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Dec. 30, 2009 1:02 a.m. John_R None

Interested in learning about step vans, hopefully for transporting a race car at some point in the future. They seem to be, at least in some cases, decently priced and provide the benefit of enclosed storage (a key benefit for me) and transport as well as potential for trackside sleeping (powered toy hauler). As I don't already own any sort of truck and this would be cheaper than a track and enclosed trailer, what are the downsides? Are these incredibly bad vehicles for say, a 300 mile drive to the track? I have been told that there are no special license requirements here in California as long as GVW is under 26K. Don't know about insurance, which could easily be the deal breaker. Mechanical parts seem to be readily available on line at generally decent prices, and I think that I can store it at a friends facility so won't be parked on the street irritating the neighbors.

I'd really like to hear from those with real world experience. I haven't found any forums devoted to these so if you have any recommendations please let me know.

Thanks!

John
Dec. 30, 2009 1:58 a.m. wrenchedexcess New Reader

Since I work as a fleet tech for the gas co. in Chicago, I can help a little about what to watch out for. First of all make sure that the back half of the step van is completely flat. On some models the wheel wells protrude into the body. Most of these vehicles have not been driven hard but haul an extreme amount of weight and can have a lot of idle time on the engine. We have some that are 15 year old and show less than 20k miles until you look at the hour meter and it shows over 10,000 hours running time. Check the springs, especially the rears for breaks and cracks. A set of 20k lbs leaf springs can run as much as $1400.00 not including installation. Some step vans such as Freightliner have a solid front axle so make sure that the king pins are in good shape. Brakes are another item to check. GM vans use a hydroboost system that runs off the power steering pump make sure that there are no leaks. Also check the brake rotors or drums and the calipers. We have had a number of problems with rotors pitting on the inboard side and calipers seizing in their bores. Some use 2 and 4 piston calipers. Rotors can run as much as $150.00 each and the calipers almost as much. On the rear brakes in most cases in order to remove the brake rotors the rear axle shafts have to be pulled. Make sure that you check the frame for cracks and welds. This is a dead give away that the van was seriously overloaded. If the van has a chevy v8 diesel walk away if not run away. They were prone to cracking the water jacket. Cummings diesels use 2 fuel pumps one is a tank pump and is prone to failure the other is an injector pump. If it is hard starting usually the tank pump is shot. A chevy straight 6 is o.k. but make sure that it is either throttle body or injected. If it has a carb, it will be that variable venturi nightmare. Chevy 400,421 and 427 big block engines seem to work well the only issues that we had with them was egr failures and cracked exhaust manifolds. Transmissions, the turbo 400 was the best, watch the 700R4 for issues with the overdrive. Hope this helps some.
Dec. 30, 2009 11:46 a.m. plance1 HalfDork

awesome amount of info, I thought I was the only one interested in step vans. they come pretty cheap and look like a better deal then a pickup truck or regular van for moving things around. I always thought a turbo diesel would be the ideal powerplant but since wrenchedexcess stays stay clear of the chevy v8 diesels than I would take his advice.
Dec. 30, 2009 2:07 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

I have driven step vans a couple of times.. the only cool thing I can say about them... you can drive with the doors open. Other than that, they can quickly make you hate driving
Dec. 30, 2009 2:46 p.m. Don49 New Reader

I converted a Ford van to carry my Turner (12'long and 1600#'s). I built ramps to go over the wheel wells and put in a platform over the nose of the car that was a full size bed. It had the 300cid straight 6 and was manual trans. The biggest drawback was driving into the sun in hot weather with no a/c. It was an oven. I used it for several years and traveled from NJ to Canada and down to Georgia with many trips around the Northeast. It was convenient and not terribly uncomfortable. I also have had a Chevy van with 350 V-8 and auto which pulled a little better. Both served me well and were pretty much trouble free. I would second the remarks about looking it over very well for signs of heavy use.There's one on ebay that might suit you with alteration to the rear doors. Item #180447667660
Dec. 30, 2009 3:57 p.m. aeronca65t HalfDork

This one's been replaced by a Chevy Express cargo van and trailer, but it was a neat Spridget hauler for a few years.

From my place (in NJ) I took it to Shannonville (Can), Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, The Pittsburgh Vintage, Summit Point, etc.
Dec. 30, 2009 4:30 p.m. pete240z Dork

I have no experience, but my opinion is to get a standard Ford/Chevrolet van and pull a trailer.

You can always pull the van into a standard garage to work on.

I wish I had a picture of a racer at the June Sprints @ Road America back in the early 1980's. Basic old Chevy van pulling a trailer with a FV on the back. And it looked to me like he spent the weekend in that van camping. I was really impressed at the time.
Dec. 30, 2009 6:57 p.m. ddavidv SuperDork

Hot in summer, cold in winter. See any insulation in the cabs of those things? Neither do I. Also, body parts can be a real nightmare to get. Grumman has perfected terrible customer service. They are also not typically geared for highway use, so will scream at high revs on the highway and chew up gas. Oh, and the aerodynamics of a trash dumpster.

I'd buy a regular van, or someone's paint faded conversion van before I'd go this route.
Dec. 30, 2009 8:05 p.m. Gearheadotaku HalfDork

Yeah, these things were built for low speed city use. 300 miles would be unfun. 55 or 60 mph is all you'll get without tearing things apart. Body panels may not be too bad. Lots of flat surfaces, just cut out a peice and rivit on a new one. May not be pretty...make sure you can strap the car in good. You don't want it climbing into the seat with you. Watch the door width in back, some are fairly narrow. The concept isn't bad though.
Dec. 30, 2009 8:12 p.m. redzcstandardhatch New Reader

we had a step van for a while at work. at 60,000.02 miles, the non-turbo chevy diesel snapped the crank.

yay.

i learned how to swap an engine in it.

10,534 miles later , the jasper rebuilt engine snapped a crank. (both blocks had a "factory flaw"). jasper then gave us a new one, and gave me 1000$ bucks to do the work. much easier the second time too!

DONT BUY AN OLD CHEVY DIESEL!

we talk all the time about how awesome that thing was (just as a vehicle for work), and about how much the engine sucked. i'd love one with a modern turbo diesel, like a duramax or a 7.3 ford powerstroke, or a 24v cummins
Dec. 30, 2009 11:07 p.m. Ian F Dork

An old racing buddy of mine drove one as a race support vehicle for the company he was working for... had to drive it all over the northeast... hated every second of it...
Dec. 31, 2009 12:30 p.m. JohnKelly New Reader

In reply to John_R:

I have a stepvan that I converted to haul a Porsche 914 or Karmann Ghia. Mounted the late model car seats up high so the car could fit underneath, made ramps to go over the wheel wells. I have driven it to California and back from Washington state twice. Pretty comfortable for an old truck. There is a picture or two in the album below. Right now it is storing a car I have for sale. I'll be getting rid of it cheap after the car sells.

http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&alb...

John www.ghiaspecialties.com