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'99 Crazy lifted Monster Safari

12K views 68 replies 19 participants last post by  Lumpy 
#1 ·
I've been snooping around on here as of lately. Wow there are so many ideas being brought to life and put to work I hope mine stands up with them.
I don't have kids so this is not what motives me on this build, just to be different is what I was going for. Having built a few cars, trucks and just coming fresh off a nasty 4-seat 3.5 Honda powered sand rail build. I had found it was fun to take your buds along.
Thus my problem, I have a '97 GMC Z71 extra cab that does all the work to and from. Just think stuffing 4 big ******* boys in the truck on a 2 1/2 plus hour ride to go play beating them up all day and then back in that cramped (at best )cab back home.
A new truck is just out of the question, the wife has a cow if any dirt touches the inside of her truck, plus its really our nice go places ride. So there is my motivation for this.

My 1999 GMC Safari, it must do every thing my truck can and then some!
I picked it up for $700 with a slight rod knock, but clean and well taken care of for 198k showing on the clock.

https://s1208.photobucket.com/user/bigg ... ild?page=1 Pictures here - AstroWill
 
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#2 ·
First thing the van needs to be 4WD, I don't want to have to park right next to the road with the cars and 2WD trucks. No I need to get deep into the sand pulling 20ft trailer. After checking this site, and a few others I decided to go solid axle up front, my van was only 2wd so this was the cheepest way for me. So onto the hunt for the right donor truck to give up its back bone.
i found after some hunting that the K5 Blazer has a very close wheel base to the Safari, so thats what I brought home.
Meet whats left of a 1980 K5 GMC Jimmy
:eek: LOOK AT THE LIFT THIS THING HAS! I'm 6'2 and this frame sits right at my belt line! A bit much but the price was right.
View attachment 1
This turd has not run in years but with only $100.00 into it I had planned on a BB chevy for power.
 
#3 ·
Thank you craigslist.. So I sold that old rusty 1980s 307, TH350, Np208 transfer case for 3 bills :D .. But my BB chevy ran into a snag. My buddy had planned to use it in a jeep build but then sold the jeep and had told me the motor was mine. I never went to pick it up because I had no room with the rail project so I left it in his barn. Damnit man, he started a hotrod truck and there it sits maybe to be used.. Well can't wait for ever so a new power plant must be found.
Many V-8s were thought of but none stood out with that BBC pulling torque.
But in the mean time I did a search on (lifted 4x4 chevy astro vans) and this is some of what I found.
A very clean '98 350, 700r, np208 half ton swap.
View attachment 1
MR Flex
 
#7 ·
I have a dream.
And that dream is for this thing to come togather as a whole unit working as one! With the idea of that great big really heavy 900lb plus diesel my newly founded half ton axles just are not up to the job.
So again, thankyou craigslist for finding me a buyer for the half tons $250.00, and the crappy 6 lug rims brought another $100.00 and also my very rare 78-79 F-350 Dana 60Hp and rear set for $700.00. The front alone brings $1200-$1600 :eek:
Along the way a buddy gave me a Dana 70Hd rear out of a 1 ton chevy.. So here is a few of the frame with the Dana 60s under it and the D70Hd sitting on top. View attachment 2
Oh ya, needed 8 lug rims now.
View attachment 1
 
#9 ·
astroturf said:
BigGreen,

This is quickly morphing in something Big.

The question is... Will it be Green?

Thanks, Jim
Nah, I got the handle Biggreenoger because of this.
This is the REAL Big Green Oger. It's just one way to honer and thank the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, past, present, future and to educate the public. I am proud to have gotten the chance to own a piece of American history.
We will Never Forget.. :ty: View attachment 1
 
#10 ·
I was told to go big or go home, but home means more time to hear my old lady nag-nag-nag----b---*tch like an old Harley, Nah she is really the best I could ask for. But any way so big i go. Here are my tires for the build, Michelin X 325-85-r16 = aprox 38-13.00-16. View attachment 1
Here is one in front of my Z71 that sits on 315-75-r16 = 35-12.50-16
 
#11 ·
I wished I had some pictures of when we pulled the front sub frame, but I was in a rush to help a friend out after he dropped a nut down a custmers intake, Long story. Sold the 4L60 trans for $300.00, scraped the sub frame after cutting the bumper mounts off, still have the rims, and rear end.
Its time to put on the K5 frame and get it rolling again. View attachment 2 View attachment 1
 
#13 ·
Gary said:
For myself,I'm not big on 4 x 4's,but I do like the way this is coming together.Nice!!!.Are you planning for a weld in roll bar or cage???.Yeah the CG being a concern from me. :think:
I have played with the idea of a full cage as long as it does not get in the way too much. It is going to be street legal, I mean right at the limits but still street-able. As for the center of gravity this I really don't see it being any worse than my Wrangler that had on 35" MTs, I drove that thing like a race car. I am using big wide 1-ton truck axles. Plus the diesel has to set low in the frame, even in the Chevy trucks with this engine swap they have to have at least 4" of lift so the oil pan clears the front diff. I will admit that this thing is not for every day driver.
 
#14 ·
This is late in the afternoon after pulling the sub frame with the engine, trans, rear diff that morning. After rolling the K5 frame under the van while it was still up in the lift, we found that the fuel tank needed to be removed and relocated at a later time. We used weighted ropes clamped to the center of the wheel wells to center the axles. The overall K5 frame was longer but the wheel base is about 3" short. We cut off the extra length of the frame and lowerd the van down. We set the front axle 2" forward of center, and just planed cutting the rear loose and moving it back about 6" to center it.
My wife just figured it was time to say good bye to it. View attachment 1
 
#15 ·
WOOHOO, ->->->-> post number 37...
Any hoo in this picture you can see how bad the rear needed to be moved. We could not even put the 32" tall BFGs on the rear because they rubbed the fenders. Those are the 32" tall tires on the front.
 
#17 ·
biggreenoger said:
Gary said:
For myself,I'm not big on 4 x 4's,but I do like the way this is coming together.Nice!!!.Are you planning for a weld in roll bar or cage???.Yeah the CG being a concern from me. :think:
I have played with the idea of a full cage as long as it does not get in the way too much. It is going to be street legal, I mean right at the limits but still street-able. As for the center of gravity this I really don't see it being any worse than my Wrangler that had on 35" MTs, I drove that thing like a race car. I am using big wide 1-ton truck axles. Plus the diesel has to set low in the frame, even in the Chevy trucks with this engine swap they have to have at least 4" of lift so the oil pan clears the front diff. I will admit that this thing is not for every day driver.
You know-after I posted I thought about the wide stance you are working with and how that might cancel any CG issues.Might take alot for it to go over.It is important I suggest to remember your working with still a vehicle that is over 4,000 lbs.That is a lot of momentum once it get going.A cage without a helmet is kind of useless.Thick wall properly braced roll bar on the other hand might be more useful. :2:
 
#20 ·
AND I repeat, The diesel has landed! View attachment 2 View attachment 1
I now think that i should have gone with a newer VE pump engine. That injection pump is much smaller than the HUGE P-pump that I have stuffed in there. We were running short on time and i had to make a call to cut the drivers side floor, I hope this don't come back to bite me in the butt.
 
#21 ·
A build like this is not for the weak of heart, cutting and removing, adding, fabbing and a few good friends with good strong backs or real drunk and bad backs will do. We have had to remove all most all of the upper factory cross members from the K5 frame. Cut a good 6"s off both ends of it, lost the factory motor mount locations, and the whole front side supports for the spring hangers. After much time mesuring, lifting, lowering, checking, mesuring, lifting we came up with the new front cross member that will work the best for this build. We got a 38" long piece of 3 x 10 box and cut 2 slits in it were it could be forced down over the very front of our frame after cutting off the top of the C and welded into place. This not only acts as the new front cross member and side supports for the front springs, but also gave a place to weld down the old sub frame front bumper and the forward most body mount. We still need some more bracing up there but you can kind of get the picture.
Working on the idea of using the factory sub frame mount locations we made mounts to hold the rest of the van out of 1/2" plate and 3" x 3" box and reused the sub frame's body mounts (isolator bushings) just like that of a full size truck or van. At the rear we took 1/2" plate steel and made a cross member for the van and tack and bolted it through the unibodys rails on both side near the rear wheel openings. Then using 2 more body mounts bolted it down in stock locations of the K5 frame. All in all it is bolted down in 8 places, the K5's body had 10 mounting points from GM.
 
#25 ·
This tranny thing is killing me. All work has come screeching to a halt over it. i'm in uncharted waters here, just slaping a Dodge auto trans to a Ford transfer case seemed simple with some help from Advance Adapters but now it's turned nightmarish as I found that I have a mid-year changed transmission. AW-CRAP-HOLA! :eek:bscene-tolietpush:
 
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