Party Headquarters! Customized 1978 Dodge Street Van
Tube sox. Watergate. Polaroids. The Brady Bunch. Customized Vans. Thinking about the seventies, there’s not a whole lot I really miss about them other than when I saw a customized van going down the street (and of course watching Marsha Brady on Friday nights). The Big Three all had some cool van offerings in the 70s but Dodge really hit the nail on the head with its Street Van package. If you’ve been thinking about buying a retro party van, this 1978 Dodge Street Van would definitely be worth taking a look at. Located in Bronxville, New York, it can be seen here on eBay with a Buy It Now price tag of $13,000.
There’s no denying that vans were popular in the seventies. There was even a 70s hit song titled “Chevy Van” by a one-hit-wonder artist named Sammy Johns (you can hear it here on YouTube). The popularity of the van continued into the eighties with the minivan concept, but they just didn’t really compare in the coolness department to their full-size predecessors.
Speaking of cool, the Street Van being offered here just screams it. The seller says it was a California vehicle until it was shipped to New York in 2015. It was obviously used mostly as a pleasure vehicle or a weekend traveler, as the odometer is only showing 68,000 miles from new. The van is in overall very good condition, although there are a couple of rust bubbles and some metal repairs have been made along the roof gutter line. Can you imagine how sweet that exhaust must sound, with those Cherry Bomb-type mufflers and quad exhaust turn ups on both sides? The angle of the exhaust is said to prevent the rear cargo door from opening on the passenger side, but what a small price to pay for such a great exhaust system!
Powering this Street Van is a 318 V-8 engine with an automatic transmission. The seller is listing it for a friend and says that it started right up for him and idled for over 45 minutes while he did a photo and video shoot. There are several links on the eBay page that you can copy and paste if you want to see the seller’s videos that he shot of the van. There has also been quite a bit of service performed on this van over the last 5 years, including a new water pump, both radiator hoses, fuel tank renewal, and other odds and ends type repairs.
While not perfect, this van has stood the test of time pretty well, and to be 43 years old it still looks sharp and seems to have some good miles left for its next owner. It also comes with a clean New York open title. What are your thoughts about this 1978 Dodge Street Van? Do you think $13,000 is a reasonable price?
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Comments
Clean NY title but has California license plates? What’s up with that?
Loved the custom van craze back then. I had a Dodge Conversion Van about 20 years ago.
Kind of wish I still had it.
I would lose the big ass rear tires, wood rear bumper and the exhaust system if I bought it.
But that’s just my preference.
GLWTS
then this Van is not for you. That is how they were in the ’70s. Find yourself a Prius.
It seemed in the 70s that most of my friends and acquaintances had tricked out vans with shag carpet and an 8 track stereo. What more could you ask for?
You were a lucky fellow
Drop the 1 from the price
Drop the 3
In 1978 it would be worth 3000
Today maybe 1000
I have 4 dodges
A dodge is almost a ford
Fit a dodge wont fit a ford or vise versa
(f)riggen (o)ld (r)ebuilt (d)odge
If you can’t afford a Ford ,
Dodge a Dodge !
Love the functional zoomies! My uncle had a kustomised Dodge van with side pipes added. Not hooked up though. I wish I at least had a picture of that thing. I drove it to school and nearly got laughed off of the campus.
I’m old enough to remember those exhausts – zoomies – were still regarded as hot stuff. Today I can’t comprehend that anyone in their right mind would even consider them on a street-driven vehicle. Much more elegant side exhaust solutions can be installed while keeping the Cherry Bomb sound if that’s what one prefers
There’s one-year-only parts on the ’78 Dodge vans. I wouldn’t be surprised if those front side markers were made of pure unobtainium. That was a transition year with the original front styling and the later design used into the early ’90s from the dashboard back.
Unobtainium is a forged metal
Tee
Hee
It’s a righteous van in many far out and groovy ways.
Not 13,000 ways
But i would like to know if is it worth 13,000
If the van’s a rock’n it’s because the engines a knock’n.
Seriously that exaust needs more rust
i havent heard that one yet, thats great
“Ladies, your chariot awaits…”
Stupidest exhaust ever….even blocks the door. cut it off, do it right.
what is the thing with the toobs running out under the paneling… ??? fresh air, or for a blowup mattress or doll… ???
Was wondering the same thing…..
The moon is hollow and constructed in titanium
An overly complicated bong installation.
Hey! it’s yet another van from the Mr. T era! (The A team). Those back tires would never pass PA. inspection sticking out that far, amongst other things.
I see trucks every day in PA with wheels sticking out farther.
And they are all illegal for PA. inspection, only a matter of time until a state boy stops them.
The black gizmo behind the driver’s seat:
Quoted from the eBay ad….
There is a rear a/c unit but the lines are disconnected. The a/c in the dash and rear are not working but all components seem to be there. The rear a/c is missing its cover.
68,000 miles not bad prolly most of those miles on the side of the road
Seriously that exaust needs more rust
Crazy bout that van
Good luck with your sales sincerely
,Anthony
I had a dodge maxivan in high school that I converted myself. Many, many hours went into that thing. This was back when the drinking age was 18 and I could take half the senior class out to lunch in the thing. (yes, we drank, yes we could leave school and yes, I attended a pretty small school.) Plenty of built in palces for my stash and a keg cooler right up front. I had to borrow my moms Cutlass to pick up dates becase fathers would not let thier daughters date a guy with a van. This van for sale here accurately reflects the spirit of the times, although I never saw one with the door-blocking sidepipes like this (mine had headers with side pipes under the running boards). I’m also not real excited by the paint scheme as most of these vans, including mine, had airbrushed murals on them. As for the $13k price, it is all in the eye of the buyer. The van itself is in good shape. Somebody will probably buy it at that price or close to it.
I used to pick up dates in our family motor home. How is that for scary?
Hahaha!
I saw this van for sale at the railroad station in Hawthorne, NY, last Winter! I contacted the owner with cash in hand and he was apparently too lazy, to come and take my money. He wanted $8,000 for it then even if though it was rusting back into the ground.
I kept an eye on this van over the next few months and into the Spring. It sat there in snow, and rain, and wind. Finally, a few weeks ago I ran into the owner at a car show where he was flogging his pinstripping skills. He told me that he had sold it.
It looks like the buyer has done some work to it with the hopes of flipping it. Good luck to him. I predict nothing but heartaches for whoever buys this at the inflated price currently being asked.
First Thing To Go Would Be Those Stupid Ugly Pipes ,deduct A G-Note For Complete Dual Exhaust , Former Owner Must Have Been Smokin Gunga , LoL
I had two Dodge vans, a brand new short silver 1975 Tradesman 100 from Duke-Tufty Motors in Sioux Falls, SD. I put N50 TA Radials all the way around on Cragar mags with 3/4 ton springs in front. I could power slide it around the cloverleafs on the I-29 and I-90 interchange, which would really freak my passengers out! I did the interior in knotty pine car siding with a bed in back. I traded my silver 1974 Vega Panel Express in on it and I wish I could have kept that one for a drag car.
In 1978 I ordered a beautiful new long wheelbase maroon Street Van from Schmidt Motors in Marion, SD. Since I was racing flat track motorcycles, I needed more room inside for my flat track Bultaco Astro. I had the interior completely spray foamed inside and then shaved it smooth, it was 4 inches thick. It went from being a noisy tin can inside to a quiet Cadillac with doors that closed like the doors on a bank vault. I kept folding cots in it to sleep in and lawn chairs for my passengers. It was a great van and when I quit racing flat track I sold it to an older couple from Minnesota who kept it for years. Those were the good old (but crazy) days, I remember on one trip I drove 23 hours straight until I pulled over and slept. Vans are the ultimate traveling machines, now I have a 38 foot motorhome that isn’t nearly as much fun to drive but a lot more comfortable!
The Zoomies are horrible, the van is very nice
Oh to be young again. I had a 77 Dodge Van Customized from the factory. The fun I had in that thing is unprintable.
I have a G20 Chevy van listed on craigslist. I’m the second owner and have taken the van from painted murals to obtaining a 11.88 time slip/quartermile. Lots of performance items,long wheel base,12 bolt,stall speed,corvette motor,etc… check it out!
Don’t open that side door.
I see trucks every day in PA with wheels sticking out farther.
You mean THIS VAN?!
Oh that’ll shine right up. Nobody will notice…
California Van! No rust! Well cared for, ran when parked, etc…
maybe this was Chris Farley’s; that he lived in down by the river
Ok, the pipes are a bit much. Reminds me of those car show circuit models called “Zingers”. The pipes could be cut down so the side door opens.
Sure brings back a lot of fond memories, as I owned 3 custom vans. I muraled, button tucked interiors and wired up stereos. Prior to van ownership I had never even touched a power tool, but I learned a lot, and had fun doing it.
Hope someone gets the itch to bring this baby back into shape.
If you have this you can still pull those same 70s chicks and leave your RV parked
I still have my 1977 Dodge van I bought brand new. I have done numerous modifications to it like Frenched the radio antenna in the left rear corner and molded the roof rain gutters to a flat flange for the installation of 2 sunroofs.
HOWEVER, I would NEVER incorporate an exhaust system that would render the side door unusable, no matter how “cool” it looked. Period!