Hello from Vancouver Island !

[VancouverIslandDayTripper]

Just bought my first Delica, a 1996 Space Gear Turbo Diesel, and it is everything I had hoped for - I should have got one years ago! I upgraded from a Jeep Cherokee so I would be able to stretch all the way out for a comfy sleep on camping trips with the dogs. After breaking my leg last year on a hike and going stir crazy being stuck on the couch for two months, I packed the dogs into the jeep and drove out to Port Renfrew for a night on the beach. Cramming my air cast into the little space between the front seat and the back, and sharing my bed with a 100 lb Great Pyrenees and a serious bed-hog of a pitbull was enough to make my mind up that I needed something a little bigger My friend who runs a hiking/daytrip business has had two Delicas over the last 8 years, and having spent lots of time ripping around with her, I decided I needed the same sweet ride.
I am considering giving it a lift - no more than 2 inches - but am wondering if that could be a bad idea as it is already a little top heavy, and don't wanna almost flip going around a corner.. ? Another thing, the van came with a ladder on the back, and I have a great roof rack basket to put on, but one of the rain gutters (?) running up both sides of the van , above the doors, seems to have been partially ripped off (thinking the last owner had a roof rack of sorts and tried to remove it unsuccessfully). I believe that's the standard way people attach the roof rack to this model, as there is nothing on the roof itself that would work, so I am trying to figure out how to get around this? My boyfriend thinks the only way is to drill into the roof..

[204explorer]

Just bought my first Delica, a 1996 Space Gear Turbo Diesel, and it is everything I had hoped for - I should have got one years ago! I upgraded from a Jeep Cherokee so I would be able to stretch all the way out for a comfy sleep on camping trips with the dogs. After breaking my leg last year on a hike and going stir crazy being stuck on the couch for two months, I packed the dogs into the jeep and drove out to Port Renfrew for a night on the beach. Cramming my air cast into the little space between the front seat and the back, and sharing my bed with a 100 lb Great Pyrenees and a serious bed-hog of a pitbull was enough to make my mind up that I needed something a little bigger My friend who runs a hiking/daytrip business has had two Delicas over the last 8 years, and having spent lots of time ripping around with her, I decided I needed the same sweet ride.
I am considering giving it a lift - no more than 2 inches - but am wondering if that could be a bad idea as it is already a little top heavy, and don't wanna almost flip going around a corner.. ? Another thing, the van came with a ladder on the back, and I have a great roof rack basket to put on, but one of the rain gutters (?) running up both sides of the van , above the doors, seems to have been partially ripped off (thinking the last owner had a roof rack of sorts and tried to remove it unsuccessfully). I believe that's the standard way people attach the roof rack to this model, as there is nothing on the roof itself that would work, so I am trying to figure out how to get around this? My boyfriend thinks the only way is to drill into the roof..

First of, put that drill away and forget about that idea. I use Thule gutter mounted cross bars. I just removed them for the winter and they didnt leave a mark on the gutter or the trim pieces. I think that is the way to go. As far as the lift goes, my van rides on heavy duty coil springs in the back and the torsion bars in the front are tightened up to level the vehicle. I think thats all the lift you would ever need. I can pm you a pic of my van and how high off the ground it is if you like.

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