Build slideshow of my Astrolander

[T.Low]

Finally have put together a little build thread of my mildly modified Astro(lander). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I did a slideshow that somehow turned into an Ode to my Brother In Law. But what can I say, he sure made life easy for me during the process so far.

Interior is still a work in (not much)progress, so no pics yet. Same with front and rear bumpers.

Ya gotta start somwhere.

Like I said before, I was jonesin' for the ultimate mountain bike kayak shuttle rig that could poach some camping off the FS roads and do some easy 4x4 trails, while providing shelter and good freeway ability. Then, before you know it, I discoverred overlanding.

Hope you enjoy it.

2003 Chevy Astro AWD: NP233c 4x4 2spd hi lo transfercase w/ elctronic shift. 4-5" Overlandvans lift kit, Rancho 9000s adjustable shocks w/ indash remote and on board compressor, 265/75 16 Kelly Pathfinder ATs, 4:10's w/ Eaton posi in rear, GTRV Pop Top w/ sleeper bunk loft, prewired for solar, and tons of Thule.

http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/.../Astro Mini Me SMB build/?albumview=slideshow

 

[viatierra]

Good lord that was cool. Never seen a rockin' Astro on the trail next to a D90 before! And you definately fit in.

I want one...

 

[truck mechanic]

Very Very cool !!! I have always wanted a 4x4 van, always wanted full size but you have givin me some idears.
thanx for sharing
Paul

 

[EMrider]

Outstanding project and documentation. Thanks.
R

 

[Tree]

Enjoyed it Thx man!

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Fantastic! Can't wait to see more....rockin van! :victory:

 

[Lynn]

Great van.

For the admirers, would it be inappropriate to link this in?

 

[ujoint]

Great build! (and I'm sure there's more to come)

 

[T.Low]

Good lord that was cool. Never seen a rockin' Astro on the trail next to a D90 before! And you definately fit in.

I want one...

3 Corners Marker, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon

Fortune Creek Trail to Gallaher Head Lake, Washington, with NWOS

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I brought the van home stock a year ago, and the lift kit was already in the mail. I just wish I would have orderred the Pop top earlier too so I could have had it for more of my trips.

I get asked to go with the guys on Northwestoverlandsociety.org often, as well as PacificNorthwestBackroadAdventures.com They like my rig, and understand its purpose as well as its abilities and limitations. A guy I found on Expo has a Sportsmobile and we have since found out that we live three streets away from each other, so we get out a bit. Spent 31 nights camping in the van this first year.

Have a lot more plans as everyone, but the New World Order has us on Financial Lockdown until we see whats going to happen, so progress has ground to a crawl.

Expo has been informative, inspirational, and just plain enjoyable. Thanks all of you.

Ujoint: If your van is described as "Slightly modified", how am i to describe mine?:ylsmoke:

 

[Railvan]

Hey neighbor,

When we goin' again?...

Glad we bumped into each other on Expo. Hard to believe you have only had the van that long.

Brian

 

[craig]

Loved the slideshow Tom. Nicely done.

My favorite Astro moment was when we were camping up at Gallaher Lake and two sweaty hikers pop through the woods and exclaim in response to finding Tom sleeping in his van, "You can <bleepin> drive a MINI van up here, <bleep>". Classic. We laughed, and went back to cooking a gourmet lunch out of the fridges in our trucks.

C

 

[Ruffin' It]

Crap. I like that Astro WAY more than I am comfortable with. Full marks for doing things your way and not following the heard! You talked about the people you wheel with understanding your limitations. I was wondering if you could expand on that. I am floored at how much sense your van makes for 80% of overlanders (me included), specially with that pop-top. If you don't mind, what sort of investment did it take to get you to where you are now?

Thanks and keep it up.

 

[T.Low]

Crap. I like that Astro WAY more than I am comfortable with. Full marks for doing things your way and not following the heard! You talked about the people you wheel with understanding your limitations. I was wondering if you could expand on that. I am floored at how much sense your van makes for 80% of overlanders (me included), specially with that pop-top. If you don't mind, what sort of investment did it take to get you to where you are now?

Thanks and keep it up.

Thank you very much for the generous reply. It's been a lot fun having a bit of an off the wall vision and bringing it (nearly) to fruition. I do think it was a small segment of the market that GM missed, first of all by not making a ZR2 Astro ( like the ZR2 S10 Blazer and Highrider S10) , and 2nd of all, not offering a Westy version.

Apparently Pederson's 4Wheel & Offroad magazine feal its a good expedition rig for a lot of people too. They contacted me about putting a picture of it in their Expedition Rig article in the upcoming June issue. Said they saw it on the internet, and it would be a cheaper alternative to the $50k to $800K vehicles they are featuring in the article. We'll see if it actually gets in the magazine, but whatever, it was a fun exchange of emails and photographs with their technical director.

Including purchase price last year (Feb '08) I have about $18,500 invested in an '03 with 68k miles on it (had 55k at time of purchase). The bulk of it being the van itself and the pop top, then my bill at Randy's Ring & Pinion. To be fair to Randy's, the labor rates were too cheap to pass up.

Have to catch you later to reply to the limitations question.

Cheers

 

[suntinez]

ruh-roh astro! Excellent slideshow, congrats on a great build. :sombrero:

I'll be watching this van closely now, should've known we'd have an Astro SME in our midst. My Tiger is based on a 2005 astro and I have lots of things to do to it. So ... subscribed! Thanks.

 

[Eric J Earhart]

Great build, I am in the process of aquiring my fourth Astro. This one is a 2000 AWD, and your van is my inspiration The guy I am getting the van from says it is always hard to start and misses bad when it rains? Keep up the great work