Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

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I was in the shop all day today never did see the top of my benches. Did get some tools put away

Originally Posted by cffisher

I was in the shop all day today never did see the top of my benches. Did get some tools put away

Couldn't see over the ice cream bowl?

I do have to admit it is nice walking into the shop and having a clean bench and floor looking back at you. Those two benches haven't been that clean since we started the build! The floor gets vacced up every other week or two, depends how much grinding we've been doing...

Picked up a few more fittings for the power steering install. These are the ones I picked up last week.
Two 90's on the boost unit. I mocked the boost unit into the van to check routing and didn't like the way things were looking.
http://images58.fotki.com/v510/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
Two 90's on the steering gear.
http://images12.fotki.com/v540/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
The 90's are better then straights and they will work fine on the rack but a couple of 135's would be better up on the booster. I called my LAPS and they said nobody makes the fittings in a 135 degree. CRAP! So, I looked them over and got out one of my cheapy brake line benders.
Chucked it up in the vise and used a piece of aluminum tubing that "just" slid over the 3/8th's steel line of the fiiting.
http://images51.fotki.com/v103/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
The short piece of aluminum gave me enough leverage that I could bend the steel line in small increments to get it to where I needed it.
http://images58.fotki.com/v513/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
All bent up and zero kinks!
http://images55.fotki.com/v268/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
Here is the bend I did for the pressure out line from the booster to the rack.
http://images15.fotki.com/v792/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
I left enough straight so I can install the crimp fittings.
http://images51.fotki.com/v303/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
Installed on the booster I have much neater angle. This points the line straight down toward the rack fittings. Otherwise it would be heading out over the steering column...
http://images108.fotki.com/v613/phot...MVC007F-vi.jpg
I did the same thing with the 18mm in line from the pump. Here is the unmodified 90 degree fitting. Kind of points out into space toward the front of the engine.
http://images14.fotki.com/v1625/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
After I "sweetened up" the angles a bit... This points the line right down the inside of the engine cover openinig.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1629/pho...MVC014F-vi.jpg
There is a stud on the sheetmetal that will carry a clamp for the line coming from the pump. You can see it at the bottom of this photo.
http://images46.fotki.com/v1622/phot...MVC015F-vi.jpg
That's it for today. Back to work tomorrow. I have Friday after next off(the 14th) and the 13th will be my last work day this year! My son is coming home from Vancouver the 17th so I'll spend some time with him AND work on the van!
Thanks for watching
Mark