Yes, it is the height that I need to be concerned about. Weight is also going to be an issue as well. The 4bta is heavier even than the v8 350 - I think by more than 100 pounds, and then there is the added weight of a heavy duty radiator, second battery, etc. The overdrive would be awesome but at ab...

Well...for posterior's sake...I should say that I appreciate all of - well almost all of ;) - your comments. I understand the idea about cutting and welding but I do not have these skills. If I make a mistake trying there there is no amount of duct tape that is going to help me. I think I will go ba...

As for your comments Peter, I probably shouldn't be speaking for the person you are talking about, but I woud guess he would ask you to kiss his posterior..... But I'm just guessing..... [/quote]

Diplomatic...I vote for mdmead for secretary of state. Who will second it?

How much will gas mileage suffer? 10%?

Man, Peng you have got the astrosafari crak addiction bad, you have been all over this board. Welcome! Rock On! :guitar: Well, I have about 2.5 years to get this done. After I get my masters degree I will go back to China and will be working in orphanages doing training. I will come home every two ...

I just went to the local U-pull it to see what they had in the way of Astro parts. I noticed that they had a number of van conversions that had the fiberglass high tops. The price on them? $50 but would probably take half a days later to get it off the van. The yard people said that sometimes they g...

1. Has anyone ever done a detailed measurement/sketch of the engine compartment of the astro to be used to determine whether a 4bt or other diesel would fit? What would be ideal is if someone had a cad drawing of the engine compartment. Measurements would be OK though :) 2. Someone has mentioned tha...

My friend just gave me a pair of fog lights. I want to install them but I live in an area that is...well, I am concerned that they will be stolen of the van. I know I will loose some of the effectiveness of the lights but what would happen if I installed them behind the radiator grill?

I initially got the van to putz around town. Now that I have wheels and a mobile I am feeling the need to go farther. I want to go to British Columbia 2 days after thanksgiving, about a 450 mile trip one way. It is relatively flat. Would you trust driving my van?

I have seen some cans of a substance that is supposed to be added to the crankcase right before an oil change and run for a hundred miles or so to clean out the inside of the engine.

What do you think of these things? Is it possible they could do some damage?

My van is running pretty well...but I was wondering if changing the water pump and alternator might be a good preventative maintenance step - change it before it breaks down on the road? I am going to do a thorough tune-up - plugs, wires, rotor cap, carb adjustments....as well as a major round of fl...

Yes cheap....cheap...cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap...just call me chicken little :) I bought some liquid wrench and doused the latch...it is working much better now. I will douse it again tomorrow...and then put some grease on it. I have noticed that when I close the sliding door I cannot get it starte...

I am sure this is wishful thinking...but if I have to replace my transmission is there a different transmission that I can hook up with the v6 that would work with a cummins 4bt or other diesel? Preferably a 5 speed auto or manual.

Thanks! If I ever have to do the front brakes - with the disks - is there an upgrade I can do there also?

Thanks for all your input.

My van needs a tune up very badly. The spark plug wires look like the originals so I am wondering what all the other stuff is going to be like. Can you make any suggestions about the following parts - perhaps options that will provide a little better fuel economy or some other benefit? Spark plugs: ...