tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42049861330414924532024-03-14T04:51:00.775-04:00Tales of the Grey Ghostthe history (and hopefully future) of my 1990 Chevy Custom Astro Van.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-48945835618989772642017-08-21T08:39:00.000-04:002017-08-21T08:39:50.284-04:00LED tail lights.I finally broke down and bought a set of LED tail lights for the van.<br />
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they look great, but I noticed a major problem right away... the brightness level between parking light and brake light was almost non existent... the parking lights were too damn bright!<br />
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that was a major safety issue for me, I want people to be able to tell when I hit the brakes, or the turn signal is on, and at these brightness levels, and today's distracted drivers.. this wasn't going to work.<br />
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I ended up adding a 150ohm resistor inline on the parking light side, which dimmed them down enough to make it work like it should<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDps7O1kCCn3UitiGcpqTM6SC60IBLgjVwJENS_eGluTTxiAKLWCcfKFpbnhmdO5onszcrn3Z1FNuaPmzq5iBv6Qmpu3ucsezlLxIj_XBPCafRmy8iBe8UvIAjFHrh-rVk0LY7wE3xRRH/s1600/IMG_20170513_115333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDps7O1kCCn3UitiGcpqTM6SC60IBLgjVwJENS_eGluTTxiAKLWCcfKFpbnhmdO5onszcrn3Z1FNuaPmzq5iBv6Qmpu3ucsezlLxIj_XBPCafRmy8iBe8UvIAjFHrh-rVk0LY7wE3xRRH/s320/IMG_20170513_115333.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New LED vs my old Altezza's and the stock lens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkfdS1BsTBd6XMYzOG3MkaujnVXxInprLFR5lNidwjXXVNHEO7jlB39JDNkkGpcVb-FBUjfZeB1P9u9KPZs2LNdoVwFldMKpTIR-ccybUbLd49dj0ekwTj2FIFOI5WEPnQPo2zaENjrKl/s1600/IMG_20170627_180338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkfdS1BsTBd6XMYzOG3MkaujnVXxInprLFR5lNidwjXXVNHEO7jlB39JDNkkGpcVb-FBUjfZeB1P9u9KPZs2LNdoVwFldMKpTIR-ccybUbLd49dj0ekwTj2FIFOI5WEPnQPo2zaENjrKl/s320/IMG_20170627_180338.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">parking light</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1lKu7g_QjiXXPaVYuAKwxaQuVE4u9BqNSI21ClUVGE0_OaoOz7SfJCOobXdaPduUVDCCLfVrzP6TP-YIjTS9ITpqWU6Bi049yq0vjY54oDnfVtI91MvKl6J6xNsphD4oPNZ0kptgYD3A/s1600/IMG_20170627_180335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1lKu7g_QjiXXPaVYuAKwxaQuVE4u9BqNSI21ClUVGE0_OaoOz7SfJCOobXdaPduUVDCCLfVrzP6TP-YIjTS9ITpqWU6Bi049yq0vjY54oDnfVtI91MvKl6J6xNsphD4oPNZ0kptgYD3A/s320/IMG_20170627_180335.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brake light</td></tr>
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I also swapped out the backup bulbs for LEDS.</div>
much brighter and it's a nice white light.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-73016825950897137642017-08-21T08:29:00.000-04:002017-08-21T08:29:06.914-04:00short and fatI have been running 275/60s on 15x8 rims for a very long time...<br />last year I managed to find a set of 15x10s for a great price, and they have been sitting in the garage waiting for me to need new tires.<br />
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This spring I finally put some rubber on them and mounted them up.. I can't believe I waited this long to do it! <br /><br />sorry, the pictures don't do it justice.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-44857481340780465812017-08-21T08:23:00.004-04:002017-08-21T08:23:54.264-04:00Safety Pinsnot that I really need them, but I have always wanted to put hood pins on the astro..<br />so that's what I did on Sunday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbmwsbC-UTQuJjad3BcpCbAU0Atl_ujIgdv3W02d3QiOc3Xf2BuqOpgcHXTwXQ_I33EI4pnxRiumC2a2d2j8nZH3qjYuA98GBcJf7Caj2U-weuw54LE-Jyzk9PqHpGMGCX2OzIQ6bjMag/s1600/IMG_20170820_145453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbmwsbC-UTQuJjad3BcpCbAU0Atl_ujIgdv3W02d3QiOc3Xf2BuqOpgcHXTwXQ_I33EI4pnxRiumC2a2d2j8nZH3qjYuA98GBcJf7Caj2U-weuw54LE-Jyzk9PqHpGMGCX2OzIQ6bjMag/s320/IMG_20170820_145453.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-9613346291976878132017-08-21T08:22:00.002-04:002017-08-21T08:22:33.682-04:00Water pumpComing home from "A Boogie Affair" last weekend, I noticed some bearing noise coming from the engine as I got home. I pulled the van into the garage and popped off the belt and started checking all the pulleys, and discovered the fan was moving a lot... time for a new water pump.<br /><br />
This past weekend I took the time to swap it out.. not nearly as difficult as I expected considering the amount of room there is to work.<br /><br />not that you can see it once it's installed, but I painted it bright red.<br />I also sandblasted and painted the fan.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pump is out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9BBxOoDNi26KXkRovTxJp_Wevd5DehoL1H-Q_6Fi-OnlryLguetovTJmSjaan8FE3L4ekqXxc8JPVnOA5UuvJ3eYvUUXS3kE-P1e4gnfshZP53e6m1Tbpf5zgqPUBwOiBXupcJfX61PX/s1600/IMG_20170816_190118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9BBxOoDNi26KXkRovTxJp_Wevd5DehoL1H-Q_6Fi-OnlryLguetovTJmSjaan8FE3L4ekqXxc8JPVnOA5UuvJ3eYvUUXS3kE-P1e4gnfshZP53e6m1Tbpf5zgqPUBwOiBXupcJfX61PX/s320/IMG_20170816_190118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">old vs new</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsDqRAsYNS7GVtx2CFY-ug7U6iC2WJ4oyFO9K7yCbwoPnJWvsq_t6_Y4prQyuUsJrdJieyV5_-hpCCPfL_d_NP7QmHTI6He3KVBkbuGx_htGQfHtudt4KMFKgv2v0_drg-aoouhbHbXOk/s1600/IMG_20170818_092640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsDqRAsYNS7GVtx2CFY-ug7U6iC2WJ4oyFO9K7yCbwoPnJWvsq_t6_Y4prQyuUsJrdJieyV5_-hpCCPfL_d_NP7QmHTI6He3KVBkbuGx_htGQfHtudt4KMFKgv2v0_drg-aoouhbHbXOk/s320/IMG_20170818_092640.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sand blasted the fan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuxIjC9OCGvr_kR4qY_7-vPXZCie3q7gwx0G4Jj5eEY625FiHOhvWqhsqmr2z8MU2Uaw4A5938nFtbGUKlZQ6xPAsDe3ekVQQM4ttqjpOiol3TQRnz54EofbFWjTas8M7NmsLZcZywuWy/s1600/IMG_20170818_101121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuxIjC9OCGvr_kR4qY_7-vPXZCie3q7gwx0G4Jj5eEY625FiHOhvWqhsqmr2z8MU2Uaw4A5938nFtbGUKlZQ6xPAsDe3ekVQQM4ttqjpOiol3TQRnz54EofbFWjTas8M7NmsLZcZywuWy/s320/IMG_20170818_101121.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">painted the van</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusonnqw4sGrq4hhw5NINvpGrTGdusY_4X23bNckjIL8uBbnwsXbGYY6x2eVzjxnHzlCV0VPtiwxTeAfyQAFlpc-De9y1GaM8uyLfyeljaJwYjyrS_qiRgBRIxvtpQeHZIaPbOrr_PEudm/s1600/IMG_20170818_101145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusonnqw4sGrq4hhw5NINvpGrTGdusY_4X23bNckjIL8uBbnwsXbGYY6x2eVzjxnHzlCV0VPtiwxTeAfyQAFlpc-De9y1GaM8uyLfyeljaJwYjyrS_qiRgBRIxvtpQeHZIaPbOrr_PEudm/s320/IMG_20170818_101145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">painted the pump</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZWo8L3mJHfIlSrfhCxao_ewidG67sZc0vyHIzrgeE0ppph19xO-FXCyfTLzx9t6nygBC2UC7cb9xk-Lt-p5NzYHcKq4qgDQSsYCM3SPkQoJkAKTHWjMVRPlWleA39jZnGG1UUi3mmNht/s1600/IMG_20170818_165453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZWo8L3mJHfIlSrfhCxao_ewidG67sZc0vyHIzrgeE0ppph19xO-FXCyfTLzx9t6nygBC2UC7cb9xk-Lt-p5NzYHcKq4qgDQSsYCM3SPkQoJkAKTHWjMVRPlWleA39jZnGG1UUi3mmNht/s320/IMG_20170818_165453.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready for install</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqEFR9JOHCJ0h-D7GTZ0bPHFEQZojJNbWV-yXCWAxmlq8SD7FVxT7bWAJwaszAtDI3sZUCMNSBqAG0hQMkIeSXIOp9lNgC8K1zoAySK-7mLoYMNKFHOcyTt2wlIlhcgKRvCF6uhvlIsh2/s1600/IMG_20170819_104655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqEFR9JOHCJ0h-D7GTZ0bPHFEQZojJNbWV-yXCWAxmlq8SD7FVxT7bWAJwaszAtDI3sZUCMNSBqAG0hQMkIeSXIOp9lNgC8K1zoAySK-7mLoYMNKFHOcyTt2wlIlhcgKRvCF6uhvlIsh2/s320/IMG_20170819_104655.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the red... </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shroud and belt back on, can't see the fan any more, and can barely see the pump<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-46831312591243079092017-06-24T15:45:00.003-04:002017-07-25T10:57:17.012-04:00the return of the illuminated chin!for several years, I had bullet lights across the front spoiler that worked with the parking lights, and the outer bulbs on each side were tied into the turn signals.<br />
<br />
the type of filament in these bulbs didn't stand up well to road use and they were constantly needing replacement.<br />
<br />
about 13 years ago I had to swap my front bumper, so I had to remove all the lights and wiring, and never bothered to put it back after.<br />
<br />
I couple of years ago I bought LED versions of the same lights and put them on my "to do list" for the van.<br />
<br />
well, today was the day.. ran all new wiring, soldered and shrink tubed everything.. only to find it didn't quite work...<br />
<br />
with the parking lights on, everything appeared the way I wanted... lights would blink with the signal, etc... but if I turned the parking lights off, they didn't do anything. testing with a regular bulb showed the circuit was doing what it was supposed to.<br />
<br />
if I reverse the polarity on the LEDs, they work with the turn signals as long as the parking lights aren't on.. but didn't work at all with the parking lights.<br />
<br />
ok.. conundrum time..<br />
<br />
I solved the problem by adding a relay on each side..<br />
<br />
the pulse from the turn signal/parking light trips the relay, which then feeds 12VDC to the LEDS from the battery, so it's always the correct polarity.<br />
<br />
now they work as turn signals if the parking lights are on or off.<br />
<br />
I did have two bulbs that didn't work at all, so I used the old filament bulbs till I get the LED replacements in the mail.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-15805335096052245792017-05-25T10:19:00.003-04:002017-05-25T10:19:41.018-04:00lighting up the night.one of the things I never liked about my astro was the headlights.<br />
they were just standard sealed beam lights, but no matter what brand I tried, I was never satisfied with the amount of light and road coverage.<br />
<br />
In 2003 I bought and installed some APC crystal clear lamps that used H4 bulbs.<br />
<br />
these looked fantastic and the light coverage on the road at night was 10 times better.<br />
<br />
flash forward 14 years.. one of them has yellowed horribly over time, while the other still looks bright white/silver. the difference between the two really bugged me. <br />
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<br />
I had looked for another set, but APC parts like these seem to have all dried up.<br />
I tried a couple of different things off of ebay... glass lenses, guaranteed not to yellow... well, the glass didn't, but the plastic chrome reflector inside it did.. and I would put the APCs back in.<br />
<br />
I have had a set in a box out in the garage for some time, and finally decided to give them a go, so I installed them yesterday.<br />
they have the LED surrounds on the sides of the lamp, I tied these into my marker lights/turn signals, so they will come on with the parking light, and flash with the signal.<br /><br />hopefully they won't yellow over time, at least not quickly.<br /><br />maybe next time I will go with LED headlights.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-85622676607325670902017-05-14T15:24:00.000-04:002017-12-30T15:25:21.599-05:00Spring Cleaningthe astro didn't see a lot of road time last summer.<br />
<br />
for the first time ever, I didn't drive it to the nats.. didn't have enough time off from work to drive there and back again, so I rode down with a friend and flew home.<br />
<br />
This spring I decided I needed to invest a little time and money into it...<br />
<br />
installed a new battery, old one eas 6 years old.<br />
<br />
swapped out my rear wheels from 15x8 to 15x10, something I have been wanting to do for years.<br />
I kept the same size tire though, 275/60/<br />
<br />
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now the tires look right, and fill out the rear wheel wells nicely.</div>
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Also upgraded the shocks... I had Tokicos that I had installed 15 years ago, I went with Bilstein this time</div>
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I still need to change the spark plugs.. anyone with an astro knows this is a pain, add to that the fact I have headers, it's even more a challenge. hoping to get that done, as well as a few other much overdue tune-up items soon.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-52421736028373385902017-05-14T11:10:00.001-04:002017-05-14T11:15:59.983-04:00One thing leads to another... <p dir="ltr"><br>
2 weeks ago I swapped out my 15 year old shocks and installed Bilsteins. <br>
I also did my oil change (amsoil) and installed my new 15x10 rear wheels, still running 275/60 tires. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Friday I took the ghost out for it's first official outing, and I discovered that the driver's side door wouldn't unlock, so I put that on my list of things to fix for Saturday. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Saturday comes, I get the door apart, and after a bit of checking, I realize the lock/latch just needs a little lubricant, and it's good as new. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I figured, while I have the doors apart, I should do more troubleshooting on the passenger side power window.  I can open/close it from the driver's side, but not the passenger side. I changed both switches last year because of this with no change in how it was working.  After quite a bit of testing, I'm pretty certain the replacement passenger switch is bad, so I ordered another. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Next, I figure since the panels are off, I should really replace the window sweeps/seals.  (you can use s10/Jimmy sweeps, just have to trim them about 1/8")</p>
<p dir="ltr">Now I really go nuts.... I decide to change the spark plugs. <br>
Anyone with an astro knows this is a pain.  Add to the equation the fact I have headers, it's a royal pain in the ass.  I also replaced the hei module while I was at it. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Since I'm already under the van, I might as well change the transmission filter... Only been 15 years since it was last done. The pan wasn't as dirty as it was the last time, that is a good sign. New filter and 2 gallons of amsoil ATF and I'm back in business. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And lastly, I installed new LED taillights. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Took it out for a 40 mile drive, so far so good! </p>
<p dir="ltr">I had hoped to also drain the rear end and put in new lube, but ran out of time for the day.   That is easy enough that I can do it after work some day this week. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I also need to fix my fog lights, and several other little things still. <br>
It's never ending. </p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-90270891496268837732015-05-03T16:59:00.001-04:002015-05-03T16:59:17.073-04:00a place to lay my head..The first bed I put in my van was built like a couch, it went along the driver side wall, you could open it for storage, and oddly enough.. my couch cushions fit it perfectly.<br />
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when I ended up putting in sub woofers, I rebuilt the bed to go across the back of the van to hide them, and it looked a lot more symmetrical to me, and that's the way it stayed for the past 17(ish) years.<br />
it was a little cramped, but I could sleep in there if l lay diagonal across it. I liked it because it was always setup, had a foam mattress, never had to mess with it when I got to an event.<br />
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I have found that in recent years, trying to spend a week sleeping in there at the nats was getting a little tough, and after last year with m fiancee in there, I needed to make a change.<br />
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I have had a couple of ideas, so today I spent some time in the garage with some power tools and a sheet of plywood.<br />
the bed platform looks about the same as before (I built over the existing bed), but I can now pull it out and it extends to the back of the front seats. it's big enough for a full size mattress, but that's not practical to leave like that all the time, so from now on it's an inflatable mattress. the bed will take a little to setup now, but will be a lot more comfortable.<br />
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I need to get some more black carpet to cover the plywood, and some trim to dress it out a little. Will see how well this works at LOST ad the Nats.<br />
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pics are kinda crappy, hard to shoot inside the van.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVUmBZXg7hH7Vd0a4AfO8vMEgyfy2i5pWpesIOunxZ-Gm34y8sxoDBCqnXTjWhgJeCV7-LcxiNQsXsGrFAbv_bjbTdBlS0YnzkXWIQStEGl5LMu0Tbqy2_pts9JirPX289ce0i3kGWnQL/s1600/IMAG1644.jpg">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVUmBZXg7hH7Vd0a4AfO8vMEgyfy2i5pWpesIOunxZ-Gm34y8sxoDBCqnXTjWhgJeCV7-LcxiNQsXsGrFAbv_bjbTdBlS0YnzkXWIQStEGl5LMu0Tbqy2_pts9JirPX289ce0i3kGWnQL/s320/IMAG1644.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNT__LMhbblgGoFhzmZZZLcEoMOxbIP74TeK48Mbj4OXgQMgIYKDo3APZW74hUIVitB7CH0KtWPcGVB4sSX0uFm-iE7Bynj0QQ2CBA8VE46d7fmUD5qUPGe5RCkVHNSh7ntH65KPEne88/s1600/IMAG1652.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> </td></tr>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3cvjNRWgg78JpspLiduyYolWq-lQQhzTv1wkdIm0NEyjxXgGyr0I_TTDi7nJAXJrNgmK9fMZQhieSTjJu-OeZWpQ4fu58zOMK-Dwp3z-hf9sufe-iweXwKq9DiQElRZ05Ss47k28NiWj/s320/IMAG1645.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5uxXP3Y0LpLeKZDsZB53p84-COQb2OtMQcDiQdY9BbEZ9aUJW3v0MEHVGU4kXZBjPwNejfoFwNci7WKwxB628hibDvkk0-xd7gVCz1wSO-zK0b9zUA9PB4OO0dhfCSH6yf-OA7ZvQOFO/s320/IMAG1646.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfnuylvsq6ENhj24nKpWEeCjJdSAvJcLXO9ZMKoBpneWpcSuSi5oAK1bIuhSSnUJDhVoqznUzbfZz1iWH8KyUKLHCCu7cHJjozDG0xkeOb8eypPQ2P1ujQg3saxyvf2RkgD4Jqb9B2Zlg/s320/IMAG1642.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_EjxSE7s3mhqQXWfpjNiYWlHCzVx86EEsvFdSx0fDhQWTp6wvE0nmDPs9Feyxe2UZvZbdoW_qUfa-v7gJR49rBH05BKRNXAa07xGRoiVCRFuj5_0htrroeayqOvX7ZhQ36r1QL5lG2L9/s1600/IMAG1641.jpg">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_EjxSE7s3mhqQXWfpjNiYWlHCzVx86EEsvFdSx0fDhQWTp6wvE0nmDPs9Feyxe2UZvZbdoW_qUfa-v7gJR49rBH05BKRNXAa07xGRoiVCRFuj5_0htrroeayqOvX7ZhQ36r1QL5lG2L9/s320/IMAG1641.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-63653133324422381332014-07-10T11:34:00.001-04:002017-05-25T10:29:04.835-04:00new tech for old lightsSeveral years ago I swapped out my cab visor from a lighted Lund, to one from Hank @customfiberglass in CT.<br />
I missed having the lights on it, I think they help give the van shape at night, so I shopped around and found some APC flush mount marker lights that looked great!
It didn't take long for me to discover they had some flaws however... the 197 bulbs would melt the housings (making it impossible to get the bulb out if it blows) and discolor the lenses.<br />
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I had been shopping around for similar marker lights that used LEDS (the original style is no longer made) and had not been able to find anything to my liking.
Recently I spotted 2 sets of them on eBay, and snagged them both, and picked up some LED bulbs to put in them. hopefully these last longer and won't cause the melting.<br />
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I took an afternoon and swapped them out recently.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg-pSy3VkkYPTVkZx_0sSUAHJPM5QYIn3qOXBbUi2NEp3K_0R3MooZ523NshbRFHzepj0AMEL6P_6jJzP4up0NPoWXZyd5k2potmwUzN6RGJkiVywM_AuZZnbTUQcssWWN9dkULZQIS5s/s1600/IMAG1207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg-pSy3VkkYPTVkZx_0sSUAHJPM5QYIn3qOXBbUi2NEp3K_0R3MooZ523NshbRFHzepj0AMEL6P_6jJzP4up0NPoWXZyd5k2potmwUzN6RGJkiVywM_AuZZnbTUQcssWWN9dkULZQIS5s/s320/IMAG1207.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the old ones were pretty trashed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW7Yu1mdDTzUf2wJrpiXFL4yjJpHDZ56Lv4wdqOh9EqsKn2aFmOaRqkIXl59mPxW8NWGRMX5t0nuRGrT4bCVtmSAsflkCMaS7B9PuA5-d7AJABouvsrXobr_wDXHJDJw0DiRC5wuhlwyf/s1600/IMAG1208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW7Yu1mdDTzUf2wJrpiXFL4yjJpHDZ56Lv4wdqOh9EqsKn2aFmOaRqkIXl59mPxW8NWGRMX5t0nuRGrT4bCVtmSAsflkCMaS7B9PuA5-d7AJABouvsrXobr_wDXHJDJw0DiRC5wuhlwyf/s320/IMAG1208.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to clean these up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoiBlNj6ovglfA0vKISp0vkEUCfYGYSPgpTFi3sIlg1bdGEcTa6duaIV1j1j9esmHujg0nh7b7yV67zqOj7dbnTHeo03iFlbDONHMtR_zz_20rA2BXbmT1YLtiHY02o_96lWiPhWyNhZC/s1600/IMAG1209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoiBlNj6ovglfA0vKISp0vkEUCfYGYSPgpTFi3sIlg1bdGEcTa6duaIV1j1j9esmHujg0nh7b7yV67zqOj7dbnTHeo03iFlbDONHMtR_zz_20rA2BXbmT1YLtiHY02o_96lWiPhWyNhZC/s320/IMAG1209.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nice and shiny!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all lit up... but there is more to come.</td></tr>
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this lighting project isn't over.. anyone who remembers my van, knows there were a lot more lights on the front, and they are coming back.<br /><br /><br /><br />UPDATE 5/2017:<br />the LEDs didn't hold up, and I had to replace them. I found a different bulb that seems to be better built and sealed up against the elements, and is WAY brighter.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_374692783"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0Y4LTA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0Y4LTA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPoYcg6e2IOQGAgRMrv5go_k8eJjQ-9iwH0EtJktZ0O8DxJ_Pwj-F6-O809utsPobEzL-yKB8jYkokfPnMTBzM9-Cnnv0oFg9lpzJ7yZXJTe-5O3Gz55zXXSxNI-y7SKnVY-1obKywog5/s1600/613M1a-fxpL._SL1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPoYcg6e2IOQGAgRMrv5go_k8eJjQ-9iwH0EtJktZ0O8DxJ_Pwj-F6-O809utsPobEzL-yKB8jYkokfPnMTBzM9-Cnnv0oFg9lpzJ7yZXJTe-5O3Gz55zXXSxNI-y7SKnVY-1obKywog5/s320/613M1a-fxpL._SL1000_.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div>
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they are just short enough (2cm) to fit in my cap lights and allow me to snap the covers back on.<br />instead of just the center lighting up like in the picture above, the whole lens lights up now.<br /><br /></div>
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we shall see how they hold up after a couple of years.<br /><br />the other issue I noticed was one of the marker lights and broken around where the rivet was holding it to the visor. I didn't have any more bases to replace it with, but luckily found some on ebay.. I made sure to order extras for future spares.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-38576940443062482582013-07-24T13:24:00.004-04:002021-05-21T18:31:54.487-04:00Strutting my Stuffso... many many moons, and more than a few brain cells ago, the sliding door fell off my van.<br />
In a flash of inspiration, I hinged it and poof! instant gull wing! Sadly, it was held open with a big stick... and after 15(?) years of not knowing how to weld or being able to get anyone to weld on the cheap metal in the Astro.. my friend Matchstick from <a href="http://customvanner.com/" target="_blank">customvanner.com</a> hooked me up! He had just done this to his own Astro and had it all figured out. He sent me a purchase order, I bought the parts, brought it all with me to the van nationals, and he took an hour and welded it all in for me!<br /><br />Parts - <a href="https://www.customvanner.com/product-page/gullwing-kit" target="_blank">https://www.customvanner.com/product-page/gullwing-kit</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-65534666590257930172013-06-16T10:49:00.000-04:002013-06-16T10:49:00.476-04:00a little change finally...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had this no window slider in the garage for almost 2 years, and finally put some work into it and got it mounted on the van.<br />
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I need to get someone to remove the door handle (it serves no purpose anyway) and my friend Matchstick is going to help me install the struts to hold it open when we are at the nats next month.<br />
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Now I just need someone that knows what they are doing to help me get the dutch doors installed!<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-70935722933492526462012-08-26T16:07:00.000-04:002014-07-10T11:46:56.844-04:00swappin partsso one of my fellow vanner friends out in Ohio, Mike Nemec, had his old distributor still sitting on a shelf (he put a v8 in his astro) and sent it out my way via another friend in exchange for a cigar the next time I see him.<br />
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There are 2 screens in the bottom of the OEM distributor that are supposed to be vents, and apparently GM found they didn't work so well, and issued a tech bulletin to punch them out for proper air flow and drainage of moisture.<br />
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I popped those out on the "new" one.</div>
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Today was my day for swapping it out, never done one before, and much to my surprise, it was simple and easy. 5 minutes, done. I had a couple of the wires backwards at first, and once I got them sorted out, the van ran fine.<br />
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I also put a new MSD cap and rotor on it, as well as replacing my coil (older MSD for new style MSD)<br />
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(yes, I realize a wire is missing, see below)</div>
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I noticed that the post for the #2 wire on the old cap was discolored,<br />
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so I looked inside the boot and it was all corroded, and when I went to check the other end on the plug, I discovered why....<br />
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so now I need to order a new set of wires.. and I have headers, so I can't just use any "direct fit" set off the shelf. my current wire set is 4 moroso and 2 accel wires, so now I am looking for new wires, might get another moroso set, so they are all the same.<br />
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<b><u>UPDATE 7/10/2014</u></b><br />
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I haven't had any issues since doing all this when driving in the rain, but I also haven't had to drive in any tsunamis like the one that caused this... so I came up with an easy fix in just in case.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12"x24" magnetic sign, primered to match the hood.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost can't see it.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-51427089080002413122012-08-12T14:14:00.002-04:002012-08-12T14:14:50.344-04:00soakedSo yesterday, I decided to clean out the garage and get it ready for tearing the van apart. (has been more a storage and staging area for other projects over the summer)<br />
A friend came over to help me move a couple larger items, and we got to talking about what happened with the van, so I get the bright idea to hit the starter so he can hear it... and I'll be damned, it starts right up and runs perfect.<br />
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OK.... I guess that rules out the timing gear/chain. So now I'm looking at it as a moisture issue, because there was water flying area from under the hood.<br />
I have a louvered hood, and with the crazy freakish rain we were having, I think I had way too much water get in under the hood. the cap and rotor definitely need to be replaced, and the terminal on the coil is cooked. I'm also concerned about the rust on top of the distributor, no idea what is considered normal and what is bad... <span id="goog_239218251"></span><span id="goog_239218252"></span><br />
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so I am ordering cap, rotor and coil, and debating what to do about the distributor as I research it more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-36465087597865739782012-08-11T01:14:00.002-04:002012-08-11T01:53:54.724-04:00it finally happened....This weekend I had planned on heading to Super Somer van and truck show in Somers, CT.<br />
The trip started off like any other, last minute packing, store stops, etc.. and then I'm off and running. Van was running great, but the weather sucked! serious rain... having to run the defroster to keep the windows clear isn't any fun when your hot and damp already.<br />
I'm trucking south on 95, my GPS is tossing out alternate routes to avoid multiple traffic hang ups, it's still raining like hell and it's getting dark... suddenly I hear a "pop" and the van dies... oh crap.<br />
I'm in the middle lane doing 70 and slowing down quickly, I'm trying to head for the breakdown land but have a tractor trailer next to me, thankfully he sped up and I was able to get all the way over.<br />
I hit the key... van turns over, no fire, and it sounds awful.. I'm pretty sure the timing gear broke.<br />
will have to wait till I can get the front end ripped apart to get at it and see!<br />
Thankfully I have AAA premiere, which has a 1 time (annual) 200 mile towing, I was 130 from home, so I had to use it. but man... it was so worth it... 130 miles at $4.00 a mile!?<br />
After 1.5 hours, the driver finally shows up, and he gets the van up on the ramp without touching the air damn (thank you!) and we get on the way.<br />
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this guy couldn't maintain the speed limit if you lit a fire under his ass! we would be doing 60, then 40, then 60... he was drifting all over the road, texting, taking calls... a drive that should have taken 2 hours took over 3. <br />
BUT! he redeemed himself when we got to the house... he backed the truck up and dropped the ramp right at the garage door and lowered the van right into the garage. of course, it's ass backwards... but there was no way we were getting in the other way around.<br />
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I'm really bummed I didn't make it to the van run.. I was really looking forward to it, but I'll call it a blessing in disguise that it happened now, and not say... a couple weeks ago on the way to/from the nats?!<br />
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All in all... I have owned the van since december of 94, and it has 244331 miles on it, and this is the first time it has let me down and needed a tow. I can't complain about that at all!<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-60301905284531967642012-05-06T12:21:00.000-04:002012-05-06T12:21:57.402-04:00music to my ears...So last year I upgraded all the batteries, and installed a solenoid to keep the rear batteries separate when not charging, and moved all of my aftermarket electronics to the rear bank (stereo and lights, etc)<br />
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I never really put it to a good test last year..so last night I went to my brother's house and he wanted me to park by the fire and play music, great!<br />
I had the toons cranking, bass going, and 1 set of neons running for almost 4 hours straight, rear batteries were still holding up nicely, and as I was planning, the front battery was 100%. No issues starting at all.<br />
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I need to set it up and just let it play music till it dies to see how long that will last.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-89829927345652079692012-04-14T18:13:00.000-04:002012-04-14T18:13:36.747-04:00It's Spring..time to come out of hibernation.<br />
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Most of the time over the past 4 months that I have spent in my garage has been to make it a use-able work space. The previous owner left it a mess, and all the electrical and lighting needed a lot of improvement.<br />
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I have finally arrived at a point where I know where most things are, and have sufficient lighting and power to see and do everything I need to do out there, so now it's time to start working on the van!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjBH9UxEuW_Vmq4NxvXPCMRqCsxueoxUGB6YbH7I1pg_Q5JiAZn34q88Qmin8CUa1jZFX2er-VBVJxNH03ZYo63SWlSYhZfPs8Y9nLtVMNVuHubAJRo8_4PeGqMikRKn5xLHKqmqEpet3/s1600/DSCF5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjBH9UxEuW_Vmq4NxvXPCMRqCsxueoxUGB6YbH7I1pg_Q5JiAZn34q88Qmin8CUa1jZFX2er-VBVJxNH03ZYo63SWlSYhZfPs8Y9nLtVMNVuHubAJRo8_4PeGqMikRKn5xLHKqmqEpet3/s400/DSCF5857.JPG" width="400" /></a>I gotta tell ya...<br />
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it's so nice having my own garage and having all my tools in one place finally!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrms6u3OqXiYRvIkna5xUuLxJy5pTD-W8O2p0XvQOPPbxZs-v1UU2DjSeKM6hYdXzg2Qpz9SnBfSA5364qX5l3EwRhXbchQSbCxpKreUvEtplGJ6aF43IIZCGGz8Sr05Zji4fUoR5nOVk/s1600/DSCF8025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrms6u3OqXiYRvIkna5xUuLxJy5pTD-W8O2p0XvQOPPbxZs-v1UU2DjSeKM6hYdXzg2Qpz9SnBfSA5364qX5l3EwRhXbchQSbCxpKreUvEtplGJ6aF43IIZCGGz8Sr05Zji4fUoR5nOVk/s400/DSCF8025.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSZt7niuQ-ee3kmiyfMj9Tkpg_N5eNHU19Ey1yPZNAxtlF9fVLYwGQ1CNYZqGZztVtmYYpweMdpauAOlMb-Zx0ul9eNoIjiZ_H-dFY3YQZI2MH59of1Gg6j2_bztEzc7RKdT3iDu4Lfgs/s1600/DSCF8026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSZt7niuQ-ee3kmiyfMj9Tkpg_N5eNHU19Ey1yPZNAxtlF9fVLYwGQ1CNYZqGZztVtmYYpweMdpauAOlMb-Zx0ul9eNoIjiZ_H-dFY3YQZI2MH59of1Gg6j2_bztEzc7RKdT3iDu4Lfgs/s400/DSCF8026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It has been a VERY long time since I have touched the brakes on the Ghost... when I first bought it I did everything, drums, shoes, spring kits, rear cylinders, rotors, pads, etc...that was in 1995. Since then I have done the pads a couple of times, but that's it. So I decided that this spring it was time do go through everything again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QmL4R5w_sm8vJDGzKWtl8rJoCtQxCnHzAz5RVvHaFhpHwoZiDA461yeVVNQC0Ns90HSyh_czrA50ALQVVQA9MtzqvttARCGXJRTdcnzDskgnIzxC_zmnpABHn1Ba1lY__m8v6XUZVJgJ/s1600/DSCF5859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QmL4R5w_sm8vJDGzKWtl8rJoCtQxCnHzAz5RVvHaFhpHwoZiDA461yeVVNQC0Ns90HSyh_czrA50ALQVVQA9MtzqvttARCGXJRTdcnzDskgnIzxC_zmnpABHn1Ba1lY__m8v6XUZVJgJ/s200/DSCF5859.JPG" width="200" /></a>Last weekend I changed the oil (Amsoil Signature series) and did the front brakes.<br />
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the rotors were still in great shape with plenty of meat on them, so I only had to do the pads (which were in dire need of replacement!)<br />
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In the process of doing the front brakes, I took the old dust seals/end caps and cleaned the rust off of them and painted them, no one will ever see them, but I will know!<br />
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Such a minor detail, but it made me happy, lol!<br />
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This weekend I did the rear brakes, the drums looked to still be in good shape, but I replaced them anyway. I will sandblast the old ones and repaint them and keep them for spares.<br />
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The old shoes were just about gone.. so new drums, shoes and springs.<br />
I feel a lot better about driving it this summer now.<br />
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I also lubed the front end and took care of some other pre-season items. <br />
I bought a creeper, was all excited thinking it would make life easier working on the van... the van sits so low that I can't get under it! DOH! oh well.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-81289977955662703032012-03-26T20:51:00.002-04:002012-03-26T20:51:48.480-04:00HibernationSo for those that don't know, I bought a house.<br />
the Grey Ghost spent it's first winter in my very own garage!<br />
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The garage is heated with a wood stove, but I spent most of my time out there getting the garage cleaned and usable.. the previous owner left it a bit of a mess.<br />
it will be nice having a dry, clean, well lit and secure place to work on the van.<br />
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it has been a while since I have touched the brakes, so I am planning on doing front and rear complete.. rotors, drums, shoes, pads, spring kits, etc... I did all that in 95 when I first bought it, it's been 100K plus mile since, and other than changing the pads a couple of times, they haven't been touched, so it is probably time. (I have had them inspected on a regular basis, so I know they have been safe up to now!)<br />
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I'm looking forward to many van projects in this garage!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-2582013998986181752011-08-25T16:45:00.001-04:002011-08-25T16:47:46.361-04:00Cutting Corners.. revisitedinstead of adding these comments as edits to the <a href="http://talesofthegreyghost.blogspot.com/2011/08/cutting-corners.html">original post</a>, I decided to just start a new post.<br />
<br />
I was given a full refund on the original door that I ordered and (bonus!) got to keep the door! so if anyone with a later model Astro/Safari wants a chrome fuel door cover, make me an offer! lol<br />
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Now, the other one I found <a href="http://www.mnmmotorsports.com/servlet/the-144/85-dsh-06-CHEVY-ASTROVAN-CHROME/Detail">at MnMmotorsports.com</a> that looked correct, wasn't.... this is the pic they showed,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mnmmotorsports.com/media/00/a20791512d5937f3da79aa_m.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mnmmotorsports.com/media/00/a20791512d5937f3da79aa_m.GIF" /></a></div>but the one I received was just like the other one, with the corner cut off. urrrg.... <span style="text-align: left;">So I have sent them an email explaining that what they sold me isn't the same as what </span><span style="text-align: left;">they were advertising and that I want a full refund, including the shipping... so again.. we wait. seeing as there as no "contact us" info on their website, and the paypal address was an AOL address... I'm guessing I won't be hearing back from them. I'll give them till the end of the business day Friday before filing a claim with paypal.</span><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-4213390854842288182011-08-24T11:34:00.000-04:002011-08-24T11:34:59.629-04:00bootedThe rubber "boot" that covers the bottom of my shifter in the van has been in rough shape for a while.. dry rot set in ages ago.<div>Last week on a whim I decided to see if they actually sold replacement boots for it, and imagine that, they do!</div><div><br />
</div><div>so I ordered one from Amazon (love that site) and it arrived today, and I installed it. Most people probably wouldn't even notice the difference, but I do, and that's all that matters.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-79499055740436852011-08-21T11:08:00.001-04:002011-08-21T13:27:48.978-04:00As the Music fades....the current head unit on my van stereo <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/s_113KDCX995/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X995.html">a Kenwood Excelon Z828</a>, has been in service for 9 years and has been a kick ass stereo. It has some issues that have developed over time due to age and wear, the latch that holds the detachable face plate in place is broken, and you have to jury rig it every time, and every now and again the face plate fails to work.. won't display anything, can't turn it on, etc.. usually re-seating it fixes it.<br />
it hasn't done this to me in a while, but decided to start acting up again this week. Minor annoyance, but something I want to get resolved. I really don't want to have to buy a new head unit, this one does everything I need and I like it (that and I finally broke down and bought the direct Ipod control unit for it).<br />
I'm hoping this one keeps working through the winter to give me time to save up some money.<br />
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I'm currently considering <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/S-aK6ZvF1xrmW/s_113KDCX995/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X995.html">a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X995</a> (yes, I like Kenwood Excelon units!)<br />
it's a good price, has all the features I want, and looks nice.. and maybe by spring time it will have an even better price!<br />
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EDIT... I tore the dash apart this afernoon... had a bad ground wire on the stereo. soldered it back together and it all works... <br />
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imagine that.. lolUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-72232494687040222812011-08-19T20:10:00.002-04:002011-08-22T10:51:22.343-04:00cutting corners....<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I see trucks all the time with the chrome fuel door covers, and always thought that would look kinda cool on my van. I haven't seen a lot of Astros with them. </div><div style="text-align: left;">The other day I was poking around on eBay for random van stuff, and to my surprise, there is a chrome fuel door listed, and the info says it will fit my van, great! I buy it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Today, my shiny new piece of van bling shows up, and I notice something as soon as I open it... it isn't for my year van. it is for the 95 up models. From 85-94, the fuel door was released via a cable by your feet in the van. Over time GMC discovered these cables break, and you can't get the fuel door open, so they cut the corner off and removed the cable so you just had to flip it open by hand. If you look in this picture, you can see that the corner is cut, but still see my fuel door under it... minor detail to some people, but I'm a little OCD about things like that, and that is enough of a detail to bug me... so I probably won't be using this piece of bling on the van.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIXPCkcwJ7IjAkoAv1MoFHC-LssKgSEzroQIolnnfoSJwSk8bI6QNu42cOvKazCvQRFwb_v8UTO7TWJ2drvI-N3ML2pNr9XRDOypI-Uo2w_dmrRE69UMJYdno7-RhP1THsnGl6zQU2cWg/s1600/DSCF4055.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIXPCkcwJ7IjAkoAv1MoFHC-LssKgSEzroQIolnnfoSJwSk8bI6QNu42cOvKazCvQRFwb_v8UTO7TWJ2drvI-N3ML2pNr9XRDOypI-Uo2w_dmrRE69UMJYdno7-RhP1THsnGl6zQU2cWg/s320/DSCF4055.JPG" /></a> </div><br />
The people that sold it had no idea there was any difference in the fuel doors, and said no one has ever said anything to them. They asked me for pics.. hopefully they can come up with the correct one, or refund me. <br />
I'll keep you posted!<br />
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EDIT 1 - still waiting for them to figure out what they are doing, but in the mean time I found one that was the correct shape in the picture, ordered it, hope it is correct!<br />
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When I first bought it, my first vanity plate for it was KAOTIC.. I had a thing for chaos and thought the van was perfect for that. I had mulled over several names, never coming up with one I really liked.. I almost went with "Dark Passions".. (you can actually still see where I had written that on the paint on the rear window) -but that plan ended up on the back burner when a strange turn events gave the van it's own name.<br />
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At one point, many moons ago, I was a step-dad, and one day at a fair, I won this little alien doll in a black robe, which ended up riding shotgun in the van. So along comes the next show, and I leave the doll on the seat.<br />
The next thing I know, I start finding more alien stuff in the van, or being given to me... and combined with the comments I heard about my van looking like a spaceship when all my lights were on.. AREA 51 became the name/theme. That plate was already taken, so I went with UFOVAN. I ran with that plate and theme for several years.<br />
now comes the monkey wrench in my vannin life... I got laid off.<br />
When this happened I moved to Maine, and got the plate VANNIN, and then the van sat for a year.<br />
Over the next several years, I wasn't able to attend many events, and was basically concerned with just keeping the van running. I ended up removing a lot of my lights, as I couldn't afford to replace them all, the van became "a van" again... and it wasn't seen a whole lot... becoming the ghost of what it was. As time went on and I wasn't showing it, I decided to retire the whole alien theme. The past couple of years I have settled on calling it "the Grey Ghost", as it has been in primer since 1996. <br />
I figure until I paint it, this will be it's name, and I think it is a fitting name.<br />
<br />
Once I paint it.. I'll have to give the van time to name itself again.<br />
<br />
Who knows.. maybe I will paint it grey?<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-49254910208262824222011-08-17T20:24:00.000-04:002011-08-17T20:24:30.233-04:00where were you when the lights went out?so.. this van has been the best vehicle I have ever owned.. only had to have it towed home once, and that was due to a short and running out of fuses before I figured out the problem!<br />
<br />
well, on the way home from the van nats this summer I was bragging about just how great it has been to me.<br />
I should have kept my mouth shut.<br />
after driving 1800 miles round trip, I'm 20 miles from home, it's 10:30 at night... and I suddenly realize I have no dash/tail lights...<br />
<br />
GREAT! I can't figure out what is going on, I have been driving for 14 hours, I'm tired.. I want to go home.<br />
I run with it.. I ride the brakes enough to trigger the brake lights and just keep going.<br />
it worked, because the state trooper that past me shortly thereafter didn't bat an eye.<br />
<br />
The next day, after a good nights sleep, I go look, blown fuse. easy enough, I replace it, everything works.<br />
job well done.<br />
<br />
A week later, I drive it to a friends house, and when I leave, (after dark) I get a mile away and POP! fuse goes.<br />
and every fuse I tried immediately popped as well. so.. again with the brake lights for the 13 miles home.<br />
<br />
the next day I start tearing into the wiring, and am able to trace the short to the back of the van, and then it stops blowing the fuse. I figure it must have been something lose, and all the jiggling of wires resolved it... as I wasn't able to get it to short again after that. I drove the van for a week with no shorts (talking about the wiring, I was wearing shorts you perv).. I'm thinking I'm all set and start putting things back together.<br />
<br />
3 days before I am supposed to drive to Connecticut, the fuse starts popping again. Thankfully I had a slow day at work and was able to really tear into the wiring, and was finally able to trace the short to its cause. <br />
when I had the plate box removed from the rear door, they just left the wire for the plate light hanging in the door, and after 15(?) years it finally chafed through and was shorting... got rid of that entire run or wire and presto! no more shorting out.<br />
<br />
since I had torn the wiring apart so much, I figured this was a good time to do a little clean up and change a few things around. I added a dedicated accessory fuse box to the rear batteries, and started moving all the toys in the van from the main battery to that. Stereo, lights, etc. I also cleaned up all the wiring in around the rear doors that was such a disaster for years and got it all put in a loom and wire tied and secured. I'm actually not embarrassed to have the rear doors open any more!<br />
<br />
this past weekend I ran lights and fans all weekend and had no issues with power, and the starting battery was 100% the entire time.<br />
<br />
I still have a lot of wiring cleanup to do.. next part will be the wiring in the overhead console... then under the dash.. and then under the hood.. but as do these in this order, it will make each next step a little easier.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4204986133041492453.post-65614881363583906512011-08-17T20:04:00.000-04:002011-08-17T20:04:38.118-04:00something old, something new...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc0bF3d3hNvuw7JJpNTYXX4REt3pPTc_umZDI_ilX2B-RjR2vlmIOsBR4SGK7zY-EF6VVMGr0uvA8JTr8K4qvJcEdbW5IP051JeR2vOE9T-AXGuT_mn5zkCfSAgfNhv1nCdkhB3D1ZYWS/s1600/DSCF4047.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc0bF3d3hNvuw7JJpNTYXX4REt3pPTc_umZDI_ilX2B-RjR2vlmIOsBR4SGK7zY-EF6VVMGr0uvA8JTr8K4qvJcEdbW5IP051JeR2vOE9T-AXGuT_mn5zkCfSAgfNhv1nCdkhB3D1ZYWS/s320/DSCF4047.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0PuZhKEm7tTiYxMk8bbqxN9a_NkhDSbHPGtFMFyWA7y8cihifaek_HgQDb3iLyScK-drlS1tyraxqiaOZygKPxa0G0LYoo8UAEHxkra-kvyneDvgLlOueK-bf_OdHETROlaGkZcV2qON/s1600/DSCF4049.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0PuZhKEm7tTiYxMk8bbqxN9a_NkhDSbHPGtFMFyWA7y8cihifaek_HgQDb3iLyScK-drlS1tyraxqiaOZygKPxa0G0LYoo8UAEHxkra-kvyneDvgLlOueK-bf_OdHETROlaGkZcV2qON/s320/DSCF4049.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5OPzTZk5DGMpbMn0VZTPuwrV9GbZ-X0qU3ud-LAAmvIJf5g8VptwOoYr0wFuTCbOC8QQujcQaUjlsL5ENFPE7WSqHkm1j4s_Q_-6oWQmOG9Vt3heWUs9Ac3gKZvA81GDwrPEbiyjZ8IC/s1600/DSCF4051.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5OPzTZk5DGMpbMn0VZTPuwrV9GbZ-X0qU3ud-LAAmvIJf5g8VptwOoYr0wFuTCbOC8QQujcQaUjlsL5ENFPE7WSqHkm1j4s_Q_-6oWQmOG9Vt3heWUs9Ac3gKZvA81GDwrPEbiyjZ8IC/s320/DSCF4051.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrz3zmRBm4Ga61n8UCnbiRU2q4jDYC1p8u1Bzyn2msx65QbhNCoTVhYRwv63yUqYAuypv69DJMQprJcYOmX4kxlJsD0LyOQWE8sTSqlE78jFLiI_YG3TQzTAo4V3LrLTxPfZLgfdygvTD/s1600/DSCF4052.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrz3zmRBm4Ga61n8UCnbiRU2q4jDYC1p8u1Bzyn2msx65QbhNCoTVhYRwv63yUqYAuypv69DJMQprJcYOmX4kxlJsD0LyOQWE8sTSqlE78jFLiI_YG3TQzTAo4V3LrLTxPfZLgfdygvTD/s320/DSCF4052.JPG" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>While I was at the nats, I acquired a new hood! so the old hood with the scoop on it has been retired to the parts bin in the basement, and the van is now sporting a new (old) louvered hood.. took me a little to get used it after having the hood scoop for 10plus years....<br />
<br />
and this past weekend, at Super Somer in CT, I picked up a chrome stealth grill. These pics don't do it justice.. it was quite the change after the van having the original grill for 21 years... but the more I look at this, the more I like it!<br />
<br />
I also picked up a set of dutch doors to replace the barn doors on the back.. I need a bit more hardware before tackling this project.<br />
<br />
I have been trying to find a solid, no window slider to complete my gull wing with, and finally found one.. but it is a 20 hour round trip to get... trying to work out the logistics of meeting it's current curator at a van run somewhere, or getting someone else to vanner express it for me.<br />
<br />
there will be some major changes going on over the next year if I can get these new parts all installed! I can't wait!<br />
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