Ep. 23 Van Life: The Funky Custom Van Craze of the 1970's
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- A classic car connaisseur talks about the groooovy custom van craze of the 1970's. What moved people to turn their vans into high rolling bordello's? Keep on vannin'!
Remember to like, subscribe and share if you want more of this!
You can follow me on Instagram: www.instagram....
You can always email me at:
edsautoreviews@gmail.com
Enjoy!
I'm an old guy and still drive a Chevy shaggin wagon. I had to update the bumper sticker. It now reads, "Don't Laugh. Your Grandmother Is In This Van." These days I need another one that reads, "If This Van Is Rockin', Call 911!"
That porno fuzz tone guitar had me laffin'! Great job.
And your comment made me laugh in turn. Thank you for that. Rock on!
My neighbor has a hot rod 87 Chevy G Van. Most interesting part is he’s paralyzed and it’s setup with hand controls for him.
I'd rather be old now and have been alive back in those days, than to be growing up these days. Things pretty much all suck now. These kids just don't know how much better things *were* back then.
We're not old. They just got here far too late.
@@derealized797 everyone thinks the era they grew up in was better and easier. It’s because we were ignorant of the world around us, had little to no responsibility, and live in a first world country. If you ask an adult what it was like being an adult when you were a child they’d have a less rose-colored memory to share
@@redram5150 i grew up in the 80s and 90s, and even so, i used to wish i had seen decades before me. But I'm mostly referring to how things are now in comparison, or how the 50s are remembered in it's ways, the 60s have lava lamps and tie die (for example), 70s had it's own stuff going for it, the 80s had it's things. But the past couple decades now aren't really defined by anything much.
Everyone has little things they're nostalgic about from growing up. But the decades don't have an identity anymore, like 70s disco balls, 80s had big hair and arcades (for example). Early 90s even had some style to it that can be identified in ways.
But 2010s? I can't think of anything to remember the past couple decades for.
I was a proud owner of a 1975 Dodge van with a 318 cubic inch V-8 engine. I built a bed in the back with 2 round smoked windows in the back. A vent in the roof over the bed. The 2 rear door windows popped out at the bottoms for good air flow at night. I also put in new captain chairs that swiveled and reclined . The chromed exhaust side pipes were awesome. Loved that van.
,,Hey man! Your tow truck drove mah van off da road. I wanna know who was drivin' it!"
,,Hey man! You better fix mah' van!!! Rod bearings, gaskets, the works. I checked the engine, looks real bad."
(Mr. T, The A-Team)
My parents were living out of a 1972 ford econoline van, in Santa Cruz. Until about the end of 79... i was going to be born. So they made their way back to the east coast where family was. I vaguely remember being in that same van when i was really young. One of my earliest memories was sitting on a bench seat in the back.
Proud owner of a 65 dodge van in ‘77. Split front window. Mechanic friend helped me and my brother put a barracuda V8 273 in it to replace the slant 6. I surfed, camped, took a dirt bike out to the desert and lastly lost something in it….
You def did a ton of bush whackin in there.
I had a 1977 Dodge Street Van until 1997. Pretty much same set-up. Miss that thing.
They used to sell bumper stickers that said “If this van’s rockin, don’t come a knockin” haven’t seen one of those in YEARS
Perfect for making out with your cousin in Central Park.
@@myitbos1335 bro?
@@joenutss th-cam.com/video/smY1Df3LGKA/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=SeinfeldSeason
@@myitbos1335 oh okay thank you lol
The best way to sum up American English is "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!" Listening to Americans talk is like listening to Jar Jar Binks.
I am very nearly 70, and I remember the whole van craze very well. This was a very witty coverage of the subject. Thanks for the memories and the chuckles.
Truly, no vehicle is complete without inexplicable stains.
inexplicable, the best kind of stains!
Don’t forget the burnt oregano aroma.
Oh no, those stains are most definitely exsplicable…
Hilarious!!!
Damn, I almost spit out my water out of my mouth and damn near blew water out of my nose when I read this. I’m watching this after negotiating a deal on a worn but bone stock 77 Pinto Cruising Wagon. Exactly like the one in the video.
*I’m not sure if I’ll stain it. I was better at that in my teens and twenty’s.
Pecker tracks.
If I remember right, The 1976 NSVA National in Bowling Green had 20,000 people at it on Saturday night. One thing you are probably not aware of is that we could leave our vans wide open all weekend and no one would steal a thing. The vans were left open so people could stop by and take pictures of the interiors. Oh, one more thing. My CB handle at the time was - wait for it - Waterbed.
My first "car" was a '76 van with a well endowed horse on one side and a nearly naked woman and sorcerer on the other. Triangular bubble windows on the rear framed it's brazen nameplate: "VANQUISHER!"
I'm certain your tastes and sophistication have matured greatly since then.... or not. 🤨
...in 1992?
Back when pipe dream ideas just ended up on vans...now they end up on your shoulder in the form of a tattoo!!!
Sweet!!!
The 8Track Tape stereo system
I'd love to see a return to the van craze of the 1970s! Truly some unique works of automotive art came out of that era.
Agreed, but I suspect these days the young lads and lasses are too obsessed with all kinds of technical gadgets and with not offending anyone, rather than living their life as they see fit. Gosh i feel old now... Scary to realize i have become another of "those grumpy people who complain about kids" - although I actually don't have much of an issue with kids. It more is the parenting they received (or lack thereof) that i take issues with. And ironically enough, those 'parents' are roughly my age, so there's that.
@@ranekeisenkralle8265 The young lads and lasses are living their lives as they see fit. Just not as _you_ see fit.
I want one so bad!!!
@@undresss_b I just saw a beautiful customized van like this a couple of days ago. I was at a stop light and looked at all the people in their cars and all their mouths were hanging open. I remember the 70's and I had one of my own when I was 25. This is what we need to bring back.
@@ranekeisenkralle8265 With the difference that the youth back then wanted more freedom and more progress, while todays youth advocates limiting freedoms and regression, and checks and corrects each other via social media.
I was in tears laughing so hard at your comments about the "shaggin' wagon" priceless video. Just priceless!
Often said.. If the vans' a rockin', don't come a knockin'..
@@bartricky5894 omg - exactly. I learned to drive a 73 ltd country squire wagon . That was my car. Fold down rear seats...ahemmm
It was even known as that in South Africa at that time. Or a Fu.. Truck.
@@bartricky5894 Yep we said that for sure!
Yeah; I had a Sin Bin.
"The minivan had everything the van did...except inexplicable stains." Yeah, the stains in the minivan are baby spit-up, along with peanut butter and jelly smeared by toddlers which were the result of what happened in the shaggin' wagon.
This is deep.
@@stejer211 balls deep
EXACTLY, THAT S WHY WE NEEDED THE MINIVAN.
One stain is a direct result of the other.
@@stevenjlovelace this thread is hilarious
"Ass, grass, or gas, nobody rides for free!"
My friends gave me that license plate for my 16th birthday. Great opening it front of my Mom.
@@christopherconard2831 Mom said, hmmm.
Grandmom said, Lordy.
Great Grandmom said, Nothing cause she was dead. Good thing cause she woulda beat you with her flat iron.
"If this van is rock'n don't come knock'n"!
NO FAT CHICKS
Yep we said that for sure!
Chicago still has a pretty strong custom van culture. More modern though with Forgi rims, fully decked out living room interior, and a sound system that will knock your pictures off the wall. Love to see them rolling around.
In the late seventies, weekend cruising in Marquette Park was the best thing that could ever happen to a young man.
I was with Midwest Vans back then, I'm on my 4th truck now a 1965 Ford Econoline. Keep On Truckin' baby!
Here's a fun fact: Even school bus makers in the 1970s were making personal versions of their smallest bus offerings. Take the Wayne Corporation for example, they made a personal version of their Busette minibus called...the Plushette!
love this, did not know!
Wayne busette = Lil Wayne! LOL!
Suzanne Plushette?
@@williamdixon8961 No.
@@audvidgeek No.
I have to hand it to you man. This video brought back sooo many memories to me of those wonderful days of the mid 70-early 80's. And I am not afraid to say that it brought a few tears to my eyes of what a wonderful period of time it was to experience. I had a best friend back in high school in the mid 70's to 1980's whose mother and stepfather were into the Vanning lifestyle It was about June 77 that I went with him and his parent's 2 vans to a huge van inn at what I think was Watkins Glen NY or Clyde Savanna NY when we were 14. What a weekend, John Valby aka Dr Dirty emceed the event and what contests on stage went on! At the end of the weekend we had zero doubt about what women's "intimate regions" were. Prizes like chrome header/pipes/cb's/stereos.mudflaps custom portholes ect were all prizes for women shedding their modesty on stage. If anyone remembers this particular event please post it here!
A popular bumper sticker from the time. " Don't go knockin' if this vans rockin' " Oh and...."Don't laugh! It could be your daughter inside" . Wonderful times!!!
Classic ones! 😂
Grass gas or ass nobody rides for free
Hey, my prime ride is a 1991 Chevrolet conversion, a "Gladiator". A true cruise mobile, a joy to drive long distances on the open highway. The rear bench seat folds down to a double bed, comfortable enough for my needs. I travel and camp in it every summer, with a canoe and a kayak on a rack on the top. I carry a screen shelter, a shade/rain shelter for my kitchen, and a large dome tent as well. A true nomadic vehicle. Love it.
These were frequently called "sin bins" by the cool kids of that time period.
College kids from the '20s called their cars 'struggle buggies'.
@@MrCenturion13 hahaha
Or roach coaches.
HAHAHA!!
My buddies and I always called them "Stabbin' cabins" 25-30 years ago
And now "boogie vans" as they seem to be making a resurgence here in Commiefornia in the classic car scene, the last few years I have been seeing them everywhere and not just beat originals but really nice retro vanski's full if the 1970s sleazy Apparel.
Well that is until Slow Joe AKA Brandon started pushing gas prices higher.
🤣 A relative of mine pimped out his van with shag carpet, new mag wheels and fat tires. He slammed on the brakes at a red light, and the waterbed that he dad just installed flew foward and burst.
The momentum of the water also burst all four tires, and buckets of water poured out as he opened the door.
Can you imagine that ? 🤣
Not one word
Sounds like something out of a Pink Panther movie
Love Ed's writing & narration.
I want him to read my obituary.
Yeah - I wish he'll read your obituary too
I started with muscle cars, then went to the van, I loved customizing it, it was great for camping and cruises
I remember the ubiquitous bumper sticker: "If this van's a rockin', don't come a knockin'"
"Just come on in!"
That one and also THIS one: "Don't laugh, Your sister may be inside!" 🤣
There was another that said"Gas Grass or Ass no one rides for free"
"Conversion vans" mainly from Elkhart IN continued to be popular through the 20th century.
Yes we still hold 'Truck Ins' through out the summer months - van shows, live music, camping, & LOTS OF PARTYING! 2%
Fuck if you still remember the whole 2% thing, you're a true party van veteran. *salute*
In case you didn't know, those porthole windows that were in the size of cargo vans were there because that way they could qualify as non-commercial vehicles and be driven on highways that did not allow commercial vehicles. They could also get non-commercial registrations
And they had to a permanent seat or bed in back.
Not highways, Parkways.
The interstate highway system was developed specifically for large freight trucking.
Damn I miss the '70s! I had a '76 Dodge California Custom with waterbed, brown shag carpet, mini bar, 8 track, dual moon roofs, CB, Cragar mags & the big 360 4bbl & actually owned it until 10 years ago! In the '80s I bought a factory stock '87 Chevy hightop conversion van but it was stolen in 1994 & never seen again! Thanks for bringing back some great vannin' memories - PEACE LOVE n HIPPYNESS!
Shoot you need to share some of those memories 👀
1. I have always loved the funky custom van look. Yeah, I like disco too...and I'm a Dodge owner. 😈
2. There is a visual which should be inserted between hippie and yuppie, and should involve wide collars, plenty of polyester, and possibly male perms.
3. Of course you need a V8 in your van, how else would you escape the scary monster who is really a guy in a rubber mask?
4. The porthole windows were also known as "perv windows".
5. I'd like mine hot pink with a life-like version of "Verosika Mayday" spray-painted on the side and with heart-shaped windows - just to completely freak the locals. 💖
I don’t know what the hell you mean... but Brother! It sounds Cooool!
@@kellingtonlink956 Helluva Boss reference. Verosika is a succubus - so, perfect for a "Shaggin' Wagon".
You're a sick man. I like it.
Proudly admitting your a Dodge owner ? Al Bundy has entered the chat lol
@@galeaiken3841 Well, my Daytona Ram can do 105 mph while weaving through traffic on the freeway, and haul a full-sized freezer from Home Depot - plus my other Dodge is an old school '71 Demon I saved from the boneyard and turned into a resto-mod...so, yeah - guess I'll take the Al Bundy label. 🤣
Gotta say, I really love this small documentary. Being somebody who has recently customized my van with a mr heater, thermo fridge, and bottle opener, along with a 12 volt inverter. Oh yeah, I have never had to use the company refrigerator and risked my lunch and food getting stolen, since then. I always have cold drinks and sandwiches,, and I can go as far as I want and even keep ice-cream from melting on a hot summer day because of van refrigerator. Nothing too expensive, because I live on a small budget because rent is high and I make only 260 dollars a week. Still, I began to slowly get the idea to customize or add to my van, as I can remove all the seats in my van from the middle compartment to the back. Started imagining and here I am today. I even have a bottle opener in my van. People at work have poked fun but I'm the one with a lot of space and they have to squeeze themselves into their cramped cars.
I haven’t even watched this video yet and I already love it!
Ya me too. I knew it would be great
When you find your van, you can go live "down by the river!" Great episode dude.
A motivational speaker who lived in a van down by the river .lol classic. Gone too soon.
Don't forget if you smoke pot and have sex you'll be here 🤪
@@allergyahead8128 love your name fav by the stones
I was a kid in the 70’s (born in ‘71) and remember these well. There were also magazines like “1001 Van Ideas” dedicated just to the custom van craze.
Great job on this video Ed! I was a young man during the 70's but I was always anti-van. I preferred personal luxury cars and muscle cars. But I'll admit some of the vans were pretty cool. But wouldn't you count the 1938 International Metro Van as being the first forward control type van, well ahead of the VW bus? It was only a work truck though.
AGREED
I still have my 77 chevy van and Ford van AFX slot cars! Groovy, Baby! I was just a kid back then but the 20 somethings in my neighborhood that had custom vans were like Gods.
I used to buy custom Van magazines in the mid-late 70's and read the ads for custom parts. Bought a 67 Dodge van exactly like the one as shown at 4:07 for 50 bucks in 79. I might still have a few of those magazines
Ahh yes, I remember the shag wagons very well!!! Thanks for showcasing them!! 👍👍😁
Shag as in shag carpeting, or shag as in "getting it on"?
@@MisterMikeTexas getting it on!!
I found a magazine about Vans when I was in Nam. Bought one when I got back, Joined a Club, went on the Runs, Really cool memories still bring smiles.
In a van, down by the river!
I was a part of the Van crowd in 74-78. Got rid of mine for a mini truck w topper, then a 4x4. It was just a faze or fad for me and a lot of fun and adventure. Personal Custom Vans are making a comeback.
Ed, your videos just get better and better! I was a van guy in the 70's, but I had Corvair Greenbriers. They were not as "cool" as the others, but I didn't care. I did also have a 67 VW van, but it was the "family" van with windows all around. Wish I knew that their values would shoot to the sky one day, I would have held onto it. Still, I LOVE vans (old ones).
Well done and very entertaining! The van craze of the 70s slowed down a bit going into the mid 80s but it is still going today. There were over 600 vans at the 2021 Nationals and over 700 vans at the 2 previous years' Nationals.
I figured there had to be another Vanner that found this video, I wasn't even searching for van videos. Happy Holidays to you!
you tell 'em, Doug!!
Jeez, I remember those days. Now I feel like getting one myself!
I'm 6 years old ...
It's 1987 I'm heading back from the mall I'm sitting on a shaggy carpet bench trying to make out the words on the packaging of Castlevania 1 for Nintendo, the rope lighting being just a suggestion of illumination.
The clickety clack of Normandy boulevard concrete in Jacksonville Florida as the street light gives me momentary glimpses of the Majesty that is the box of Castlevania.
The gentle sway of a Chevy van converted into a dining room lounge.. I can still feel it to this day.
Wow! Are you a writer? Such a beautiful description, felt like I was right there with ya!
So funny. I love it. The simplest explanation is they were a big bed on wheels! The rest of the stuff was just a distraction. weeee!!! 😋
Very well done , you did understand the van thing, and explained it well ( specially for a European ). I still have my 1966 a-100 dodge van. Big part of my life. Thank you "kid" , you did a great job.
My friend in high school bought a chevy van that was painted and had a bed carpet and a frig. Installed at a custom shop. When most vans were home done. We took it to N.C. and man did everyone love it. And to top it off we loved in florida.
My search for a '74 Econoline to funky customize is back on! Thanks Ed.
My dad had like a 1978 or so Ford Econovan. Shag carpet and a bed in the back. He loved it. He called it the “fish bowl” because he would smoke a bowl with all the windows rolled up…
Your take on the subject is hilarious! Informative but mainly very funny. I've been fascinated by the 70s van culture, ever since I first listened to Fu Manchu some twenty years ago. I would have never thought, that I would find a video on the subject on your channel though. That's what I like about your channel, shining the light on the left field stuff.
Just went to the 48th Van Nationals here back in July. I assure you its still a thing
The microbus wasn't hit with the "chicken tax" (too many seats), the Pick-up version was (and was withdrawn from the market). VW campers were kinda popular in those days, but making a type 2 into a custom ran into.. Issues. Mainly, that they were so slow as is and not really made to take THAT much extra weight.
The other theme for custom van art, album covers (preferably Prog Rock ones).
2:22 I KNOW that script. That shot just about has to be from Columbus OH. Schmidts, is still around, and still on the South end of German Village, but they have food trucks now.
It's probably for the best that UV lights were pretty hard-to get in the 70s, otherwise.. Well those "inexplicable stains" would have given them a whole 'nother look.
I went to college in the mid 80's. Knew a guy who had the camper version of the VW. He made a lot of money renting it out to students who acted up a bit too much and got thrown off campus for a few days.
The VW van has a rear engine and high rear deck which limits rear space for customization. Domestics had front engines and wide open space in back. However, VW's were still popular at the beaches.
Perhaps not then but inevitably worthless overregulation would be lobbied for. The 25 year rule, increased emmissions regulations blocked these cars off by the 90s.
My father and I customized a few vans from mid 70's-80's. My first owned vehicle when I was a kid was our first customized, a 73 Chevy. Next 2 were both 76 Chevy vans and my last was a 1989 Ford E-150. They were mint. We did waterbeds w/beefing the suspension and a glass "plexiglass" roof over the bed. With dual Blaupunkt cassette decks, one over the bed pillows and the other over the front dash. Chrome side pipes etc. etc.. All the bells and whistles in all of them. Dad would take his King Salmon fishing, upper New York state. Me? I made every teenage girl's fathers pissed at me. My own fishing. Great memories and the old Worcester County Van Club. Shaggin and taggin!!
It’s interesting how vans became spartan “off the grid” vehicles while Jeeps are now the personalized social art pieces in the US.
The computerized and emissions-controlled engines of today stymie the driveway gearheads. Individualized seating compartments and wrap-around consoles may aide in driving comfort, but leave little interior room for interior customization. Things like wicker seats I'm sure are totally illegal today. The more safety legislation that comes along, the less personalities cars have. That's not all bad - we've had two cars totaled in accidents with not a scratch on us - but the fun factor has gone to zero.
@@texaswunderkind that's kinda the challenge.
My cousin Buck had a 71 Econoline, school bus yellow, in 76.I was 11 years old and feel in love with it. Portholes, shag carpet, and a bed in the back. I miss the 70's! Mitch Banner Linville NC aka Captain Caveman.
Watching this, I'm reminded of the Simpson's "Second Base Mobile" with a mattress and strobe light
Not to mention a quadro-phonic sound system.
I totally thought of that while watching this!
Lost my virginity in my old man's pride n joy..his custom van complete with the..if this Van's a rockin don't come a knockin bumper sticker...awesome video brought back memories seeing these Van's
And remember: if the van's a'rockin', don't bother knockin'!
Nice!
My family likes to take day trips. Go see the changing leaves. Go to a park. Go out to eat. Go... wherever. With me, my parents, and my sisters two kids and my brothers kid, The family GMC Envoy that seats 5 was not enough. It seats 5 if the 3 in the back are crammed in shoulder-to-shoulder, and nobody wanted that so I'll just say it seats 4. There were 6 of us... The solution: Mom, Dad, and the two youngest kids in the Envoy. My oldest Nephew and I followed along in my Dads truck. We had been looking for something like a Suburban or an Excursion or some other three-row family hauler..
So one day, my Dad come home with this huge 1990 B250 Dodge Ram van. High top conversion, graphics paint job. Leather swiveling reclining captains chairs. Big couch-like rear seat that folded out into a full bed at the push of a button. Wood cabinetry and trim galore. Plush, pillow-like red velour. TV. Aircraft style interior lamps. The curtains on the windows.. The whole damn ten yards! All but the "Shag" carpet. Deep-pile carpet, yes. But not shag. We took about two trips in it. Both of which I drove. My Dad didn't like driving it. My Mom is too short to drive it. The seats pretty much swallow you up in the plush-ness! But me? I LOVED IT! Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to have one of these vans in the family.. Now In my 40's, we finally got one! But it had a few mechanical gremlins.. It was very low on power and could barely go uphill..
So.. it sat as a hunk of lawn-art for about a year. The kids played in it. Camped out in it. Pretended to drive it etc. Me and my Dad threw parts and money at it trying to find the "bug" that was making it so weak. One day Dad calls me and says he might have a buyer to come get it. I. Was. PISSED! I told him that I want to try one more thing to fix it.. If it didn't work, I wouldn't complain if he sold it. He told me that he didn't care, to do what I wanted.. So I went out grabbed a sawzall and chopped the exhaust off at the cat, and left it open-piped. Fired it up and took it down the road... Like a BAT OUT OF HELL! Licketty-split up the hills and haulin' ass on the straights. I came home, and said "Cat's plugged!" We went in and bought a new cat, and a new muffler to boot. I put it all together, and it was awesome.
A week later, He says he found the title to the van and I had to go with him to the notaries. I was fuming mad, but figured that it's his van, he can do what he wants, I guess. We got there and he signed it over to ... ME!.. Yeah. It's MY van now! I have driven that sumbitch from PA, To the Badlands, across Montana, down to Yellowstone, Back through Sturgis and home again. 70 to 75 MPH on the highways the whole way. The only issue that cropped up was the oil-pressure sensor pooped out. I changed that in Laurel MT, and did an oil & filter change for shits & giggles.
I still drive it. And now it's finally the family day-tripper it was meant to be. And. it's my camper, my RV. my daily. It's my Van.
That might be the best van story I've ever read, not that I've read a lot but the point is I about shed a tear. Beautiful.
It's good to hear a story with a happy ending for once.
Happy Trails to you.
Check out what the Japanese are doing with Dajiban.
Racing [drifting] full size Dodge Vans. Crazy stuff.
I loved them growing up. My brother had both a Ford and a Chevy custom vans. He later customized a VW Beetle.
Good video, but not enough pictures of vans with wizards painted on the side.
Or copied versions of Heavy Metal magazine covers - or basically anything by Frank Frazetta.
Not enough ones with the naked, or nearly naked ladies on the side.
Great video! I was a kid in the 70's and remember all of this! I am currently restoring a 1979 VW bus and will be doing some customizing on the interior!
Another epic from EAR. Nice!
This brings back memories. I built custom vans from 1977 until early 1998.
I used to subscribe to Hot Rod magazine back in the 70’s and they’d do a yearly issue devoted to custom vans, some of those were incredible
One of your Best! Very well thought out, edited and exceptionally entertaining. Thanks so much for the video.
Vans literally are a jack of all trades and that's why I love em.
my uncle had one of these in the early 80's decked out with rims, tv, etc... it was dope!
I drive a 2009 Ford e350 extended cargo van. I'm a carpenter but still love camping with it. No fancy carpet but maybe a few inexplicable stains 😂
Great video. Will look for more.
I spent many pleasant days/nights making love in vans back then. I remember when I saw the "Little Red Wagon" for the first time at the dragstrip. It was wild to see a van pop a wheelie half way down the strip. After that everybody started dragging them.
I absolutely love ur channel, you offer up a very informative video with humor and style. I've watched every episode and some multiple times. Great work, my friend, looking forward to ur next clip. 😉👍
I'm right down the road from bowling green and we still have the van national's every year and it's awesome
Shaggin' wagons! I didn't realise they could get so elaborate, this is amazing.
My grand dad had a panel van, it’s an abiding memory of my childhood seeing it park outside my grandparents house.
Your nail it Very well done from facts to little bits of humor tossed in
Had a friend, Bobby, who got a Dodge van and proceded to customize the whole darn thing. He even joined a van club. He named his "Vangina"
In mid-70’s my husband and I had a crudely converted van we did some trips in. Now 40 something years later we are at it again traveling 1-2 months at a time.
As a kid in the 1970’s I remember how cool these vans were.
Once again this non-American manages to capture American car culture more accurately than almost every American car channel on TH-cam.
Great video. I had a Chevy van in the '70s, a Dodge Maxi-Wagon in the '80s and a GMC custom van in the '90's. Minivans since then. I'm all about the vans.
There were thousands of these vans when I was a kid. Some of the artwork was amazing. Always wondered why they disappeared and you'd never see restored versions driving around? An old salvage guy filled me in that the salt on the roads of New England winters did them in for this region. These vans were notorious for rusting away and being scrapped.
I’m glad I’m old enough to have witnesses these in their hay day!
The Funky Custom Van Craze of the 1970s: Pure Vandemonium. 😎
This has becomed my favourite channel in this metaverse.
I want to see the day that Ed does the history of old weird Subaru’s
That was great!! Lots of Vans had window and/or bumper stickers which said, "Ass, Gas, or Grass. No one rides for free!"
Young people having custom vans in the 70's, was so cool. Sad its not popular anymore. It perfect hangout for a high schooler who lives with their parents.
This craze is returning. Vanlife is on the up
What a time I had with six or eight great friends back in the 70s loading up in one of these custom vans and heading out to the concerts.
Hadn't watched something like this in months. LOL. funny as heck.
Wow! I remember those. Was too young to drive but always said I’d have one when I got older. Was in a friends dads and it was awesome. It had a fridge, shag carpet and all. It was the best back then. The reason i said wow was because that’s a part of those days that I haven’t though about. But that’s cool! It brings me back. Of course I’m talking about gm customs. The one you could almost live in. The seventies were so cool! I wish I was a teenager then. But I would be 60 instead of 50 though. So at least I’ve got that. I was young in the seventies but everything was so cool then.
Strange. You mentioned the introduction of the minivan in 1984, but these types of vans were still popular throughout the 1980s. My mother had a 1986 Ford van with the Merry Miler package. It was a navy van, with gold exterior accents, the inside had navy blue interior as well, built in radar detector, captains chairs, a movable table, and the rear bench seat that folded out into a bed. Included was a place to hang clothes, a built in cooler, TV, and we added the VCR later. Turns out, my husband’s grandmother had the Chevy version of that, also in the same color. I remember so many long road trips in that van, and how my mom would daily drive it. She always had to park far away because she needed two parking spaces to turn into. Didn’t need it after she traded it in on a gold Pontiac Transport.
Around that time, I remember riding in another kids van a few times in the early to mid 90s. Theirs had all the same features, only their TV and VCR were more built in, thus cooler. In the late 90s, however, people started buying up SUVs instead. My father had a Suburban with the flip down monitors. Instead of fold out beds, it was very popular to either get flip down monitors, or video displays in the head rests. I remember how obnoxious it was to play a movie. It was such a huge PITA, that we only did it on road trips. I would then question why on earth people would watch movies on the way to the grocery store. It’s literally a 5 minute trip. It takes that long just to start anything, and even if it didnt, there’s not enough time to watch anything. Clearly, this was before iPads, and TH-cam.
These vans came back in the 90’s with the conversion vans, a little more toned down though. But almost every Mexican family had one. My uncle had one and it had a TV with a N64 in the rear.
Oh man ... as a kid in the late '70s in southern California ... there was one of these vans in every parking lot at all times. They were *that* common in that place and time.
My sister worked for an aftermarket custom van company in the eighties. You know, raised fiberglass roofs, extra interior lighting, convertible rear seating/bed, (yes, carpeting everywhere), fender flairs, custom windows, running boards and wheels... They were extremely cool, but due to the added weight, got the same gas mileage as a tank!
I was literally talking to someone about these vans the other day. In the city I grew up in, Frank Frazetta style murals in the sides and back of vans were popular and my personal favorite. If I could afford one, I’d buy one of those vans. Though more functional, modern vans are nerd vans by comparison.
While I enjoyed much of this video, I must take our host to task on one point. (Not only was I in my early twenties at that time but I also worked in the auto industry for Ford and GM). The one word that I would not associate with the “van culture “ is “Funky”. Vanning was more of a white middle class and West Coast trend. You would sell these to twenty year old guys who dreamed of getting a girlfriend in the back for some body slapping action.
Now, if you are going to use the term “Funky”, then you should be making a video on pimpmobiles, riding down city streets looking smooth, with Pfunk in your sound system (never call it a radio, sound systems started to go big in 1975), listening to such rips as ‘Standing on the verge of gettin it on’. That’s Funky my friend, and you need an Eldorado or a Mark IV for that!
I do enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
I had one of those Econoline party vans with the opera window in the 90s. It leaked oil all over the top of the engine so you'd breathe oily smoke the whole trip. Great band van. 😂
My first vehicle was a 1964 G10 chevy van. I loved that thing!
I remember Hot Rod magazine did a contest in conjunction with Ford and Levi’s where the grand prize was one of 10 custom vans called “Denimachines” that were super decked out with custom stereos and a Levi’s-themed denim interior. Years later I was in Virginia and to my shock saw one for sale in a used car lot, I nearly wrecked my car to pull over and get a photo of it.
Some friends in my youth owned the van named "Vanessa" from the film "Corvette Summer" it was great to ride around in as a 10 year old.
07:43 "Indians"? ... It's odd these guys don't seem to resemble Mahatma Gandhi in the slightest. They do seem to resemble "Native Americans", however. (So much for for your cultural sensativty.) 😕😳😨 ... Then again, what else should we expect from "The whitest guy on TH-cam?". 🤣
At least he didn't say "red-skins".
My mom's best friend Zelda had one. I haven't seen her since the late 80s. Really cool lady.