We post lots of sleepers here on BangShift and that is mainly because we love them so much. The good news is that we know you love them because we get so many tips and emails about unsuspecting speed machines from all corners of the world. Tim Sickle is the man that provided today’s nugget of eBay perfection in the form of this otherwise stock looking Astro Van. Rather than the expected 4.3L V6 in that stubby nose is a 454 that has been bored, stuffed full of a lumpy cam, wears oval port headers, an intake, and headers. The best part is that until the key is turned this thing looks like a clean mom buggy that could be hauling kids to a field, pies to a wedding, or flowers to a funeral home. Once the key is rolled over and the big block is breathing through the dual exhaust and Flowmasters, things must be a lot different.
The Astro has a Turbo 350 transmission which is shifted on the column and does not provide any outward tells of its existence. The rear end is a 10 bolt (we think) as it is mentioned that it has 3.42 gears and a Positraction unit out of a Firebird. If we’re guessing right, those are components out of a third generation F-Body. With a 2200 stall converter this thing should be good to harness the torque of the rat motor and fry the tires for a block or ten. We wish there were videos of the van running and driving but the seller claims that it has never been raced or beat on. The no racing part we buy. The no beating on part? Hogwash! Who could resist at least a couple of pedal on the carpet blasts with this thing? We couldn’t.
The best part of this thing is how cleanly and professionally the engine was installed. There’s no signs of foul play anywhere! Simply awesome.
Here’s the eBay description in case it sells quick –
1995 Chevrolet Astro van. A true street sleeper with less than 1000 miles on it since being built. 454/30 over. Pro forged pistons/flat topped, Molke rings,305 comp. cam, big oval port heads with mild porting. Cilivite rods-mains and bearings. Melling oil pump. Steel sleeve drive shaft. Manley chain, gear with tortion bearing. Fel pro gaskets. Flowmasters with 3 inch Cats. ( gutted) Hooker comp headers with full 3 inch custom exhaust. 3:42 gears with Trans Am posi center section. transmission-350 h.p. clutch plates, b and m shift kit 2200 stall converter. This van was professionally built and the motor, tranny, exhaust etc. looks like it belongs in the van from the factory. This is a solid, rust free van from the south showing its original paint. Four buckets with rear bench. Two wheel drive. It would cost over double the asking price to build this. Please ask questions prior to bidding. This van was built and never raced or beaten. A must see.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE PHOTOS AND THE LINK TO THE EBAY AD FOR THIS BIG BLOCK CHEVY POWERED ASTRO VAN –
That is all kinds of awesome. I don’t buy the never being beat on thing either. That is the whole point of building something like this, to put certain ‘badasses’ in their place.
I was riding with my friend and former boss a long time ago, and he had an 80’s Ford Country Squire wagon(wood paneling and all) that we used to haul crap for work, that he had built, a part for part copy, of an engine for that was part of some Car Craft build that made somewhere around 400 hp. On this day, some guy was revving his 3rd gen Camaro at every intersection, and squalling tires at every green light, only to be stopped by the next light, and we kept coming right back next to him at the next red. Boss said, “I’ll show this guy..” and did a massive burnout during the red, smoking out the entire intersection. Light turned green and we took off normally, and then a cop comes out of nowhere with his lights and siren on, and pulls the OTHER guy over! Looking back, I kinda hope the guy didn’t get a ticket, but at the time, we laughed our asses off.
I’ve loved sleepers ever since.
Fun fact: GM designed these vans from the start to house their V8 engines.
305, 350, 5.7L engine swaps are fairly common in them. Most insane thing I’ve seen in one is the ZZ502 backed by a 4L80E.
Wasn’t raced or beat on? What’s the point?
A sleeper maybe, but only because nobody would expect it to go. Not sure it would be terribly fast, vans are not light, I had a short wheelbase 3L Aerostar and it was 3750 lbs. I had silly thoughts of putting a V8 in it before i’d weighed it but the heavier engine , tranny and rear end would have made it 4000lbs .
should have done it,my grand natoinal ran 11.90’s at 3900 lbs….a bunch of shit in the trunk to get the regular radials to hook half way decent …1.70’s in the 60 ft on regular 275/60/15’s
several years back a buddy of mine had one of these turds but was that all wheel drive model. long story short he put a healthy 400 in it that went 11.10’s in the malibu from which it came from- in the van it went 12.30’s. last time I seen it another guy had it with a 496 and 400hp single stage plate, doing street cleanup.
I think my van was a better sleeper. 1970 SWB Chevy cargo van ( last year of the flat nose van). All primer black. Mid engine 680hp 350 / 3 speed rock crusher trans & Detroit locker 3:11.
Looked like a normal old work van. Had a guy pull up next to me at a light and his lane gave out on the other side of the intersection. When the light went green I opened her up & pulled the front wheels 3 feet off the ground and was gone. A few minutes later I pulled in to the gas station went in got a pepsi and walked back to my van and then he pulled in. His face was white as a ghost. He said what the F&CK you got in that thing? I showed him and his jaw dropped open and he just walked away without saying a word. It was priceless. Never got beat by anyone.
Looks just like mine except mines white with a vortec 5.7 and alot cleaner under the hood.