I'm not wild about the flush headlamps on the '92-on Aeros. I like glass-lensed sealed beams.

Has anybody hung the '91-earlier grille/marker/headlamp front end parts on the later body? IE, is it a bolt-on?

I figure any group that includes a Chrysler 318-in-an-Aerostar project that actually drives, probably has someone who's done this.

 

Asavage-I have been interested in this myself. As mentioned in the past posts that I have looked up here I have found one reader that removed the pre-92 assemblies from an old junk yard Aero and simply converted it over. I have had in my past the front end removed (grill, head lights bumper skin) from a 1990 when I repaired it and have just recently done the same on my 1994 extended Sport that I am driving now that I won off of E-Bay that was wrecked which I brought back to like. I am here to tell you that along with the obvious things the wire connection is different for the head lights and you would have to clip and reuse for the conversion.


If you would like to hear my quick 2 cents worth on the matter I have taken measurements off of the old Ford Cuirer. Remember it? It was the for runner of the Ranger. The lil truck had head light buckets like a 1975-79 Nova and best, but not least has the round head lights. Think about it. The really cool new design of the Mustang looks stunning and could be recreated in a way of sorts this way. It truelly looks nice. I have kicked the idea around and since I am the type that dares to be different I just might do it.----Boz

 

Boz,

Are you saying that you are converting your van to use the 7" round headlights? That would be retro!

The new to old conversion has been discussed before, and I think the biggest problem may be the holes for the adjustment screw anchors. The later models have at least one of the holes stamped bigger for the little gearbox and long drive shaft that's used for one of the adjustments. I didn't ever looked closely at this before, as I never thought about using those parts. The other difference is the light "door" that's integrated to the corner lights. The door on the later model has a bigger opening for the slightly bigger flush mount plastic light housing. This is a purely cosmetic thing. The other part of this is that the ring that holds the sealed beam housing to the bucket has a rubber gasket that surrounds it that also helps hide the mechanisms behind the lights. If you're pulling parts off of the donor van, you might want to just get all these parts: the fastening rings, adjustment buckets, adjustment screws and anchors, the corner lamp assembly, and the electrical sockets for the sealed beams.

 

I posted a lengthy how-to on this a year and a half ago, and even posted a link to it in a thread last week when this very same question came up. Yes, the adjuster holes were enlarged to accomodate the remote adjustment gearbox. I gutted the gearbox and used its case to hold the adjuster screw. The link to the write is here.

 

Hey Rick,

That's a neat trick to use the gear box. I guess there was no way to use the whole thing to actually adjust the old style light bucket?

 

Well, to do it you'd have to do what I did... The gearbox contains a set of 90 degree bevel gears, one vertical, the other horizontal. The vertical one projects up with a long shaft that has a hex on the end that you can put a socket on to make the adjustment. The horizontal one projects forward, and has a ball and socket type of attachment to the plastic headlamp body. In order to use that mechanism, you'd have to find a way to attach the ball end of the shaft to the stamped sealed beam mounting bucket. For me, it was just easier to pull the components out of the plastic gearbox casing, and then thread the adjuster screw into the front of it where the ball-end shaft used to come out...

 

I found a virgin (just arrived, not yet picked over) '91 at the JY today, pulled off the HLs, buckets, surrounds/turn sigs, all for $23, quite decent price. I'll be converting my '93 back to sealed beams soon.

(also picked up a 2" receiver hitch off it -- it was an ext. version -- and the complete factory tow harness including the relays/fuses rack. This harness begins at the relays rack about 4' up from the tailgate on the left side, behind the interiour, goes to the LR corner and plugs in to the main harness there, branches to the LR taillight (but not the RR) and down to the outside, then back to the right side underneath, ending in the typical two plugs -- see my wiring diagram for the early models towing pkg from 2002. And the marked-up diagrams for 1989:
http://asavage.dyndns.org/Aerostar/w...erWiring01.png
http://asavage.dyndns.org/Aerostar/w...rWiring01a.png

Ah, drat. I see from my 2002 post that the '93 wiring is reputedly different. I've got to get some tech info on my '93 and learn what's up. I bought the AllData CD for the '89, but AllData doesn't sell them to individuals anymore.)

 

A pic of the backs of the early HL assys (click on images for larger):



What I'm trying to achieve is to make my "new" green '93 ext have the same headlights as my "old" '89 XLT shorty.



More later . . .

 

Al,
what brand and source for the bug/rock hood deflector?
i need a new one, getting rare as hen's teeth for the Aero

Cliff

 

It was on there when I bought the van a month ago; I'll look and see if there's any ID on it.

 

Well, and now I can add my 2 cent!

After acident I've got '95 aero headlight, but the light was not good and I installed headlamps hella with selfmade brakets.

 

Cliff, it says it's a LUND. No time right now for me to Google it.

 

Looks as if the bug shield is still available from Lund. At Truck Addons.com, for $75. Unfortunately, they have a crazy navigation system on their site. Go to that URL, use the first listbox and scroll to "84-98 Ford Van, Aerostar". It's their Part No. L3218012, "Lund Interceptor Bug Shield (SMOKE), 84-98 Ford Van, Aerostar", but you can't just plug it into their search box, it won't be found.

Using that part No., Google finds all kinds of other hits:

http://www.autotrimsupply.com/auto.a...store=L3218012 ($71)

http://www.autopartsway.com/performa...fm?ID=L3218012 ($76)

Etc., etc.

Nobody seems to have a correct picture online for it though. If you want more pics of mine, let me know and I'll open the hood and take some mounting pics. I'm not a real big fan of the things, but it came on the van and I'll probably leave it on until it breaks.