Hippie Vanster

[majikman]

Greetings

Newbie here and thought I would say Hi and introduce myself. I'm in my 50's and decided to live a little and do some travelling.....in a van.Been looking at the Chevy Astro's and hoping to get some idea's and suggestion's.Came across one that has a 3.8 litre....always thought they came standard with a 4.3......any imput on the 3.8......not familiar with it and not familiar with Chevy's. I would like to set it up so it is solar powered and would like to hear what others have done in this respect.....so many options but battery placement is my main concern...would like to put two on board not including the main one under the hood.Anyways I am excited about my future adventures and will be posting the build as I always like to give back what I take........Peace

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Welcome, majikman! There are threads that give pictures and descriptions in the "conversions" topic of the forum! Lots and lots of builds in there to get ideas from. As for the mechanics... well, that's another topic in the forum that you can find a lot of info in! I give this info only because I can't actually answer any of your questions :-D

Looking forward to seeing your build!!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Majikman to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger

 

[jonsun]

Put them as close to panels as you can. On the passenger side near the rear wheel well. You want to keep your wires as short as possible.

 

[lenny flank]

Q. Why didn't the lifeguard save the drowning hippie?

A. Because he was too far out, man....

 

[Ballenxj]

Hey, welcome to the forum.  
As far as having the 3.8 (also known as the 3800) I'm not familiar with them being in Astro Vans either, but it's entirely possible.
My research tells me for the most part people like them, and they have been known to run well for over 500k miles.
There have also been reports of oil pans leaking, and intake manifolds warping. Kind of a roll of the Dice? Research other opinions though.
Here's one article I looked at.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-maintenance-repairs/560480-reliability-high-mileage-3-8-v6.html

 

[Trebor English]

In my experience, Bar's HG-1 does work for exhaust bubbles in the coolant and I don't remember the magic fluid that swells oil seals but it did work on the front main seal.  It is a great engine for experimenting with leak fixing products.  Rusted freeze plugs don't have a magic fixer fluid.  

Maybe you could find a 4.3 Astro.

 

[dr_nelson]

Welcome majikman!
Maybe this thread is helpful (Info on Common Vans)

 

[majikman]

Thanks people......I will most definitely look into other posts in this forum......thanks to Ballenxj for the link to the 3.8....was most helpful to make a decision......

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard majikman !