Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

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Looks good Mark! I have no idea where one hydrovac would be better then the other, probably comes down to whichever one is going to work better for the room you have....

A lot of thought and fab work will be going into the dash. I have stripped down the stock '88 unit and have trimmed it (had to cut off most of the lower half of the center stack) to fit with the revised engine cover.
http://images44.fotki.com/v1407/phot...MVC001F-vi.jpg
I want to update the look to the later '98-'05 dash. like this.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1562/phot...MVC015F-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v1513/phot...MVC013F-vi.jpg
You would think this would be a simple swap but GM changed the entire mounting system inside that 10 year span. The original dash bolts in along the front, under the windshield while the '98 was carried on a magbeam that bolted in on the ends. Plus the HVAC stuff is all redone and won't fit together. I want to maintain the '88 mounting scheme and defrost ducts so I will be cutting the fronts off both IP's and then blending the '98 front to the '88 rear, if that makes sense...
The original defrost duct will work with no mods but the dash vent ducting from the '98 will need to be adapted to the '88 outlet. Heavy sigh...
I will also rebuild the '98 center stack to accomodate all of my gauges and still carry the HVAC controls. Lots of time consuming work to be done...
Here are a few pics of the removable cover after we got it fleshed out with some steel strips. We used 18 ga. steel to make the strips and ran a bead down the center to stiffen them up.
My daughter said it looked like pinhead with all the cleco's holding it together...
http://images114.fotki.com/v74/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v388/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
After it was all welded and riveted together. You can see the clearance bump for the rocker cover in this pic.
http://images109.fotki.com/v786/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v1441/phot...MVC006F-vi.jpg
The band at the front gloves over the rear seal on the stationary half and is held on with 1/4 turns. We made the tabs from 18 ga and ran a bead around the edge. You can also see the bead we ran around the front band to glove over the rubber seal. We clamped all of this in place, over the seal, while we were building it so the fit is good-n-tight and there should be no leakage.
http://images53.fotki.com/v138/photo...jpg?1340022851
The strips are riveted to the rear half of the original cover and we spot welded all of the steel. This thing is stout and will get even better once the 'glass is added.
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photo...jpg?1340023008
Other than cleaning some brake parts and a LOT of measuring and thinking that's what Mel and I have been doing the last few weeks. The next step is to get the dash built and mock up the seats for console, pedals and shifter placement.
Thanks for looking.
Mark

Thanks Dave, I decided to go with the'95 unit. It fit a little better and it still had the bottles on it.
Haven't updated the thread in a while. We have been busy though. Getting a bunch of things done the last month or so. Kind of picking away at stuff. Doesn't seem like you are getting anything done but it's all progress...
The front clip is back on with new body mounts mocked in place. We rebuilt the lower front radiator support using 1 x 2 rec tubing and some 3/16ths plate. I used some nova subframe mounts that I had on hand.
http://images53.fotki.com/v665/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
Even with everything simply clamped in place this is very solid.
http://images110.fotki.com/v606/phot...MVC009F-vi.jpg
We have also been working on the engine cover. This turned out to be a LOT more work then I thought it would be.
This is the front half as we rebuilt it with steel strips and 'glass. We added a clearance bulge to the drivers side to clear the left rocker cover.
http://images42.fotki.com/v663/photo...MVC017F-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v390/photo...MVC018F-vi.jpg
After glassing. The "colorful" material is cheap t-shirt material we stretched over the form. We hit this with some resin which, after it hardened, was a perfect surface to lay glass on.
http://images51.fotki.com/v303/photo...MVC017F-vi.jpg
After a bit of sanding with a D/A and mocking up the "door" seal.
http://images21.fotki.com/v577/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
The plan is to leave this front half bolted to the firewall most of the time. The removable cover was developed to attach and seal to the floor in the usual way with retention at the front, gloving over the seal, using 1/4 turn Dzus fasteners. We robbed a door seal off the donor van to use to seal this edge.
Thanks for looking.
Mark

Lots more fun work to do now Mark!

Great work on an engine cover that will look good and be very functional, too. And thanks for posting all of the details. Seeing the progress pics, step by step, stores ideas that can maybe applied to projects in the future.

You have been busy all that fab work eats up time as there are no plans to follow
Good work

No plans is right, bud. Just visions in my head...
Getting the engine cover servicable will be good as well as finishing up the left front wheel well and rear floors. The tank is still here at work. My welder is picking away at it. He only gets the time to do the work during his breaks so it is taking a while.
I am starting to think about wiring. The gauges and rewiring the fuel sender and rear mounted battery are the biggest jobs. Most of the dash harness from the '98 will get reused for light switches and such. I'll be stripping all of the unnecessary stuff like airbag wiring out of it though.
Designing the shifter mounting, console and seat brackets is pretty high on the list of things to do. I have mocked a lot of this stuff up prior to this but, now that the doghouse is roughed in, I can get serious. The big issue with all of this is quick and easy removal of the doghouse. I will probably end up with a snap in cover between the doghouse and console.
Just some of the things to think about. This is one of those projects that can eat you alive if you don't do things in stages...
Mark

Going back and forth will get you tired of the project. I hate having to do things twice.

It's funny that you mention that... mel and I were talking about that last weekend. There are very few parts in this build that we have had to do twice... I think we take our time on some things and others we just got lucky. I know I am having a blast!

Here are some pics of a little handle I designed last night in the shop. The need for this handle is to access a Dzus button at the front of the dog house. It is right under the duct for the HVAC. No way to reach it other than with this little "extension".
I roughed it out in steel, took those numbers to work and modeled it up in UG. I then sent the file to my pal in the fab shop and I had parts in my hand at lunch time!!!!
Here is the handle as I modeled it in UG. It's about three inches long.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1515/phot...mage001-vi.jpg
A few hours later I had parts in my hand.
http://images50.fotki.com/v393/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
After I got home from a VERY long day at work I put a bit of a bend on the handle.
http://images34.fotki.com/v1126/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v93/photos...MVC004F-vi.jpg
I ground a flat spot on the button (mostly to remove the galvanizing) and spot welded the handle in place.
Prior to welding.
http://images54.fotki.com/v77/photos...MVC007F-vi.jpg
After welding and a little clean up with the grinder. This position is the open position
http://images30.fotki.com/v41/photos...MVC010F-vi.jpg
Here is a shot with the button closed. With the handle like this it will be tucked up under the air duct, out of sight.
http://images114.fotki.com/v970/phot...MVC013F-vi.jpg
And one with it open for removal. This is easily reached as it sticks out past the duct. I'll get some more pics later.
http://images51.fotki.com/v747/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
This makes it real simple to get the buttons out for doghouse removal. I plan to add this handle to all of the buttons on the cover. They will get painted black and most of them you won't be able to see anyway. I think they look pretty cool...
Mark

Out in the shop at 7 Sunday morning. Modifying a dzus plate to weld to the new reward location and bending up a couple more of the handles. Mel got here at about 8 and we finished covering the doghouse with material.
This is a pic after the first coat of resin. This stiffened up the material enough that we could start laying some 'glass on.
http://images45.fotki.com/v148/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
http://images38.fotki.com/v1217/phot...MVC012F-vi.jpg
We let the piece cook in the sun for a few hours, did a little grinding to start smoothing things out and then bolted it back into the van so it can cure in the shape it needs to be...
We also mocked up the seats where they need to be, threw in the column for driver position and also worked out the shifter position. The shifter is going to live up on the back edge of the doghouse.
http://images49.fotki.com/v1458/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
I thought we would have to be VERY creative with the cable routing but I came up with a very easy route. We will be building the shifter into the top of the cover. This will all have to come out when the cover is removed....
See the "divot" in my leg from the band of steel in the doghouse? We cut that down a bit before we glassed it. Let me tell you there is NOT a lot of room over here for feet and legs.

Design-wise I will drop the shifter into a pocket, built into the cover, so the cable comes out level with the top of the doghouse, I will run the cable straight forward, over the top of the doghouse. I will then make a closeout panel to cover the cable (and wiring) which will pull off with a couple strips of velcro. Making the closeout panel out of the same carbon fiber that I use on the cover will make it all but disappear...
Mounting the shifter with some quick release pins will allow me to easily remove it and set it on the floor or in a seat to pull the cover.
Here is the solution in a nut shell...
" While looking at photos of the cover installed, I noticed, on the right side of the engine cover flange, there is a square hole which was the old computer connector pass-thru. I can route the cable in a big loop over the doghouse, vertically down thru that hole and then rearward toward the tailshaft. This will be one huge loop, no tight bends at all. I will route some romex along it tonight ,if I get time, but I thinking I may be able to get away with a 10 foot cable. I plan to hard mount the cable as much as possible to keep loss of travel to a minimum."
added a quick photoshop for cable routing
http://images42.fotki.com/v1314/phot...routing-vi.jpg
When I got home last night I ran the short cable I got with the shifter along my "path".
Up on top, the cable naturally falls down thru the pass-thru.
http://images58.fotki.com/v154/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
http://images57.fotki.com/v139/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Underneath it sweeps right back toward the rear of the van. Mind you this is all natural, there are no forced bends in the routing.
http://images33.fotki.com/v1187/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
This routing will work perfectly and it tucks the cable right alongside the old frame rail, well away from the headers and exhaust heat.
Thanks for looking!
Mark

Got a bit done this past weekend. I was up at 4 am Saturday and out in the shop before 5. I had stuff running thru my head. Dash, doghouse, HVAC ducts, ALL KINDS OF STUFF!!! I bolted the stock HVAC unit in place to check install clearances for the doghouse. Installation is okay, there was no way to reach that handle I designed the other night thoiugh. We ended up moving it reward a bit so we can get to it.
Here is the stock dash stripped of all of it's vinyl covering
http://images115.fotki.com/v672/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
I have decided to rebuild the front of the dash to replicate the late model (98 to '05) shape.
http://images34.fotki.com/v1075/phot...MVC014F-vi.jpg
I will cut up the '98 dash I have and use the front pieces to make the shape I want. This will leave the HVAC stuff alone and make for a simpler job.
Did a lot of work getting the 1/4 turns intalled. A little bit of head scratching but we got her done...
http://images115.fotki.com/v607/phot...MVC011F-vi.jpg
http://images43.fotki.com/v1321/phot...MVC012F-vi.jpg
We got the doghouse all fleshed out and covered with some t-shirt material Saturday. We stuck on a layer of thin cardboard to give the t-shirt material some structure.
http://images22.fotki.com/v520/photo...MVC016F-vi.jpg
We used a hot glue gun to stick the material down on one edge. We then pulled it across the sruface, stretching it, which really smoothed out the transitions.
http://images33.fotki.com/v1116/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
http://images22.fotki.com/v810/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
Back in place. Looks pretty good, we'll finish up the material tomorrow and thru on some resin.
http://images18.fotki.com/v61/photos...MVC008F-vi.jpg

Lots more work done, good weekend, Mark! Shifter should work great where you are putting it!

should not need to hard mount the cable only at mounting points control ends . same control cables what are used in boats there not hard mounted other then at the ends. the GM dog house is SMC thermal set are you using epoxy to bond with .oh my home e mail is down so you have to mail me here or just call me

Hey Pat,
If the cable was in a mostly straight line I wouldn't worry about flex but, being that I will have a couple of big loops in it I will hard mount as close to the bend tangencies as I can. This will eliminate any lost motion from the loops flexing.
I riveted all of the inner structure to the back half of the doghouse. I am using a polyesther resin for most of this "sub-structure" work. I will use the more expensive epoxy when I do the full cover. With the SMC stuff buried in the 'glass I don't think it will delaminate.