[TRICKORMATE]

I bought a AC Heat Control, and the everything matches except the the prongs where the main connector to the air speeds. I thought 85-94 where all interchangeable.. man I'm ticked...

I'm willing to ship mine for a trade for someone that has one that can match mine.

i'm ticked. :x :x :x :x :x :screaming: :screaming: :screaming: :screaming: :screaming: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

 

[chesehd]

Perhaps you would be willing to share what year you need?

 

[astro355]

And what year you bought.

 

[TRICKORMATE]

The second pictures is the one i just bought, the whole AC/Heater Switch deal, and the 1st pic is my old one, as you can see the prongs are different.

 

[astro355]

Ok, but what year is the van you want to put it into and what year van did you buy the other one from?

 

[TRICKORMATE]

My van is a 1994 CS van, the other van was older then my 94. I didn't ask what year it was. all i seen was the front part but couldn't check the prongs because mine was still attached to my van, i found out about the prong deal today when i was going to switch them out.

 

[lotuseclat767]

For those who are reading this and are not familiar with Astros, myself included, here's a thought. 85-94 Astro vans are generation one, but all parts are not interchangeable. My sister-in-law had a 1994 and I had a 1993 and there were a lot of differences just between those two years. A friend of mine had an 1989 and while I putting the V-8 in my van he was commenting about the differences he noticed between our two vans.

So, it is best to always try and get the same year part for the same year van. I tend to pull the part I need to replace first, or else get a good look at it, then go down to my local "you-yank-it" salvage and see if I can physically find the part. Non-DIY salvage yards will often have most of the parts sitting in boxes on shelves and often ask for a lot of pennies more for the same part that you would pull yourself elsewhere.

Don't be too angry. Over thirty years of pulling parts from junkyards to keep my old dogs running and I still get the wrong part on occasion. Of course, I'm good at putting Volvo parts on Lotus cars, Ford parts on Chevys, Chrysler parts on Fords, Toyota parts on Chevys - that's the hot rodder in me.

 

[astro355]

Also, there are several search engines that will allow you to figure out what years you can use parts for your van. car-parts.com is the one I always use. You can even go to your local dealership, autozone, o'reilly's, etc.

 

[TRICKORMATE]

For those who are reading this and are not familiar with Astros, myself included, here's a thought. 85-94 Astro vans are generation one, [[highlight=]b]but all parts are not interchangeable.[/b][/highlight] My sister-in-law had a 1994 and I had a 1993 and there were a lot of differences just between those two years. A friend of mine had an 1989 and while I putting the V-8 in my van he was commenting about the differences he noticed between our two vans.

So, it is best to always try and get the same year part for the same year van. I tend to pull the part I need to replace first, or else get a good look at it, then go down to my local "you-yank-it" salvage and see if I can physically find the part. Non-DIY salvage yards will often have most of the parts sitting in boxes on shelves and often ask for a lot of pennies more for the same part that you would pull yourself elsewhere.

Don't be too angry. Over thirty years of pulling parts from junkyards to keep my old dogs running and I still get the wrong part on occasion. Of course, I'm good at putting Volvo parts on Lotus cars, Ford parts on Chevys, Chrysler parts on Fords, Toyota parts on Chevys - that's the hot rodder in me.

I'm fixen to buy a 1987 Astro Van for $200 and i need to replace my right fender, right passanger door and sliding door. that statement scares me, I wonder if the doors and fender is going to match.

 

[txturbo]

If you mean the paint color....I doubt it. If you mean the alignment of the body parts, that depends. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[lotuseclat767]

Body parts are one of the few things that are similar. Even then beware. A fender off of a 1997 will not replace the fender on a 1993. However, you can fit the whole front cap off a 1997 onto a 1993. When it comes to body parts, just verify that you are within the right front cap styles, you can tell by the headlights, grille, and shape of the hood. Google Images will give you an indicator of what years will fit. Who knows, you might want to replace the entire front cap for a neater look!

I was investigating the "dutch doors" found on some of the Astros. I found that the lower half-doors are direct bolt-ons to the existing hinges. The top door, or hatch, will require some modifications to the body, I just haven't looked to closely to see.

The real problems involve things like interior pieces, electrically components, and some mechanical bits and pieces that a manufacturer tends to change every so often either due to upgrades or change in sub-contractors. These are easily overcome by doing a little research before making a purchase.

One thing I'm re-learning about my old Astro is that it is not hard to find parts for, parts are inexpensive, and a little research opens up an entire new world for modifications.

Just remember, all projects have their headaches and challenges, but, that is why old hot rodders like me do what we do - we find it fun.

Case in point, I'm fixing to convert my old Lotus over from garbage carbs and distributor to a custom fuel injection system that can be programmed with my laptop. !976 Lotus cars never came with fuel injection so I have to develop something from "scratch". Don't let a project scare you. Just get a vision and stick to it, add hard work, patience, and a little cash and viola, you have a cool project that's all your own.

 

[[amb]]

i have a generation 1 door on my 2nd gen van... no problems at all, and the paint is the same color... the thing that is different is the front fenders... just make sure to get a first gen front fender.

your van is even the same color as mine.

 

[TRICKORMATE]

Ok i've started so many thread for different reasons...

But i went a found a 93 got the doors switched, (passanger door, sliding door) today i'm going to put the front fender. I also got from the 93 the AC/Heat controls. that one matched perfectly. I'll post some pics of what my Astro looks now with the other parts.