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Hate vans all you want, but back in the '70s they were big, big, and big. Hot Rod kept fanning the flames as it became a nationwide craze overnight. By the '80s it died out along with horsepower.
Why are the vans hated today, and what killed the custom van craze?
I love vans you all and I think I'm going to get one again. You can live a spontaneous lifestyle with a van. A hot summer day in Phoenix, I'm going to the beach in LA for a couple days, and not have to spend upwards of $200 a night on a motel room. It's like having a party room/motel wherever you go!
Vanning has seen a little bit of a comeback, with a younger generation buying up the few remaining survivor vans from the 70's. But as much as I love the look of the 70's Dodge Tradesman vans, there are very few of them out there, and most are in rough shape. The good news is that there thousands of late model Econolines, Tradesman, and even Astro vans that would make a fine platform for a retro inspired, light duty camper. Google "retro rv" and you'll see manufacturers making these 70's styled trailers. People like the retro look not only because they're a blast from the past, but the look is warm and inviting. On the other end of the spectrum you have the latest conversion vans (most built on the Sprinter). They look cold and soulless inside, more like a private jet. The exteriors have those bloated ground effects, and gaudy wheels that look like they came off a donk (jacked up Caprice in Miami).
So what I was thinking is taking a late model cargo van like an Chevy Express, and doing a modern take on the classic 70's van. It's doesn't have to be extravagant with mirrors on the ceiling and. But it does need to have the wood lining on the interior walls, and a nice carpet job. I like that carpet they used in the 70's too, it wasn't really shag, but just had that cool pattern that ran through it.
Now, for those of you who were adults in the 70's and mid 80's, I want to know who did the work on those custom vans? You look at the woodwork and the carpeting job on some of those vans and it looks professional! And I'm not talking about the conversion vans either. Granted there were some "factory" versions like the Dodge Street Van, but there must have been shops doing alot of work on these vans. Who were these shops, are they still around? Or were the interior panels and carpet accent-strips, just off the shelf accessories that popped right in?
I see a potential market here, help me out here old timers. Thanks.
As a child of the 70's, some of my best times were had in a custom Dodge Van. We were hauling motorcycles or girls, beer and 8-tracks! The Rolling Stones, drive-ins, the Jersey Shore --- Great times
I would LOVE to have a van to do errands in, an old Econoline
says the guy who wets his pants at the thought of going faster than 25mph.
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