Astro Van questions

[awpz0r]

Hello all. I often find myself reading and watching endless van builds trying to figure out what will work for me. I watched a video of bob today interviewing a person with an astro van (GMC variant I think). It was brought up that this car is the cheapest way to get an awd/4x4 van. After some reading I feel that while awd/4x4 isn't something I necessarily need, I kind of like having the option and the Astro is a vehicle that I have already been interested in as a micro rv build as it is low cost and I know that motor is supposed to be reliable. Regardless of awd or 2wd, I am considering going this route. So.. question time!

Is there a manual version of the AWD? I can't seem to find anything but autos on craigslist so I am unsure if its just rare to see these cars in manual, or if the manual is available for both the awd/2wd variants. I really like the idea of manual transmission for control, fuel economy, and lower maintenance costs, (If any of these are untrue for the astro please correct me but this seems to be a common theme when picking manual over auto) and frankly I really enjoy driving a manual car. Wikipedia mentioned there being a manual but it wasn't very clear with US availability.

I had an idea for unusual vent placement and wanted feedback. I know these cars aren't very big and you probably want as much roof real estate for solar as possible. They may be too close together for what I am thinking, but maybe it would work since the car is small to begin with... I am obsessed with having an intake and exhaust vent, preferably both with fans. Do you think having an intake on one rear door and the exhaust vent on another rear door would work? I was thinking to keep it stealth by mounting things on the back doors to cover the vents such as spare tire/propane or tool box. I thought this might help with both stealth and roof availability with solar (solar might give it away but some of the roof solar racks hide it well). Rain might be an issue at that angle but I am not sure. 

Last question is general about insulation. Since the Astro is small, if possible I would want to be able to swivel the front seats so I wouldn't want the barrier wall between the cargo area and driver/front passenger area. If for some reason I wanted to temporarily insulate the cargo area from the front cab area, would having some sort of insulated material that could be velcrod on and off as needed be anywhere near as good as if there was a permanent barrier with normal insulation?

Please let me know your thoughts (sorry for the lengthy questions! appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond)

 

[Trebor English]

I have a Ford Windstar that is similar to the Astro in size.  The roof is small.  I have one roof mounted vent with a fan as far back as possible.  The driver's door window and front passenger's door window both are protected with vent shields.  Search Amazon for ventshade or ventvisor.  With this I can leave the front windows down a half inch and set the rear mounted fan to exhaust.  I have plenty of room for one 100 watt solar panel.  With the fan up top on low speed it is quiet enough to stand beside the van and not hear it.  I think two fans only two feet apart would not be as effective.  

I have a camp stove all the way in the back to be able to access from outside like a teardrop trailer galley or to use inside.  The exhaust fan effectively removes the moisture and odors from cooking with the rear lift gate open or closed.  

I have a 3 piece sliding corrugated cardboard wall to close off the driver's area from the back.  With the exhaust fan on low and sleeping with my head towards the rear there is almost always no condensation on the windshield first thing in the morning.

 

[MrNoodly]

The only transmission with AWD is an automatic.

If you want a manual transmission with actual 4x4 instead of AWD, and you have mechanical and fabrication skills, you could swap in the tranny, transfers case and shift linkage from S-10s/Sonomas/Blazers/Jimmies. Or if you just want to change from AWD to true 4x4 there are kits that let you swap in the transfer case from those trucks.

 

[jonyjoe303]

Use side vents, its what I use on my astrovan. I have 3 roof vents that I never use. Once you have the side vents you can duct the air where ever you need it. On the opposite side of the van I have similar vents, but you can put them in forward area of the van if you have room for them. 

side vents, these feed a small swamp cooler. This is the only place I get outside air.


4 inch flexible ducting, these split into 3 areas front, middle and back, this keeps the entire rear of the van at the same temperature. Notice all the rtech foam insulation, it covers every inch in the back of my van. It works extremely well.


Astrovans get very hot in the back, you want permanent insulation in that area. I got almost 3 inches of insulation on the roof alone, all the rear windows are covered over with foam. Dividing the rear of the van from the driving compartment is a must, I built a permanent sliding door. But you can just use thick rtech foam reinforce it with cardboard and use the industrial velcro to somehow make a temporary barrier to add/remove as needed. But if you plan on living in the van you want massive amounts of foam insulation. 

In this picture the driver compartment is straight ahead behind the divider. On a hot day it can be 150 degrees in the front and 90 degrees in the back. I can park in the sun and be extremely comfortable with just the 2 amp swampcooler running. The back of my van is built-up for comfort thats why it might not be that neat. But on a hot day if your not cool, nothing else matters. 

 

[MrNoodly]

Do you think having an intake on one rear door and the exhaust vent on another rear door would work?

Unless either the intake or exhaust is ducted to somewhere else in the van, and unless you have a fan on at least one of them, you'd just be transferring air the couple of feet between them, doing nothing for the rest of the air in the van.

 

[MrNoodly]

As for insulation between the cab and back, it's one of those "it depends" answers. What sort of climate will you be spending your time in? What do you personally consider too hot or too cold?

In my case, I follow the weather, trying to be where daytime temperatures are between 65 and 85, the nighttime temps between 45 and 65, and the humidity as low as possible. All I have between the front and back is a curtain and it has served me perfectly well. When necessary and possible, I park with the front facing north when it's warm and south when it's cool.