Did GM ever make a V8 astro for ANY application?

Im having an argument with one of my buddies, he said that he knew some guys who bought two V8 Astro vans, I guess they came from Raytheon? Would GM have really made V8 astro vans just for Raytheon? Why would Raytheon have GM make something that didnt previously exist when Raytheon could just get a fleet of, say, 1/2 or 3/4 ton vans that had V8's from the factory?

One of us is going to look like a newb...anyone know who its gonna be? :D

ben

NO V8. The Astro Van was always built with a 4.3 L V6 engine. They had RWD and AWD versions but they all were built with V6 engines.

I supose it is possible that they could have built a prototype van with a V8, but I've never heard of such a vehicle. Even if they did build a prototype with a V8, it would NOT be sold to the general public. GM does NOT sell prototype vehicle to the general public. Not government certified (safety or emissions) and too much potential for liability. ALL GM built prototype vehicles are crushed when they are no longer needed.

Not that i am aware of but i know a freind who put a TBI 350 in his 2X4 about 10 yrs ago. Obviously the engine bolted right in and all he did was swap the PCM. He had a few electrical gremlins on occasion that would effect performance but it never left him walking. It was quick too, the fella he sold it to didnt have it a week and totalled it.

There was one in Iowa that a friend put a 350 TBI in & it was tight but pretty much bolted in, The fan was a little work but he made it fit. The biggest problem seemed to be that rear tires did not last to long...????:D

The v-8 Astro swap is super easy and super clean when done. I actually did a couple for myself years ago. Sure made the little van a happy camper. I actually towed a 24 foot enclosed race car trailer with one of them.:)

NO V8. The Astro Van was always built with a 4.3 L V6 engine. They had RWD and AWD versions but they all were built with V6 engines.

I supose it is possible that they could have built a prototype van with a V8, but I've never heard of such a vehicle. Even if they did build a prototype with a V8, it would NOT be sold to the general public. GM does NOT sell prototype vehicle to the general public. Not government certified (safety or emissions) and too much potential for liability. ALL GM built prototype vehicles are crushed when they are no longer needed.


But would Raytheon be considered the "general public"??

I have no idea why Raytheon would want GM to make V8 astros, some special astro that never existed......when they could just buy an express/savanna half ton van that comes from the factory with a V8..

thanks for the replies everyone :D

ben

You would never believe it (I know I didnt...) that the astro's have a pretty big V8 aftermarket swap... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=v8+astro+van

But would Raytheon be considered the "general public"??

I have no idea why Raytheon would want GM to make V8 astros, some special astro that never existed......when they could just buy an express/savanna half ton van that comes from the factory with a V8..

thanks for the replies everyone :D

ben
Back in the early 90's Raytheon WAS owned by GM (GM spun it off around the 1996 time frame.). So I can see how it is possible that GM might have built one and given it to Raytheon, although I never heard of such GM-built van. If Raytheon, as a wholly owned subsidiary of GM had such a prototype built, GM's corporate policy dictates that ALL prototype vehicles be destroyed when they are no longer needed. So there is no way that anyone would have been able to buy one (It is NOT certified to meet Federal Emissions regulations, so it would be highly ILLEGAL for GM or Raytheon to sell one to the general public.)

As others have indicated here, installing a V8 in an Astro Van is a relatively easy swap. At one time, I toyed with doing that to my 1993 AWD Astro van with G80 rear locker, but that never panned out. It would have made a great hunting truck with large A/T tires all around.

Did GM ever make a V8 astro for ANY application?

Im having an argument with one of my buddies, he said that he knew some guys who bought two V8 Astro vans, I guess they came from Raytheon? Would GM have really made V8 astro vans just for Raytheon? Why would Raytheon have GM make something that didnt previously exist when Raytheon could just get a fleet of, say, 1/2 or 3/4 ton vans that had V8's from the factory?

One of us is going to look like a newb...anyone know who its gonna be? :D

ben

Well Ben, I guess your buddy is the newb. They never made a V8 Astro, 4.3 only.

They did make the 2.5 astro tho...for a few years ;)

my dad used to only buy astro vans until they stopped making them and i am pretty sure they only made a 6 cly. that wold be cool to do burnouts in an astro van with a 8 cyl.

They did make the 2.5 astro tho...for a few years ;)

yeah, I've seen specs for the Astro/Safari vans with the 2.5, but I never saw a 2.5L 4-cyl in one of them. The 4-cyl engine for these vans was rated at 98 hp for 1985 thru 1987 and 92 hp for 1988 thru 1990. Not enough power to get out of its own way. :rolleyes:

Every Astro/Safari van that I've ever seen had a 4.3L V6, either 165 hp or 200 hp.

Since the 4.3L V6 is basically a 5.7L V8 with two cylinders lopped off, the transmission bell-housing configuration is the same as the small block Chevy V8 engine. So, small block V8 engine swaps are relatively simple for this van.