Factory V8 Safari ???

[AstroManiac]

First of all, sorry, no photos!
I stopped to look at a 1986 GMC Safari "for sale" yesterday & was quite surprised to find a 305 cid V8 in it. Everything looks factory & even the sticker/emissions tag looks to be correct! I looked under it & thru the open hood & I swear it came from the factory with the V8!!!
The gentleman selling it, was the nephew of the original & only owner & he said that as far as he knows it was bought new from a dealer in Los Angeles just as it sits! It also has a very HD hitch on the rear, as the nephew said they pulled a 20ft travel trailer for several years!
I drove it around town & on the freeway & it really runs great, lots of horsepower & torque! The odometer has a hair over 200,000 miles on it & the nephew said the buyer gets the complete maintenance record too! It has always been garaged & kept in excellant condition! Only $2500.00... I think I may have to go buy it today!!!
Anyone ever see one like this??? Did the factory maybe make a few???

[ihatemybike]

To my knowledge the only V8 Astros produced by the factory were test mules. The V8 was never offered to the public as an option. They are however very easy swaps and can be made to look factory rather easily.

What's the 8th digit in the VIN?

[CaptSquid]

$2500??? Man, you're a fool if you pass up that sweet deal!

[Rileysowner]

The vin would probably tell the truth of the matter.

[T.Low]

I lived in the Metro Detroit area in the '80s. My neighbor was a GM engineer and always flying out to the GM proving grounds in Phoenix and really liked it because they had a lot less GM "red tape" to deal with down there. It possibly could have been a test mule down there, then an LA dealer could have picked it up at an auto auction?

[Rileysowner]

Factory or not, if it was around here I would purchase it for that price unless there was something really big mechanically that I discovered. Event then, I would probably bargain in down unless it was a major structural issue.

[lockdoc]

We can all be pretty positive it is not a factory V8. It just never happened. Vin and pics would surely help to prove this one way or another. As for the price. $2500 for an old Astro with over 200,000 miles, regardless if it has a 305, is a lot of money. Think about it. That is 23 years old.

Would you know this was not a factory setup?

[Kidhauler]

Even if the factory stuffed a v8 in a few test vans they usually crush those cars when they are done testing. It us simply a liability factor to the company. If the engine was too much for the frame and some dumb kid wrapped it around a pole they could sue GM for making the car.

[Rebel]

Been here before haven't we ?

[mdmead]

We can all be pretty positive it is not a factory V8. It just never happened. Vin and pics would surely help to prove this one way or another. As for the price. $2500 for an old Astro with over 200,000 miles, regardless if it has a 305, is a lot of money. Think about it. That is 23 years old.

I'd take a look at the engine mounts. I'd guess a factory van would have mounts more polished than the swap mounts we buy/make.

I was kinda thinking the same thing on the price. I'm not saying this van isn't worth $2500, but I don't see it as a steal. I guess it is worth what someone is willing to pay....

[Smiliesafari]

Well, it's not beyond the relm of possibility that GM built some prototype V8 Astros. They have inhouse R&D facilities as well as out sourced custom shops. And although they do crush a lot of stuff not all of it goes away. At one time their contracted crushing facility was selling off some vehicles. They put a stop to that when they found out. However some real neat stuff was obtained by some private individuals. Putting V8's in Astros seems to me as a real viable part of the development process.

[AstroManiac]

A few days after checking out this Safari, I finally decided I wanted it & headed down to buy it! It wasn't in the driveway when I arrived, but Kevin, the nephew selling it, came out of the house & greeted me! He said another interested party had taken it to their mechanic to look it over & should be back in a short while.
After chatting with Kevin for a short while, everything about the "V8 Safari" became quite clear! His uncle was an engineer for GM at the Camaro plant in Van Nuys & just before they shut it down, he transfered to Arizona to research/developement at the proving grounds. Apparently he loved the Astro/Safari van & campaigned for a V8 option to be available. Toward the middle of the 86 production run, 6 V8 Astros & 6 V8 Safaris were built as test vehicles, 10 with the 305 cid engine & 2 with a 350 cid engine. The 8th digit on this one is a "M" which should be a 305. They were scattered thru-out the USA for testing. Kevin's uncle, Robert, got this one sent to him & after the odometer registered 100K, it was suppose to be destroyed! He managed to keep it alive & purchased it from GM. In 1990 he moved back to the LA area & managed to get it smogged & registered after a visit to the smog referee! It has to be smogged EVERY YEAR, not every other year!
It has the sticker under the hood that shows the vacuum hose routing & other info for the 305. According to the sticker in the glovebox it has 3.73 gears & a posi.
Anyway, this was all for naught, as the folks that were having it checked out by their mechanic, showed up with cash in hand!
Kevin said his uncle always told him that besides his, 2 of the 305 & 1 of the 350 vans were never destroyed & were at different locations around the country.
Though I didn't get this Safari from him, I did buy a 1974 Chevy G10 short wheelbase cargo van from him that has a factory 454 cid engine, a Turbo 400 trans & a 12 bolt rear with 3.08 gears & a posi! GM supposedly never made that either!!! Always garaged & a steal at $1500.00!!!

[T.Low]

Good stuff, thanks for the update. Howz about a pic of the G10?

[lockdoc]

You really need to carry a camera dude! Twice you saw it and no pics! No one is gonna believe you. I'd love to see the fabled factory V8 Astro. It would have really helped to see one and how they dealt with the cooling. IE radiator, shroud, etc. It's like a big tease. I say "NO PICS, DON'T POST!".

[Rebel]

I'm not saying it isn't true but find it strange they would V-8 both the Astro and Safari.