This is an Astro motor mount viewed from the side
This is an S-10 engine mount.
Will S-10 LS swap mounts fit an Astro?
This is an Astro motor mount viewed from the side
This is an S-10 engine mount.
Will S-10 LS swap mounts fit an Astro?
From what I understand, Astro and S-10 chassis are the same.
This gives me ideas.
Trans_Maro wrote: From what I understand, Astro and S-10 chassis are the same.
That was my understanding as well.
Astro engine bays are very cramped to begin with. Adding two cylinders wont help. I dont really see the upside of this.
A SBC bolts into an Astro, there have been plenty of LS swaps done as well.
Besides, there is plenty of space in the back to mount a mid-engine setup.
on the Jags that run web page for Astro v8 swaps the parts you order are listed as s10 swap parts so I would say mount-wise its the same.
gearheadmb wrote: Astro engine bays are very cramped to begin with. Adding two cylinders wont help. I dont really see the upside of this.
Apparently, they have more engine bay space than a box S-10. That might play well with my plans for when I get bored of a stock 5.3
Grtechguy wrote:Trans_Maro wrote: From what I understand, Astro and S-10 chassis are the same.That was my understanding as well.
and both of you are completely mis-informed. 
s10 = full frame, g-body based suspension
astro = subframe with beefier bits, more b-body like than anything, and it's own vertically mounted steering box arrangement. literally nothing interchanges with an s10.
they make astro v8 swap mounts, they make ls to sbc swap mount plates. i'm not sure if a specific astro ls swap bracket is available, but when i did the swap in my 96 2wd astro i stacked the ls to sbc plate with the astro v8 adapters and bolted it right in. i still have one or two sets of astro v8 adapter mounts, think i scrapped a set last week.
Oh well. Either way, it seems possible enough to do. How much space is left in the engine bay if you stack the mounts?
as much as with the v6. it adds negligible height to the assembly as the mount plates are 1/4" thick and the v8 adapters are slotted at the motor mount holes, so it probably adds nothing in reality.
astro engine bay is less cramped than fullsize express van. remove doghouse and everything is right there. i even did the swap out the front by cutting the top of the core support off then welding it back in. from what i remember everything pretty well plopped together. trans crossmember same, radiator hoses for 01 5.3 silverado went right in with engine, power steering line hooked up. the only thing that needed changed over was power steering reservoir because the astro had hydroboost so needed more return ports. air condition was not feasible at the time because astro compressor is up top and ls is down low, but i imagine with custom hoses it'd be fine. it really was a straightforward swap.
In reply to patgizz:
I think I have a plan, then. Astros with blown or high-mileage motors are cheap. In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, how hard could it be?
I guess I dont get it. What is the appeal with doing an LS swap in an astro? What is the end goal?
In reply to gearheadmb:
More torque, quicker acceleration, easier towing.
I fail to see what ISN'T appealing about an LS swap in an Astro.
Fun fact, I preformed my first J-Turn in an Astro van. They are also excellent at hanging the tail way out but in a perfectly controllable manor. Many Dirt/Gravel/Snowy roads were attacked like I was Hannu Mikkola in a MK1 Escort. It is a terrific vehicle and an LS would only make it so much better.
In reply to gearheadmb:
This is where im at. I see the allure to a v8 powered anything..but an astro van? Just use an s10 and be happy that your E36 M3 dont flop over when you turn.
In reply to chiodos:
What are you talking about? They are extremely stable, I have done some things with them that most certainly would have flipped them if they were prone to that. I also have wrecked one a couple times, I bounced one off a guardrail hard enough to taco the upper A-arm and it didn't come close to flipping. I also drove one into the rear truck of an oncoming semi trailer, hit hard enough too push the left front wheel into the foot box and walked away unscathed.
(I don't know how I survived my youth)
Called a Fastro Van, just don't hit anything in the early ones, they did not crash well until the late 90s.
shiny happy personvan?
the coolest astro they made was the Astro RS.
http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/48620-Lt-1-Astro
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Called a Fastro Van, just don't hit anything in the early ones, they did not crash well until the late 90s.
They never crashed well, but its still safer than a G-body or FB RX-7, so there's that.
So, are you, like, lusting hard after an astro er something? I thought you were buying a fullsize pickup? Ive always hated driving astros. They are just awkward and have weird ergonomics. And ive never been in one that didnt smell funny. I just feel this is a waste of a good v8. I mean, with same amount of money and energy you could swap an ls into pretty much anything and have a more enjoyable, desirable vehicle.
I know these vehicles have their fans. And I cannot argue the fact that they hold a lot internally for the footprint they cover. But I'm with gearheadmb on all of his comments. I really thought these were a lazy effort on GM's part in the face of competition from Chrysler. And then the Asian car companies put a lot of effort in making their vans less strange to American tastes which made the Astro look even worse. I remember when my dad had a couple of these things in a row as his company car and thinking they were cheap trash.
The towing weights you mentioned in previous discussions were low enough that I'd just get a late-90's Astro and do basic maintenance and use it as-is. Another candidate, assuming you can find one, would be a full-size Dodge Ram van, as the really short ones aren't crazy huge and they're already V8 powered. I'd still rather find a B-body wagon or sedan, though, but I found one local to you last time and that didn't seem to interest you.
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