Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

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This post will get you all up to date as of yesterday.
Did some much needed cleaning during the week. It's hard to believe how many c-clamps and vice grips we used doing the engine cover rebuild. I am back to working 56 hrs so I don't get much time in the shop during the week. I'll do a little bit of work but most of the fab time will be on the weekends.
We got the rear wheel wells trimmed and cleaned up today and we also cut out the old rear rails.
Because I am re-using the old wells we needed to square up the cuts I made when I removed them. We squared them up on the table and used my height gauge, with a marker hose clamped to it, to mark a line around them. Worked nice.
http://images51.fotki.com/v628/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
The wells all marked up and ready to trim.
http://images61.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
After an hour or so of cutting, grinding and sanding we have some cleaned up wheel wells.
http://images44.fotki.com/v301/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
The pass. side clamped into it's approximate position. This is just a look see. You can see the original rail still occupying space under it.
http://images61.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
Mel starting the first cut on the rear rails. These are welded into the unibody of the van.
http://images57.fotki.com/v300/photo...MVC015F-vi.jpg
After removing both rails there is a lot of room in there for tires.
http://images12.fotki.com/v20/photos...MVC016F-vi.jpg
http://images56.fotki.com/v362/photo...MVC018F-vi.jpg
http://images60.fotki.com/v778/photo...MVC023F-vi.jpg
Did a little mocking up with the rear tires. Looks sweet doesn't it.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1524/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
Lots of room for tire here.
http://images12.fotki.com/v335/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
This week I am going to work on getting the tire mocked up correctly and possibly cutting some tin for the wheel well extensions.
Thanks for looking
Mark

Lots of good work, Mark, tires and wheels are going to look great and have lots of room back there!

Mark,
I looked through all of your pictures and the van is going to look great with those tires! We had a couple of Astro's years back, and I always liked their lines. Yours is going to be super cool!

Thanks guys, I have owned an Astro van since 1986. With two usually in the stable.
Have a couple of updates.
I'll get some pics of the Harwood 12 gal fuel cell I got off Ebay mocked up in the back. It's ugly. No room for the drag style fuel pickup and the tank just doesn't fit so I have decided to build an aluminum tank. I modeled this up in UG last night and started developing the tin work around it tonight. The tank volume is a little over 25 gals right now.
http://images56.fotki.com/v362/photo...altank2-vi.jpg
The tank will drop down into the space between the frame rails right behind the axle and wrap up over the frame and existing floor.
http://images56.fotki.com/v362/photo...altank4-vi.jpg
The tank will actually "plug the hole" in the floor you see right now and seal with a welded flange along the new tinwork right over the shock xmbr.
http://images60.fotki.com/v662/photo...altank3-vi.jpg
I am getting prices for a sheet of .090 aluminum and will try to weld this up myself.
Mark

I have a "two day" weekend thanks to MLK. Mel and I were out in the shop at 9:00am this morning. We made a game plan on the floor and tub work and got busy.
After I cut out all of the stuff that's in the way of the tire....
http://images44.fotki.com/v301/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
Here is the pile of "stuff"
http://images57.fotki.com/v300/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
And here is the tire at the correct ride height.
http://images61.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
Inside... I made a little gage block to mark the inner fender were I needed to remove it. Sets the pen at four inches from the tire. That gives me 3 inches of jounce and some room for a taller tire if need be.
http://images44.fotki.com/v220/photo...MVC017F-vi.jpg
here is a shot with the old inner clamped in position. It'll look pretty good once all of the tin is replaced.
http://images27.fotki.com/v972/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
While I was dinking around with the van Mel was cleaning up and trimming the floor so we can replace the stuff we cut out. We are putting back most of what was cut. Just reorienting it and cleaning up the cross members underneath to clear the new frame.
http://images61.fotki.com/v384/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
Marking for the trim line. This will butt up to what is still in the van. The holes you see are spot welds to the original crossmember Mel cut out. The crossmember will be plug welded back in place to carry passenger seat load and give me a place to hang mufflers.
This next pic shows how the flange was welded to the old floor. This will now slide under the old floor and we will plug and stich weld it back together.... A little grinding and some seam sealer and we'll be good.
http://images57.fotki.com/v300/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
http://images34.fotki.com/v1081/phot...MVC018F-vi.jpg
There is a lot of work to do under the floor. We need some shallow notches to clear the new K member and the ends of the original crossmember need to be plated in for strength. I'll get pics of that tomorrow.
Mark

It's all those little details that nobody ever sees that eats up all the time and makes for a quality build. Then the unknowing wonder why it takes so long to get a project done!!!! Nice work, Mark.

Isn't that the truth! Thanks Dave!

We got a lot done today although, like Dave says, it doesn't look like it. I spent two days cleaning out all of the old sheetmetal to make room for the new tires... Couldn't believe it. TWO DAYS!
Both sides are opened up now so I can actually get back to building...
http://images61.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC015F-vi.jpg
I still have a lot of work to do to get the new tubs fit in but we'll get there. All of the dirty work is done so this next step is fun.
http://images12.fotki.com/v20/photos...MVC018F-vi.jpg
Here is a pic of the drivers side tire at ride hgt.
http://images51.fotki.com/v628/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
Mel got the floor patch almost ready. He made the end plates and got everything fit up and clamped
http://images16.fotki.com/v382/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
After the fit up.
http://images57.fotki.com/v300/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
A lot of work here also.
http://images61.fotki.com/v384/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
This piece will get welded back into the floor and that original crossmember will give me a place to hang mufflers and stuff.
http://images12.fotki.com/v335/photo...MVC020F-vi.jpg
We still need to get it set into the floor so we can mark it for the K member notches. Lots to do, so little time...
Thanks for looking
Mark

I have been following this build I realy like the idea to not change the outside. a lot of guys just cut out and put in bigger tires I like your taking your time and realy like the pictures Thanks

Really nice work Mark!!! Large wheels and tires can still give the impression of a subtle mod when the work is done correctly! Yours certainly do fit in there nicely! Well done!

Thanks Charlie, Thanks Dave! It's great to have someone watching the build AND seeing the vision! This van has been done in my head for years... I know what it will look like and I am feeling really good about the final product. It will be done right AND done well.
Thank You for the compliments.


I have been chomping at the bit all week to get out to the shop. We got about 3 inches of snow last night so I blew off drining 65 miles into work today. Stayed home and worked on the van. (After shoveling walks and driveways of course...)
TechRod, by all means get a thread going! Some of the computer and electrical stuff you are doing is crazy!
Mel came out after I called him. He worked on the floor patches, notching the old xmbr so it will fit over the K braces and making plug weld flanges. he layed out the notches and cut them out with the sawzall and plasme cutter.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1530/phot...MVC006F-vi.jpg
He cut a piece of 2" DOM down the middle and fit the halfs into the notches he made.
http://images57.fotki.com/v505/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
All welded up and grinding down the high spots.
http://images51.fotki.com/v102/photo...MVC016F-vi.jpg
While Mel was working on all of that I was building this contraption to set the height for the top of the new inner wheel houses. This gives me a hard reference point for height AND a place to clamp too.
http://images35.fotki.com/v1154/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
It will stay in place while I build both sides.
http://images30.fotki.com/v479/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
I used posterboard to make the RH pattern. This is the difficult side because I have to work around the bottom of the slider door track. It is directly behind the inner sheet metal and protrudes into the wheel well about an inch and a half.
http://images51.fotki.com/v102/photo...MVC023F-vi.jpg
This pic is from underneath so you can see the track and how I had to jog the panel around it.
This is the fit I am looking for. It won't be welded to the outer. The inner panel will get welded and this gap will get filled with seam sealer.
http://images45.fotki.com/v1310/phot...MVC022F-vi.jpg
http://images57.fotki.com/v505/photo...MVC019F-vi.jpg
Once the pattern was made I could start cutting steel. I cut a hunk of 18ga with the old Pexto. That machine handles the heavier gage a bit easier than the 3 in 1 does...
Laid out the pattern, cut out the shape, put a bit of a bend on it to conform to the old inner well and set it in place for a look see...
http://images32.fotki.com/v1090/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
After a couple more ins-n-outs I had the shape real close.
http://images12.fotki.com/v20/photos...MVC006F-vi.jpg
This is the fit-up underneath. I wanted to keep the new steel away from the outer by about an 1/8th inch. It's real close to that and it will seal up nice.
http://images60.fotki.com/v361/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
There is a little more finagaling to do but I think it's real close right now. I put in a few Cleco's and called it a day.
http://images56.fotki.com/v362/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
The Cleco's are half an inch from the edge of the inner. The new panel will get trimmed to this edge and welded in once I have all of the fabricating on both tubs complete.
http://images54.fotki.com/v104/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Thanks for looking
Mark

Looks great Mark! Can't imagine doing any fab work without posterboard and cleco's!!!!!

Once the sheetmetal work is done, what's next on the build plan????

Shave the slider Mark??.

Mark forget the flames.........ya I hate them too,but this gives you a idea what a shaved slider would look like:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...ellar/1024.jpg



The other idea is one the from ASV Socalli V8 Darren Cole on face book did,He Gull winged his.Looks pretty slick.Darren also shaved everything and built a custom cowl that hides the wipers.

Mark here is a pic of Darren's Gull wing.What brings about these suggestions is you saying your working around the slider track.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...61990_2607.jpg

Thanks Gary but shaving the slider was never an option. Working around the track is done now and I think it's a lot LESS work than shaving or gull-winging. I want the slider to be functional so any mods are out.
Dave, Once the rears are done the fronts will get cut out, raised and widened for the 275/40's. I will dry fit the front suspensions, run them through jounce and steer and keep the new wheel wells an inch or so away at worst case.
Mark