Veteran Astro owner

[portajon]

Hello everyone, I am a long time Astro / Safari owner, having owned three Astros and one Safari over 15 years or so. A '95 Safari, then a '98 Astro and at the same time a '99 Conversion Astro and now a '96 Astro. I thought I had seen and done just about everything under the sun with these vans, the Vortec 4.3 and the 4L60E tranny.... but I have an issue on the "new" '96 van that I am not so sure about. Will try to find the right forum and see if any of you folks can tell me what is going on.

Thanks in advance.

[doyoulikeithere]

Welcome aboard !

[Wiley]

Sorry bro, we don't fix anything until there are pics!!

[portajon]

Alright Wiley.... I will sift through the pics and see if I can post up the family ..... I am not sure if I have any pics of the 95 Safari... maybe... it has been gone for a quite few years.... but pretty sure I have pics of the rest.

I haven't tricked out any of these vans or anything.... the thing I usually do as far as modifications, is an auxillary transmission cooler. I learned that on the 95 Safari. I spent a a decade on the road as a folk musician and I towed a little sleeper. I found out that these vans are great for towing so long as you install an aux cooler. I go to the junk yard and pull a factory cooler and stick it on mine and tow away.

pics to come.

[Stroverlander]

Yes, welcome!

[portajon]

Ok. I managed to find pics of all my Astro vans, even found a couple of the '95 Safari.


Outside the Barking Spider Tavern in Cleveland. The trailer beside the van is the one I towed around the country. It eventually killed the transmission in that Safari in Birmingham, Alabama. She went to a salvage yard there for $250. That's when I learned about installing an aux tranny cooler if you are going to be doing a lot of towing.


This pic just before I sold the '98. Worn out by this time. But this is the van that really sold me on Astro vans forever. I drove to Florida to get this van for $1,500. It was almost like new when I got it, long story behind the deal, but the best $1,500 auto I suppose I will ever buy. Immediately installed a factory transmission cooler off a scrap yard Silverado with towing package installed. This van had 119,000 on it when I got it and 329,000 and still running when I sold it. I toured the country with this van, towing that trailer for five years or so. Hauled firewood, boats, other cars.... that was a dam good van. A young guy, like 20 years old, who had already learned the value of a Vortec 4.3 from an S - 10 he had as his first truck, bought this van for $1,100.


This is the conversion van. I just ran across it one day and had the money to get it, so I did. The hispanic guy that sold it to me told me at one point said "yeah, all the lights work". So I said "great, don't need to get pulled over for a bad turn signal" and he said "no... all the lights work.." as he reached over and flipped on the switch for the mood lights in the back of the van.


Finally, this is the '96 model I bought this past spring. I like this one about as much as the '98 model. Great shape inside and out, just need to figure out the distributor cap problem.


So that's the family, those still with us and those that have gone!

[Wiley]

Now that is a family. Thanks for the pics!