While Chad and I were largely too young to “get” the 1970s vanning scene, it sure seems to be making a resurgence these days as the people who grew up in the 1970s, cruised custom vans and did lewd, probably illegal things in them are looking to get some of that youth back. We have to admit that from a distance, a 1970s era Ford, Dodge, or GM van with wide slit mags, a low stance and one of the bitchin’ chin spoilers that many of them wore “in the day” is kind of appealing. On the flip side, looking at the photos of the insane murals and interiors does make us re-taste our lunch a little, but that is the fun in looking back at this whole scene.
If you too missed the vanning boat and are wondering how big it actually was, consider all of the ads you’ll see in this awesome, awesome story on the Selvedge Yard website for their “factory custom” vans. With muscle cars being dead and vanning the “going thing” OEMs threw lots of money into building someone that a guy could buy right off the lot and have that “custom” feel to it. Of course, the actual custom van guys probably crapped all over the people who bought the stickered up Econoline, but the fact that these companies were building factory special vans is all you need to know about the size of the vanning populous.
One thing we have always wondered about is how and why it all came to an end and why it seems to have happened so quickly. There were magazines and media surrounding this culture just like hot rodding (and some of the hot rod magazines switched gears to vans back then to drive sales) and then it was like POOF. The vans with the huge murals which were so cool and loved became the butt of jokes and owning a custom van didn’t really make you the cool guy anymore, it kind of made you the opposite. Now, all that being said, the true believers never left and they maintained the burning embers which seem to be being blown back into a fire these days. Instead of scoffing at old custom vans at shows we’re finding ourselves actually stopping to look and admire. The cycle is certainly turning in the favor of the classic vans again.
This piece on the Selvedge Yard is a photographic look at the vanning crazy and all of its wacky-weirdness. We loved it and think you will as well –
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SELVEDGE YARD’S COOL PHOTO TRIBUTE TO 1970S VANNING CULTURE
I went to a Van Jam at Englishtown around 1980. WOW! What an experience. Every inch of the place was covered. Zero police-the clubs took care of security. Also zero problems. Show vans-roachy vans-4wd’s playing in a mud pit. Booze everywhere-drugs too. It was like a turkish open air market- “I got pot for sale over here!” ” I got better pot-try some before you buy!” 1/2 naked women-fully naked men + women. Black vanners camped next to white vanners-and partying together all weekend. Nobody being destructive-nobody screwing with anyone elses stuff. Bands-van drag racing-various games both put on the venue + pick up.
I don’t think you could have had a bad time if you tried. Its sad the movement went away-I’ve never seen so many people get along for a weekend.
I liked my ’69 E200 ’cause you could put anything in it and lock the doors. Towed my ’66 Fairlane to the drags just fine, hauled firewood and went camping in it. 4W manual drum brakes sucked…
its no wonder these are making a come back,the new dodge fullsize van makes me laugh un-controllably- its un customizeable!
I wouldn’t want to see inside the back of one of these vans.
Hideously stained shag pile carpet, rancid seats and littered with stroke mags. Or even worse – soiled women’s underwear and a still snoring “conquest” who is still sleeping off the binge of sex, drugs and alcohol she had in 1974…
I need a van in my life….
VW’s were NEVER part of the van scene. Different crowd altogether.
why did it die? in the 70s they had polyester, in the 80s we had taste (fueled by cocaine, but still, taste for awhile).
I still hate vans, but I also have memories of helping my dad do some cedar-shake interior work on his van…. so perhaps there’s some repression going on too..
I had a neighbor who had a custom shorty Chevy van back in the 70’s with:
8″ Ansen slots
air dam
transplanted 76 Monte Carlo stacked headlamps
bubble window
Hooker pipes
wall to wall gold shag carpet
I thought it was cool as hell but what did I know for an 8 year old.
Ahhhhh
memories from the good ole days with the 1975 Dodge Tradesman B200 (maxi-van)