What did you do to/with your van today?

justice · Post by **justice** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:35 am

on the 92, took off the American Racing wheels and reinstalled the stock wheels, cleaned out the inside, did a quick wash of the outside, took pictures and listed on Craigslist for sale.

oldsmoker · Post by **oldsmoker** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:51 am

just got done with front end overhaul....new upr and lwr ctrl arm bushes, lwr balljoints, 1 upr balljoint, new springs, upr and lwr spring insulators, new shocks...WOW what a difference....very different ride, better turning, less body roll....went with all MOOG parts....good quality parts.

I seem to have an addiction to spending money on this old van!?

next i wanna replace the old original rear fibreglass leaf springs with something good, made of metal

and std height....any ideas people?

rock on!

doyoulikeithere · Post by **doyoulikeithere** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:49 pm

Yup, Just get a steel spring pack , AND the hangers for the front of the springs, from any Post 1996 Astro/safari, and swap that into your fiberleaf van.
Simply, easy, and stock ride...

justice · Post by **justice** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:26 pm

Sold the 92.

need to update my sig and start seriously shopping for an Astro Cargo (that i can afford...)

oldsmoker · Post by **oldsmoker** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:19 pm

thanks 'doyoulikeithere'....

so i could order a set for a '97 and its gonna fit right on there with no issues?.....any variants in those spring packs that i should know about?....also, did these later vans come with an anri-roll bar as std?

I noticed too, that the body mount "doughnut" bushes were looking original and tired....finding it hard to source some....can you suggest a place to find them?

many thanks!!!

LiftedAWDAstro · Post by **LiftedAWDAstro** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:45 am

oldsmoker wrote:so i could order a set for a '97 and its gonna fit right on there with no issues?.....any variants in those spring packs that i should know about?....also, did these later vans come with an anri-roll bar as std?

You also need the front spring hangers and rear shackles to bolt up the 96+ steel leaf packs. You can buy a Hellwig anti-roll bar for the rear or find one out of an early 90's GT or RS van equipped with one.

oldsmoker wrote:I noticed too, that the body mount "doughnut" bushes were looking original and tired....finding it hard to source some....can you suggest a place to find them?

I think the only place to find them is through GM.

oldsmoker · Post by **oldsmoker** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:05 am

Many thanks chaps, appreciate it! Have a wonderful weekend.

ihatemybike · Post by **ihatemybike** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:52 pm

Local junkyard had a "free parts day" today (really all the parts you can carry in one trip out of the yard for $50 day).

Here's my haul.

I staged the core support and the front bumper near the line then went back for the rear bumper/hitch, carried balanced on my shoulders and back pack. Back at the line, I didn't need my hands on it so I was able to squat and grab the rest. I was applauded as I successfully crossed the line on my first attempt.

Priced out what was brought home, looks to be about $550 worth of stuff for $75 after I paid $25 for the labor to remove the core support.

doyoulikeithere · Post by **doyoulikeithere** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:21 pm

Nice Score 'Ihatemybke' !!

What are you going to do with the core support?This should keep you busy for a while.

Today, I took an S10 truck shift lever, and I cut the threaded top off it. (This is the piece that the chrome lever threads down onto inside the boot)
Then I cut about a 4 inch length of half inch re-bar, and welded it to the lever, and a bit of an angle, then I welded the original threaded top back on.
Basically, that made the shift lever a bit longer, and tipped towards the driver's seat.

I did this because I used an S10 T5 transmission case, and I did not use the Astro 5 speed shift lever offset device.

So I needed to put the shift handle in a comfy spot. feels good now.

ihatemybike · Post by **ihatemybike** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:37 pm

Grumpy needs a new core support. Rust has the current one in a bad way. The front body mounts have pushed all the way into it. Figure I should get this done before I try installing the lift kit.

doyoulikeithere · Post by **doyoulikeithere** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:05 pm

I see. My first thought was a Gen II nose swap, but when I looked at your list your all GenII already, So....

doyoulikeithere · Post by **doyoulikeithere** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:07 pm

Today I finally pulled off the running boards, and bled the clutch and drove it back and forth for its first time!! WooHoo!!

Great A'Tuin · Post by **Great A'Tuin** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:35 pm

I installed a trans cooler and replaced my worn out idler arms while I had the front end torn apart.

Post by **MountainManJoe** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:31 pm

I did some spring cleaning:
- rented carpet extractor and went to town.
- wiped down all the surfaces that were caked with dust from 1000's of km on gravel roads last summer. I removed some of the trim pieces to get inside too.
Smells nice and fresh inside now! $\:D/$

I also replaced the wire on driver seat adjuster, and I went to a junkyard to look for an armrest, but without any luck.

loopie · Post by **loopie** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:50 pm

front lift is in...rear tomorrow...FINALLY

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