4 Season Vanlife Exterior / Mechanical Walk Around - 2005 Astro AWD (4x4 Swapped+Lifted)

Just a quick walkaround of my 2005 Chevrolet Astro AWD - self converted to 4x4 with a recently installed 2" lift in the front.
I tried to keep this video specific to the exterior so there may be some interior related stuff I glossed over. I find a lot of the typical van tours don't really talk about the exterior/mechanics in depth so this video is all the stuff most don't care about I suppose 😅
I'll try and get the interior cleaned up and organized enough so I can do a proper interior tour before winter comes.
Thanks for checking out the channel and consider joining while we turn a 2005 AWD Chevy Astro family minivan into a capable 4x4 adventure rig, and a comfortable living space, to get closer to nature and deeper in the woods! 🏞
Second round of #vanlife here, I got my feet wet in a '01 Pontiac Montana in 2015 and here I am back in 2022 building out my second van!
I predict van/rv dwelling and nomadic living is going to be a large part of the future and I'm here for it.
Expect mostly van and adventuring content, but occasionally other topics and interests and always open to requests!
Contact: [e-mail]
tags : condensation moisture maxxfan diesel heater boon docking closed gate free use ioverlander public land boon docking crown land ontario northern north central cottage country
Disclaimer:
This video is for entertainment purposes only and contains edited and modified content and as such is not a depiction of reality or any historical happenings. Due to factors beyond the control of Always Good In The Woods, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. Always Good In The Woods assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Always Good In The Woods recommends safe practices when working with any tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Always Good In The Woods, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.

[@462ANIMAL]

Always something to tinker with on these older rigs. Oh , what do you use for door hinge lubricant ? My go to , is chainsaw bar oil . What do you use for rust proofing? Last winter I tried something different. Same sorta product like fluid film / wax based stuff. It’s called flexi-film . I didn’t wash off the rear quarter panels on my forester.. even after trying to power was it off at the coin wash ! Took a second power wash , had to scrub it off ! The weather is perfect right now for fall camping / off-road adventures in the north !

[@alwaysgoodinthewoods]

Isn't that the truth! Good ole bar oil will definitely stick around! I know of people who make there own secret undercoating sauce and bar oil is a big component, give it that sticky, gooey, tackiness. I seem to rotate between fluid film, honey-goo, "corrosion-free" and lately PB surface shield, pretty much whatever is on sale and I can get my hands on 😁underbody and hinges get the same thing. For the actual door latches I like to go a bit thinner, usually krown or jig a loo or anything a bit lighter. I have never heard of flexi film but it looks interesting, where did you get it? Yes the fall weather is definitely here! I drove a hour up north and all of the leaves are already half changed color, where did the summer go.. just need the bugs to die off now 😁

[@462ANIMAL]

@@alwaysgoodinthewoods no bugs here in Muskoka ! Leaves are falling here ! Got the rust proof at Maslack

[@462ANIMAL]

@@alwaysgoodinthewoods where did you find the pb surface shield ?? I have lots to rust proof.. never used surface shield.. the flexi-film is 14$ a can Not sure if you can get a bucket of it ..

[@frankevans287]

I wish gm had made bolt on hinges for the doors, I ended up scrapping my blazer cuz the drivers door hinges were toast bushings would last about a day because the holes got worn out of round, the door sagged so much I broke the strike catcher thing off and had to weld it back on, it's ok though I bought it for $800 and drove it for 4 years and put nothing into other than a few sets of door pins, parted it out and scrapped it, saved all the running gear for a backup plan. How do your windshield sprayers do, mine just kind of trickle out and run down the wiper blade, I put in another set from the wrecker and same thing, I tried cleaning them out with a pick and so on and no better. I had ordered replacements from rock auto but even though they are listed for the van they are hood mount ones, I'm almost thinking about doing hood mount ones. I know what you mean about nice quiet exhaust, mine was so quiet once warm you almost couldn't tell it was running, but when first start up it had a weird noise, I think it had loose baffles or plugged up maybe, so I put whole new exhaust on, it was listed as o.e. sound but first fire up I was shocked its quiet a bit louder, but it is what it is and should breathe better I guess. I really like the 17s you got, though generally I like 15 and 16 inch wheels, proportionately I think they look better with anything smaller than a 31 or so, nice to have a decent amount of sidewall, these guys running giant rims with band aid tires on 4x4 now just look so off to me. I wouldn't be too stuck on keeping true to the previous owners vision, it's yours make it yours I figure.

[@techevar]

Can you please provide the make and model of rack. Nice van!

[@alwaysgoodinthewoods]

Thanks! The roof basket is sold under a few names, I bought mine at Princess Auto which is only in Canada, but I believe Cabela's and Harbor freight have their own version. I have an old video on just the basket if you are interested. Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching!

[@weijia8088]

Nice walk through. I have an '02 AWD Safari that I just converted to 4x4. Have you noticed the NP233C TC being loud or whiney at 50MPH +? Also, how did you change the battery terminal connectors? I have the OEM ones that don't really allow me to add other wires like you did for the big 3 upgrade.

[@alwaysgoodinthewoods]

I have only gone that fast in 4 HI on a snow covered highway in winter and I don't remember hearing anything different to be honest, are you on dirt roads? If it only does it with the 4x4 engaged that makes me think it might be the t-case since everything else in the front still spins even when the t-case is disengaged. Have you checked the front axle gear fluid? mine was making a squeal around corners when it was low on fluid. The battery terminals are replacements I got from amazon, they are cheap but a bit soft, you have to be careful with them. I personally cant stand the side post battery, no idea why that was so common in GMs throughout the 2000s. If I hadn't already bought a replacement battery, I would convert it to the regular old top post clamps. If this battery dies and I cant get warranty I will 100% be converting... Thanks for watching and the good questions!

[@weijia8088]

@@alwaysgoodinthewoods I've noticed the whiney noise even in 2WD on the HWY. Since the TC is spinning no matter in 2wd or 4wd I'm thinking it's the TC but I don't what a normal np233c should sound like since I pulled it from an S10 in the junk yard. It's filled w/ ATF so it's not low. I didn't use the JOR kit so it might be noise coming up from the floor that isn't being dampened/covered correctly.

[@alwaysgoodinthewoods]

@@weijia8088 Hmm If it didn't have the noise before the swap then that is pretty telling, but there is very little under load in the case when in 2WD. I wouldn't use 4wd on dry pavement even in a straight line and especially not on the highway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJrVZ6p8h7CDeJIsi=7633J5_b6KIExpmK The JOR kit doesn't have much keeping noise out, just the thin rubber boot over the shifter base. There really shouldn't be any excessive noise, especially in 2wd, the 231/233 is in a million chevys, dodges, jeeps out there, most of the problems are well known and documented. Other than a stretched chain or damaged bearings/gears from contamination or low fluid there isn't much to go wrong. I mean the front axle that takes gear fluid, that your cv axles plug into. I had a loud squeal happening around corners that the previous owner thought was the brakes, turned out to be low fluid in the front axle from a bad axle seal... but doesn't sound like your issue since it happens at speed on the highway in 2wd. You might be able to find more info on the astro/safari 4x4 groups on astrosafari.com or Facebook that is my usual go to.

[@weijia8088]

@@alwaysgoodinthewoods thanks for the reply, I'll just monitor for now. Might be the bearings but will have to see if it gets worse. I'm on that forum all the time so will have to do a search on it.