 285's fit- I'm going to be looking at going to those after the 4WD conversion.

What wheels & offset did you use?

Thank you!

Coming from you it's very flattering.

I got my wheels with my kit from Weldtec designs. They are Method Racing Wheels model 307 "Hole". Just so you know, won't find them on the Method Racing website so, if ever you want them or another model, you will have to call or order from Weldtec.

They are 16" x 8.0" with 0mm offset and a matte black finish. They are VERY light!

Please note that I have tested it yet as the alignment and trimming wasn't completed. Plus there's still more work to do so I won't get to try it out for at least another 2-3 weeks.

User1213 · 04-02-2018, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat Mobile

Thank you!

Coming from you it's very flattering.

I got my wheels with my kit from Weldtec designs. They are Method Racing Wheels model 307 "Hole". Just so you know, won't find them on the Method Racing website so, if ever you want them or another model, you will have to call or order from Weldtec.

They are 16" x 8.0" with 0mm offset and a matte black finish. They are VERY light!

Please note that I have tested it yet as the alignment and trimming wasn't completed. Plus there's still more work to do so I won't get to try it out for at least another 2-3 weeks.

Ok, thanks for that info.

I had 0mm offset wheels on my 210 for a while but it amplified suspension quirks and I went back to stock wheels. I may go to a 16 or 18 inch wheel to allow use of the higher weight rating BFG KO2s, though I'll be limited to either 18 or 20mm of offset.

After I convert to 4wd I'll see how it drives with the current setup. I suspect that all feel/handling/road manners will return to a factory feel as suspension geometry will be returned to factory spec and that will allow use of aftermarket wheels with a bit less offset than the factory 28mm.

Mat Mobile · 04-03-2018, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondo

Ok, thanks for that info.

I had 0mm offset wheels on my 210 for a while but it amplified suspension quirks and I went back to stock wheels. I may go to a 16 or 18 inch wheel to allow use of the higher weight rating BFG KO2s, though I'll be limited to either 18 or 20mm of offset.

After I convert to 4wd I'll see how it drives with the current setup. I suspect that all feel/handling/road manners will return to a factory feel as suspension geometry will be returned to factory spec and that will allow use of aftermarket wheels with a bit less offset than the factory 28mm.

If I'm not mistaken, the '96 to '03 are sold with 0mm offset wheels.

With this spindle, a '04-present hub is installed and pushes the wheel out about 2". I also added a 2" spacer in the back. It should therefore push out the track width about the same amount front and back.

Now, should I be putting 28mm offset wheels because I'm upgrading to the new geometry? To be honest, I don't know. But Weldtec sold me the 0mm offset and I'm assuming it's for a reason as he is specialized in Chevys. Once It get to try it out, I'll let you know.

User1213 · 04-04-2018, 06:29 AM

Hmm, not sure what the factory offset was for your model years but it was 28mm for the later Express Van chassis.

Booster did a thread on wheel spacing offset, some great info there.

My 2006 Roadtrek 210 Chevy chassis came with American Racing AR23 wheels with -6mm offset, quite a difference from the factory 28mm.

Mat Mobile · 04-13-2018, 04:05 PM

Time for another update. Remember when I said this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat Mobile

For the suspension, all that is left is the alignment (it currently has a very bad postive camber angle but the garage has barely touched it at this point) and the rear sway-bar installation.

Well it turns out the reason why the camber was off by so much is that the garage didn't do a proper installation. They put the spindle on top of the bottom control arm instead of underneath it.

This (below) versus this link.

This brought up the front by about 3" which makes way more sense:

The garage tells me there's no rubbing of the 285/75R16 tires.

Of course, the back will be lifted an extra 3" with blocks to make it level.

The rear sway bar is a Hellwig. I think the garage ordered that one because Roadmaster was back order or something. Anyways, it's done but it will require cutting a little bit off the grey water tank (bottom left scratched in the anti-rust grease and dust):

They have a local supplier that can weld plastic so that should be good.

The exhaust system has also been completed. I should be trying it out on Saturday, then it's back off to the fabricator for the roof rack, rear bumper, line-x, interior electrical, solar panels, fridge, etc...

User1213 · 04-13-2018, 05:52 PM

Is it level as it sits or just a bad image?

Mat Mobile · 04-13-2018, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondo

Is it level as it sits or just a bad image?

It's not level. It needs 3" blocks that should be installed today.

When I placed my order for spindles in May last year, I was unsure about what to do with the coils. I ended up installing a set that would lift the van in order to install the 285/75R16 tires. The thinking was, while I'm at it, might as well put the biggest tire I can fit.

My theory is therefore that the leaf springs were built to accompany that 3" lift spindle. I wasn't sure how much the spindles would lift the van and expected to have to put blocks. So today the garage is going to add some 3" blocks.

It's not my ideal set-up but at least the leaf springs are adjusted to the weight of the van and I highly doubt I will ever have any issues with leaf spring wrap.

I should have a test drive and updated pictures of the level van tomorrow.

User1213 · 04-13-2018, 06:56 PM

What brakes did you install?

Mat Mobile · 04-13-2018, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondo

What brakes did you install?

The front calipers are for the 2003+ Express (remember that the spindle "converts" the 2003+ hub and caliper). They are simply the powder coated PowerStop calipers part number S4730 that I had found on Rockauto.

Since I had to buy two new calipers, I went with the powder coated version. Since everything will be new, I might as well get something that will keep away rust just a little bit longer. Another of those "might as well" purchases.

The advantage of converting to the new caliper is that it's two pistons instead of one on the '96-'2002. It should have better stopping power. I will let you know after the test drive.

Mat Mobile · 05-01-2018, 06:42 PM

Some small progress. They put 2 blocks for a total of 3.75" in the back but suggested waiting to do the alignment until all the heavy accessories (bumpers, winch, spare) have been installed.

I then drove the van back to the commercial truck outfitter. It drove REALLY well even if the direction was a little squirrely (because of the lack of alignment). But it was a very positive feeling when driving it.

The shop then brought it to Line-X for the rocker panels:

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