Vanners from the 70’s?

[Excesses]

How many of us Vanners from the 1970s? Living the ultimate. Far cry from our short wheel base 66 Dodge Vans. 318 inside the doghouse, 3 speed automatic A/T with 13” driveshafts connected to the road with G60-14s on mags? Shag and 6x9 speakers attached to 8track stereo. Mmmmhmmm. Cruising and burning tires and fatties! LOL!

Anyone?

[Skip426]

I didn't have an " A " series Dodge van ; bought a bare 73 B series maxi new , 360 auto .
Built a king size bed in the back , ice chest, portable stove ( Kangaroo Kitchen; best pancake grill ever made; still have that part of it) .
Took the DW to Niagara Falls the year before the wedding.
Crager SS , BF Goodrich T/As , dual exhaust conversion .
Lot easier to sleep in than my 68 Hemi 4 spd. Coronet . Easier on gas too.

[weredoingit]

My dad's dodge van had a slant six motor. We traveled all over the western states in that thing.

[SPIEK]

Not a van but I stuffed a full size bed in the back of an 84 Bronco, had to remove the rear seat and force the tailgate closed...by 8am it was hot enough I had to get my hungover ass out if the vehicle

[Winemaker2]

Mine was a 72 Dodge Tradesman bought it new just finishing college.
We (then future wife & I) made several trips X country and to Alaska & back from NY.
Built a convertible dinette / bed in the rear and kitchen wall cabinets behind drvr seat.
Cooler & Coleman stove.
Added awning rail on pass side and made an awning w poles lines stakes.

Lots of memories and visited a great deal of the west while living in Utah for 2 yrs.

Oh those were the days!!!

But we do love our Newmar VTDP 3433!!!

[Betr2Trvl]

A subset of this "question" hit me a few years ago, when my wife drug me to see Carol King and James Taylor. Now, any time I'm looking around at a group of folks that are now in thier late 50s to mid 70s, I ask myself "were any of these people ever "cool"?"

As for van stories, I have a great one involving the Indy 500 time trials that cumulates with a mounted sheriff, his "smokey" hat and a (not so sober) friend's derby and his van in the 1st turn SnakePit in it's heyday.

3 of us were standing on top of the van, beers in hand, more than a few consumed by that time in the afternoon, with a keg sitting inside the open side door, a sheriff riding by on his horse commented on the derby, and my friend said "I'll trade you", so the sheriff rode up to the van, and they swapped hats.

To the amazement of those watching, including the sheriff's partner, the sheriff, took off under full trott, wearing the derby and rode around the snake pit in the 1st turn infield, among a very large thong of very inebriated people, under the influence of various substances, all now seeing what is going on, "hootin and hollerin" in support of the sheriff having a bit of fun with the crowd, while my friend wore the smokey hat standing (barely) on the top of the van . A lot more to that day, but we'll leave it at that.

[Excesses]

Yep, those were the days! Love to hear the great stories from the late 60s to late 70s. All we could afford was the 66 Dodge, most of my buds had older Chevs and the occasional Econoline. The big finds in those days were the “no side door” options, or the “no window” options (side and rear).
We formed clubs, and then when those clubs became too onerous with rules etc., we formed “outlaw clubs” where there were no rules (except the law). It was all so much crazy fun. Like me, guys stuffed big V8s into their doghouses. Really nice interiors many of them, leather, velour, hidden “parking lights- remember them?”, crazy wild paint jobs and CB radios everywhere.
We went to Van-ins that attracted fellow Vanners from hundreds, even thousands of miles away. Our beautiful daughter was conceived at a Van-in (or so goes the math) and some of the friendships we made exist to this day.
Then came the 70s and the bigger, wider vans. Wow! Some of them were done up very well, guys and gals spending more on interiors, paint jobs and wheels than the vehicles were worth! In 1974 BJ and I put in an order on a brand new 1975 Dodge Van. In those days, one was able to put down $200 and menu order your vehicle. We went with full chrome option, factory mags, tinted glass, no side or back windows, V8 automatic with cruise, delay windshield wipers, heavy duty alternator, Positraction rear end, HD suspension,AM/FM cassette stereo and silver in colour. Wow! Loaded.
Then we got the news that the dealership went into receivership and we lost our deposit.
The cost of the whole vehicle was going to be $5400!! Now you cannot buy one like that and a HD truck like that would cost $50,000.

[kustom]

i build a van and it won a few first place
at shows then stoped by a van shop asked for a job showed them mine and was hired
about 6 months later i was let go
as they had partners stealing anyway
set up shop in garage and boom had tons of jobs funny about 90 days later old boss
asked me if i wanted to buy tools and parts as they closed down
i did

[Excesses]

Originally Posted by kustom

i build a van and it won a few first place
at shows then stoped by a van shop asked for a job showed them mine and was hired
about 6 months later i was let go
as they had partners stealing anyway
set up shop in garage and boom had tons of jobs funny about 90 days later old boss
asked me if i wanted to buy tools and parts as they closed down
i did

Good on you man! Obviously you had some talent that translated into success. Congrats! How long did your shop stay with van conversions? A couple of my friends went into professional van conversions including handicap vans and leisure travel vans. They eventually $old out and made some good $$$.

[kustom]

yea did good stayed with it paid for a new shop after a couple of years
made good $$

[raccoonman]

I tried like the dickens to convince my parents that our next car be a van... this was around '78 so the vanning craze was in full swing.... Dad actually went to the local Ford dealer and checked out their Cruisin' Edition Econolines... I thought I had it MADE in the shade! Then Mom got concerned over the potential for extracurricular activities in that big old beast and they bought a Triumph instead.... I didn't get a van until around 1992, a Dodge A-100 Sportsman, 318, auto, all windows... and was already married, so no funny business in that one (although I did suggest it just for old time's sake!)

[Old-Biscuit]

Prior to going in the NAVY i had a 1966 Econoline Cabover Truck......lots of trips to the lake for parties

Got out of the NAVY in early 1976........Bought a Ford Econoline Super Van Chateau cargo van that I turned into a 'party van'
My daughter was born in 1977

[Glenn and Kathy]

Well no vanning in the 70s, but in the 60s I had a 63 Chevy Greenbrier (Corvair) van. I self converted it with kitchen in back doors and sleeping for me and DW#1 + 2 Under six kids and storage. Toured Southern MN, and Black hills during 1968-9. 1980, got 77 Dodge Short WB van with all the carpeting and stuff. Camped in it but it was not set up for that. Dumped it in 83. In 92 I was doing a lot of Cowboy Action shooting got a 88 Dodge Caravan to haul gear and camping stuff to travel to weekend shoots. That one started rapidly coming apart and was junked out. no vans since then.

Glenn

[Vato]

HECK YA!!!!

1966 Dodge, 318, headers, cam, Cragars
and yes.... a bed in the back. ultimate Sin Mobile

Two-tone blue with custom pinstripes

Alumini of Associated Vans (the OG) 1974 era

Thanks to all the posters for the memories