What inspired you to get into early vans?

I came across this photo many years ago and knew i found my passion after carefully checking it out.

Now have carried this little clipping from a magazine around a long time, I even lost it a couple times, and ever time I find it I know where the whloe vintage van thing started. Oh Ya Baby.

If anyone has more pics or information on this little gem please let me know. My picture is done wore out.

Sooo what inspired you guys?

We moved from florida to pa when I was 13 in a 64 econoline I learned how to drive a three on the tree in the driveway been into them ever since.

I bought a new 69 A100 when I was a senior in high school. I drove it up and down the coast and down to Mexico surfing. Had it a couple of years and did a custom paint job on it. Don

when i was 17, buying my 1st car off my uncle( he was a back yard mac. always had cars for sale.) at that time he had 2. a dodge a100 van n a mustang. van had shag carpet n such, but that stang had a 4 speed lol. i took the stang. but never stoped thinknig about the van. as years went by, i knew people with vans, partied in them and stuff. many many years later i able to put one in my group of cars. funny how something sticks with ya....

My grandparents on my dad's side had a 56 covair pickup with the side gate and ultimately traded it in for the 68 Dodge that I have. I can remember riding on the engine cover with dad and gramdpa and thought it was so cool. I was also talken to hospital in the old dodge when I bit through my bottom lip.(yea doing things that I was not allowed to do). Have loved the old truck since my early childhood and never dreamed that I would end up with it.

Out of highschool and working for a guy, he gave me a choice of two vehicles I could have that he was getting rid of. an 88 mazda minitruck or a 69 A108 panel van. The van was trash but Ive never been one for new cars, so I took the van. Everyone thought I was crazy. I drove it's wheels off. Then others drove with me in it, and understood why I loved it so much. Since it was junk it didnt live long, but ive wanted another one since then... Almost 20 years.

That van had bad body rust, frame tweaked, suspension shot, wiring done by two blind guys...Seriously, there was a series of things you had to do to start it because of the wiring, and one of them was turn on a house light switch hanging under the dash with bare house wires! Somehow even thru all this....I was still sold!

First car was a 68 Chevy 108.
It needed a lot more than I could give it at the time and have wanted another over the years.
When we decided to move out of CA, the best thing for moving plants was a van. So that one became my second. I've got a lot more now!

They are simple, solid, fun, cheap, and useful.

I was at a red light in santa cruz. this crazy silver looking window van with round tail lights pulled forward in the lane next to me. I came home and searched ebay listings until I was able to figure out it was an early ford econoline (falcon) van. later I saw vintage pics of the O’neil surf shop van back in 1964, also used a falcon van to haul boards. I lived up the street from O’neil (the person and his original surf shop). I started to keep my eye on craigslist till I found TWO (buy both or none sort of deal).

one had a 289 that was rigged to run of LP or gas, I sold that one right away.


the one I kept was practical for hauling, I used it to bring home a vintage r75/6 bmw MC I bought, used it to transport a vintage porsche 911 engine to fwdair for shipping when I sold it…


it was fun driving that over the santa cruz mountains, I'd take back roads b/c I didn’t want to drive it on HWY 17 (fast and dangerous). it was a great window to take in the scenery and just enjoy the drive. if I had to get on the highway, and I slowed down traffic to my 55-60 mph, somebody would surely honk and give me the bird. I’d just wave and smile. but I got as many thumbs up as I did middle fingers. I liked it for me, didn’t care what other people thought. it’s not a vehicle for going fast. slow and steady wins the vintage van marathon. pic below is when I picked my daughter up from her first day of school and we drove along the coast. she’s about to start high school now….


I sold it when we moved to austin. I’d only paid $500 for it and it was gonna cost $1k to ship. it’s not so often to find a decent $500 vintage van any more. that one had a 300ci engine w/ all the clifford stuff, intake, headers, even gas pedal. it also had a 9” rear end… I’m still chasing what I once had.

Ok back in the 72 my brother and I fixed up a 67 chevy van /6 3 speed on the coloumn and he had it in high school and we hauled our dirt bikes to the races in it and this was when vannin was just getting started. thats how I learned to drive. Got a license in 74 and a /6 3speed valiant that was painted black with a roller had it for 2 months . gave it to my younger brother and bought a 73 dodge b200 and owned a van ever since, had a 73,76.87,91,and a 97, at this time the early's were startint to come back, and i bought one in georgia from a soldier going to desert storm. and it was /6 3 speed painted with a roller. Kind of like full circle.40 years of vannin and still hooked to it.......

Always liked them. Had a huge collection of van magazines before I ever bought my first HotRod magazine.

RodStRace wrote: When we decided to move out of CA ...

S-o-o-o... apparently you're married? Assuming the answer is 'yes', for those of us who aren't married, what country/planet can we visit to find a wife who will tolerate us owning two dozen vans?

... just ... wondering.

At 22 years old my motorcycle didn't have enough room to carry my camping gear and my girlfriend so I got a 1967 A108 with a seized engine because I couldn't afford a newer/better one. Paid the original owner $500 in 1973.

Still drivin' it ...

1st you take her to a few van-ins. Ishe enjoys that then she will be hooked...

dix wrote:1st you take her to a few van-ins. Ishe enjoys that then she will be hooked...

austinmodhouse wrote:... I used it to bring home a vintage r75/6 bmw MC I bought ...

Lived in San Jose for 9 years. Bought my '76 R90/6 from SJ BMW, new.

Still ridin' it ...



Made many a trip over the hill to Santa Cruz on Hwy 17 with the /6 and the 108.

rebar wrote:

RodStRace wrote: When we decided to move out of CA ...

S-o-o-o... apparently you're married? Assuming the answer is 'yes', for those of us who aren't married, what country/planet can we visit to find a wife who will tolerate us owning two dozen vans?

... just ... wondering.

TOLERATE is the right word!
It's my money, my hobby.
She has her money and hobbies. It works for both of us...

Count your blessings ...

i was about 16-17 and was stealing parts in scrap yards around MTL (Brady),we were selling parts, the owners didnt liked it at all, they had shotguns, so we had to hide, and i ended up in a old a-100 van, the thing was so cool, i sat in it and imagine driving it, you know the big steering wheel and the split window with the bus feeling,the dog house, i think it was love,

at 18 bought a 1965 a-100 but did shit with it,no knowledge , no money, no space to work, and no help, too much dreaming but did alot of learning by my own, sold it for cheap to get ried of it, it did cost me a fortune in parking tickets in Montreal, police were always looking for me , and no internet to find rare parts,

...then at 44,more mature(well... physicly) we were looking for traveling but not into a big Winnebago, looked at westfalia , but expensive and not reliable, not powerfull,so... one day i came across a picture of me with the a-100 , i decided to go with the /6 ,so i bought one on ebay, came to pick it up in Ohion, came back on its own power( everybody overthere called me crazy with balls) and made it no problem with a worn out engine, that was March 2009,

today, the interior is 95% done and really proud of it,its hard to be alone with that van, it attract so much peoples, they are very rare around here

photo taken at a Wall mart in Ohio
,,,corrosive

2corrosive4u wrote: i was about 16-17 and was stealing parts in scrap yards around MTL (Brady),we were selling parts, the owners didnt liked it at all, they had shotguns, so we had to hide...

Great story Mr corrosive. I think we have a lot more in common than A100 vans.

Purchased my first 2nd gen in 1971, it was a 69 Chevy no door w 6cyl and 3 on tree. Swapped the tranny for a th350 in 73 and life was great until the oil embargo hit. When the oil embargo hit put a LPG conversion on with a big pressurized fuel tank in back and drove it till 1979 when I was married. While I was commuting to Maywood Ca(120 miles round trip) in a Renault LeCar, wife at the time was having a difficult time driving the van(worked 3 miles from home???). Finally sold the no door in 1980 and purchased her a 1980 Renault Lecar Black Beauty, have missed it ever SINCE.(the van that is)

After owning several VW campers, the last one I had was shipped over from Texas in 2007.
It was a 71 Westy.

There was something very different about owning a van from the States although it was a German vehicle of course.
I sold it in late 2007 & was van-less until I found my A108 Sportsman a few months ago.
It just seemed to fit the bill more than the VW's I've always had before.
I've always loved the styling or the early Dodge, Ford & Chevy vans but they are so rare over here in England.
I feel very lucky to have found mine.
Scooby Doo was quite high up on inspiring me too

OK rod- where can we get a girlfriend or wife that will tolerate any of us owning , rebuilding our cars & vans??? hehe - i know!! Asia-any country- been there done that too -im partial to the philippines- english speaking & love americans still - cause we saved their butts from the japanese in the "BIG WAR"" PS: dont tell the girls here about that!!=

How did I get into earlys???? I was invited @ an early age by a wonderful young girl into the back of one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

twinpilot for me it has to be the thai girls their is none finer although the women in hanoi are a close 2nd

Twinpilot001 wrote:How did I get into earlys???? I was invited @ an early age by a wonderful young girl into the back of one!

Mr Twinpilot, this is the best story yet.

rebar wrote:

Twinpilot001 wrote:How did I get into earlys???? I was invited @ an early age by a wonderful young girl into the back of one!

Mr Twinpilot, this is the best story yet.

Ditto