Let the Project begin!

[ccookie66]

As some of you have known, my van has been off the road because of a couple reasons, but the biggest being the brake lines and thermostat housing bolt being broke off and stuck inside the intake. (laugh all you want) But now that the T car is in need of money being put into it, I have decided. Instead of buying a new starter, its a waste! Because the frame is gone. Every time I come from a stop, I hear it popping and snapping, its just gonna break and that will be bad. And don't forget, this is the car that the gas line falls off every week pretty much. Somehow, it finds a way to fall off.
SO.....it needs a starter. It ends here. I'm not going to put money into it, its not worth it. Its unsafe and not fit to be on the road. I already have a plan of action for the Astro. First thing it needs, is brake lines. This is a rather simple problem, which I should have done fairly soon (depending if I get this campground job I am going for ) After the brake lines are all set, I need to replace sections of the gas line. (Or the whole gas line, it needs it) Then I will put plates on it and get a sticker. After that, I am going to drive up to the shop and heat up the thermostat housing bolt and remove that. That should come out easy enough. Now, when it has an actual thermostat in it, I'm not sure if it will need a radiator or not. Its not leaking now, but its also running with no thermostat. So its not clear if it needs a radiator or not. But after all that work, its just regular maintenance it needs. Oil change, some rust repair, you know, easy stuff.
I plan on starting this project very soon. (Because without the T car, I have no way of getting around) There is something about the Astro, that I want to work on it and drive it. Not too many 17 year olds would hold onto a 'soccer mom' van. But since it is my first car that I have ever drove in my life, it has a special spot. I always said I will never give up on it, I will never send it to the crushers. I still keep the promise, even though my parents tell me its junk and its a money pit. After I am done with all this work, maybe next summer, I can finally start my real customization. You know, my dream plans for this van. Dual exhaust, lift kit, all that good stuff. I have came very close to giving up on this van, but I never will.
Well, I will keep you guys updated on how it will go. I will include pics of my progress. I will even make a video of me driving it after I fix the brakes, register it, and inspect it. I can't wait until I can drive it again! I miss my Astrolabe, and nothing can replace it! Nothing beats that feeling of driving an Astro! (Or Safari )

[oman]

Isn't this like the third build thread your van has had?

[ccookie66]

Is it? Huh. Who knows. I didn't even know I head a build thread on it lol

[ccookie66]

Well.....I opened the doors to find three fairly big beehives. Two in the passenger door, and one in the sliding door. (I haven't even looked at the drivers door yet, there might be a MASSIVE one there, because it hasn't been opened in who knows how long) So I took the hose to them, and I managed to get the two in the passenger door, but the larger one in the sliding door is gonna require heavy artillery. Get this, I wasn't stung once. When the water hit the hive, they swarmed out and I dropped the hose and ran like hell! So today, I declare war on the bees. Here is a pic of the progress so far.

[DRZ]

Well.....I opened the doors to find three fairly big beehives. Two in the passenger door, and one in the sliding door. (I haven't even looked at the drivers door yet, there might be a MASSIVE one there, because it hasn't been opened in who knows how long) So I took the hose to them, and I managed to get the two in the passenger door, but the larger one in the sliding door is gonna require heavy artillery. Get this, I wasn't stung once. When the water hit the hive, they swarmed out and I dropped the hose and ran like hell! So today, I declare war on the bees. Here is a pic of the progress so far.

NOW, THAT'S A PROJECT.

[WoodButcher]

Good for you kiddo.
You know that though all the teasing every man Jack and gal Jill are rooting for you.
Good Luck and stick with it.

[markmitch]

best thing to do is get a can of bee killer or they will come back, as for the van good luck but forget about dual exhaust go with a single in to dual out muffler then have some tail pipes made. The 4.3 does not like true duals ask anyone.
I wish I had kept the intake I had in case you broke something else but alas its gone now.

[94 Van Guy]

A can of carb of break cleaner will take out the bees faster than you can believe. Just a bit of mist from the cleaner and they are down for the count. (it's fast!)

Good luck,

Keith

[ccookie66]

Well...so much for a project. Both the Astro and the T car are being sent to the junkyard. I have no say in it, I don't even want to be here when it happens. But thats the end of the Astro (And the T car, but thats not as important. That was gonna happen sooner or later) Maybe someday I will get a gen 1 van. She was good to me, best car I ever owned. I held on as long as I could. Someday I will have another one.

[markmitch]

Your dad making you get rid of them huh? My wife wants me to leave my van here for a summer car. I told her if I do its gonna be expensive for storage cause I am not leaving it out all year to rot in place.

[Corsemoto]

...

[SilverBullet1997]

... I hear astro's weeping all around us.

[WoodButcher]

[chevymaher]

You would do this to the poor astro.
After all the good times she gave you.
Geeze kids these days.

[ccookie66]

Its not me. I want to keep this van. Its my pride and joy. I have plans for this van! But I have no say in what happens to it. Its not in my name. I want to keep it, I want to fix the brakes and thermostat and drive it. She runs so perfect! I love it! She never left me stranded, when most cars would. I drove it home, gas leaking out on the ground, steam coming out of the grill, and she made it all the way back to Monmouth, about 100 miles. You can't get that from a Furd. I am very temped to drive it to my friends house and park it there and work on it there, and just say it got stolen, or I dropped it off at the junkyard. I'm not letting her go without a fight. Its not just an Astro van, its the first car I ever drove. I drove that van when I was 13, up and down the driveway. It would warm up and stall. I would restart it and drive some more. I did that until I turned 16 and got my license, and started putting money into it. By far the best car I have ever drove. Its more than a van. Its a legend. I'm not going to give up that easy.

[markmitch]

you got the bug boy, most people don't understand us guys that are into motor vehicles.

[Leeann_93]

Well, crap. I finally was going to have the time to pull parts for you this weekend.

Sorry, man - that really sucks

[Big_kid]

Sorry to read it, I know the feeling though. I had to drive my first car to the junkyard myself.

There will be another more solid Astro in your future.

[tinworm]

can you not sell it for cheap on craigslist as a parts vehicle?

Battle like this with the parents, it aint gonna happen. Their yard, their rules. Best you can do is a compromise like putting it up for sale and trying to recover some money, but even if that doesn't happen, it always makes me feel good if when I can't win the battle, I have an opportunity to pass the vehicle on to be parted out or fixed by another, instead of immediately crushed, which is what happens to old vehicles these days, especially rusty ones.

I hear your pain, when I was about 20, I had a 1979 mercedes sedan, and wow, was it a piece of rusty garbage looking back now. dangerously rusted, falling apart, only thing good was a low mileage engine and it would start and run like a top. I parked it at moms house.

A year goes by, im on a job out in the midwest, she calls and says "I need this car gone, im tired of looking at it, I need it gone NOW."
I was 1200 miles away, and what the hell was I going to do about it from there? The time limit was non-negotiable though, if I didn't do something about it in 24 hours, she was having it towed away by a yard.
So what I did was give it to a Haitian friend of mine my mother also knew and approved of. Amazingly, he fixed all the rust, made it mechanically reliable, and shipped that car to Haiti. Its still on the road now, even made it though the earthquake being used by his family down there.
Sometimes letting go of something turns out to be a good thing. even if it goes to a yard, these vans aren't very rare, you will have more opportunities, and will get another.

[DRZ]

All true, All true but one never gets a chance for their 1st ride a second time. That van probably isn't "cost effective" but it's a cheap way to learn how to figure out the answer to somethings problems and learn how to fix them. That translates to way more stuff in life than old vans imo.