pic attempts-
Here is the van, obviously, the Astro platform is as far from aerodynamic as it can get.
here are the drivetrain comparisons-
diesel on the left (first pic)-
here is the diesel drivetrain installed-
I ended up doing a custom floor mount aftermarket clutch pedal for the van. There were factory 5-speed astro's, like 1500 of them total, but the clutch pedal for those was quite difficult to install properly
So currently the phase I am in is one of gearing. The mercedes diesel I have installed is a 70hp plant. I was confident it would work though as this same engine was used in the 207D series Mercedes TN vans, which are the same size as a sprinter, and move around well enough as NA motors based on gearing alone-
With the added turbocharger, im hoping for a bit better performance and power-
I haven't done a dyno run, but Im hoping the low PSI charger I installed will give me another 10-15 hp, to place this van between 80 and 90hp total.
the 3.23 rear end is far far too high for this plant though, I can't pull overdrive at all, and achieved my test run of 29mpg in 1-1 ratio 4th. Im going to a 4.56 rear end, which should allow a pull in the .86 OD gear, and improve torque in all gears. Ist takeoff is also too sluggish for my tastes, I would not be able to confidently tow with the first gear as it is.
(I hope these pics work!)
Once I nail the gearing, im hoping that the fact that I can pull the overdrive at that point should not overly impact my economy. My personal goal with this van is to just touch 35mpg.
That may be impossible, but would be pretty good for a 15mpg over stock