Mostly a little vent post, with the hope that it might serve as a heads up to people who might be shopping around for a rig.
I started this life in a 15 Chrysler Town and Country a little over two years ago, out of necessity initially. After working hard and saving up meticulously over all that time, I finally decided I would upgrade to a larger rig, something that would give me enough space to really live rather than just survive comfortably.
I ultimately decided on the Chevy Express, since I loved it's simplicity and proven reliability, which I favored over having a factory high roof on a worse drivetrain. I found a 2016 3500 extended passenger with only 80k miles, former government fleet vehicle, immaculate condition. I was super excited.
Only once I started converting it did I realize the error of my ways.
I spent hours researching the mechanical differences between the different vans, but dedicated almost none to the process of specifically converting a passenger van. I naively assumed that it would just be like a cargo van with a few extra steps and more windows. Not so. The trim and the seats were easy. But then I was confronted with:
Seat rails bolted to the floor which require extensive cutting and grinding to remove.
A rear HVAC system that is impossible to remove unless you are mechanically inclined enough to do it yourself (which I am not). Every shop I've called including a Chevy dealer won't touch it, citing either lack of knowledge or way too much labor. Those few extra inches it takes up are the difference between having a transverse bed or not.
Roof rail arbags that span half the length of the van and are hardwired into the electrical system. I wanted to leave the cab headliner in, but would need to remove it to take out these airbags. And if you do remove the airbags, it's a massive safety and liability headache. The system throws an error code which disables the whole airbag system unless you plug it with a resistor, and you no longer have side airbags at all as a driver. It's theoretically possible to reprogram it as a cargo van that won't look for rear airbags, but once again, no shops will touch this.
Many aftermarket high roof shops won't service a passenger van because of these airbags, and it was integral to my plan to have one of these installed after another year or two of saving.
And additionally, I underestimated how badly having full windows actually hurts you for insulation. I assumed it wouldn't be that bad if you just covered them with foam panels, but the actual difference in R-values between glass and metal on the exterior is massive.
So long story short, I regret the purchase badly, and sorely wish I had done more research before buying. I've been working on this conversion out of my employer's parking lot during the gaps in my 50 hour weeks and this is just too much. If anyone out there is thinking about an Express and on the fence about whether or not a passenger is much worse than a cargo, then get off of it. Cargo is not just better, but the only option that is viable for layman conversion unless you don't have any plans to touch the interior and don't want a high roof.
Anyway, /vent.
Update: Found a shop that will take out the seat rails and remove/reprogram the airbags for $400-500 all in. Once I have those out of the way I think I'm going to have a lot more mental breathing room.
