GMC Diesel Van Ponderings
 

Been daydreaming about this over the past week, so thought I would bring it up to my friends here for comments. I've been thinking some over the last couple years about what will be my next daily driver. My '96 Dakota (V6, AT, Club Cab) as served me very well, but as it nears 260k I find myself wondering just how far it can go. This is our vacation/day trip rig. At least once a year it makes a 2k mile trek (last fall we saw Martinsville, VA, Mt.Airy, NC, Greenville, SC, Johnson City, TN, etc.) This year might see us making two long trips. The Dodge remains very reliable but oil consumption (I think half leakage/half burning) is rising. (I think that trip south and back took 3 quarts) It now starts consistently with what sounds like a bearing rattle. I am not really worried about it, the truck owes me nothing, but do I really want to spin a bearing 8 hours from home?

Now, Kim likes the idea of a small motorhome or large van, mostly so she can comfortably sleep on the way. So, last week I was talking to a friend of mine and he said he is going to sell his GMC Rally van. (full size window van, well optioned) He bought it new, I think it's an '84 (could be 82-83) and has always been garage kept. Very clean and, I'd assume, well maintained. 165k, mostly highway miles. He uses it for vacations, mission trips, going to hamfests. A rare bird, it has the 6.2 diesel and delivers 26mph on the highway. The mileage is what really caught my attention. I can think of some minuses: I know a number of people who couldn't get a 700R4 to last a year back around that time frame. (maybe this one has been rebuilt/beefed up? I would need to ask) And I know that 80s GM products aren't the pinnacle of quality, though it varied quite a bit...I do know a bunch of folks still running 80s/90s G-series on a daily basis. What kind of experience have you guys had? Am I nuts for using an old (if well maintained) rig on such trips? Heck, I've come close to taking the 67 Impala, or even the 51 Ford, on such a ride but the lack of AC and the fact that Kim gets carsick in the mountains when riding in a car (but not a truck) have nixed that idea so far.

Well, lets see, I think crusing in a '51 Ford would be ultimate cool ! ! !

For me, rust is the decision maker.... If the body & frame is not rusted, I would rebuild the Dodge engine..... My wife's '91 Accord 470K miles with pretty much no rust got an valve job this winter by me, I was surprised at how good the lower part of the engine looked, and did not touch it.... My '88 Dakota never sees winter use, and has no real rust, and the '88 was a short lived engine for some reason they made it out of a 318 and only used it 2 years.... But from all info I can gather a great engine.... Question is, how good is the '96...? is the entire thing worth it ???? In a lot of cases the devil you know is better than the devil you don't..... I always look at out cars this way.....

As for a van, if it's a real full size GM van, my wife's dad has one, a conversion van 350V8 1998 1500 pretty good, no rust to speak of, but it sucks gas big time..... And conversion vans weigh a lot.... When you drive it, it feels HEAVY.... It's so heavy the power steering is weighted down if you turn the wheel and are not moving, tears up the front tires too.... But it is nice to drive..... No doubt the Dodge will feel more nimble though....

I'm entering into my 10th year of ownership on a 1985 Chevy G20 with the 305. I've put about 70-80K on it in that time (odometer shows 156K, but the speedo cable was broken for about a year, so God knows). All the GM antipollution stuff is still hooked up and working. Even has the original "computerized" Quadrajet carb.

It's got its quirks, but as long as I remain patient with it and don't mind screwdriver surgery once every month or two, she'll last me the rest of my life, even though the Buffalo snow and salt is taking its toll.

You'll probably need lower control arm bushings, your windshield will drip water on your right leg when it rains (happens to every one of these old vans), but other than that it will give you many years of reliable service. Mine gets at best 15 MPG on the highway whether it's fully loaded or empty.

Maybe ball joints too. Good thing is I think they used a lot of the same parts as the pickups, so they're still easy to find.

I used to have a boss that had a mid 80's diesel Vandura. He liked it and I don't remember him having any major trouble.

As Squirrel pointed out, they are different to drive if you're not used to them. I personally don't like them and I've driven them from GM, Ford, Dodge. I'm a big guy with big feet and they're not comfortable for me. They're noisy, have a hard ride, and will give you a workout on windy days. I like min-vans much better. Some people love them though.

As you already know those Detroit Diesel 6.2 engines are totally different from the lousy Olds diesels they put in cars. These have a pretty decent reputation and parts should still be easy to get.

Yes, Rock Auto will be your best friend. You'll need plenty of parts, but the parts are so cheap (GM made a bazillion of them) that it makes having to replace them almost fun!

Plenty of wind noise, mostly from deteriorated seals. I love driving mine. I'm just under 6 foot and 210 lb, I find it perfectly comfortable.

I picked up some more details tonight: it's an '83, G25 series, oil was changed every 3k miles with regular fuel filter changes and transmission servicing. He said he never had a bit of trouble with the 700R4. Power windows/locks, all work. He did mention the heavy feel, especially when braking. I've only driven these vans around town once or twice, for customers...had one guy, a retired TV repairman, who had an '86 with a 4.3V6 and a factory 3 speed in the floor! He was still driving it a year ago when he moved away to retire. Rust was creeping up on that one, though. The worst news is that the AC quit years ago. He had a mechanic replace the seals and recharge it but it leaked down quickly and he never messed with it again. Working AC would be a must.

Squirrel Boy, I agree about the "devil you know." I've owned the Dodge almost since new and can tell you its whole history off the top of my head. Granted, the owner of this van has likewise kept excellent records. I really like that generation Dakota, and have been driving them for about 23 years now. A thought I've had for years now was to find one from the mid-90s with no miles on it, maybe an estate vehicle, but every one I see has 150-250k miles on it. For now, I think I'll research what it would cost to get the AC up and running...hmm, wonder what those roof units cost???

GM, 1983, Diesel, Van, Run, run, run very fast in the opposite direction!!

Fixing the A/C is really quite simple, but it may be hard work. You decide on the leak detector type you want to use.... I have a sniffer, and the dye. The dye is 100% better..... Fill it with the recommended amount of dye, a few cc's, then pump in dry nitrogen, pressueize it, run it, and find the leaks....( You can use air if you want, but run it through a desiccant first, put in 120 psi, but don't leave it in there long, vaccum it down when done.) R-12 is available like old tubes on ebay.... Go online and get your Freon handeling certificate from some online dealer, I got mine from a place in Texass, I think it was $25. You will need it to buy freon on ebay. Fill it only once you have fixed all the leaks.... Conversion to 134A is an option, but it's less efficient than the 12. All the tools you will need you can resell once you are done with them if you want, and most likely get 90% of your money back... I got all my tools off ebay, and use them as all our stuff is R-12, and R-22 for the house.... Like a lot of things, it may be a recurring charge to try and get a good mechanic who can fix it for real, and fix it once... I find I'm usually going to have to fix it myself if I want it done right anyway... And there are lots of really good resources for everything online....

And I'm with you 100% on the early Dakotas, they do a lot, and are a great size....

The AC's in GM products, seldom lasted over three years. All the AC's in my Mopar's worked when I sold them, usually ten years or older.
The AC in my 2000 Dakota, will cool down the truck in a very short time. It's a club-cab type and uses the newer refrigerant.

I am big GM guy but I haven't heard a lot of good stories about those engines - my grandfather worked on a lot of them at the GMC dealer back in the day...

Uhh, yeah, I had an '82 K20 6.2 Weasel Suburban... Went thru 2 or 3 of those infernal motors til '88 when I had enuff. But, one that old & still running would likely be a good one. GM said they were a new from the "Ground Up" design, & they WERE a more thorough redesign than the infamous 350, but they were STILL a "Dieselised Gas" motor, in this case, a big-block GM V-8.

83 was just about rock bottom for quality at GM.
Working on one of these is a total pain in the butt unless you are a small, double jointed contortionist, and work on it you will because it will have issues.

Perhaps a 2-barrel carb would help with the abysmal gas mileage?

The problem w/the K20 Urbaniser was that it had a 4.11 rear end, which at hiway speeds drove the diesel about 1000 RPM more than it wanted to go.. It was HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY at 45, but at 55-60, it was NOT, & at 75, it was in PAIN. But IIRC, that was the ONLY rear-end ratio available for K20 Diesel Urbanisers that year..

Urban myth. Two barrel carbs don't use less gas than 4 barrel carbs, unless you open up the secondaries every time you hit the gas.

New it probably had about 165 hp, and since then at least 30 have been shot and brought to the glue factory. As it approaches its 30th birthday, I'm just happy she comes to life every time I hit the key :)