old_
old_ Reader
3/14/14 5:06 p.m.

Nmna. I've never seen one with a 5 speed

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/4374874860.html

old_
old_ Reader
3/14/14 5:09 p.m.

Damn auto correct

EvanB
EvanB PowerDork
3/14/14 5:47 p.m.

I was expecting an awesome airbrushed custom van.

They came in manual with the iron duke.

patgizz
patgizz UberDork
3/14/14 5:56 p.m.

that is a rare bird. the astro forum guys would crap themselves.

logdog
logdog Dork
3/14/14 6:16 p.m.

I have seen exactly one other Astro with a manual. It was from the first year or two they were made and it was a 2.5 4 speed.

JohnRW1621
JohnRW1621 UltimaDork
3/14/14 6:29 p.m.

I have driven a cargo version back when new.
My goodness was it slow.
I did not realize that the passenger version was available with a 4 cyl. If you filled all the seats, it would seem you could overload the carrying capacity.

oldopelguy
oldopelguy SuperDork
3/14/14 9:10 p.m.

The T5 in the Astro is the closest ratio of all of them, for what it is worth.

scottdownsouth
scottdownsouth New Reader
3/15/14 7:21 a.m.

That dash makes me think of star track or whatever. Can you put a SBC in it is the question ?

Ian F
Ian F UltimaDork
3/15/14 8:41 a.m.
scottdownsouth wrote: Can you put a SBC in it is the question ?

Yup. Hotrodders have been stuffing SBC's in those vans pretty much since the day they rolled out of the factory.

This van with an LS3/6spd (along with various other upgrades) might possibly be the perfect vehicle.

mw
mw Dork
3/15/14 9:05 a.m.

I remember when when I was 8, my dad was debating between a 5 SPD or auto astro van to replace our 5 speed caravan. The v6 auto eventually won because my dog liked to sit between the seats and put his face in the AC.

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
3/15/14 10:28 a.m.

I never understood the mid-80's fascination of putting a manual trans in with no tach. My 84 tempo was the same way. The auto's got a tach, the manual did not. Isn't that about 100% backwards?

Wally
Wally MegaDork
3/15/14 9:15 p.m.

In reply to Bobzilla: The manuals were generally going in cars for very cheap people. They weren't paying for fancy crap like tachs or passenger side mirrors.

Ian F
Ian F UltimaDork
3/16/14 10:10 a.m.
Wally wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: The manuals were generally going in cars for very cheap people. They weren't paying for fancy crap like tachs or passenger side mirrors.

Who needs a tach when you're short-shifting long before the redline?

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
3/16/14 12:16 p.m.

Well I guess when you hit valve float you knew it was time to shift.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku PowerDork
3/17/14 9:39 a.m.

I've never seen a manual in an Astro passenger van before. That thing is so rare it makes unicorns look like deer.

KurtAKX
KurtAKX New Reader
3/17/14 4:11 p.m.
Ian F wrote:
scottdownsouth wrote: Can you put a SBC in it is the question ?
Yup. Hotrodders have been stuffing SBC's in those vans pretty much since the day they rolled out of the factory. This van with an LS3/6spd (along with various other upgrades) might possibly be the perfect vehicle.

...perfect vehicle as long as you don't place a high priority on turning, stopping, aesthetics, and you don't have large feet.

The front suspension is basically B-body. So what you have is a Caprice with a higher center of gravity, an inferior rear suspension and tiny driver/passenger foot wells.

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