quinny

Hi,

I am looking into buying a van from the late80s/early90s era most likely. my purpose is to haul art and equipment to art festivals that often take me several hundred miles from home. It would need to be reliable, and be a high-top and possibly a quigley, scarce as they are. I don't expect to find one that's a diesel so maybe there would be a swap down the line. If i sink enough money into it I'd probably make it my only vehicle. I am completely new to these vans and am more than a little afraid of buying a vehicle that old, though I've been very fortunate with all the cars of that era that i've owned that were other makes.

So, i'm looking for an enthusiast that might like to educate me a bit. I am a fan of the express vans especially the duramaxs but my budget is pointing me to older models with cheaper entry prices for now.

Thanks, Looking forward to learning and hopefully coming on board as an owner.

Eugene

greenfire

Look for vans that are rust free or very minimal rust. Every now and then good ones pop up on ebay. Search for G20 and G30. In my opinion you are better of with a pre-express style 90s van in good condition. They are easier to work on and more durable. 5.7 V8 is good reliable engine. Don't be afraid of the 6.5 diesel either. They get excellent mileage and there is a lot of internet help on them.

quinny

Thanks greenfire, I'm going to look into a quigley that is said to be in great condition with minimal rust. I've seen my toyota bodies disintegrate so not wanting to get into body work, but 4wd is tempting.

Any ideas what kind of mileage the 5.7 could average in a not too heavily loaded van? and what a well tuned one could top out at?

greenfire

15 mpg? With 4wd 12mpg?


My 6.5 diesel got low 20s.

Satyr

Hi
My old Chevy Starcraft hitop -88 got 18mpg on the freeway, average speed 55-60.
Around the city and the freeway 50/50 it got around 14mpg.

It had a 5.7 with a TH700 trans in it... very reliable engine. When I sold it, it had run 21k. And as greenfire said look for the ones with minimal rust, this is a very common issue with these vans. Also always keep the sparkpluggs and wires fresh. To get a good mpg.

My friend had one exactly the same with a 6.5 diesel in it and he got almost 23mpg..
And it had run 24k when he sold it.

My Savana -05 with the 5.3 in it runs from 20mpg on the highway to a 16mpg in the city and highway.

But I'm running this on 95 octane fuel since this is what we got here in Sweden, not sure what you guys have over there.

Regards Michael

quinny

thank you Satyr, I see quite few 25-30 yr old vans with lowish miles-Under 100k, some way under. I suppose rolling back odometers might be pretty easy.

i'll be careful of the rust for sure. There is a 5.7 quigley i'd like to check out with 88k (said to be original) for 6900 and -he says it doesn't use any oil.

Can anyone tell me how many quarts the 5.7 takes...and the 6.5 diesel?

Satyr

Hi again

AMSOIL Online Product Application Guide

Try this link, they seemed to have the most info of all..

//Satyr

quinny

so....very nearby I have found a 90 with a 6.2 and 55 k miles. he used a gas soaked rag at the intake to start it which id rather not have to do very often. he said it had been sitting a month. about 70 degrees today so that didn't seem good. glow pugs might not all be good? also it did not drive as smoothly as the 95 vandura with the 350 that he also had available. That one was 500 dollars more and had rust- not terrible but more than i would like and about 120k miles. both were 3/4 tons.

do the 90 and 95 have the same suspension all around? maybe I can improve on the more rough ride of the diesel? its 1500 bucks, and very clean with new tires, and some new hoses and other things. no A/C though.

greenfire

They were both G20s? Not sure if the 6.2 was avail in the G20. If the 6.2 was a G30 that would explain the ride difference.

quinny

yes, both are g20s. The other is a 95 with a/c cassette player and a gasser, maybe its upgraded some? but the diesel could use new shocks i think.

The hard start has me concerned. air getting in somewhere? glow plugs? It was down around freezing last night so I am heading over to see how it likes the cold. I've had older mercedes and toyota diesels in northern climates and starting was not a big concern even down at single digits.

It didn't smoke at all which was great! but took a little while to idle evenly.