Welcome aboard! For me the sweet spot for years is '96 to '98, giving the updated front end and viscous transfer case on the AWDs. I can also see the draw for '03 to '05 with the four wheel discs. Bottom line though there isn't really a bad year as long as you find one in good condition.

I don't know. I know much of this route is on general Forest Service roads and I think maybe some DNR sections. Most of this would be passable with an nearly stock AWD van. But if some of these sections are true 4wd routes, it may be too much. I'd go for it if you are interested as you could certain...

Welcome! Cool build; looking forward to updates!

Damn how time flies! Here it is 2017 and the van is still sitting in the new shop right where I parked it when I moved it. Still wouldn't consider getting rid of it as it will be running again one day. (Just a few projects ahead of it. I'm working on a second floor in part of the shop and I've still...

Hi, We have all enjoyed a bit lowere gas price in California for almost 1 year. Nice to fill the 20 gallon Astro for $50 . But now Gov Jerry Brown and his Sacramento Democrats, who by the way get free state cars and free gas credit cards, are raising gas taxes. Soon they will raise gas prices again...

Welcome! We are almost neighbors since I'm in the Yakima area (Selah to be exact).

Nice! Very similar to my '96 Safari hi-top conversion... except mine is stock... and in pieces in my shop...

Captn. Crunch wrote:http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=91049

This is a good read

That was an interesting read!

Very cool!

An interesting idea. A local guy here has an 4WD rat rod. Although his is based on a Chevy LUV frame and front end, it really piqued my curiosity when I saw it. We actually talked for quite awhile and I was giving him info on the Astro/Safari AWD T-case because he was wanting AWD vs 4WD. A couple of...

So GM dumped our beloved Astro/Safari in 2005 and basically left North America without a suitable replacement. Sure, you could move up to a fullsize van. Or down to a FWD 'mini' van. The years have slowly gone by and many have waited for a suitable sub! As I read through the latest Truck Trend magaz...

I'm about to spend a winter in my hometown of Flint, MI (I've been living in GA since 2005), so I recently purchased a 95 AWD Safari to get me through the next six months of snow and slush. If I keep the van beyond the next year or so, I would like to swap in a smallblock of some sort backed by an ...

Will do! I don't know if these were the one's that Matt was talking about but I read about them in another thread... 713088-P : Vortec Gen 3 mount to early GM 3 bolt mount adapter http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/713088-p--vortec-gen-3-mount-to-early-gm-3-bolt-mount-adapter/ But then you may...

My comment is to skip the LS and go with a traditional 5.7 small block. Either way the pan is an issue on an AWD, but you can buy ready-made motor mounts and the A/C won't be a problem. (There may be an aftermarket pan that works without cutting, I'm not sure.) I've got an LS and I've swung it into ...

Air bags!