In the growing industry of custom trucks, the most likely type of vehicle to be overlooked is a minivan. At shows all over the area, Sport Utility Vehicles have taken over when it comes to customizing something other than a truck or car. Mark Blakey from San Diego, California purchased a 1986 Chevy Astro van in 2000 and started modifying it immediately knowing that he was going to be one of a kind at most shows.

   Mark got knee deep into customizing his van by doing a 4 ½-inch body drop and adding some adjustability to it also. The van gets up and back down to the ground by way of 3/8-inch port Firestone ‘bags at all four corners. Parker ½-inch electric valves with ½-inch airline deliver air supply to the airbags from a ViAir 550 compressor and a 5-gallon air tank. For clearance and ride quality, the rear frame was notched and a 4-link was installed.

   Updating the exterior appearance and adding a certain look were next on the list. It started with a ‘97 Astro front clip and Trenz billet grill. Replacing the headlights with Style Eyez projector headlights and euro parking lights also added some flair. The Stillen front air dam was modified to fit and Cal-Vu mirrors were bolted on. The body was cleaned up and the door handles and license plate box were shaved along with the addition of a rear roll pan with a license box. A ’97 Astro third brake light and carbon fiber euro taillights give Mark’s van the look he wanted. The van sits low on 17-inch Boyd wheels wrapped in 235/45/17 rubber.

   Keeping with the trend of parts that had already been taken from a ‘97 model, newer front buckets and rear bench seat were bolted into the van. The dash underwent some changes with the AC vents, defroster vents, and headlight controls shaved from their stock position. A new gauge cluster was created and Auto Meter Gauges were installed. The pillars, headliner, rear doors, and custom center console were covered in gray tweed. The front doors were smoothed and wrapped in two-tone tweed. Painted armrests, kick panels, and rear pillars accent the tweed while the floor was done in black carpet with gray carpet steps and sidewalls. A Panasonic 7-inch flip up monitor with A/V control unit and receiver attachment was installed in front to watch movies or play on the Sony PlayStation 2. A pair of MB quart DSD216 components is custom mounted in the front doors and Eclipse 8393 6x9 speakers are custom mounted in the rear doors. A PPI 4240 amplifier powers all. A Hifonics Zeus z600 amplifier powers the three 12-inch JL Audio w3 subwoofers in the rear.

   Getting the van from place to place is the job for the stock 4.3-liter V6 with airflow coming from an Edelbrock air cleaner. A Magnaflow 3-inch exhaust and a 14-inch electric fan also give Mark’s Astro the power it needs to get around.