long vs. short...anybody have input on this ?

I have owned a couple shortys and am thinkin about gettin into into a longer 68-69 108 style for a little more room  .... is the main difference just the turning radius? I have never driven the 108..   anybody have or had them both ? what was your experience? anything you liked or disliked more about the 108's ?

Nobody ? anybody ? somebody ?

I have always had Shorties but when I was searching, I asked Gman if he liked his 108 and he said it was a smoother ride and he enjoyed that very much. It's all a matter of what the individual prefers and making a decision that will make you happy. So, if you like the additional space and enjoy a smoother ride, Go for it! If it's Vintage, it's All Good!!!

My first early van was a 108 and it might've been smoother but I wouldn't get past the looks. The short wheelbase just looked so much better to me. I sold it and got my first 90" wheelbase Early and haven't owned anything longer since.

108 guys say it handles better on the highway. My brief experience with a 108" didn't seem to make that much difference in handling.

In my opinion, the short 90" vans look better. The classic 'custom van' has been, and always will be, a shorty.  But the tradeoff is for a little awkward lookingness, you can fit more stuff in a 108".  Its a personal preference.

I agree with KK on sex appeal.  The longer wheelbase 108" window vans have a good look to me vs. the 108" panel vans if one is going to own the longer version.  The windows break it up and help lessen the length for me.

I am glad I went with short wheelbase.  When my van was running, I found myself taking out more than a few curbs while taking a quick corner, and would think a 108" would be more prone to doing that.

I am a shorty kinda guy on the vans ,but the 108s would have an appeal if you were going for more space for a cool interior and personally I think the longer ones beg to be lowered a little bit for a better look.

Digz wrote:I am a shorty kinda guy on the vans ,but the 108s would have an appeal if you were going for more space for a cool interior and personally I think the longer ones beg to be lowered a little bit for a better look.

Haven't driven a 108, although I have noticed a few differences.

The extra 18" makes it so that if you ever need to say, get drywall, 4' x 8' panels will fit like a glove and they will lay flat in the cargo area with doors closed. There will be about 1/4" to the wheel wells, and 1" to the dog house. =D

On the mechanics side they almost always have a telescoping prop-shaft, and of course the hand-break cables are longer.
Most also have 5 lug axles, they sport the same pattern as the 90"s. Occasionally you may bump into a 5 lug / 12 bolt rear. Those have same pinion shaft diameter as our 10 lugs, larger ring gear, and IIRC a 30 spline half-shafts. For our purposes, it's more of a footnote than anything, although RPO's and LSD's are a hint cheaper.

If you do find a 6 lug, those are 6 x 5 1/2" pattern and rock 15" rims. I'd advise max tire size is 215/75R15, 235/75R15 would be a tad close for comfort. The upside is that drums are considerably larger for better braking, and the front axle is quite a bit thicker. Downside is from what I've seen, you cannot find replacement front drums. Also, if you wanna stick with the factory 1 3/16" wheel cylinders, you'd have to rebuild them as we have no direct replacement.
I have seen a thread with 2nd gen Corvette guys fitting I-H wheel cylinders by cutting off some of the backing plate wheel cylinder piston-stops, didn't attempt it.

Everything else is the same from what I've noticed.

I too think shorties look a bit better, especially with a big/small tire combo and a bit of slant towards the front. 108s look better (to me) with equal size tires and leveled out or just a tiny bit of drop in the front.
I kinda wish I had a panel for the mural space, but I really like the lack of blind spots in my 108 window van, and the windows seem to cut down on the rape van jokes. (I wish that weren't a factor)