Astroracer

The Bad Ast Project - Designing and building a Pro Touring styled Astro Van

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2006-01-05
0:52

Project Background

To give some background on this project I had an '89 Astro van that I bought as a wreck/driver and fixed up. I replaced the front clip and drivers door and painted it and, with some aluminum wheels, it looked real nice. I drove it for a couple of years when the V6 died. The crankshaft broke in half! I replaced the V6 with a 350 out of a '79 pickup and drove it for a few more years until I sold it in the spring of 2003.

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2006-01-10
0:44

Finding the "right" project van...

I started this project a couple of years ago. This is something I have wanted to do for a while but didn't have the right vehicle for the project. Seeing a 1988 Astro Van for sale on my way home from work one night I decided to stop and check it out. Looking non-descript in it's biege paint and mis-matched burgundy hood I wasn't expecting much until I started to look closer.
There was ZERO rust on this van! NONE! It just so happens the van lived most of it's life in arid Arizona. This was the vehicle I needed. No rust, a fairly straight body with a clapt out interior and a 4 cyl., automatic with A/C. It ran good and still does. I will probably sell the original drivetrain when it gets pulled out. I don't expect to get much for it but it still runs good so there is no sense in junking it...

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2006-01-16
9:58

Getting Started

After I bought the van I had to get serious about what it was going to be. There are a number of Pro Street Astros out there with one very nice local example that I see a few times a year at shows. I didn't want to copy that idea so I started looking into the Pro Touring movement that was getting popular in a few of the magazines.

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