What kind of frame is under an Aerostar? When I bought the thing back in 95 (it's a 92) I recall it looked like a full frame but rather than bolted on body like a pickup it appeared to be welded to the floorpan. Also, is there anything in common with the frame of an Aerostar and a Ranger pickup?

 

Aerostars are all unibody with a removable subframe to hold the front suspention and engine.
Service manuals clearly show this as does different sales booklets for Aerostars I've seen.
Mark

 

I never thought it was unit body with sub-frame so I checked it out. Here is what I found: Looking under mine I see a frame running front to back. The 1994 sales brochure has a drawing like x-ray glasses showing all the internal parts and it seems to have a full frame. The Haynes manual "Aerostar 1086 through 1994" says, "The vehicles covered in this manual have a separate frame and body."

 

I've seen the "x-ray" picture your refering to and it is deceiving. The Areostar body and the frame channels you refer to are one large unitized weldment. The engine and front suspension are mounted on a seperate subframe bolted to the unibody. Haynes and Chilton's are not knowen for their accuracy I have found in using both brands of books over the last 30 yrs. I suggest you look under you Aerostar at where the channel members attach to the floor pan and you will see welded seams not bolts and insolators as on seperate frame and body setups. Ford uses the channels that look like frame rails to strengthen the unibody.
Mark


>I never thought it was unit body
>with sub-frame so I checked it
>out. Here is what I
>found: Looking under mine I
>see a frame running front to
>back. The 1994 sales brochure
>has a drawing like x-ray glasses
>showing all the internal parts and
>it seems to have a full
>frame. The Haynes manual "Aerostar
>1086 through 1994" says, "The vehicles
>covered in this manual have a
>separate frame and body."

 

I agree that it is not exactly a frame in the sense of an F series truck. What I see is as you describe, a c-channel, about 5- or 6-inches tall that is flat up against the floorpan, apparently welded to the floorpan. As for a separate sub-frame for the engine, I will have to take another look--if I can squeeze my fat head farther under there

 

I looked in my 1988 Aerostar Factory Shop Manual and it refers to what I called a subframe as the bolt on "crossmember assembly" that the front suspension bolts to and at least the front motor mounts bolt to also. There is also a rear bolt on cross member that the transmissions rear mount is bolted to.
The point is that the body shell and channels you talk about and also the front bumpers rear support plus many smaller components are all welded together to form a unitized body. Look long enough under you van and you'll pick these things out. Have fun. [img]/dcforum/Images/happy.gif[/img]

 

You are absolutely right. Apparently it either is a super heavy duty unit-body construction or a frame/unit-body hybrid, but it certainly is not a frame in the strict sense like on an F-series truck.

Thanks

 

Just in case your interested, an Aerostar with the increased payload package (2000lb ?)in place of the standard payload package (1600lb ?) can easily be identified by the double rear axle upper travel snubber bumpers mounted on the body rails that limit suspention travel. Standard payload vehicles have just one bumper per side as opposed to two per side with the 2000lb payload package. Of coarse this info is also on the drivers door jam infomation plate as well. These payload package ratings vary a bit year to year.

 

 

I used to haul bundles of newspapers to paper cariers. at the loading docks I noticed the van of choice was the aerostar first, and astro second. people with chrysler minivans comlained that their vans just got warped out of shape after a couple years. I have had 3700 pounds of paper in my 91 3.0 2wd shorty. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! ha ha. I blew a tire the next day due to the tire weight eating a hole in the sidewall from the weight of the load the night before. so i got stronger tires!

FRAME OR NOT, the aerostar is the toughest "mini-van" on the planet. users and abusers agree. I dont think it matters to us all if it has a "real" frame under it. the pseudo-frame makes the van one tough SOB..

 

Tall Paul
You hit it on the head. I had to replace my front floor pan. There is a full box frame under the floor. This is to give it the strength.

 

> the aerostar is the toughest "mini-van" on the planet

Yep, and the heaviest, it is one strong unibody.

 

I got rearended at a stop sign by an old F-150 doing 30 mph and all it did was crack the middle section of the bumper 193,000 miles and still going strong

 

I know one thing, The front bumper is welded to the box frame and has to be cut out with a torch and the new one slides in and has to be welded. I was told to just bolt it with grade 8 bolts. I just welded it. Also it helps to have a Plazma cutter to keep it neat and cut down the work.

Had a young kidd run a light a he turned right in front of me. I was going 40MPH and hit him dead center, Right between the front and rear door. My van destroyed his Honda.

My damage was a Radiator, Bumper, Fender, Wheel well, and fan.

 

This structure reminds me of what I did with my Mustang; I had some tubular subframe connectors welded under the floor. They connect the front and rear subframes, that end right at the front and rear ends of the floor pan. I was able to get something additional for my Mustang for further strengthening. The company that made these was Global West, in Ontario, CA. They have a supplemental system that consists of square tubes that weld to the pinch-weld seams below the doors, and these tubes would be connected to the main SFC tubes with smaller cross tubes, forming a very stiff ladder network. The next level of stiffening would have to be roll cages, but I needed to use my Mustang more as a work horse than a race horse. But this does give me some ideas about reinforcing the Aerostar, if the need ever arise.