Scotty's 1965 Chevy SportVan Deluxe Travel Cruiser

I'll see you guys at the Big 3. Don, are you going on the first day, Friday the 21st? You too Joe? I usually have to wait until Saturday.

I'll try to have my wiring cleaned up under the dash by then so I won't have anymore shorts while I'm driving.

It opens at noon Friday,,,,,,I will be there and also on Saturday,,,,,,,,,

Some of you locals may have noticed, but my van was on the cover of this week's San Diego Reader publication. About 6 months ago my friends wife hired me to be the driver for this "pop-up" wedding trial run she was putting on for her wedding photography business. Little did I know my van would be famous!!!

Congrats Scotty! Nice way to show off the van and I like the pretty accessories sitting inside

,,,,but is that van going pop up in front of your house?????

...it's welcome here anytime!

,,,,,,they used the van to go around and do marriage ceremonies,,,,

Way to go, Scott! Your van is really spreading the Early vibe! Friends have contacted me saying, "Hey, there's a van like yours on the cover of the Reader!"

The article says these pop-up events are becoming very popular. But did they even realize that this van has the rare pop-up roof?!

,,,,they don't even know its a SportVan,,,,,,,,,,let alone a Deluxe,,,,,,

Congrats Scotty! Nice to see your van made the cover. Great Picture. Can anybody still get a hold of that publication?

Anytime you can make the local press is a good thing. Very Cool !

Way to go Scotty !!! now Thats an Early In Print,for sure.I know your proud of it.

Great thread! Your van is coming along very nice. I'm hopping to do the 2004R to my van and the way you did that mount is bad ass.   How has it worked out for you so far?

Thanks Coop! The tranny mount has held strong and been working great so far. I got about 20MPG on a 100 or so mile trip with the new trans and weber carb!

Good to hear I think I am going to go the same rought as you did. Thanks for the info it's been most helpful.

Mike

Long time, no post! (knock on wood) The van's been running great so I've actually been able to use it and not have to constantly work on it! Took it on some longer trips and it ran like a top!

Went to Pioneer Town near Joshua Tree, and Refugio State Beach, North of Santa Barbara.





Also taking it out to Borrego for Thanksgiving. Fun times!

Very nice Scotty

Refugio State Beach, north of Santa Barbara, that's in my neighborhood! Glad you had a great time, nice beach for camping.

After a lot of thought, I'm reluctantly considering selling the travel cruiser. The plan has always been to have a camper/traveler that my wife and I can take on longer trips. Unfortunately it isn't as practical for those purposes as I would like it to be, so I'm looking into some other vehicles. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this van and have had a blast with it. I'd love to keep it, but at this point in my life I just can't afford to have two cars, and would hate to see it not get the attention it deserves.

I'm by no means in a rush to sell it, and may try my best to power through and hang on to it, but if someone were to make a nice offer,  I would consider it. Thought I would put out the word to you guys here first. I really appreciate all the help I've received on this forum and in person, not to mention the new friends I've made through these old vans.

Im hoping you'll spare me the guilt trip for wanting to give up such a cool car (cause I do feel kinda guilty   ), but Im sure ya’ll know how it goes!

Feel free to contact me if you're interested. Thanks guys!

How about towing a trailer behind the van?

I'm the 3rd owner of this van. I found it in Lake Co. California. The guy I bought it from bought it from the original owner's wife. It had sat for many years after the husband died. They were originally from Southern Calif. They bought it at Colton Chevrolet in Colton. I searched for it when I was down there but the dealership appears to be gone. The Deluxe van was converted and originally had all the camping gear that would have come in a Travel Cruiser. The second owner took it upon himself to throw it all away which was unfortunate. He did however rebuild the engine, went through it mechanically and did bodywork and paint. I bought it in 2002 and had it 2 years. I drove it all the time and got lots of thumbs up. I attended my first VCVC (Vintage Chevy Van Club) van run to lake Shasta. The van was featured in one of their Calendars. It was a great van! I acquired as much information on these vans as I could and had a lot of pamphlets including a TEC (the makers of the conversion kits) binder which had some cool info on conversions. I sold the van to a dude from the bay area but I think he then sold it to Scott whom I have spoken to before. I hope Scott can keep it. I know if I had the dough I would snap it up!

Great Scott!!

Say it isn't so!

Ah, I know how it goes. You start looking a newer models of vans... All those amenities. Our Earlies are a labor of love. And you've put a lot of love into yours.

I too am very familiar with this van. On more than one occasion I considered buying it in my search for a Sportvan Deluxe. It is a great van. The body and the interior are in great shape. The only reason I didn't go with this one was I didn't want the popup roof.

But the Travel Cruiser package does make this Deluxe unique. Back in the day you could order any of the Early vans with this Travel Top. It's nice to be able to stand up in your van when in camping mode. And it's a tough top. No canvas or vinyl. All metal, that cleverly folds up. And it only adds about 4" to the height of the van.

Plus Scott's done some great upgrades. The 200R4 automatic tranny gives you three speeds plus overdrive to keep the RPMs down on the freeway. And that two-stage carburetor has really boosted the MPG.

Well, Scott, maybe you'll change your mind before someone scoops it up!