NEED YOUR OPINION!! What can I do with running G20 van chassis? I want a hot rod!!!

[1975stepside]

Ok, I've got a 76 Chevy window van G20 with 350 V8 and auto trans, positraction rear-end....

WHAT could I do with it? Make a rat rod, maybe some sort of C-cab truck after pulling the original body off?

OR - how about finding and old 1950's COE truck cab and trying to fit that on?

I'm not really all too sure how the van chassis differs from a truck chassis and what can and cannot be done with it, so please - give me your ideas!! Thanks

[beaterC10]

My only advise is don't try to build something fenderless using A-arm front suspsension. I have seen several and they are never pretty.

[streetstar]

Make a sweet stabbin' cabin out of the old van

[68GMC454]

if it runs good,,id just gut the interior out of it, put a bed in the back, and use it for campping..

[DirtyLarry]

G vans prior to latest body style change in 1996 were unibodies. You might have a hard time putting something on its “chassis” when it doesn’t have one. You can cut the upper portion of the van section off and leave the unibody floor to build a flat bed or something on. That is basically how they built the RV’s and cut-vans out of the old G vans back in the day.

[75shortysocal]

air-ride rat rod.

[1975stepside]

Well, this van is 1976 vintage, were some of them unibody then??? I looked under it and saw two frame channels running the whole length, however the frame appears to be made of thin-walled material. The "frame" is quite straight and flat as two train rails, except at the front end. Couldn't I just brace it by welding in some more thicker channel or tube if necessary?

Oh yeah, thanks for the comment about how ugly open A-arms are, VERY good point! Hmmmm, think I should retain the old straight axle I have off something else?

[beaterC10]

I saw straight axles adapted to a couple rat rods that looked pretty good. One used a spring and axle set-up like a T-bucket, the other used coilovers and a shortened parallel 4 bar set-up. The other trick seems to be getting the wheel base proportions correct, you would probably have to shorten the van frame. It might be easier to build a tube frame and use the van running gear.

[1975stepside]

Yeah, I could shorten the van frame easy enough I think, most of the frame is dead straight, so could just hack whatever out I need to take out. But, kinda would hate to do that, I've been trying to think of something cool I could do with it, and make use of the length and strength of the thing, it just seems a shame to waste it.

I dunno, I could maybe drop a 1930's school bus body onto it, or maybe build sort of an old "C" cab out of plywood and flat sheet metal , throw some oak barrels in the back and make it look like a 1920's rum-runner's truck out of one of those Elliot Ness/gangster movies? Or maybe find an old 1940's or 1950's cab-over truck cab and mount it on the frame. That might work particularly well seeing as the van seats etc are WAY forward compared to a pickup truck. What do you guys think, or can you think of any other things I could do with it to be cool? Some kinda rat rod is OK too, just not too sure what.

Any more ideas?????

[Pyrotechnic]

Sell it ? Make some money ?

I'd use it to haul around my drums and band members equipment for gigs. Trucks arent good because they don't have any security with everything sitting open in the bed, whereas the van is perfect. The side door makes pulling up the venue and unloading a snap. 1976 is even better because that means simple carburetor and ignition setup, and in Texas it would be completely exempt from any emissions. Not to mention, 76 was back when the G vans still had the bad ass all metal grill. My dad had a 1976 G10 short wheel base when I was younger. Really nice van.

[killthewabbit]

If it were me with a free van sitting around, I'd totally build me a 70s vintage shaggin wagon. Check out the video at this link and see if it doesn't inspire you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njsKBNmakw0

It would inspire me. What an awesome video. Dig the guy doing a burnout in his driveway.

[1975stepside]

Hah hah, hah, the good old days!! Hmm, do a retro van thing to it? Does that mean I'd hafta coat almost every inside surface with red and purple or avacado green shag carpet or turned wood dowels? Yeesh. But yeah, to tell the truth I DID think they were cool back then, but I dunno nowadays. Anyhow, this is a WiNDOW van. Is it even possible to do ANYTHING cool with a window van???

[killthewabbit]

Cool, shmool. I bet you'd get more than a little attention if you were driving a done up van nowadays. Oh, and you'd have to find a disco ball too. Maybe some kind of water fountain.

You could always weld in sheetmetal over the windows panel conversion style and go with the shaggin wagon idea from there. I mean hey, it's some surgery, but so's a truck conversion.

[68GMC454]

what i would do is take the windows out,,weld them all up with sheet metal..then gstrip it all down on the inside...go get som paneling,, then just go crazy..i think i got some links to van sites if you want them..vans actually still have a huge following...and they have come along ways with what they do to them....personaly i would love to find a late 60's or early 70's van,,swb,,and get crazy with it....with all the way we got to lower one, now adays, and with all the great interior parts you could rob from newer vans,,you could have a fun machine real fast...

[N2TRUX]

We need pics...

[killthewabbit]

I'd like to see some pics too. I like the way 68GMC454 thinks. Here's a van enthusiast site I found that made me chuckle a bit:

http://www.rockinvan.com/

The article on Jalopnik that led me to that site has a picture of a pimped out Charlie's Angles van.

If you think about it, it would be cool to do a van up nowadays. They sell those Vector wheels again, along with the Ansens or similar ones from Wheel Tech Intl. Shoot, they even sell a lot of those old 70s and 80s wheels in 17 and 18 inch sizes now. A set of those in conjunction with bags and a big ol' cheesy spoiler would be pretty much awesome to roll in.

[Pyrotechnic]

Nothin wrong with a window van, all you need is some limo tint for the side windows.

[454HO]

Here's some inspiration.


1/4 Mile ET: 10.000
1/4 Mile MPH: 130.000
1/8 Mile ET: 6.630
1/8 Mile MPH: 103.000
0-60 Foot ET: 1.430
Temperature F: 0.0
Timeslip Scan:
Car Make: Chevrolet
Car Model: G Van
Car Type: Shorty
Car Year: 1978
Driver: Dave Jarvis



1/4 Mile ET: 11.015
1/4 Mile MPH: 114.920
1/8 Mile ET: 6.876
1/8 Mile MPH: 97.420
0-60 Foot ET: 1.519
Temperature F: 91.0
Timeslip Scan:
Car Make: Chevrolet
Car Model: G Van
Car Type:
Car Year: 1979
Driver: Scott Allen


Courtesy of http://www.dragtimes.com/Chevrolet--...ag-Racing.html

[BLE 'BURBAN]

CUT OFF HE ROOF AND MAKE IT A ROADSTER!!!
OR TURN IT INTO A C.O.E. TRUCK.
CHECK OUT SOME OF THE PICS ON WWW.ASTROSAFARI.COM

[killthewabbit]

Here you go...















and if you're feeling exceptionally cheesy...

[1975stepside]

Hey- those are some pretty badass vans! I LIKE the way you guys think though! OK, OK, I'll put some pics on here (NOT sure how to do that though...) but the way it is now, this thing is BUTT-ugly, with a capital BUTT, hah hah! Almost ANYTHING would make it look better, even some cheapo hubcaps (got none!). Yeah, maybe some limo tint and paint the whole thing some dark custom color. OR..dare I say it...some FLAMES? The nice thing is you can get SOOOO many custom colors in rattle cans these days, hah hah......but it would take about 185 of them, it's the size of a battleship. I painted a VW Beetle once with 'em, took about 35 cans for a coat of paint that was about one zillionth of an inch thick.... Can any of you guys use a paint program? I'll figure out somehow how to post pics on here, and maybe somebody can trick the pics up to make it looks cool? I can only hope!

[killthewabbit]

You should post one up in the Photoshop forum. I bet those guys could do wonders for you. Link back to this post to show them what you're thinking.

[69BBsuburban]

Please don't jump on the rat rod bandwagon....most of 'em are abortions.....it'll get attention sure.....not the good kind.....
Those vans posted above are WAY cooler....esp the one with the SS emblems.....he he

[1975stepside]

OK guys, here's a pic of this beast!!

http://www.mypicshare.com/jw859ghopic.html

http://www.mypicshare.com/thumbs/20070930/jw859gho.jpg

[1975stepside]

I think I can put the actual image RIGHT on here without just a link, here's a try:

http://www.mypicshare.com/jw859ghopic.html

Hmmm, Nope, THAT didn't work!!! Can one of you guys pick up the pic from my link and stick it right on this page???