Let's see some van love!

[special-K]

Here's some more ChevyVans,Handy-Vans,Handy-Buses,SportVans...First one's a 4wd:

[cam.man67]

Here's an interesting one:

[special-K]

Wow! I love that thang!!!

Ok,that one prompted me to pull out some photo albums and snap some shots of snap shots (no scanner these days). Here's my '66 Baja Bus,as I called it. I traveled all around in it in the early 70s.

Not such good copy shots. I couldn't use flash and speed was too slow.


The interior was mahogany with redwood trim. The bumpers were mahogany over steel channel. That's the oil cooler on the roof with a guard I made out of redwood (drilled a pattern of 1" holes). The company that built my motor in CA (Reevco/Berkley) usually mounted these on the rear quarter and I thought that was too vulnerable,so they gave me some line and let me route it how I wanted. I lived in it on their lot while they built the motpr:


This is an earlier shot taken entering Rocky Mountain National Park above Estes Park. The sign says two miles above sea level...

[cam.man67]

a unique one:



and some hippie work:




EDIT:
This one's on cl:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2305906381.html

[yote1234]

been vannin for 40 years! "canyon state van club "
heres mine

[Madtat]

Somebody had to post it!

[richards72chevy]

[Madtat]

More luv.

[slow-1]

When I saw the title of this thread I was a little afraid of opening this one with the wife and kids in the room.

I remember the picture of that red white and blue Dodge van in every magazine I looked at in 1976...guess it was in an ad?

[motornut]

met my bro-inlaws father, showed up in a 77 camper van he bought new.....

[ArkGL01]

This was my A team van but it sold for 30K on ebay so I let it go...

[PAWS 72]

Originally Posted by ArkGL01

This was my A team van but it sold for 30K on ebay so I let it go...

Got any more pics. love to see them

[59bones]

I know there is not much van love but I dig this thing.

[Gregski]

um, no, lol

[Super_Dave]

When the vans rock'in... don't bother _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .

[jeffro2]

Best I can do is an RC van I built 4 or 5 years ago. Its a scratch built. There are no 10th scale Vans. This is one of a kind, I do believe.

Tamiya makes a really small one that goes by the name Lunch Box

[CG]

I picked up this 87 Astro Van from a co-worker several months back. Its kind of a conversion van. It had curtains you could close. Lighting around the perimeter of ceiling. Has a weird console that runs down the middle from windshield all the way to the back with funky lights in it. The carpet was light grey and very ugly and stained (kids). The headliner was sagging just enough to sort of touch my hair when I'm driving. Typical van seats up front, swivel buckets for the second row and a small bench in the back that folds flat.

I've already taken off the running boards and fender flares, and taken off the ladder from the back.

Right now my nephews have it at their house. I'm having them totally strip the interior of all carpeting, headliner, and basically anything cloth.

This is going to be my road trip to Bonneville vehicle. I'm going to lizard skin and undercoat the floor and insides. Wont have to vacuum for days trying to get the salt out now. Im going to redo the door panels, sides and ceiling with some sort of vinyl.

Everything works great, it only has a little over 70k original miles. I had a mechanic check it over pretty well. Should be a decent road trip van. If it doesn't work out, Ill just send it down the road.

Its not bad looking, but the picture does make it look a little nicer than it really is. Weird to think this thing is pushing 30 years old.

[special-K]

That's perfect. You putting moon discs on?

[CG]

LOL, well I do have a set of mags that will fit it. I have looked a a ton of different van pics like are in this thread.

Here are a couple that are inspirational to me ... but I pretty sure Ill never do any of this stuff to it, just look at my track record lol.

[special-K]

A nice single color job on one of those colors on it with the right wheels (with blackwalls) would make a (more) respectable ride out of it. I know a guy who had his wife in an Astro Van all through the years they were made. I remember two, they would be solid color, just the first window in the back, roof rack, and aluminum slots

Originally Posted by 59bones

I know there is not much van love but I dig this thing.

That's a real stand out example of a late van.

I see this one at the NSRA East Coast nationals at York every year:

[CG]

Originally Posted by special-K

A nice single color job on one of those colors on it with the right wheels (with blackwalls) would make a (more) respectable ride out of it. I know a guy who had his wife in an Astro Van all through the years they were made. I remember two, they would be solid color, just the first window in the back, roof rack, and aluminum slots:

I had a later model AWD version of the Astro for quite a few years. I think it was closing in on 300k when the transmission tanked on me. Sold it to a buddy for cheap, he fixed the trans and drove it for awhile. When he sold it he got all the money he had spent on it back.

I've been looking for a low mile 2005 Astro for awhile. Looked at a few, but even though they were very low mileage, ten years had not been good to them because of the owners.

This 87 is really light years behind the newer ones, but I still like the over all style of the Astros. They are more van looking than the other brands ... The others remind me of soccer mom rides.

I just bought some new polishing tools so I'm going to see if I can shiny up my mags. If they look good enough Ill pop em on the Astro and put some new tires on there, black walls (we think alike lol).

[abebummy26]

I totally agree with you on the astro and safari vans we have had 2 a 2000 AWD and a 96 cargo that we got with 217k on it. We fixed it up ran it for a while and it cracked a head at 234k. It was my dad and my project. I am interested in getting another cargo van in the next few years. They are really versatile you can haul almost anything and keep it dry and get 20 mpg without fail. It's nice to have it be more truck than car as well.

[special-K]

I've thought about grabbing a decent cargo Astro if I came across one. They are the only mini-van, all the others are some new thing they came up with. The GMs are actual downsized vans that did exactly what they were designed to do. They should have never stopped making them. How many other makes did you ever see with no windows bought for commercial use? Now all the other makes have finally responded to the need and started offering quirky (too) little FWD crap to fill the need.

Shaggin' Wagon:

[CG]

There are more cargo Astros for sale around here than the windowed versions. I needed the seating and visibility of "family" style.

My wife just bought a 2015 CRV and we still have her 07 Trail Blazer. Even with 140K on it, it is in exceptionally nice condition. I just had it detailed and had a mechanic friend give it a good going over before we sell it. She is lobbying hard for me to get rid of that "old van" and just keep the Trail Blazer.

[richards72chevy]