Hi from the new guy!

[Ttypedan]

Hi everyone!
A friend and I have been talking about building a Fastro for close to 15 years now and the pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to fall into place.
My brother recently totaled his 88 Iroc-Z and since the other guys insurance company gave him a very generous settlement he was kind enough to supply the 350 TPI engine for the build!

So basically all we have for the project as of now is the heart of the Fastro build including the 350 TPI engine, 700r4 tranny and the ecu from the Iroc which we may or may not use. We haven't decided yet. We would like to simplify the installation as much as possible by eliminating as much of the harness as we can while using the TPI so a stand-alone harness may be our best bet which would also allow us to use almost any year Astro/Safari and not be limited to an 88.

We are going to be looking for one of the early vans which we will most likely strip out all of the creature comforts and going for the basics. I guess the simplest way to put it is we want to do it like an old 60's Era car with just an engine under the hood, lights and the necessary gauges but adding the TPI to the mix.

I've already been searching the forum and have found lots of useful information on doing the 350 swap but nothing really specific to what we are going for so any info would be greatly appreciated. Also should mention that our build will not be a daily-driver so heat, AC and all that other stuff won't be needed. Just the basics..

Thanks in advance!!

[Captn. Crunch]

If your really serious about go fast have you given any thought to awd? With limited slips front and rear you would be unbeatable off the line and can you say " Quatro" handling?

[mdmead]

The swap you are proposing is pretty basic, especially if you go with a 2wd van. Basically you'll need a set of V-8 mounts which might still be available from JTR, and if not, I'm sure can be tracked down on Ebay or elsewhere. Once the engine is dropped in, other changes will surface, but nothing requiring any major fab work. I second the idea of going AWD. You would basically be building using Syclone/Typhoon parts as far as the T-case and axles are concerned. AWD does add the need for a custom or modified pan. I don't think JTR offers these any more, but you can find info on the mods necessary. (I don't recall any stock pan that will work on a small block AWD swap.) JTR used to offer a swap manual which would be nice to have. (Another, Canadian company, did too and you might be able to find a copy on Ebay or elsewhere.)

Good luck and please document your swap on ASV!