2019 GMC Savana 2500 Cargo Van

[Ronbrink]

After several months of researching a suitable replacement TV, a van was decided to be our best choice based on perceived criterium, ie engine/drivetrain, cargo/tow capacity and tongue weight requirements for our OLEll and style of camping. The former 2012 Silverado 1500 4x4 was reaching ‘retirement age’ and I’ve been pushing its limits, regarding carrying capacity, for a couple of years. I will acknowledge up front that we are not minimalist! That said, this Explorer conversion van well exceeds my expectations in both spacial and towing considerations, as well as comfort and convenience. BTW, I told my wife “remind me to never buy another tow vehicle days before a planned trip!”

Although ‘well appointed’, the passenger seats had to go; at least when towing our Oliver. The two second row captain’s chairs are easily removed via a release mechanism from the floor mounting base for occasional use, as needed; the third row couch/reclining bed not so much and will go to storage.

 

By removing the passenger seats, I now have 10’ of open cargo space from the rear doors to the front seats; the Silverado’s bed only measured 5’8”, plus limited space in its back seat.

Having double doors on both side and rear of the van vastly improved access to the cargo area.

 

The two vehicles were positioned end-to-end to facilitate easy cargo transfer for organizational purposes. Ultimately, two storage boxes were acquired to safely stow much of the cargo; specifically, underbody tool boxes. Yep, delivered one day before our departure to the Texas Oliver Rally at Inks Lake SP, what was I thinking!

 

The boxes are serving their purpose by providing secured organization of supplies and gear, with ample room for our folding e-bikes, Dometic fridge/freezer, portable power station, generators, spare 30 lb. propane tank and a couple of small bins.

Camp R&B, Inks Lake SP, Site 227; Texas Oliver Rally, October 20-25, 2024.

Edited October 25, 2024 by Ronbrink

[Steph and Dud B]

Excellent choice.  We towed a 26' travel trailer coast to coast across the US with our son, dog, and cat using a full size Ford van as the tow vehicle back in 2005. It was a great travel vehicle and yours has the same 6.0 engine we have in our truck now. Plenty of power for an Oliver it's been a solid engine for us. 

[Ronbrink]

1 hour ago, Steph and Dud B said:

yours has the same 6.0 engine we have in our truck now.

I was really surprised on the trip over to get an average of 13.5 mpg from Clear Lake to Austin (with some city traffic), then 12.2 on rest of the trip to Inks Lake SP doing hills. That's better mileage than the 5.3L in the Silverado, especially since more power and  being a heavier vehicle. Liking the upgrade!

[Ronbrink]

Yesterday I installed new AIR LIFT LoadLifter 5000 Ultimate Adjustable Air Springs on the Savana. I knew prior to departing for the Texas Oliver Rally that my receiver hitch was an inch shy of the recommended ball height with the trailer in tow, and that was after maxing out the pin hole height adjustment. As illustrated in the first picture of this post, the van and trailer were ‘well poised’, but once loaded with cargo for the trip there was a slight squat. Regardless, it was always my intent to install airbags for ease of adjustment in varying conditions. Today I will remove the AIR LIFT pump assembly from my former TV and reinstall on the Savana. Problem solved! As a side note, I really liked being able to inflate the airbags, via a remote, to tilt the Oliver upward when dumping the tanks and hopeful this new setup will provide like benefit.

Inks Lake SP did it right with their new dump station! At some facilities however, raising the trailer’s nose is a must to fully empty the tanks. Did someone say ‘airbags’?

Edited November 1, 2024 by Ronbrink

[Ronbrink]

Well, upon removal of the AIR LIFT pump assembly from the Silverado a few days ago, I realized that system would require a reconfiguration to better serve the selected Savana mounting position. Yesterday said pump and new airline hoses were installed. Today the wiring harness will be routed to the engine bay to complete this project. BTW, the original AIR LIFT air springs remain on the Silverado and can be individually inflated with the Schrader Valve terminated supply airlines left in place.

Driver’s side airbag at 0 psi; 5 psi minimum upon install completion, as recommended to prevent damage. 

AIR LIFT pump assembly readied for install.

Pump assembly with airlines, wiring harness and remote control.

Pump assembly securely mounted atop the trailer hitch receiver. Once the wiring harness is connected, care will be taken to further protect with wiring loom and mounting straps tidied up.

Potential location on backup fill ports in the event of a pump failure (screenshot taken from a YT video).

 

[Ronbrink]

A change in vehicle type, but not in looks; truck vs van.

2012 Chevrolet 1500 Silverado 4x4, 144” wheelbase.

2019 GMC  2500 Savana Cargo Van, 135” wheelbase. 

Edited November 4, 2024 by Ronbrink

[Ronbrink]

On 11/1/2024 at 9:34 AM, Ronbrink said:

Potential location on backup fill ports in the event of a pump failure (screenshot taken from a YT video).

Alternate mounting of said ports from the aforementioned screenshot. Holes drilled (3/8” front, 5/16” rear) through the hitch receiver tube were made for adequate securement of these Schrader Valves once exposed metal was painted and allowed to cure.

[Geronimo John]

On 10/29/2024 at 2:22 AM, Ronbrink said:

Did someone say ‘airbags’?

Yep.

[Ronbrink]

A few days ago I completed an installation of a front receiver hitch on the Savana. I previously installed same on the Silverado, specifically to carry a bike rack when underway for use with our folding ebikes once in camp, and liked its functionality. However, no such hitch was found available for the van and thus, removal and modification of the one that was on the former TV was in order. Once a mounting plan was devised for proper fitment and securement, necessary cutting, shaping, welding and painting was done.

Modifications in progress.

Hitch readied for install. 

U-bolt and plate securement.

Front spoiler remounted with thru-hole, hitch extension installed. 

Formerly fabricated roller skid plate I made to protect the bike rack got new paint job. 

Savana sporting hitch/skid plate and QuikrStuff dual bike rack with ramp.

 

 

 

[Ronbrink]

A couple days ago I successfully installed the Mechman 320A high output alternator and cable upgrades, previously on the former TV, to further enhance the Savana’s charging system. I should mention that a battery swap was done two months prior with the ACDelco top post battery a better choice for performance and reliability. Even though Mechman does not offer an alternator for the Savana, the mounting bracket and wiring appeared exactly the same as the Silverado’s; so my hopes were high that the stock 150A alternator could be replaced despite the seven year gap in year models and GMC 6.0L vs GM 5.3L engine size, respectively. Another consideration, the high output alternator requires a smaller pulley and thus, a bit shorter serpentine belt. Again, the new belt from the Silverado install was a perfect fit for the Savana. 

ACDelco battery, as installed.

Removal of the stock 150A alternator in progress.

Mounting bracket cleaned and readied for Mechman 320A.

Side-by-side alternator comparison.

Mechman alternator a perfect fit. Note additional grounding cable at the mounting bolt.

Edited April 11 by Ronbrink

[jd1923]

7 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Mechman alternator a perfect fit. Note additional grounding cable at the mounting bolt.

Very nice Ron! You can see the smaller pulley will spin the HO alternator twice as fast. Also, the additional ground will provide less overall resistance for your DC-DC charger!

[Ronbrink]

39 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

Very nice Ron! You can see the smaller pulley will spin the HO alternator twice as fast. Also, the additional ground will provide less overall resistance for your DC-DC charger!

The 1/0 Gauge ground cable (shown) from alternator mount to B- and a like size alternator+  to B+ are two of the ‘Big 3’ players recommended by Mechman with their high output alternators. The Savana already had a robust ground cable from B- to engine block to include a fine stranded braided cable split to frame for additional grounding. Would there be any benefit or need for another ground from alternator mount to body? 

[jd1923]

11 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:

Would there be any benefit or need for another ground from alternator mount to body? 

Your 1/0 cable is huge. I added 4 AWG B+ to alternator and B- to frame for the addition of the DC-DC charger.

An automotive alternator is already grounded through the engine and the engine has ground strap(s). My batteries only had a 6 or 8 AWG ground wire and same lighter gauge for the alternator connection to B+. Yours should be excellent as-is!

Edited April 11 by jd1923

[Ronbrink]

14 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Your 1/0 cable is huge.

Mechman specifies the 1/0 Gauge copper wire for ‘return ground’ and ‘alternator charge’ cables to battery with their 250-400 amp rated alternators, and a battery fuse size of 400A. They also recommend increasing the B- to body wire size, which could explain the extra wire from my previous install. Thanks again for your input!

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Mechman specifies the 1/0 Gauge copper wire for ‘return ground’ and ‘alternator charge’ cables to battery with their 250-400 amp rated alternators, and a battery fuse size of 400A. They also recommend increasing the B- to body wire size, which could explain the extra wire from my previous install. Thanks again for your input!

When you word it this way, it certainly makes sense. That's a lot of amps! I upgraded the stock 130A alternator to 180A, so I figured adding additional 4 AWG cables was sufficient. The manufacturer had not suggested upgrading the wiring in their first level upgrade.

[Ronbrink]

3 hours ago, jd1923 said:

When you word it this way, it certainly makes sense. That's a lot of amps! I upgraded the stock 130A alternator to 180A, so I figured adding additional 4 AWG cables was sufficient. The manufacturer had not suggested upgrading the wiring in their first level upgrade.

You done good! Here is an excerpt from Mechman’s Alternator Installation instructions, wherein 4 AWG is shown to be sufficient for your 180A alternator.

Edited April 12 by Ronbrink

[Ronbrink]

One of the last ‘must have’ transitions from the former TV to the Savana is the DC-DC charging cable setup and rear-mounted Anderson connection. The full length 4 AWG dedicated cables running from battery to rear bumper off the Silverado required no alteration with this retrofit. Admittedly said cables, rear bumper connection, a solenoid and ANL 60/fuse box were installed a few months ago, but activation was delayed pending install of the Mechman 320A alternator. The solenoid serves to energize the cable connection via a fuse tap trigger wire from the under hood fuse box and thus, requiring keyed power ignition for use as a precautionary measure.

Current fuse taps include the solenoid trigger wire, as well as one for the alternator and Air Lift power.

 

Solenoid and ANL fuse locations.

Rear bumper-mounted Anderson connection with Environmental Boot.

 

Now that the Savana is readied for towing and other operational needs, there are a couple of other ‘wants’ in sight; van rooftop solar for the portable power station that runs my Dometic CFX3 75DZ, and custom swing away racks for my two Wavian Jerry Cans and spare 30# propane tank. Stayed tuned!

Edited Wednesday at 11:39 AM by Ronbrink

[jd1923]

5 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

One of the last ‘must have’ transitions from the former TV to the Savana is the DC-DC charging cable setup and rear-mounted Anderson connection.

Remind me to keep my old tow vehicle 4-ever! 🤣

Good work Ron, as always.