I bought this short bus recently to build a shorty bus camper. When I order parts I’m not sure what to ask for as this is crossover year and it’s a cut away van school bus. My 1996-2010 manual covers the Express van but this a Sportsman I think. It says Chevy Van G30. I also am wondering what any weak points are on this drivetrain? And affordable modifications?.
I like how simple the wiring and electronics are compared to my 2002 Express 2500. But in comparison the engine is sluggish in the 1996. Which I believe is throttle body injection, TBI. All I’ve done so far is add fresh gas and run it a couple hundred miles. And change the oil. It sat for maybe two years. I’ll try a major tune up, flush cooling system, trans oil and filter change, and then see how it drives. It has 116K miles.
I found the original dealers printout. It says the only option was the heavy duty dual rear axle and 4.10 rear end.
I ran the VIN in the decoder on this website but it didn’t tell me anything new. How do I know if it’s 4 bolt main or two bolt?? Is there a 4L80eHD trans? How would I tell it from a 4L80e? Are there HD 350 engines? A 220 hp option instead of the 180 hp standard engine?
Also I’m new to the world of lifting vehicles. I only want a inch or two inch lift if there’s a economical way to accomplish it without needing major work and suspension geometry.
Lastly, it seems the steering is very slow compared to my 2002 Express 2500. I really like my Express cargo work van and hope I’m not disappointed by this Chevy Van.
Thanks

 

I’ll add that I owned a couple Chevrolet’s in the early 80s but by pure happenstance have not owned another until recently. Now I have two Chevy vans. I had three but sold the Chevy 6.5 Diesel short bus as it was very noisy and more than I need. So any help learning about newer Chevys is much appreciated.
I ordered a OBD2 code scanner yesterday.