Dragging this thread back up to the top for some updates.
I ended up ditching the electric fans and going to a flex fan that was modified to fit on the stock clutch. That didn't change the mileage from the electric fan but kept it from overheating when loaded. I added underdrive pullies At the same time so maybe the slight loss from the flex fan was made up for with the underdrives.
The van was averaging 22-24mpg with that setup. The cooling line on the trans sprung a leak and killed the 3-4 clutches. I put a junkyard trans in but the lockup would not work on it. I didn't bother fixing it since it was just to get it through the winter. With the stock fan back in it and the torque converter lockup gone I got a best of 17mpg out of it. Lockup makes a big difference. It mostly sat all winter since I just couldn't put up with driving something that gets such bad mileage unless I had to.
Warm weather is here now and it is time to fix it up. So today the stock trans went back in. It got a good rebuild with all the goodies, beast sunshell, red clutches, 5 pinion, billet servos, transgo HD2, etc... I also put in a diesel torque converter. It has a 1200rpm stall (stock is 1600). I just got it back together tonight and took it for a quick drive. The 1200 is really nice. The engine doesn't slip much at all on the converter. I bet that alone will pick me up a couple mpg. I just have to get used to pulling out in it to keep from lighting up the tires.
Next on the list is to make the mileage worse
I am going to put a 350 in it. But I am going to put a RV cam in it advanced 4-8 degrees and do all the tricks I know on that motor so hopefully it won't drop much mileage. I figure reprogramming the computer and adding the lean cruise as well as adjusting the shift and lockup on the trans should keep be about where I am at now.
I will drive it a couple of tanks as it is now with the 1200 stall and see what kind of mileage it gets me. When I get a new flex fan I bet it will have some pretty impressive mpg numbers for such a big thing. With this van fixed good enough to drive and everything else getting caught up this weekend it is time to work on the metro's electric drive system now hopefully, that car has been waiting a long time to get finished.