how many members with 80's Vans still on the road?

[VanGeorge]

1987 Shorty Cargo. I ordered it new and around 1991 I had two small windows put on each side and have regretted it ever since. I had the engine rebuilt near 90,000 miles due to someone letting the oil out of the engine (as was also done to a JD lawn and garden tractor of mine at the same time). I sold the van about 1997 (another regret) and it took me five years to get it back. The owners neglected and abused it inside and out but the body is still in real good condition. I drive it several times a week and it's on another rebuilt 4.3 engine now. Total body mileage is near 225,000 and aside for some annoying squeaks I trust it enough to drive to California and back.

[batmo]

bump..

any more Old School vans? surely there more than one '85 out there still?

was the switch from carburetor to TBI mid year or did it change from '85 to '86? whats the chances of finding a carburetor manifold for the 4.3 and are/were aftermarket alloy intakes available?

1Gary hows your '85 progressing?


thanks

[rlsllc]

I'm working on getting my 1989 back on the road. It isn't rusty, and will have a 1991 AWD subframe, TPI 350, SM465 4-speed, NP241 T-case, front end disconnect, G80 rear and 3.73 gears. It will be a daily driver, but not in the salt. That's what beaters are for.

On a side note, my current DD is a 1981 Monte Carlo, with a dog 3.8 and AM radio. I do park it when the weather is nice and ride the V-Star.

[justice]

my 87 is still going..new tranny @ 165k but original engine and getting great mileage.

[Lumpy]

89 Astroid with 282k miles is still on the road. And lots of times OFF road! New crate engine about 10k ago. New differential just a couple months ago. Battery, couple of interior lamps, tires. Other than that, it's running on what I think are all the original parts, I'm not the orig owner. In the plans? RR the pilot shaft seal (trans fluid leak), prolly RR the U-joints and the trans fluid/filter while I'm there, fuel pump/sender (just because it's time, fuel gauge is a quarter tank off), see if I can find a pesky RFI gremlin causing interference in nearby radios. Overland lift goes in when it gets here, AND if the temps stay in the "workable" range. Once it reaches 110 degrees, working outside, and particularly working with metal objects that sit in the sun (don't pick up that wrench!) is out of the question. Have to wait till fall for that. Fall in Phoenix is a 45 minute period between "blistering heat" and "bitter desert cold at night".

It's got a bed, radios that can communicate with anywhere in the world and it makes people go "COOL!" when they see it.

Oh...And I've painted it. And added a few antennas...



Lumpy

[batmo]

good luck with the '89 rlsllc! sounds like its gonna be sweet.

Justice Ive got more than double those miles so you should be good for a long time with routine maintenance.

hey Lumpy! Im diggin' that cammo job! first one Ive seen on an safastro.

got any more pics of it? and what kind of batteries do you have on that rig?

[Moreforles]

the rear end from my 88 is in my 98 safari, parked on the street until I empty it and pull a bunch of new parts off it for my 2000 Astro, but I don't think that counts.

[Lumpy]

...hey Lumpy! Im diggin' that cammo job! first one Ive seen on an safastro.

got any more pics of it? and what kind of batteries do you have on that rig?

Thanks! There's a bit of a write up in the "Members Vans Photos" section.

No special batteries, just the single, stock-like, break your knuckles to reach the negative terminal thing. I did do the "big three" wiring update. Big difference in light brightness, start quicker, runs at a half a volt higher than it did before the wiring upgrade.

Just finished (an hour ago) an overland 2 inch lift front and rear. Write up on that as soon as I can take some pics of the finished product.


Lumpy

Did you do a lot of those Emergency Broadcast Warnings?
Yes. Had it been an actual emergency I would have hid.

http://www.LumpyMusic.com

[capulet_x]

Lumpy,
What exactly if the "big three" wiring upgrade that you referred to?

btw, I have an '87 5-speed Astro.

[Lumpy]

Lumpy,
What exactly if the "big three" wiring upgrade that you referred to?...

Here's some links -
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=36

and

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/for ... 6&KW=big+3

It's essentially improving the current carrying capacity of your
electrical system between battery, alt and ground.

Very noticible improvement in my 89.


Lump

[capulet_x]

Thanks for the tip, Lumpy!
By the way I really dig your van. It looks totally "zombie-proof" and ready for the apocalypse :-)

Maybe you've done so already... but if not here are some links to add a bit of night vision capability should you be looking to do a relatively inexpensive mod...

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-LEDs-850nm-Infra ... 457wt_1055

http://cgi.ebay.com/30-IR-Infrared-LED- ... 926wt_1055

http://cgi.ebay.com/PC-VGA-AV-TV-RCA-vi ... 840wt_1055

http://cgi.ebay.com/Earth-LCD-SingleSca ... 782wt_1055


Thanks again.