Chevy & GMC Vans

Someone wrote:The 2.7 looks like it would fit in an astro with no problems. The engine went out to get the bottom end redone yesterday, but I will get some dimensions when it comes back... as cool as an astro with a sprinter motor would be, why not just buy a sprinter? they are designed to be very easy to work on and are reliable... but the shortys are hard to come by.

The engine and drivetrain on mine does NOT look easy to work on. Although the rest of the truck does.
Like said, they are way bigger than an Astro. They are bigger than full size vans. Get a full size van. They are MUCH cheaper than a Sprinter.

I'm not to thrilled with the look of hi top anything but in this case it is perfect for a work truck where I stand inside it a lot.

If I took 18 seconds to get to 60mph I would probably get some great mileage too. Then again I would probably pulled over for blocking traffic. Even my dads old VW rabbit diesel with 300,000 km on it would smoke the doors off that slug.

Yeah, but I'm sure the same engine in an Astro'd get the 0-60 times down to a stellar 12-14 seconds. Not that that's anything to brag about......

I still think 'lectric's the way to go, 'specially for us out here in Quebec where electricity's cheaper than air That or hydrogen

I'm pretty sure that 18 second deal is wrong. I've never had any problems pulling into traffic. I'll have to check it out. I'm betting that last bit getting to 60 would bring the #'s down. But comparing it to a Rabbit? C'mon. You can fit like six of them inside. You could pedal it to 60 in 18 seconds.

I'm not comparing size just power. The VW was a slow car but it would kill a sprinter van in a drag.

Just to set the record straight. I did some 0-60 runs with my van today. Mind you it was based on 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi, etc. but I was doing it in 9-10 seconds. 0-40 was 5 seconds. Pretty respectable if you ask me. I don't know where this 18 sec crap came from. Maybe if the turbo wasn't working.

Again, comparing a Rabbit to a full size truck is just silly. I don't care what you say. But if you must, the Sprinter is at least five times bigger than a Rabbit. Yet the Sprinter engine is only double the size. 1.5L compared to a 3.0L. So using your logic the Rabbit should run circles around a Sprinter. But the Rabbit doesn't even come close.

One of my obsessions with changing/upgrading the engine in a stro is that an astro is the cheapest awd van you can find - mind you, I don't consider the caravan, or windstar, etc a van but a glorified station wagon. It looks like I will be leaving this country for a couple of years but when I return - even before I return - I plan on picking up an awd astro to begin working on. Full size vans that are 4wd cost lots of $$$$. I am guessing that an awd astro with a 2.7 diesel in it is going to get at least 24 or 25 cruising on the highway. Added to my obsession is the desire to top off with veggie oil, or some such nonsense. I don't want to get into political chats now (well, to be honest, that is a lie) but I am guessing that gas is going to hit $4 before much longer.

I still mantain that for bang for your buck you can not beat a 3.0L mercedes 5cyl from an older 300d for the money.... if you search you can pick up a good runner for cheap and they are super reliable... the 20 year old motor has no problem turning the 38" swampers on my toyota and still averages 18mpg. It would easily pull 20-25mpg in an astro... and with straight exhaust the turbo sounds bad ass... If I come across another one I just might have to try it.

That is a good idea also! I have heard really good things about the 5banger Mercedes. I live in Portland, Oregon now and, in order to get the vehicle to pass smog with the diesel would probably have to find a '96 or newer setup. I asked the smog folks a general question and their answer was: if the new engine is the same (or newer) year as the original they will PROBABLY certify it.

Do you have the dimensions for the MB 5 banger? I am guessing that it is longer than the 4.3 V6 but thinner. Will it fit under the hood of the Astro? I believe it is not a very tall engine. Some diesels might be too tall because of the injection mechanism and the turbo. That might be an issue with the Cummins 4BT

The MB engine will be smooth at idle, a problem that the 4BT had. Can you put dual turbos on the MB?

1. The Sprinter IS a commercial vehicle, a CUV, to be precise. It's available as a cab only, a dumper, a cargo and a passenger vehicle. The wheelbases available used to be 2 metre, 3 metre, and 4 metre. The 2 metre was dropped. The vans come in two heights. The tall height I can stand up inside.

2. The body is made in Germany and assembled in South Carolina for Mercedes, Freightliner and (ugh) Dodge.

3. You CAN get it in a camper version. Go to http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/ger ... iants.html.

4. The Tall version looks better in the 4 metre wheelbase, and, as a passenger van, can seat 12 comfortably.

I think the 18 second number was a Sprinter loaded to max GVWR. Seems familiar.

I once drove a 1986 F-350 that had a 300 6 cylinder and a C6 automatic. It had a big utility body. For unknown reasons, I ran it down the strip when I was working up by Norwalk, OH. It ran 24 seconds at 60 mph in the 1/4 mile, and ran it every time. If I could cut a light, I could have cleaned up the bracket.

Finally got the sprinter motor back from the engine shop...

It measures roughly 30" fan to bellhousing, 28"wide and 30" tall... almost identical dimensions to the 300D motor I used in my toyota. with the trans add another 25" off the back.

I have not really measured under the hood of he astro, but myguess is I could make it fit, so somebody drop off your astro here and $5000 and pick it up in a couple of weeks...




sorry it was a little smokey when I took the pics, there is a custom winch bumper being welded up beside it..

If I had an Astro or Safari kicking around and the money I would send it over. I don't have either right now except my DD which I don't want off the road that long.

Give me three years, when it's my turn to have a vehicle with payments again. Do want.

What kind of tranny is that? and what are the specs on the engine? torque, etc? It looks a lot like a MB diesel...well, technically speaking, I think it is an MB diesel

Are there "toys" that can be purchased to make this little trooper get up and go? mount another turbo on it? That would be the advantage of using something like a 4BT, whether it is cummins or another brand. Lots of bolt on stuff to make it faster, which usually improves MPG (to a point).