New To Me 2009 Chevy Express 2500 Cargo

[jws926]

Picked it last month ( July) its going to be my new Mobile DJ ( wedding DJ) van, its '09 with 238,xxx original motor and second transmission, it has the 4.6 V8. and of course the standard GM peeling white paint. I am the third owner, the first used it for carpet cleaning and the second for mobile auto detailing. Checking the service history it had oil changes done every 5k from the first till about 160,xxx , I am guessing that is when the second owner got it.

It's a basic ***** van, so manual door locks/windows/mirrors and no cruise , I am ok with manual, less things to break, but it does suck trying to adjust the pass side mirror.
Some of issues it had when I bought it,
Radio did not work
Interior lights ( dome/cargo) lights did not work
Missing one of the accessory outlet
Seat belt light did not work
The front seat recline handles are broke/missing
No spare tire/jack
Side cargo door #2 has issues opening, the connecting rode is not pulling the latch open all the way, simply applying just a little pressure on the latch/rod allows the door to open.
Has some surface rust in the cargo area from the carpet cleaning machine/tank and some on the roof where the paint has peeled.

Radio didnt work because the fuse was pulled, it now works, the inteiror lights didnt work because one was missing a bulb and the other was burned out, replaced with some LED's, The seat belt warning light wiring was disconnected , reconnceted it and it works again. I procured a spare tire , now I need to get a jack. I have a new outlet ordered. Still need to get the seat handles.

So all was going good till the fuel gauge stopped working a week ago, its pegged at full so I am now in the process of getting that sorted.

I have E-Track ordered as well so I can sercure gear in the cargo area, I also will be adding additional LED lights in the cargo area( will wire it sepertalty) even with a LED bulb its still pretty dark on the cargo area. I need to replace the dim headlights , going the LED route as well, I think I am going to do a grill/headlight swap so I can have the composite style headlights. I willl this witer time be addressing the rust and want to get some of the bare spots on the body repainted.

The first two photos are at my wife's work in their yard as I had their fleet mechanic do some service on it( oil change,trans fluid change, change the air filter) on it right after I bought it, he also checked it out before I bought it, you can see the passenger side paint peelling.


Random pic of the cargo partition, one reason I bought this van, it had it, its also heavy, I leanned that the hard way when I took it out in order to take out the cargo mat so I could clean it.

Here you can see the hooks that are screwed thru the roof

And some of the rust in the cargo area I need address, it extends back the wheel well.

 

[BrianF]

Good snag, now the mandatory jokes..... you will be snatching kids in no time with that beast!

 

[fantastic]

its '09 with 238,xxx original motor and second transmission, it has the 4.6 V8.

FYI: It's a 4.8L V8, you must be thinking of the Ford 4.6L.
If you can get some use out of it, great!

 

[jws926]

Good snag, now the mandatory jokes..... you will be snatching kids in no time with that beast!

My wife and daughter the jokes about a day later, they call it the kidnapper van

 

[jws926]

FYI: It's a 4.8L V8, you must be thinking of the Ford 4.6L.
If you can get some use out of it, great!

Yep, typo, I meant to type 8,thank you for pointing it out.

 

[Wireman1987]

Nice van. Amazing how the body style hasn't really changed we are still running express vans in our electrical dept latest are 17-19s. Eventually they'll be phased out for the ford transit vans. 2 big issues I seen with the express vans are transmission and ac hvac controls our fleet shop calls the 3 knob cluster the hvac control head. They replace that and usually find a vacuum leak supposedly the hvac uses vacuum the issue we'll get the ac will default and blow out the defrost only and on ac it'll surge from cold to a cool/warm air then back to cold. otherwise a decent van the 5.3 is the better engine though the 4.8 is a respectable engine especially if not pulling trailers, hauling DJ equipment I see no problem. My father had a 97 GMC savanna same as the express with the 4.3 for his locksmith business had heavy metal shelving and cabinets along with a key machine and a good deal of tools adding extra weight the van never felt underpowered.

 

[burbguy82]

Good snag, now the mandatory jokes..... you will be snatching kids in no time with that beast!

not funny

 

[jws926]

Nice van. Amazing how the body style hasn't really changed we are still running express vans in our electrical dept latest are 17-19s. Eventually they'll be phased out for the ford transit vans. 2 big issues I seen with the express vans are transmission and ac hvac controls our fleet shop calls the 3 knob cluster the hvac control head. They replace that and usually find a vacuum leak supposedly the hvac uses vacuum the issue we'll get the ac will default and blow out the defrost only and on ac it'll surge from cold to a cool/warm air then back to cold. otherwise a decent van the 5.3 is the better engine though the 4.8 is a respectable engine especially if not pulling trailers, hauling DJ equipment I see no problem. My father had a 97 GMC savanna same as the express with the 4.3 for his locksmith business had heavy metal shelving and cabinets along with a key machine and a good deal of tools adding extra weight the van never felt underpowered.

You are right, it really hasnt change since the update in the early 2000's , Yeah, the transmissions on them can be the weak spot , according the seller the one in mine was replaced two years ago so in theory it should out live the rest the van at this point . It does not have a hitch or a tow package so I won't be doing any towing with it, I don't plan on loading it down with a lot heavy loads so the 4.8 is perfect for my needs. I wasnt aware of the HVAC control issues, but good to know and what to be on the look out for.

The Transits will have more room in the carago area which is nice, and I believe the rear doors swing flat agaisnt the body, I wish the Express doors did that.

 

[jws926]

Making some progress , the E-Track set I ordered , it came with 4ft x 2, 3ft x 2, 2ft x 2, two straps/ratchets , O-rings hooks and strap hooks , which those will come handy as I can use my other ratchet straps for the time being. My current plan is to do 8ft on the drivers side, 4 feet on the passenger side, and then a lower on the driver side, probably 5ft at a later date after I know for sure how I am going to load it.


I got the 8ft and 3 ft done, I am going to add a 1 footer on both sides as soon as my local HF gets them back in stock.



The set also came with two single pieces, had no idea at first what I was going to do with them, then I thought about I could attach them to the cargo partition( one on the left side but no pic)


I also finally fixed the issue that was not allowing the side door to open on its own, all I had to do was open the clasp and slightly pull the connecting rod down and re-secure the clasp. It took longer to get the door panel off.

 

[meep]

@jws926 congrats on the PA van. As a prior musician who owned a PA, great score!!

Hey before you change out the grill, double-check the size and give these a strong consideration. These are e-code spec drop-ins. I have the 5” round version and they are wonderful. Run with standard (not fancy or long life) bulbs for the best output and optics. These are glass…

Hella 003427811 Hlmp Kit 190X132Mm H4 12V Ece, Multi https://a.co/d/8yG8s2P

At that age and with that paint, I’d consider a diy paint job, either spray or perhaps the infamous thinned-rustoleum method.

Considering what it feels like after loading up at 2am on any night over 40 degrees, how’s the AC?

 

[jws926]

@jws926 congrats on the PA van. As a prior musician who owned a PA, great score!!

Hey before you change out the grill, double-check the size and give these a strong consideration. These are e-code spec drop-ins. I have the 5” round version and they are wonderful. Run with standard (not fancy or long life) bulbs for the best output and optics. These are glass…

Hella 003427811 Hlmp Kit 190X132Mm H4 12V Ece, Multi https://a.co/d/8yG8s2P

At that age and with that paint, I’d consider a diy paint job, either spray or perhaps the infamous thinned-rustoleum method.

Considering what it feels like after loading up at 2am on any night over 40 degrees, how’s the AC?

Its something I am considering, but its not just for the better lights, its also for the appearance too , but for the time being yes I will be changing out the sealed beams, thank you for the link.

Lucky for me, there is no 2am load ins for me, I mainly do weddings and here most weddings are over by 10p, some 11/midnight , not sure I can stay up to 2am now, and I used to work 3rd shift.

That is my plan, I am going to rattle can the bare spots later this year using Rustolem Auto paint( its what all the other Express do) I simply can not justify paying for a paint job that will last longer than a year.

The A/C works, knock on wood, one of the reason why I bought it( my previous vehicle I used for DJ work the A/C went out a few years ago ), I plan on having it serviced later this year.