Chevy & GMC Vans

Well some of you know about the RS we grabbed 10 mins before it was headed
for the crusher,that was about a year ago or so.It sat for a while then Stephanie
began prep for removal of the baked 6.I helped her here & there & supervised
but she wanted to do most of the work that she can handle on her own.
She seperated the trans from the 6,then pulled the 6 out & mated it to a rolling
engine stand.Thats about how far it has progressed.Her schedule lately has been
hectic therefore not permitting much time to move foreward with the van.
The 8 in my van still required removal (to be placed into the RS) & Steph moaned
& groaned about it, "I gotta get the engine out....I gotta get the engine out".
So while she was at work on her birthday (oct /09) I pulled the engine out of my van
as a small gifty & to take the edge off of her mind.She arrived home & there it was,
her engine that she wanted for her RS,installed on a KMS tools roller cart I bought
for it.So the engine sat again for a bit wrapped up under a tarp in a dry area until
the beginning of Jan/2010.The goal was to get the engine in the workshop to
clean up/Paint,etc.So one quick call to Kidhauler & he shows up 1 hour later
& were moving the engine into the shop down a flight of stairs using a ramp I
made & some chains & a comealong & a garden tractor.That went smooth
as butter & now it's in the shop.To say the least by doing that it sent a boost
to Steph to work on it.So far she's removed the waterpump,accessory brackets,
Intake manifold,Dizzy,Crank serp pulley.She has now degreased most of it off
& will be sanding/scuffing,prepping for paint.I'll post up pics she/we go along,
although be forewarned she's taking her time to learn & pick away at it as time
permits.There's a pic of me thrown in there port matching a edelbrock 3704.

Awesome Steph!
I look forward to watching your progress! No matter how long it takes! I know alot of us can appreciate how it is to find/make the time.There truly aren't enough hours in a day it seems for sure! Good Luck!
Props to Reaper & Kidhauler too!

Awesome!

You go Girl! all the sudden I'm feeling all emasculated and such....dang 4.3 just won't quit

+1 for the You Go Gurl comment.

kings-x59 wrote:dang 4.3 just won't quit

i was thinking the same thing last week lol

all these V8 projects make me jealous

[/quote]

Nice job on the porting Sanj, been there done that and it takes HOURS of work, I can completely relate.

The power increase from porting my stock heads and Edelbrock intake and FI , kicks you in the ass.

Torque is Fun, because thats what get your van moving to begin with....

Awesome! Great to hear.

Thanks! I plan on Making this RS into a real nice hot rod, but I also plan on using this van as a learning experience. When the RS van is on the road, I can then us it as a daily driver for the time while I re-build my 1993 Astro engine before it blows. My 93 astro means the world to me so I would rather learn and make errors on the RS then my baby. If it wasn't for Sanja I would not have been able to make my dreams into a reality

Having seen the RS is should be a cool van when it is done. It's going to take a lot of work to get it how Steph wants it I'm sure but knowing Steph and her attention to detail it will look great when she gets it done. We should have taken a pic of sliding the engine down the stairs. Maybe on the way back out I am sure that will be good for a laugh.

It's good to take your time. My first rebuild I was 14 knew everything had to have it done yesterday, needed machine work done and couldnt wait. O an this was all during the week of Christmas and New Years. Paid out the butt the to get everything done QUICK, slapped it together in one night, installed it in my Firebird the next morning, and locked it up that afternoon breaking it in...... Dad helped me pull it back apart and had SO many things I hadn't done I had to have the block remachined<shakes my head just thinking about it> Yeah learned ALOT on that rebuild, main thing is TAKE YOUR TIME and do it right the first time. =) So Congrats to you for not haveing to learn that the hard way like my <smart/dumb> butt had to LOL.

So me and Sanja finaly got a chance to open up the V6 engine that came out of the RS. We could tell right away that the van was not taken care of and thats why the engine blew. The oil was black as night (probly never had an oil change in years) because of that we saw tons of build up, slug, chuncks, it was like a car reck. The motor had gotten too hot at one time. We took the cam out to take a look, and it's in good shape thank god... Cause thats the part I'm interested in. I'm planning on putting that part in my 93's engine. This engine is a good example of why I feel so strongy on oil changing and regular tune-ups. If I ever meet the person who owned the van before me, I'd rub his nose in the oil and grease... no thats to nice; I'd shove the drive shaft up his butt and make him walk home.... But then again if it wasn't for the owner being so neglectful on the van, I would not have ever had a chance to own an RS Astro. As rare as the RS's are to find, it is even more rare to find one for sale around hear.

Aw now Steph, you're amongst friends. Don't sugar coat it, tell us how you really feel...

kings-x59 wrote:Aw now Steph, you're amongst friends. Don't sugar coat it, tell us how you really feel...

You shoulda heard her when my 90 CL was towed out of here

You were dumb enough to have a van towed while she was home!!! Have I taught you nothing over the years! Do that when she is at work that way its a clean break.

For those of you who don't know Steph she is the kind of vanner that you would feel bad showing up at her house with your van dirty and yes I have stopped on the way to her house and washed my van before showing up.