2000 Astro AWD
The Astro Van is not typically an interesting project but getting to know this platform has changed my mind on them completely.
A friend came to me asking about a Vanagon camper; he and his wife want to travel the Southwest and thought a Vanagon camper would be a good option. I had to be brutally honest and tell him that, in my experience, while they are iconic, they are simply not a good choice. The motors are small and can't really withstand the load of a camper van driving cross-country; only the Syncro is AWD, and they are weak and nearly impossible to get parts for, and creating a Frankenstein project with another motor just adds to the issues and makes it even harder to locate a mechanic.
I had recently gone through this exercise looking for a travel truck, and after considering importing a Defender, building a 4x4 NPR or using a Mercedes truck chassis, I finally settled on a Chevrolet Suburban. They are easy to find, parts are available anywhere in this hemisphere; entire motors can be found cheaply, and the GMT800 platform shares components with the Suburban, Yukon XL, Escalade, Tahoe, Avalanche, Silverado, and Sierra.
Looking around everywhere, I finally settled on the second-generation Astro vans produced between 1995 and 2005. The GMT400 platform shares components with the Safari, Jimmy, Blazer, Sonoma, S-10, and the full-size vans and trucks. This makes parts easy to find and inexpensive. They have a 4.3-liter Vortec V6 producing about 195 horsepower, and being AWD it still manages to pull out 14-17 highway and 10-14 city, which is considerably better than a 2WD Vanagon.
On this particular van I wanted a multi-use plan: I want to be able to have the three rows of seats for carrying people, I want to be able to take all the seats out and have an open van for carrying cargo, and I want a camper for taking trips. The Astro makes the first two portions simple since the seats clip into the floor and can be easily unclipped and removed from the van. I keep several 4' x 8 ' sheets of 4mm corrugated polypropylene - like sign material- that I put down to cover the floor and sides when hauling material or on dump runs. These protect the interior.
For the camping interior, I built an 8" high box for the rear with two drawers that take up the space behind the middle seat, about 54" front to back. The drawers carry camping gear and on top of the box is stored a tri-fold full mattress, abd bags and boxes for bedding, clothing, food, etc.
When we make camp the middle seat can be removed and placed against the van under the awning for seating and the mattress folded out for a bed, or left folded up to sit on. It's a flexible arrangement that allows us to sit in the van out of the weather, to sleep comfortably and even to make food inside the van if we get trapped in poor weather.
There is a diesel powered heater in the rear passenger side compartment that normally houses the jack, the 2.5 gallon fuel tank is inside the drivers side rear door. This heater will keep the interior of the van at 72F for about 3 days if run full time or about 5 or 6 nights even in winter.
LIft
The stock Astro van is normal van height, and this is not optimal for camping. The aluminum oil pan is the lowest point in the center, and even mildly overgrown roads or gravel roads with stones are nerve-racking. The easy solution is a slight lift, I decided to go with 3" lift from Journey's Off Road, 3" which will give me enough lift for most of the roads I am interested in without adversely affecting the handling.
Tires
The early vans 1995-2002 have 15" wheels, and I wanted a tire that would provide some off-road traction without costing me half my mileage, and I settled on the 235/75R15 tires, which are about a 29" tire, two inches larger than the factory (215/75 R15) 27.7" tire, but not so large that they cost me power or mileage.
The larger the tire, the lower the MPG, and there is a point of diminishing returns: adding 2" in tire size only adds 1" in ride height, but beyond 29", MPG really starts to drop.
The center bore of the 1995-2002 Astro van wheels is 78.3 mm; the bolt pattern is (5x127mm), 5 on 5", with an offset between 8- 15 mm. Later vans 2003-2005 have 16" wheels and a bolt pattern of 6 x 5.5" (6 x 139.7) and the 2003-2005 came equipped with rear disc brakes, rather than the 1995-2002 which had rear drums.
4x4
The Astro uses the NV136 transfer case that relies on an electronically controlled clutch system; this system is failure-prone and does not provide 4x4. It looks at the wheel speeds and tries to decide whether it should send some power to the front wheels or not. This is not a very good system and creates a jerky, experience during traction loss. The solution is to use the Journey's Off Road kit to install a manual NP233C transfer case from the 90s to 2000s Chevy, GMC, Dodge, and Jeep products.
This involves changing the transfer case, installing a manula shifter and loinkage and modifying the electronic controls. This enables manual selection between 2WD High, 4WD Low, and 4WD High, transferring drive power to the rear wheels in 2WD and to both front and rear in 4WD Low or High, granting constant traction.
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Certification Name
This is the space to showcase your professional credentials and show your expertise and industry standing. Display relevant certifications that demonstrate your commitment to excellence and continued learning.
Certification Name
This is the space to showcase your professional credentials and show your expertise and industry standing. Display relevant certifications that demonstrate your commitment to excellence and continued learning.