2004 Chevy Astro AWD "Astrid"

[izaicinajums]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess that's what it is. I'll do couple short rides and let it settle before doing alignment next week.

Torsion bar was bough over from states by friend. Made in Mexico... However in it was 4x cheaper in US than in Mexico (or at least Baja), isn't that funny?! Would be interesting if you can get it for a reasonable price in mainland Mexico...

P.S. Stock keys - I haven't found need for additional lift in 3 years we have owned van 2" body + torsion lift seems to be everything we need, or maybe a bit more than we need.

 

[Herbie]

It might be the "new" thing.

Which part you refer to as adjusters? .

This image is from a Silverado, but the parts are very similar The "Key" is Part #5 (Adjusting arm). The "adjusters" are part #3, which push up on the key/arm to add preload to the torsion spring. Adding preload adds lift to the front end. Backing out the screw out reduces preload and lowers the front end.

If the adjusting screw is backed out 100% and the van still sits VERY VERY high, then you might have the torsion bar off by 60° (clocked incorrectly in the hexagonal hole). If the adjusting screw is backed out 100% and the van is just "somewhat high", then it's probably just that the spring is new and it should settle in. Part of the purpose of the adjusting screw is to compensate for the spring "sagging" over time.

 

[izaicinajums]

Just wanted to provide update and answer my question:

New Torsion Bar = more lift == NO

New torsion bar has settled in place and has been torqued to the same level as the old one was before it broke. It now provides same ride height.

Got alignment checked today and there was no need to adjust it. :wings:

 

[nobodyhome]

One more thing I noticed, the new tires BFG T/A KO2, have decreased our millage from 15 to 13.5.

Yeah, that has to be a weight thing. The difference between the 215 and 225 is only 0.4", which really isn't significantly more road resistance due to increased width.

BTW- The BFG AT has been the defacto-standard in Jeeping for DECADES! I've owned many, never disappointed... ever. I went with Hankooks this round because the Bat Van is mostly street and the Hankooks were almost half as much.

 

[GuyS]

How come you positioned the fan forward instead of right on top of the level raised portion of the roof. I just received my Fantastic fan and am going to install it in the next couple of days. I have a passenger van as well. Did you position forward so you avoided the heat ducts in the rear ceiling?

 

[izaicinajums]

How come you positioned the fan forward instead of right on top of the level raised portion of the roof. I just received my Fantastic fan and am going to install it in the next couple of days. I have a passenger van as well. Did you position forward so you avoided the heat ducts in the rear ceiling?

This guy has done a great write up on how to install fantastic fan in Astro, we used it as guide and ours is installed in about the same spot: http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8310

In our case it was positioned there because we didn't have space elsewhere, it was the only place between crossbars that was available. It happened that position also made sense in terms of where vent is located for air circulation

 

[izaicinajums]

Swapped out water pump few weeks back, old one started making weird noise about 10k/6k km/mi ago:


Old vs New:


Yeah, it was time for it to go

 

[GuyS]

I eventually decided on doing my Fantastic fan install a little differently. I did a bit of a write up too for those that are interested.
http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=101306

 

[izaicinajums]

I eventually decided on doing my Fantastic fan install a little differently. I did a bit of a write up too for those that are interested.
http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=101306

Looks good! Great write up - will help somebody who wants it installed same way.

 

[izaicinajums]

I realized while ago I never posted dimensions of our bed/couch, so here you go.

Bed is 2m long (~6.7ft), because I am 1.9m (~6.2-6.3ft) and prefer a good night sleep

It consists of four portions, front is 50cm wide, front part that goes up is 60cm, Rear part that goes up is 50cm and rear that stays static is 40cm.

In pictures it looks something like this:

 

[izaicinajums]

And just to add to last post - dimensions of bed platform where chosen that way to avoid smashing window when bed coverts into couch and still have comfortable couch.

We used cardboard boxes to figure out dimensions, if we could build this anybody can, as we are very not the most skilled builders to say the least. YouTube is your friend

 

[DIRTRIDER]

And some pictures from our Adventures

Somewhere in Southern Chilcotins

Nemaiah valley, BC, Canada - super beautiful and quite remote place.

There are quite few more pictures on our Blog

Отличный проект! Очень порадовал стикер RIGA и флажок! Привет из New York`a от Санкт-Петербурга !

 

[DigitalAnthill]

Just purchased a 2001 Astro RWD. Read through this entire thread, so much good info, thanks! Your build is pretty much on point to what I want to achieve. I saw you are in Vancouver, Im up the road in Squamish. I was wondering if you know where to source some S10 leaf springs in Canada? Ive rung around without much luck. Shipping from the US is very expensive!

 

[izaicinajums]

Just purchased a 2001 Astro RWD. Read through this entire thread, so much good info, thanks! Your build is pretty much on point to what I want to achieve. I saw you are in Vancouver, Im up the road in Squamish. I was wondering if you know where to source some S10 leaf springs in Canada? Ive rung around without much luck. Shipping from the US is very expensive!

I got mine from sdtrucksprings.com - shipped them to US mailbox and drove down to pick them up. Unfortunately I didn't find many options locally.

 

[shellbell]

I realized while ago I never posted dimensions of our bed/couch, so here you go.

Bed is 2m long (~6.7ft), because I am 1.9m (~6.2-6.3ft) and prefer a good night sleep

It consists of four portions, front is 50cm wide, front part that goes up is 60cm, Rear part that goes up is 50cm and rear that stays static is 40cm.

In pictures it looks something like this:

I like your bed set up and had some questions. What supports the end of the bed when it is flat and what secures the bed in the couch position? Did you make the mattress? I see the bed is 200cm long, how wide is it? I have been trying to find video of a similar bed showing the build, but haven't had any luck. Did you design it yourself or follow someone else's directions?