AZ Astro Van project - slow build - advice welcomed 2004 AWD LT

[AZAstroVanNovice]

December 2015:
Acquired my first Astro. A 2004 AWD LT (picture forthcoming)

Thanks to this site and to the owners of Astrid: site says I can post a link

I will be going slow and like to see what is needed vs buying it all jut to have it on for looks. So step one will be better head light bulbs (boring I know) then Tint, and sunscreens.

Bulbs hillips bulbs from Amazon
Hope this improves visability.

For the AZ sun: heatshield - they make sun screens for planes as well as cars
I have these for my daily driver (front, side, sunroof) they are great

I want to move to a lift - 2"

Considering spray rubber undercoat to dampen sound - Anyone have experience and input?

Might black the hood, but I have to see if sun reflection is a concern (anyone)

Not sure about LED lights in the turn signals etc (exterior) b/c I am not sure how I would do with adding a resistor.

Would like to replace the map lights etc with LED.

More to come.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

...Not sure about LED lights in the turn signals etc (exterior) b/c I am not sure how I would do with adding a resistor...

Just use a solid-state turn signal flasher as opposed to an old-school thermal one. It'll blink the same speed even when bulbs are burned out though, just a heads-up. Got mine at O'Reilly's as a "heavy-duty" flasher for ~$15.

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

Oh and I think a passenger seat swivel. Anyone know of a good manufacturer?

 

[Stroverlander]

Greetings, sounds like we have similar vans!

Couple of recommendations...

You can upgrade your stock 9006 low / 9005 high beam headlight bulbs by retrofitting more efficient 9012 HIR2 / 9011 HIR bulbs (Philips on Amazon) with a simple modification to one of the plastic tabs on the bulb base. Much improved lighting with same wattage so no additional current draw or heat issues just a bit more expensive bulbs.

I haven't done this with the stock bulbs in my Astro yet as I've been waiting for a bulb to fail and then update my thread with the results but did a similar upgrade in the past and the increased light output was quite noticeable and worthwhile.

http://store.candlepower.com/mohirbuba.html

As for noise damping I think it'd be more effective installing something (take your pick of noise damping products) on top of the floor/under carpet and on some of the larger panels in the van. It's a van though and road noise is going to be amplified somewhat by all that space in the back, not to mention some wind noise from poor aerodynamics.

2" lift is cheap and easy and tons of info out there for how-to/parts sourcing, etc.

One problem with 'bolt-on' swivel seat base is it raises the seat height to an almost unusable or uncomfortable level and so requires either modifying stock seat base to lower or complete custom swivel. There are a few threads here that discuss this issue.

Good luck and looking forward to reading about your progress!

 

[Herbie]

Welcome!

Regarding the swivel seat, Stoverlander is correct, anything "off-the-shelf" is going to raise your seat too much to be practical. There are also other side effects. You can see how I solved the problem here in my build thread.

Other advice? Join astrosafarivans.org !

Lost of other great info there.

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

Thanks for the replies, encouragement and links.

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

Mwilliamshs - I'll work up to that as I fear wiring. :Wow1:

Stoverlander - Amazon has already shipped upgraded 9005 9006, but I will move to the 9011 and 9012 next.
Re - Noise - Yeh I just have to get comfortable with pulling the interior.. too timid am I.

Thanks guys

 

[Van on the Run]

I think your adding the swivel seat as a "must have" is a great idea. Looking back at how I built out my interior I wish I had installed a swivel passenger seat. That will add a whole new level of interior configuration to your van.

In regards to sound damping I would go with something more like what Stroverlander said rather than undercoat. Sound damping wasn't high on my list of must haves. My Astro is insulated though so maybe that takes care of insulating plus dampening sound? Maybe you want to consider insulating the interior...

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Mwilliamshs - I'll work up to that as I fear wiring. :Wow1:

It's plug-and-play. Just unplug the OE flasher, plug in the new one.

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

No big moves yet - Time of the year. But simple things:
Philips 9005 VisionPlus Replacement Bulb (High-Beam) - Purchased, not in yet
Philips 9006 VisionPlus Replacement Bulb, - Purchased, not in yet
Limo tint on all side and rear windows
HeatShield shades for windows (Front, Driver, Passenger, Rear) arrived, they are custom for each vehicle and insulated.

Anyone know a firm in AZ that has experience installing a 2" lift?

ARB awning up next
Then Craigslist for H3 tires and rims (this area the set seems to be $280-400)

 

[Stroverlander]

If you can change your own oil, you can install your own 2" lift. Floor jack, jack stands, maybe a 4x4 cut into usable foot long or so lengths and basic hand tools are all that is required. The Astro / Safari forums are filled with tons of useful info on which parts to buy/save money and what tools you'll need to install.

It's basically 2" body spacers, adjustable rear shackles and bumper relocation tabs or brackets. I recommend the Overland Van adjustable bumper brackets because they are nice and stout pieces.

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

Stoverlander - Thank you sir. I think I will read.. read.. read and then see if education with a dose of courage can get me under the van. I am in a Condo complex, so I may have to see if a friend will let me use his garage in case that is the better option when compared to covered parking spot. Especially if it take more than a day... maybe I am being timid

 

[Herbie]

Stoverlander - Thank you sir. I think I will read.. read.. read and then see if education with a dose of courage can get me under the van. I am in a Condo complex, so I may have to see if a friend will let me use his garage in case that is the better option when compared to covered parking spot. Especially if it take more than a day... maybe I am being timid

Don't be timid! There's value in learning to do the work yourself, so you can maintain it later.

The nice thing about the Astro is that front/rear are separated, so you can do the front on Day1, then the rear on Day2, etc.

EDIT: Aside from a decent set of metric hand tools, you'll only need your OEM jack, some tall jackstands, a few blocks of wood for cribbing with the jack, a hacksaw/jigsaw/air saw for trimming the fan shroud, a BFH, and maybe a friend. I did my whole lift solo, but there were a few steps where I used extra tools to compensate for the lack of a helper. (e.g. I tack-welded the bumper mounting nuts to the back of the OverlandVans bumper brackets since I couldn't lift the bumper into place, insert the bolt, and thread the backing nuts all at the same time.)

The Overland Van kits typically include shock relocation tabs that need to be welded to the rear axle tube. This is intended to let you re-use your OEM-length shocks. Several of us in the Astro community are re-thinking this strategy now. My personal recommendation (that requires less tools!) is to skip this step and use the OEM shock mounting points unless/until you find that the below-the-axle mount actually causes you problems (I relocated my shock tabs, but still have the OEM mounts hanging down, and they've never caught on anything...)
This will mean you'll need to purchase longer shocks instead, but because of how the bump-stop system is laid out, I think this is a better design. Fit the rear lift, then go straight to your favorite suspension shop/offroad shop and get them to help you find an appropriate length shock. It'll likely be ~4" longer than OEM, depending on your lift settings. In fact, if you did the fronts on Day1, you can have them re-do the alignment while you're there.

 

[nobodyhome]

Hey AZ, glad to see you here as well.
My buddy and I are reviewing the Overland Vans 2" kit and will post our findings once we get it in. There are several posts here about the install, just say the word and I'll post what I find to help my lift. Sounds like Herbie has got it down!

Did you get your tires squared away?

 

[AZAstroVanNovice]

Nobody -
Thanks. I am on the fence about putting the part together for the front an then going with 3+1 spring pack from an S-10 for the rear. Life has gotten in the way for a few weeks, but I will be back to working on the project soon.