Roadside Sighting: Custom Chevy Van
Sometimes the best deals can found right along the side of the road. You might spot them while on a road trip or even on your way to work. Well, Doug M had his eyes peeled for that “For Sale” sign when he spotted this custom van in Cottage grove,Oregon. There was a $1,500 price tag hanging in the window, so he snapped a few photos and sent them in figuring that someone here would want it. Keep reading for more info. Thanks for sharing Doug!
Unfortunately, the interior has been gutted and the engine is missing. Then again, that could be a bonus if you would rather start fresh in those areas anyway. Personally, I wouldn’t want to touch anything back there if this thing was built in the seventies anyway. It would be fun to design your own custom interior and a new small block should provide many years of trouble free vanning.
Looks like this old van is being offered by a small dealership. It would be interesting to see if they have any information about the van’s past. Was it a period creation or was it built more recently? How did it end up here? So many unanswered questions. Unfortunately, most dealers throw away any paperwork they find and aren’t very forthcoming with the previous owner’s information. You never know though…
This would be a fun one to clean up, get running, and drop a new interior into. The custom van craze may have died long ago, but we have seen signs of a resurgence. There are more van events taking place and a few nice examples have sold for big money lately. As long as there are no rust problems, this Boogie Man van looks like a great place to start. Are you ready to “Truck It”?
If any of you spot a classic for sale along the road, be sure to take a few photos and email them to us.
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Comments
I remember those sunroofs from the Martin Shower Door Co. It was the first aftermarket sunroof available and we put them in everything from vans, trucks, to datsuns and all else.
AHHH.. Boxdin, you’re a Calif BF member. When I ran my construction business in SoCal, I’ve now retired to Montana, I used to sub-contract all my Shower door enclosures to Martins. A great outfit they were, and a dude named Gary, who was later murdered, and who worked there, initiated the design of those sunroofs, etc, was a member in one of the many Van Clubs in SoCal back in the 70’s. Yeppers, Martins was one of the 1st to branch out into that fledgling enterprise of those times.
It’s a blank canvas. It would be a fun ride with some updating options. New motor, electrical, brakes. Decent find on something you don’t see very often anymore.
Jesse,
Thanks for posting that.I was on the way home from a trip to Montana.
I’m always looking for cool/weird stuff along the way.
Here’s a couple more cars that were behind the same shop.The area
code’s (503).
Thanks for posting that angliagt, I’d ‘almost’ be tempted to make the ‘call’, as I used to be in a Van Club called ‘West Coast Vans’ back in the 70’s, and now live in Western Montana, so it wouldn’t be too far of a drive.. but I’ve two other projects, a ’40 Ford Pick-up, and a ’78 Clenet Roadster that I’ve yet to finish, and so that ChevyVan would just be another walk down memory lane, sigh*.. :)
10/05/16
Hey angliagt..
I’ve a Buddy of mine who’s interested, so I called the phone number on the Dealership window (503) 942-9305, and got a recording that it’s ‘no longer in service’. You didn’t happen to get a photo of the phone number that was listed on the sign in the Van’s window did you??
Cheers, Rob (in MT)
1953 Buick too.Not sure if either is for sale.
Looks like that bad boy needs a trip to the dentist!
what state is the van located in?
just looked it’s in Oregon
Love that van. I was a kid during the van craze and remember it well. My dad had the next generation Chevy, a 3/4 ton. Wood paneling, bed in the back, and Jenson 6x9s in the bed platform. Pretty mild for the day – no flares, murals, or teardrop port hole windows. In those days nobody cared about seat belts – the kids could jump, roll, and bounce all over while driving down the highway.
He started with a ’66 Econoline. It had a home built wooden extension added to the top. Dad tore that off and bent up a replacement roof section which he welded in. Like this Chevy, the engine was set back between the front seats. In the winter we fought over who got to sit on the steel engine cover – that spot warmed up fast.
This thing is seriously cool. If it were close to me, I’d be all over it. I’d put an engine in it and leave the outside as is. Would need to add a bed right away, because no doubt it would be my new home.
The things that run through my fragile eggshell mind when i look at this van.This thing is to kool .
I’ll probably be heading back up to that area (Eugene,OR)
this weekend,to deliver the Volvo 142,& will have an empty trailer
coming back.
Anyone interested?