Time to drop in and say hi from Canada :)

[SafariAWD]

Hello ya'll!



Well I have been on this board reading a few times in the past but never signed up. I guess I did not want to have too many forums to check up on



Where am I located:

I am from Richmond BC Canada and I love where I live. Lots of things to do. I enjoy life to the max which includes church activities, volunteer, ice and inline hockey (league), paintball (use to speedball now mainly woods), rock climbing, snowboarding, photography, hiking, camping, relaxing in a canoe somewhere, off-road adventures or just working on my vehicles / RC. There is more but I dont want to dull you all reading this.



What do you drive:

My rig and daily driver is a 1997 GMC Safari AWD. Yes it is a "van" ... but it is a lot more than just any van. Over the past few years I have slowly added little bits to my ride. Whether it be my audio, motor, exhaust or whatever. I am sure what you are interested in is the suspension so here goes:



Front: 2" Body lift blocks and Torison bars cranked 2" (5 turns)
Rear: 3" Shackle lift and Add-Leaf 2.5" lift
Rancho 5000 all round

Toyo Open Country A/T LT235/75/15



The above helps keep me out of trouble, raelly only got stuck a few times in mud but that was because I knew there were folks around to pull me out. Boy was that mud hole a heck of a lot deeper than I thought! Regardless I usually dont do that stuff heh. I just like to thread light in our BC woods in search of a remote area to spend some relax time.



Motor is the stock 4.3L V6 but with some minor tweaks, Dynomax CAT and Muffler, Tranny cooler and Vette servos in the tranny are also part of some things I have done to my ride. Oh yah and the 3.73 w/ G80 helps out me out of some slippery / stuck situations.



Why I joined:

About 1 week ago we had a local Astro Safari meet and I met a member from Bellingham, WA. He has an ultimate white Astro AWD 4-5" lifted ride! I think he is on this forum now so that gives me another excuse to sign up. So with some emails back and forth here I am!!!



Hmmm I guess photos would help? (PS the interior is all plush and comfy >.< hehe)





The photos below where taking a while ago ... no KC AUX lights and the missing fog lamp from an accident ... now Hella 1250 Fogs on remote:






Any questions ask away!

Still researching on the best way to get front tow hooks ... the rear I just use the hitch receiver and a clive / shackle.

[AWDios]

Neat, welcome.

[Paul]

Safari -

From another Newbie, welcome to the site.

Nice looking rig. As someone who has had to fab a lot of parts (as opposed to multiple aftermarket resources), I'm sure you take a lot of pride making your vehicle more off road capable than it's designers ever envisioned. . .

If you haven't been to the Sportsmobile Vans website, you could probably get some great ideas for what they put into those rigs. . . but waaayyy to pricey for my taste.

On the front tow hook issue, you might want to see if the the Safari front end is compatible with other GM light trucks that will accommodate a front trailer hitch - - then you could put the clevis in or purchase a trailer hitch mounted winch.

Just some thoughts, nice vehicle.

Paul
91' Explorer Sport

[Jerry]

Welcome to the forum! What a great backroad rig; lots of room for kids, gear and a mid-afternoon nap. Kool.
Jerry

[SafariAWD]

Thanks all for the comments. She is! With the leather caption dual-air and so on it is a comfy ride. The teens I take for camp or just driving the children around love it. Only problem about the lift is that special needs or elder folks need to be helped in for fear of slipping and hurting themselves

Paul thanks for the post I will take a look. I try not to spend too much money therefore encouraging me to think how to get things done but the proper way. Then for the things I cannot do (ie motor swap lol) I can pay someone.

Just curious does this forum lock to my account activated IP? I just realized why I keep getting a "you are banned" when I try to post from work.

[RidgeRunner]

Welcome! Very nice looking and practical rig. That would certainly work well for 90% (or more) of the exploring I do. And it would be very comfortable and probably economical to drive.

Good luck with your amateur studies, I'll see if I can come up with some study sites and get those to you.

Mick

[Steve]

First, welcome to the forum. Your van will be adequate for what most of us do with our vehicles. Plus you'll be able to haul more people or stuff. better yet, you have a built in camper..

Originally Posted by SafariAWD

Just curious does this forum lock to my account activated IP? I just realized why I keep getting a "you are banned" when I try to post from work.

I checked and you are listed as a "registered user". If the banned message continues, please let me know.

Steve

[T.Low]

Good to see you over here. Your right, guess its time I put something on the introduction page, too.

I like your ideas about the gearing vs. (all else). The one thing that sticks with me is a simple Steven Covey principle: "Put your big rocks in first". I know I want to go to 4:10's, so do it right away. I think our setups are different enough that the cost /benefit factors are quite a bit better for my situation (I am almost there, a little more arguement from me and I should have convinced myself to spend the money!) Remember, I need a posi, too, so I have to get in there anyway. That price includes the Eaton posi.

I shouldn't write this here. A year from now, you'll look back at this and give me a hard time because I'll probably still the have the original set up in!

Glad to see ya here. Oh, and have I mentioned that I like your leather?

[Photog]

Welcome!

Nice application of technology to a rig that usually stays bone-stock.

Very cool!