Boogie Van Kids Hoodies

Characterised by wild paint jobs, altered stances and groovy lettering, the vans of the ‘70s became cartoonish, very much a marker of place and time. They became known as ‘Boogie Vans’; part muscle car, part party wagon. Vanning was so popular, Time Magazine declared it an “American craze” in 1977.

Custom vans were all the rage in the '70s, and there were shops catering to boogie van lovers from coast-to-coast helping vanners build their dream ride. By the mid '80s, many of those shops had either gone under, or shifted their focus as vans fell out of favor, but for those who kept on trucking, a few standouts kept the flame alive. Miami's Contreras Customs is one such shop that kept building show quality rolling rooms well into the '90s. Sure, they did lots of other custom work too, like traditional lowriders and restomod muscle cars, but continued to support vanners, even going so far as to manufacture many custom parts that could no longer be found.

Car giveaways have been around for a long time, but in 1976, a cross-promotional sweepstakes took things up a notch when three different American companies got together to create a one of a kind ride. This wild, custom '76 Econoline van utilized elements from the three sponsors to create a truly unique custom van that was dubbed the 'Denimachine.' From its crazy custom flamed exterior to its wall-to-wall denim interior, the Denimachine made quite a splash as people sent in their bottle cap liners in droves for a chance to land one in their driveway. There were ten Denimachines given away in the U.S. and fifteen given away in Canada beginning in 1976 and through most of 1977.

BOOGIE VAN HOODIE T-SHIRT

A boogie van is 50% muscle car, 50% rolling room, and 100% party. Whether it's cruising the local strip, or hitting the highway for an extended road trip to nowhere, the classic boogie van aims to please. So be sure to batten down the hatches and secure your load, and let's boogie!

A boogie van is 50% muscle car, 50% rolling room, and 100% party. Whether it's cruising the local strip, or hitting the highway for an extended road trip to nowhere, the classic boogie van aims to please. So be sure to batten down the hatches and secure your load, and let's boogie!

A boogie van is 50% muscle car, 50% rolling room, and 100% party. Whether it's cruising the local strip, or hitting the highway for an extended road trip to nowhere, the classic boogie van aims to please. So be sure to batten down the hatches and secure your load, and let's boogie!

BOOGIE VAN 70'S VAN VANNIN VANNER

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BOOGIE VAN HOODIES T-SHIRT 70'S VAN VANNIN VANNER RETRO VAN

Unlike most van shops of the day that focused on selling and installing custom parts and accessories, The Van Doctor was a comprehensive auto body and mechanical repair shop. Sure, they also sold the goodies to make your ride stand out, but that was secondary to this Van Nuys garage.

BOOGIE VAN HOODIE T-SHIRT

T&H Van Works Unlimited got their start in the early '70s, riding the wave of custom van fever and offering a huge selection of custom parts from porthole windows and sunroofs to side pipes and flare kits. From their Los Angeles, California showroom, they also operated a thriving mail order business, with ads in all the major vanner magazines instructing people to write them for a free catalog. In the early '80s, custom vans had died down considerably, and T&H expanded their offerings to support the booming mini truck craze, but by some time in the '90s as mini trucks began falling out of favor, T&H called it quits.

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During the custom van craze of the ’70s, there were plenty of local shops as well as larger builders that for some reason were all based in the Midwest. Grand Systems was one of these larger builders that worked both consumer direct and with dealers to build the conversion van of their dreams. While they did full custom, they also offered several packages that were offered turn key or as starting points for further customization, including the 'Blue Diamond' package reflected here.

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As worn by Stuart Goetz in 1977's "The Van," this shirt honors everything about Boogie Vans, Conversion Vans, and others without veering cheaply into Vansploitation.

Boogie Van Life

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Boogie Van Life

From a 70s radio controlled van toy box

New England Patriots Defense

Bigfoot and Alien getting warm next to the camp fire

A Little something for my fellow custom vanners.