Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

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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