Not so Newbie

[astrozam]

Nice to hear from one of the pioneer's in the Lifted astro/safari movement, you've certainly helped influence alot of members, keep us updated on your latest project

[mdmead]

Welcome back! Glad you found the core group at this site.

[WVKayaker]

Nice to hear from one of the pioneer's in the Lifted astro/safari movement, you've certainly helped influence alot of members, keep us updated on your latest project

What he said!

[Smiliesafari]

HI Steve. I don't remember you from the old site. But what do you expect........I'm older than Larry. Your vans look great. Kudos to you for your work.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Welcome back Steve! Glad to see you still have the love for the Astro and Safari vans. I sold the SPB to Lockdoc last summer and have since made an agreement to pick up another AWD Safari in the spring. We just can't keep away from them for long. I can't wait to see the finished 98 AWD. Don't be a stranger around here.

[peter]

Nice to hear from you again, Steve!

[crash]

welcome back Steve...

just curious.. how does that work, first response? .. that mean you are a private business that responds to emergency scenes .. or is it in conjunction with fire/ambulance?

I am a firefighter/medical first responder that is on call 24/7. When something goes down I volunteer to drop everything and respond either direct to the incident or to the station to grab a fire/rescue truck depending on the nature of the call and location. I receive some compensation from the township for the actual time on a response or for the hours spent maintaining the trucks and equipment but your typical kid flipping burgers makes more in a month than I do. I do it because I love it. That is what this van is all about. To make me better at what i do so I can help more people.

that's pretty cool.. kudos to you, didn't know there was such a thing.

i would totally agree, ALL of your previous vans have been awesome looking. can't wait to track the progress in pics on the site

and btw.. i'm workin on those fender pieces as we speak lol

[FireVan]

Thanx guys. Good to be back here.

Update: I put the Baja rims & 31x10.50 Mickeys on it today. It is finally looking like something I want to be seen in. I had to do the standard trimming to the inner rear edge of the front wheel well to clear the tires when turned. I removed the bumper cover instead of trimming it. Having that off will also help encourage me to get the HD bumper built and installed. Forgot the camera today. Try to get some pics soon.

[crash]

ugh.. astro crack!! the more i look at the white 96 sitting on the sand, the more i want a lifted van .. LOL

regardless of MY issues... don't think you actually mentioned it, what does the lift on the 98 measure in at?

[FireVan]

The '96 2wd has the original 8" kit on it that I designed for OV just before Dan took over the biz. In front it uses the 2" subframe drop + 4" lift spindles + 3" lift coils. In back it has 2" shackles + 4" springs + 2" pinion correcting axle blocks + 1" front hanger. The lift yeilded about 9". It sits on 245/75R16 All-Terrains on 16x8 wheels. That tire is about 31" so that gave it another 1.5" of height. Overall it sits about 10.5" taller than a stock one.


Is it scarry to drive? Nope. I have run code (lights, sirens, fast) with it dozens of times and push it through the twisty forest roads like it's a sports car. I've even drifted it around some of the hairpins. It has never felt unstable to me except one time when I blew out a side wall on a front tire at about 65 mph. That was a rush. It also two-tracks well and does awesome in the dunes. The ground clearance under the crossmembers is almost 8.5" better than stock. The rockers have 10.5" more clearance. I have cleared obsticals with it that left lower 4x4s high centered.

One time after a storm that left several poplar trees fallen across a road I saw cars and trucks stopped or turning around because they couldn't get through I just drove slowly over the trunks one right after the other. Another time the road was flooded with about 3' of water over it. Again no one wanted to attempt it. I just drove slowly through it letting the height work for me. I have actually forded water crossings over 4' deep. (OEM airbox replaced with a cone shaped K&N)

[astrozam]

I have always disagreed with the notion that it is useless to lift a RWD, this just reaffirms why it is NOT a bad idea at all.

[T.Low]

ugh.. astro crack!! the more i look at the white 96 sitting on the sand, the more i want a lifted van .. LOL

regardless of MY issues... don't think you actually mentioned it, what does the lift on the 98 measure in at?

$2750 seems pretty cheap for that much Astrocrack. I should know, I spent a lot more than that on (Astro)crack! That is one sweet looking ride.

[T.Low]

I have always disagreed with the notion that it is useless to lift a RWD, this just reaffirms why it is NOT a bad idea at all.

Can you say "Pre-Runner"? YEah, no doubt, 2x's have their place for sure. Isn't the mad scientist's whats his name, with the sweet looking 6" lifted white cargo, a 2x also?

[FireVan]

$2750 seems pretty cheap for that much Astrocrack. I should know, I spent a lot more than that on (Astro)crack! That is one sweet looking ride.

It is cheap for that van and I really wish I could keep it. I need funds to complete the FireVan and the economy sucks so I was trying to make it affordable and yet get what I need to outfit the red one with new lights, siren and communication console. The economy here in west Michigan is really bad so my son took it out to Denver and is going to sell it for me there. I'm sure it will sell fast once he puts a sign on it. I'll miss that van but I think the red one will make me happy.

[WVKayaker]

That van is awesome! Never knew a 2x4 could perform so well! If it was close by I'd buy it and sell my AWD...