Hello and good afternoon, so I recently started looking into a 2004 Chevy Express 1500 cargo van that we have sitting in the front yard.
Back in 2004, my father bought a Chevy Express van 1500 cargo van brand new to use for his home improvement business he had going by himself. I don't know what model or engine it has because they had tons of customization during the time but I do know that there are only two seats, driver seat and passenger seat in the one he has. He driven it and used it to transport materials for his business until about 90k miles the transmission went out because he was towing a big boat. So he bought a new transmission and him and my brother put it in them selfs.
He continued to drive it and use it for his business until three years ago he was diagnosed with parkinsons disease so he was forced to take it off the road and disband his business. He parked it out front and never touched it since. I recently became interested in it and decided to go out and mess with it for a bit.
It started right up with some help of a battery jumper and I driven it around the yard. Everything still works fine and the transmission shifts like new. Engine is running good and the current mileage is 112,000. Only thing wrong is that all of the interior is covered in green mold and the windshield has a large crack. I been talking to my dad lately and he says there's nothing major wrong with it and that there are about 2k in leans on it.
First question: Is there any shops that can clean and detail a moldy interior.
Second question: Do you think it would be worth cleaning up and fixing plus paying the leans off?
I really like the van and it drives really nice but it is a Chevy so will it act like your average Chevy product and begin falling apart the week you start driving it a lot.
There are good detailing shops out there that will clean mold out of vehicles.
If it has the V8- fix it. I wouldn't daily drive this vehicle though. I would use it as a backup vehicle or if have to carry large stuff (cargo purposes).
I don't think it has the V8. It has the V6 but I know there are all kinds of engines they used in these.
It wouldn't be something I drive everyday like I do with my Lincoln town car but I would probably drive it 2 or three times a week into town or to work.
The V6 is a reasonably reliable engine. But it's under powered for a full size van.
First question: Is there any shops that can clean and detail a moldy interior.
I would say this is very doable. Especially since it's a cargo model.
You should be able to strip out the interior down to bare metal easily in an afternoon. Then you can climb inside with a pressure washer and some bleach or disinfectant and just douche the girl out. I have done this. Just park it on an incline with the back doors open so all the water runs out.
On some years, the seats jackets unclip and slip off the foam. Or you may want to just replace them entirely. Scrub everything else down. The headliner might be a lost cause though.
It's hours of work though. I think this is DIY only. Asking a shop to do it will be prohibitively expensive. But it's worth a shot. Try calling a detail shop and see what they say.
Second question: Do you think it would be worth cleaning up and fixing plus paying the leans off?
It's got fairly low mileage. Lots of life left in it. So it all depends on the overall condition and how much $$$ you can get it for . If it only costs you the $2k then probably yes it's a great deal!
Beware if it has white paint. It's notorious for peeling.
Thank you a lot! It's very appreciated. I will call around to see how much it's gonna be to get the interior done. It has the blue paint on it.
Fix it! If it’s got a new tranny with only 20,000 miles on it, you have to fix it! Those V6 engines are underpowered for those van, but it’s a relatively low milage vehicle for 2004! My buddy details Moldy interiors so yes there are many people who do it! I would fix it man! Could be a really really good van! And just fyi, when Scotty talks about GM vehicles falling apart, he usually means before bankruptcy in 09 which is when there quality went down the 🚽. So 2004 should be pretty good still!
Ok, I am convinced to go for it! Thank you a lot!