VANS! Lets see your shaggin wagons!!

I had a 78 Dodge Tradesman for a while. Got it from my cousin for free because he let it sit for a couple years and it was going south fast. It was actually owned by Hot Rod and Mopar Muscle for a while before my cousin got it. Towed it 2 hours home and tore into it. Had to gut the custom interior as it was all wet and smelled awful. No way to save it unfortunately. When we pulled up the sub floor, the sheet metal was crawling with little white mites. Did a low buck interior refresh, got the engine running (healthy 360 as it turned out), got the fiberglass spoiler and visor repaired (both had cracked almost in half lengthwise), coated the roof and drip rails in white flex seal, added side pipes and rocked the hell out of it. Another vehicle I've owned that the typical car show guy wasn't into, but bystanders absolutely loved. Sold it on to put a roof on my house after about 2 years.
https://imgur.com/a/vandalf-1978-dodge-tradesman-E2nmwhW

 

Detroit to Laguna Beach, to LA , Big Sur , San Francisco, Yosemite...and back.

 

Mine was a '71 Chevy - too new for the HAMB.

 

That why we have the OT forum now! Post some pics if you have them.

 

A custom van is a home away from home.

 

True story. I was serving in the military in the mid 80’s and was stationed at Fort Hood, TX.
A friend of mine had a late 70’s Dodge custom van, classy ride for the era, not too gaudy, more of a tasteful approach, custom wheels and nice interior, 318 w/3 spd on the column. We had headed out on a long weekend road trip. First stop was Super Shops in Waco to pick up some parts for one of our cars, and then we were headed to Galveston to get some more speed parts. We had just left Super Shops and were doing some cruising around town for a bit when we drove by a building and there were two cute gals close to our age (early 20’s) sitting on the steps in shorts and t-shirts. Attractive gals. Not call girls, just seemed like neighborhood gals enjoying a nice afternoon. They caught our eye and we must have caught theirs because we were all eyeballing each other as we drove around the corner. My buddy drives around the block. Gals are still there. This time they are smiling at us and we smile back. Our interest is peaked, but what do you expect from guys in their early 20’s when an attractive gal smiles at them.
My buddy drives around the block once more. We decided on this trip around the block that if they were still there we’d ask them to go to Galveston with us. Anyway, we turn the corner and they were gone. Our hopes were dashed.
We decided to head out for Galveston and my buddy reaches up to turn on the stereo. I kid you not, the first words out of the speakers were Mick Jagger singing, “You can’t always get what you want” We died laughing!!! The timing was perfect, we laughed about that all weekend! Turned out to be a good trip though, we ended up camping by the ocean for a night and road trips for speed parts are always a good time.

 

I'm just curious approximately how much did the decals cost those things are rad, I haven't even thought about doing a decal for a van I was thinking I was going to get somebody to airbrush something.

 

I must have drawn thousands of custom vans as an adolescent.







One of the coolest things about the '70s custom van thing was all the van-pun names.

 

Here is mine chopped, rectangle headlights,flares, wood paneling and a nasty 327.

 

WAY cool!

 

Funny, my senior yearbook staff voted me "most likely to own a van customizing shop in five years". I never even owned one. But I do love em!

 

These pictures were from Stu Harmon, a great member of Moparts who is no longer with us. This was his back in the day. Yes, that's a big block.

 

Thanks I had never thought of using a decal for the mural.
I think the van thing is finally starting to see a resurgence at least here in Southern California there are Van slow cruises now, a few van shows that pop up in the LA area and there are a few van clubs.
I personally really like them from a practicality standpoint and because you can customize them. Unfortunately also being a Southern California resident I am limited to 1975 and older if I want to do anything engine related.
Can't go wrong with side exhaust, wild paint jobs, mag wheels, big and little rubber and custom interior where you can sleep while waiting for the swap meet to open up so you can sell.

 

Saw this today….

 

Han shot first.

 

Hey RSR, that pickup with flames is Tom McMullen's, built in the pages of Street Rodder magazine. They challenged Popular Hot Rodding's '33 Ford pickup to a match race, but the Dodge kept breaking every time they tried. IIRC, it was found and finally finished within the last ten years.

Cool vans, I really dig the early Econolines and wish I could've had one in the driveway. Maybe someday after I win the lottery...

 

This is the only pic I could find of my '73 I bought new when I was in the Navy stationed at Miramar. It was a 302, three on the tree half ton. I finished the interior in closet cedar and had a raised platform in back for a bed with storage underneath. If you see this van rockin, don't come a knockin.

 

My first "car" was this 67 Chevy van I bought with paper route money when I was 15. I had an Earl Schieb paint job done on it and saved up for chrome reverse with baby moons and of course it had to have that "keep on truckin" decal on the back. It had a 90 inch wheelbase and would turn on a dime! It had a 250 six cylinder with 3 on the tree. I usually hauled dirt bikes in the back with my Dad but once my uncle asked me to take an old "fold-a bed" couch to the dump. It fit nicely in the back so my friends and I decided to leave it there for a few weeks. While the couch was in the back I went to a senior high school church event and afterwards we decided to all go out for ice cream. One of my friends suggested we could all fit in my van. 21 high schoolers packed into my van for a short trip out for ice cream. The first red stop light I came to I hit the brakes and they faded out fast and I went right through the intersection. Needless to say after ice cream I went about 15 mph all the way back to church. I learned a fast lesson in brake overload with that van. I have a lot of good memories in that Van.

 

Me too. I don't have too many sketches form HS left sadly.

I think I drew this one in either the 8th or 9th grade, c1978-79




This one is from my Jr. year in HS. (1980-81) and was from a comic I would work on during study hall Titled "Cruisers" LOL!




A more recent update

 

Sorry, but we got the better styled vans down here in Australia...........

https://www.streetmachine.com.au/features/top-iconic-vans-of-the-seventies-part-one

https://www.streetmachine.com.au/features/top-iconic-vans-part-two

https://www.streetmachine.com.au/features/top-iconic-vans-part-three

 

No, those are station wagons.

 

Nope...

Panel van...


Station wagon...

 

Same thing except one is a 2 door and one is a 4 door.

 

How long 'til your next eye check......???

 

Mine I sold a few months back

 

Fixed it!.....

 

I just wanted to post a picture of my buddy Brandon's pedigreed (authentic to the era) 1975 Ford short box...
Going by all the stickers it did the van show scene from 1978 to about 1983. Unfortunately the interior did not survive nor did some of the cool custom stuff but he has been finding the stuff and putting it back together to look like a period piece again.