Custom Vanner Tapestries

Based on an original iron-on transfer, this Heavy Chevy design is about as period-correct as you can get. From the exaggerated look of the tricked out street van to the funky airbrush style lettering, this one knocks that '70s look out of the park and is perfect for any vanner of the bowtie persuasion.  

In 1976 a line of trucks and vans dubbed ‘Adult Toys’ came out. Don't be gross, these 'Adult Toys' were a series of factory vehicles that included the Street Van, which rolled off the assembly line outlandishly customized in what would become a staple of late 70’s automotive culture - custom mag wheels, wild paint schemes, and plenty of shag carpeting among others. Despite the rich host of custom options the Street Van rolled off the line with the true intention of it to serve as an enticing platform for even more customization. To get buyers headed in the right direction, every Street Van came with a customization kit that included detailed instructions and plans to further style their van to their individual tastes.

Back in the '60s and ’70s, Sam Radoff was one of the best custom car and bike builders in the Midwest, if not the country. Raised in Detroit, Radoff got his start at a young age by pin striping plastic model cars and after a stint in the Army, got himself a motorcycle and of course, did custom paint on it. Fellow bikers loved his style, so he started painting bikes for a living, which blew up in a good way. The next thing he knew, he was welding frames, building tanks, and doing full on custom choppers. Before too long, he was building and customizing hot rods and vans that ranged from mild to wild, but the one common denominator were his wild signature custom paint jobs.

WTF is up with the 2% decals on everyone’s vans? The 2% movement came about after the March ’76 issue of the National Street Van Association’s (NSVA) newsletter hit the streets. The NSVA claimed that 98% of vanners felt that there was an undesirable element in vanning and that same 98% appreciated the NSVA’s list of event no-no’s which included no all-night parties, no wet t-shirt events, heavy drinking. drugs, etc. This was to ensure truck-ins would feel like suburban camping, so just like that, the 2% was born and those who wanted nothing to do with NSVA’s rules or events wore their 2% badge proudly.

A 19-year-old named Nick bought this cherry red 1975 G-10 from its original owner right off Van Nuys Boulevard in 1977. It was already mildly customized with gold pinstripe work and a set of mags, but Nick wanted to make it his own. Since naming vans was what people did back then, he dubbed it Wild Cherry, and added a set of flares, but didn't have the dough to get them painted. Somewhat ironically, the bright white flares are what really made Wild Cherry pop, and caught the attention of the film crew from the 1979 B-movie, Van Nuys Blvd. They asked if he wanted his van to make an appearance in the movie, and of course, he said yes, so Wild Cherry can be seen in all its glory for about 3 seconds in the movie and in the trailer.

Hop Cap was located in Bremen, Indiana, just 25 miles away from the epicenter of van conversions in the 1970s - Elkhart, Indiana. And yeah, no idea how Elkhart became the place where custom van dreams became reality, but that's another story... These rigs were known as Vantastic by Hop Cap and they specialized in customizing vans as mild or as wild as customers wanted. Some just have a little shag carpeting, custom paint, and a bubble window, while others were totally over the top.

Rolling room, stabbin' cabin, bedroom on wheels... whatever you call it, there really is nothing quite like doing it in a van.

Hollywood's Van World Customs rolled up their bay doors in 1974, so they were a little late to the party as far as the custom van craze goes, but they made up for it by creating some of the most outrageous vans to ever cruise Van Nuys Blvd. From mild to wild, if a customer could dream it, they could build it and it was guaranteed to be an absolute showstopper. 

The social remnants of the '60s were still vibrant in the early '70s, although they had taken on a more materialistic expression. Vans became the transport of choice for many 'counterculture' types. Their trucks, made up of equal parts of rolling interior design display and airbrushed billboard, were personalized automotive expressions and as varied as their owners/builders. It didn't take long before vanners started getting together to hang out, so truck-ins or truckin' events became increasingly common, including some hosted by VANS Ltd. that happened at the most magical place on earth... at least three times, apparently.

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.

Long before online colleges and distance learning were a thing, correspondence courses were the way people could get a degree or certification without having to ever set foot on a college campus. One such institution was Auto Upholstery Institute of Orange, California. In an attempt to ride the car and van customizing wave of the early '70s, A.U.I. set up several correspondence courses to teach auto upholstery and customization. Advertisements in automotive magazines and comic books advised readers to send in the included form for a free course catalog. Once registered, schools sent training materials, lesson worksheets, and the tools and supplies for the selected course. A.U.I. was even accredited by the California Department of Education.

One of the more ubiquitous sights from the late ’60s, this guy was still truckin’ along with his timeless message, but received a vannin' twist in 1974.

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 on of these larger builders that worked both consumer direct and with dealers to build the conversion van of their dreams.

Vanhalla Kustom Shop was one of Southern California's premier van customizers throughout the '70s and well into the '80s and provided customizing services ranging from mild to wild. So, whether you wanted something as simple as a porthole window installed or a radical custom fabricated body restyling, Vanhalla had you covered.

During the custom van craze of the '70s, the Trademan was a popular platform for vanners everywhere and Dodge capitalized on this by creating a factory customized Trademan called the "Street Van" package.

There's just something cool about hopping in the van and truckin' down the road as wherever you're going, it will be a vantastic voyage.

The '80s were a great time for over the top custom four-wheel drive vehicles and while there were plenty of shops in the greater SoCal area to get your ride tricked out, there were none greater than El Centro's Ultimate Off Road. While other guys were just adding lift kits and chrome bits, UOR was building rigs that actually performed off road as well as they looked, so if you were rolling in a UOR build, you were doing so with confidence as they were as bulletproof as they come.

In the '60s, Rodco made a name for themselves as one of the biggest snowmobile dealers in Vermont, but when vanning blew up on the West Coast, they decided to get into the custom van game. Based in the town of Randolph in Orange County, Rodco Custom Vans turned out hundreds of unique rides with multiple interior options, custom exterior styling, and most notably, hand painted murals and artwork that made every single van an original. Rodco primarily worked with the Tradesman platform, and were a customizer to many dealers, but they did create a few one offs from other makes. Given the harsh Northeast winters and overall regional weather, few of Radco's rolling rooms have survived, and those that have, were usually taken west.

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.

First-generation Chevy Van refers to the first G-10 half-ton production years 1964 through 1966. There was a market for a compact van based on a modified passenger car platform to compete with the already successful Econoline and A100 vans. The 1964 Chevy van had a cab-forward design with the engine placed in a “doghouse” between and behind the front seats. Engines and brakes were sourced from the Chevy II, a more conventional compact car than the Corvair which was used as the basis for the Chevy Greenbrier vans. The 1st Gen vans were available in only the short 90-inch wheelbase and with the standard 90 hp 153-cubic-inch straight-4 or straight-6 engine. A first-gen is quickly identified by its single-piece flat windshield glass.

In 1976 a line of trucks and vans dubbed ‘Adult Toys’ was launched. Don’t be gross, these ‘Adult Toys’ were a series of factory vehicles that included the Street Van, which rolled off the assembly line outlandishly customized in what would become a staple of late '70s automotive culture – custom mag wheels, wild paint schemes, and plenty of shag carpeting among others. Despite the rich host of custom options the Street Van rolled off the line with, the true intention was for it to serve as an enticing platform for even more customization. To get buyers headed in the right direction, every Street Van came with a customization kit that included detailed instructions and plans to further style their van to their individual tastes.

During the custom van craze of the ’70s, there were plenty of local shops as well as larger builders that for some reason were almost all based in Elkhart, Indiana. Van Vinyl wasn't a full custom builder or conversion shop, but rather a manufacturer of custom interior components, many of which were used by the larger conversion shops, but also sold directly to consumers. So whether you want royal blue captains chairs and a matching sofa that folded out into a bad or just want new door panels and a customer matched dashboard cover, Van Vinyl was the go-to place!

The oddly named HeadRest Van Conversions was a line of custom vans produced by Gerring Van Conversions of Elkhart, Indiana during the ’70s van craze. As legend has it, Gerring used the word ‘head’ in the name as it was common for hippie types to refer to themselves as heads, so HeadRest was an idea where these cool vannin’ hippies could crash out and rest.

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.

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.

When van customizing became the hot new thing, most shops focused on styling out vans with custom paint, tires, wheels, and countless appearance upgrades, but never really got into the performance side of things. Van Works Customs of Los Angeles took a slightly different approach, instead focusing on balls out powertrains that would give even the hottest muscle cars a run for their money. Big block power in an early Econoline? No problem. Supercharged 327 in a G10? Done deal. You name it and Van Works Customs could pull it off, the crazier, the better.

Founded in the small desert town of Sky Valley, California in 1971, the aptly named Sky Valley Van Works was a small shop doing big things during the heyday of van customization. Whether you were looking to go low with some serious street van attitude or looking for a go anywhere 4x4 conversion, Sky Valley Van Works could make it happen. From all out custom jobs like their 'Foxy Box' to basic upgrades like porthole windows and side pipes, the guys at Sky Valley were a true gem in the desert that was worth the drive to get your rig tricked out.

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.

As the van craze of the '70s began was waning, Van World Magazine decided to expand their reach by retooling themselves as Van, Pickup, and Off-Road World Magazine. As the mouthful of a name might imply, the magazine still carried some van-related content, but the magazine largely shifted focus and embraced the growing interest in pickup trucks and off-roading. Coverage included new vehicle tests, reader's rides, how-to pieces, and occasional coverage of racing events and shows. Numbering continued from Van World, and a total of 11 issues were printed between May 1979 and March 1980 before the title was shelved.

Kolor Me Kustom was a Los Angeles based customing shop that made big waves in the industry throughout the '70s with their wild paint jobs and crazy bod modifications that were seen on everything from muscle cars and street vans to limousines and semi-trucks. While tame compared to other projects, this design features their '71 Ranchero which had one of the craziest paint jobs of all time that combined countless interlocking pinstripes, airbrushed murals, and of course, metal flake - TONS of metal flake.

If you've got a van and the right attitude, the world is your oyster and everyone's mom secretly wants a ride 😎

In July 1974,thousands of vanners rolled into Bonner Springs, Kansas for the 2nd Annual Truck-In put on by Vans-Am and the NSVA. Unlike a lot of other truck-in events, the Bonner Springs Truck-In was exclusively open to vans. Vanners from all over the country converged on Cutty's Campground on Friday the 12th, and the event ran through sundown on Monday the 14th. The event had several big name sponsors and aside from three days of debauchery with like-minded van aficionados, the weekend included all kinds of van-related activities and contests... those were the days, man!

Hawaii is the ultimate destination for many, and living there with (or in) a killer Street Van is the icing on the cake... a true Hawaii vantasy.

SuperVan is a 1977 American vansploitation film that features a very heavily modified van central to the storyline. It is an action adventure comedy road movie and is rated PG. The story follows Clint Morgan as he goes to The Invitational Freak-Out for custom van enthusiasts intending to enter his van, The Sea Witch, in a contest. In saving a runaway, Karen, from a bike gang, Clint loses his van. He goes to his friend Bosley, a rebel designer, who lets Clint and Karen enter his solar-powered laser-firing custom van, Vandora, in place of The Sea Witch. Based on a stock Sportsman van, some of SuperVan's most unusual features are solar panels, the ability to emit laser beams, and a complete custom body.

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, and one such shop was Calivania Customs. This west coast custom van shop was based in Los Angeles and made sure their signature California style was reflected in every van they built, no matter how wild or mild the project may have been.

The mid-'70s was a great time to be a vanner as van customizing shops were literally everywhere, offering everything from complete conversions to aftermarket parts and installations. NirVANa Customs of Chula Vista was no exception, and was probably best known for having the largest selection of custom porthole windows in America. Manufactured on site, NirVANa's portholes were first class and were available in nearly 100 different shapes. In addition to their SoCal shop, they did extensive mail order through vanner and hot rod mags.