Fall in Colorado | Off-Roading in my 1969 Chevy 4X4 Van

Taking my 4X4 Chevy van off-road to test its capabilities and see some fall colors.
Follow me on Instagram: / machinesincjake

[@reddoggxj]

Grand Pa would be proud. Back home another name for The Passenger Princesses is The Seat Cover. Which is not derogatory because they are so valued.

[@machinesinc]

😂

[@jonathan8349]

A young man with a pretty girl and a cool van, well done! Please get some rock sliders on that thing, you’re making me nervous :-)

[@machinesinc]

Rock sliders are on the list don't worry!

[@rscamarolover]

Hella cool seeing you take the van off road. I've seen 1st Gen 4x4s (64-66"s) but I've never seen a 1st or 2nd Gen actually go off road ,very cool. Thank you for sharing .,

[@machinesinc]

Thanks for watching!

[@shaneharrison4775]

Dad and I used to do that on hunting trails in upstate New York but ours was only 2wd position rear diff. And ours also a full 17 windowed model . Insulated with tyvek and styrofoam and blown foam insulation,covered in blond wood paneling.roof liner also sound deadened and styrofoam and blown foam insulation and blind paneling with air vents and lighting and blackout curtains all round.

[@machinesinc]

Nice! Did all that get it quiet on the highway?

[@shaneharrison4775]

@@machinesinc yeah it quieted the hollow tin can droning and the full floor covering with corrugated felt and tyvek with the over rubber and indoor out door carpet. And sound deadener (rhino liner) and a full dual exhaust with resonators and baffled tips

[@mat_hutchings]

Very fun to watch. What a great tribute to your grandpa! Hope you have many good times with the van 🙂

[@machinesinc]

Thanks!

[@randysimmons9838]

The coolest 4x4 in the woods,it done a good job too

[@machinesinc]

Thanks!

[@marklaramie7393]

Cool vid man, I'm sure gramps is smiling

[@machinesinc]

Thanks!

[@van_demonium]

Great build! Way to keep that thing going. From one off road vanner to another.

[@douggrunberg]

Thanks for the video

[@machinesinc]

Thanks for watching!

[@neolithicnobody8184]

I was 19 when I bought my first one and I became obsessed with them. lol Started with a 65 and by the time I turned 25 I had a collection of them. One each from 64 to 70 and a few Greenbriar as well. My 64 was a 2-for-1 deal and one of them was turned 4x4. Only problem was it wasn't street legal. It was being designed to compete with Bigfoot and Grave Digger, but sadly burned before it even had a chance. The facility where it was stored was badly damaged by a tornado and 3/4 of the place burned to a crisp. Nearly 3 dozen classic vehicles died that day with my Big Red, including Corvettes, Mustangs and a Porsche. My 69 and 70 were both factory V8, the 69 being the only Automatic in the mix and the 70 was a 4-on-Tree. All of the others had 6 cylinder 3-on-Tree. Some handled like a car and others were more like driving a truck.
Nearly 30 years later the Vans are all long gone as Life goes on. These days the "Collection" consists of JEEP products. XJ, ZJ, WJ and WK for the most part. I've had DOZENS of XJs over the years, most of them are gone now. Phased them out as I became a fan of the Grand Cherokee. As you get older, you learn to appreciate the comforts and luxuries in Life. lol Good luck with your 69. It's a beauty!! Really makes me miss having mine. 👍

[@machinesinc]

Oh I appreciate the comforts now! Haha

[@scottyocum7652]

Van is BA!!! Nice build.

[@machinesinc]

Thanks!

[@recklesssquirel5962]

Only here for the van

[@machinesinc]

Ditto 😂

[@bull_likes_bikes]

Great build!

[@machinesinc]

Thanks! Still a work in progress

[@ryanedgar5643]

Love the van! And I really love that you got it from your grandfather! I’ve got a 69 sport van and I’m curious how you modified mounting your new shocks? Did you trim your wheel wells in the front?

[@machinesinc]

The shocks are mounted to the body in the factory locations. On the axle side they are mounted using universal weld on shock mounts from RuffStuff. The front wheel well is trimmed, pinched, and re-welded in the front. I wish I had done the rear of the well as well as it still scubs a bit, you can even hear it in this video.

[@Anthony_Adventures]

Great video man so cool to see. Also what trail is this? Fellow Colorado wheeler here looking for an easier trail for my wife to come and enjoy the trails also

[@machinesinc]

Check out TrailsOffroad.com great resource to find places to go with difficulty ratings

[@davebrown4841]

Wow, you sure do put her through the test. The van that is. LOL 😂 Good to have a girlfriend that likes the outdoors.

[@machinesinc]

Absolutely, makes it way more fun

[@philgriswold2133]

Not a lot of flex or articulation with that platform, but everything you need for that type of trail. Super impressed with how well it did in those big holes. Are those open diffs or do you have some sort of traction control system?

[@machinesinc]

Yeah the front I swapped in Chevy 52” leafs and those flex way more and a lot smoother. The rear is still using a factory top leaf with another pack bolted to the bottom. Almost no flex haha. Eventually will put 52” in the rear as well. The front diff is open, the rear has a posi.

[@steveparr7816]

Love the van. Do you have anything in the back of the van, a bed or anything to use it like a camper van?

[@machinesinc]

Not currently, but do have some plans for later on.

[@geraldsmith98]

Hi. Where in Canada did you get your window rubbers? I have a 69 Chev Van. Found some in the US at Steele Products

[@machinesinc]

Some of my seals are from Steele. I cant remember the name of the Canadian company but VCVC.Org has a thread with links to all the seals.

[@thatdude4000]

Was this up i70? I was trying to see where ya where at? I’m a Toyota guy, from golden co area.

[@machinesinc]

Yep

[@foootheter]

Ya what trail was the driving section on? I see echo near Idaho springs. I live in silverthorne so somewhere between here n denver but where exactly?

[@larrysalaz9670]

Lockers?😁

[@machinesinc]

I wish haha. Open in the front and posi in the rear.

[@nitewatch2.027]

Where did you locate the 4wd selector?

[@machinesinc]

Don’t have one yet

[@AstroVanTribe]

I think my van is cool but yours is cooler-er....

[@machinesinc]

😂