She: I’ll admit that I wasn’t running out to the driveway to coo over the Safari. But I have to tell you, driving the lumpy Ohio Turnpike, it didn’t take long for me to develop a case of nausea to go with my leg cramps. With the big 4.3 V-6, you can tow a pretty sizable boat or trailer. OK, the all-wheel-drive option is a great feature and I don’t even mind the truck chassis. He: I’m sorry, but I’m not one of those enlightened buyers who have discovered the dubious joys of owning and driving a Safari or its counterpart, the Chevrolet Astro. Nine times out of ten, the woman is driving and the guy is snoring in the passenger seat. Besides, I’ve seen the caravans down I-75 at Easter and Christmas vacation. I agree that it is a little bit of a squeeze up there in the driver’s seat, but if you’re a short-legged, 5-3 person like me, you’re probably not going to suffer too much. She: You’re blaming the Safari for your big EEE feet? Now that’s fair comment and criticism. The cramp in my left foot from having no space whatsoever on the driver’s side was enough to convince me. I drove it from Detroit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He: I sure wasn’t sold on it and I didn’t even have to go as far as Disney World to make up my mind. We did – and at least half of the family was sold on it. If you’re towing a big boat or camper or regularly take your three kids plus grandparents to Walt Disney World on vacation, you may want to take a hard look at the Safari, which can seat up to eight people. And because it’s based on a truck chassis, not a car like many minivans, it drives like a truck. It doesn’t have a fourth door and unless you get the all-wheel-drive package that we had on our $30,560 test vehicle, you must settle for rear-wheel drive. The Safari’s looks haven’t changed much since its original design in 1985 and it has been a bit slow to catch up to competitors. This way I don't have to worry about winterising it (winter tyres/engine block heater), and we can take our time road tripping/camping up north when the weather is a little warmer.It’s easy to overlook – or even have a field day criticizing – the 1997 GMC Safari SLT AWD mid-size van. The plan is to leave it in Victoria til the spring, when I will fly down, spend around a week converting it to a camper, and then drive it up to the Yukon. I plan to spend most of the summer living in the van, so I really wanted to get the design right.Ĭontinue reading → GMC Safari / Astro Van Interior Measurements for Minivan Camper ConversionĪ couple of years ago I converted a Plymouth Grand Voyager minivan into a campervan which I drove across Canada.Īfter being Astro-inspired by some friends I recently bought a 1997 GMC Safari (also known as a Chevrolet Astro van) while on a trip to Victoria. Carly will then be flying down to join me, and from there we will spend a week driving the van back up through British Columbia to the Yukon. Next week I will be flying down to Victoria where the van is being stored and will have a week to work on the conversion. During this time all I have had to go on are the measurements I took before leaving. I haven't seen my new van since buying the it over two months ago, but I have been thinking a lot about how I will convert it into a camper. So my first move was to get destructive and remove all ofĬontinue reading → My GMC Safari Camper Conversion Design I wasn't originally going to remove any of the van's panelling from fear of messing up, but as soon as I was reunited with the van I changed my mind. I had a week to transform the van into a camper for my and Carly's week long road trip back up to Whitehorse, Yukon, where I plan on living in the van all summer and exploring the Yukon and Alaska. Here is part one of the conversion. I used some cord to create a curtain rail and Hilary very kindly sewed a loop in the top of some back out material to form a curtain.Ĭontinue reading → GMC Safari Camper Conversion – Part OneĪfter nearly three months of thinking about the van and coming up with a design, it was time to fly down to Victoria, British Columbia to start work. I used some left over material as extra insulation for the cool box. This worked well in the last conversion so I decided to stick with the same technique. With the bed and storage complete I could now move on to all of the smaller jobs required to make the van habitable. You can read part one of the conversion here.įirst up was cutting the insulation to size so it could be pushed into the windows to make blinds. Posted on under GMC Safari / Chevrolet Astro Van GMC Safari / Chevrolet Astro Van GMC Safari Camper Conversion – Part Two
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