General Info?

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a 1990 G20 with the 5.7 and auto trans and 101k miles. Is there a good place to go online for general information on this van? Horsepower and Torque, what changed from year to year, towing capacity, etc. As you can tell I don't yet have an owners manual...

Also, they are a new beast to me so if anybody has anything they think I should look out for or wants to share their opinion on the reliability or durability of the van I'd appreciate hearing that too. Thanks.

These are excellent, but slightly primitive vans. The design was introduced in 1970, and was not changed much, until the design was replaced in 1995.

The pre - '70 vans were completely different. The 1996 and later vans are completely different, too, but share some drivelime components too.

The 96 and newer vans mainly have more comfortable interiors, better crash safety, and are less prone to rust, but are not really much more useful than the earlier ones.

Annual changes from '70 to '95?? Almost none. They got new front grille and dashboard layout in 1978, a 4 speed automatic trans in 1982, and electronic fuel injection in 1988. Some options were introduced over the years, mostly to make the passenger versions more comfortable, such as better ventilation systems, etc. But the basic cargo van was pretty much the same over the years.

Generally this was a good thing because IMO these vans were about the more durable, reliable thing made by the North Amercian auto industry. The driveline, electrical, steering and suspension was very traditional, even when new, so it was reliable from the start. Any problem areas were engineered out decades ago.

Parts are cheap and widely available. Repairs are generally simple and easy to do. Sometimes you need to take the engine cover off the engine for basic maitenance, like changing the air filter or plugs. However, with a bit of practice you can get the cover off in 3 minutes.

They are a bit unusual because they are technically a unit-body design, where there is no separate chassis, the entire chassis structure and body is one welded structure.

This has become by far the most common way of making cars, over the last 30 years or so, and many small and mid size SUV's and minivans use this technique, but this is the only full size truck made using this method, that I know of.

However, these vans use much thicker sheet steel than any of these other unit-body cars and trucks.

So, IMO this design was ahead of its time.

There are very strong welded-in boxed steel frame rails for attaching trailer hitches to. The G20's and G30 vans, when propely equipped with a class IV or V hitch can tow 10,000 lbs.

One of my vans regularly carried around 3500 lbs of cargo for years. This was quite a bit more weight than what the truck was rated for, but I never had any problems.

The G20 is an excellent choice, and has bigger brakes and stronger springs than the G15, but does not have the harsh ride of the G30.

I like the steering and front suspension layout of the vans. If you look at it, all the components are very strong and durable, but provides much better ride and handling than the Ford vans.

Problem areas?
-Rust: these things like to rust out the lower rocker panels, and the bottom of the sliding side doors. Every other part generally stays rust free.
Weld in patch panels are readily available.

Most vans came with a sliding side door. This door can lock open so you can drive around with the door open. Cool (!), especially for deliveries, but not recommended for highway use.
Some vans came with conventional double doors on the side, which is less convenient.

Visibility out the sides and back is not so good - get used to relying on your mirriors. Some vans came with windows all around, like a bus. This feature makes a HUGE difference in visibility.

The interiors are a bit primitive, especially in the cargo vans. The dashboard and instruments are easy to use and legible, but not as sleek or converiant as a more modern vehicle.

If this is a non air-conditioned van, the ventilation is not so good. Heated air is only available at the defroster or at your feet - no dash vents. There are SEPERATE fresh air vents below the dash - but all these do is freeze your ankles in cool weather.

Look for the air conditioned vans......they have much better ventilation with dashboard - level vents.

The vent windows on the doors are handy, but the rear of the van gets hot and stuffy....UNLESS you have pop out vent windows in the back doors. Try to get a van with these, or get aftermarket ones installed. Of not, you can install a pop up roof vent in the back which helps.

Some air conditioned vans came with roof - mounted ducts and heaters front and back and are more comfortable for passengers in the rear.

If this is a cargo van, you just get a sheet metal interior. However, you can retro-fit a passenger type interior quite easily so you get front and rear seats, to seat up to 8 people, with full carpets, side panels, head liner, sound insulation etc. This works best on window vans.

BTW I picked up a like-new, complete passenger van interior, all components for my G20 for $150.

Crash Safety: These vans were designed before the era of 'crumple zones' were used in trucks. These things are very rigid and do not bend at all in accidents. This is good if you are colliding with softer targets, like flying off the road, or hitting that Toyota Tercel. However, when hitting really solid targets, like that bridge abutment, or that oncoming 18 wheeler, they tend to produce severe deceleraton forces on the passengers, beause there is no give in the chassis. This may be good bacause your feet are only about 30 inches away from the bumper.

In 1989, the NHTSA Chevy van crash tests produced the highest measured seatbelt loads of any vehicle tested that year.
This was fixed barrier 35 mph crash that would be fatal to the driver.

So....running into walls is bad in a van. Running into vehicles that are lighter than the van (most vehicles, since the van weighs 4800 - 5000 lbs) is not too bad.

BTW the Insurance Instiute for Highway Safety records a very LOW injury rate for these vans, compared to other cars, because they do not lend themselves much to fast or dangerous driving, (unlike sporty cars, like corvettes, etc) and they are quite safe in low speed crashes.

Price: These vans seem to lose their value much faster than full-size pick up trucks, because the market is smaller. This is good, because you can buy a really good, used van fro a fraction of the price of a pick up truck.

BTW I have owned 3 full size vans, and have been extremely impressed with all of them. Here is my on-line owner review of my latest purchase. Note the comment after the review for additional info.
http://carsurvey.org/review_41660.html
Also, see that site for other peoples reviews on these vans.

Great info MagicRat. Thanks for the history and the pros and cons. Based on the durability and price on these I am going to continue looking for one. The safety is something I wish was a little better but it seems that full size vans in general have a hard time dispersing that much energy when hitting a hard object. It is something to keep in mind.

How many hours and what level of skill was required for that cargo to passenger interior swap you did? I am no tradesman but have started to enjoy tinkering and could see myself improving one over the winter. The carpet and headliner might be a bit of a challege.

Installing a factory interior into a cargo van can be done in one day. All the factory original screws were self-tapping, so no pre-drilling holes is needed, but an electric drill with a screwdriver bit is required.
Most passenger vans are the window van type, so some of the side panels might look a bit strange if installed in an windowless cargo van. However, I would recommend finding one with as many windows as possible.
You can make a custom interior, (this is a good choice if you end up with a windowless van), especially if you have some very basic carpentry and upholstery skills, but this can take several days to do.

For a custom job, I used a roll of nylon burber office-type carpet on a plywood sub floor.
For the side panels, including door panels, I used 1/4 inch plywood, cut to fit the shape of the inside of the door or wall, then wrapped some nice looking fabric (with a 1/16 inch foam backing) around it, with spray adhesive and stapled it to the back. Fabric stores have wide varieties of fabrics in 56 inch-wide rolls. Expect to pay about $20-35 per linear yard.
I did the same with the roof, but I used fiberboard, since its easier to shape to the curve in the roof.

It looked pretty good, especially if you use a fairly neutral grey or tan fabrics and carpet. Patterned materials end up looking too much like a mid - 70's 'shaggin wagon'.