The 1970s was an interesting era for many reasons, including vehicle choices.
Brute force killer machines were phased out by politics and new automotive emission rules during the early years of the Seventies, so young buyers chose a different path with their vehicle choices.
Jim Sutherland
Some of them bought full-sized domestic vans and put their own custom stamp on them. Horsepower took a back seat to wild murals on the vans’ flat sides, while their interiors included carpet, panels, big speakers and a giant bed. In other words, the perfect vehicle for a young car guy who wanted a rolling party wagon that achieved rock star status at bush parties.
Older car guys who were once young car guys have a fondness for custom vans from the 1970s. Some were lucky enough to own a custom van when they were young, some were lucky enough to have a generous buddy who owned one, but most just felt a giant pang of envy because they did not own a custom van and did not have a van owner buddy.
However, custom vans made a huge impression on 1970s-era car guys because they were cool- without a giant horsepower rating.
Greg Miller is a big fan of the Me Decade’s custom van era, even though he wasn’t even around for over half of the 1970s. Nevertheless, he has owned a 1973 Ford Econoline E-200 custom van for the past 21 years because he always wanted one.
Greg’s retro ride is a survivor from the Me Decade and has all the features of a custom van built during that lively era. Two 1970s-era features in Greg’s van can be found in the dashboard area, including its CB radio and 8-track player that were installed during the Seventies.
The rear quarters include an ice box fridge and an old tube TV set, along with a bed to set the tone for the original van owner’s spirit of 1970s adventure and youthful optimism. Everything inside the van is locked in a bygone era and has not been altered in any significant way by Greg.
The exterior of the van is also true to its custom alterations done back in the 1970s. The former owner painted it yellow and called it “Top Banana” during the early days of van conversions and Greg wants to preserve its originality as much as possible.
Greg is not afraid to drive his van and took it from its home in southern Alberta to California on one memorable road trip. He recalled a misadventure in Wyoming when Greg hit a raccoon, and the collision destroyed the van’s front spoiler.
There were no replacement spoilers, so Greg separated the dead raccoon from the broken pieces and had a talented body guy repair the original spoiler.
On a happier note, the van averaged about 20 mpg, according to Greg, and was able to keep a good pace with its 302 V-8 and three-on-the-tree manual transmission. Greg added the van is a very comfortable way to travel, given it has Ford’s famous twin I-beam suspension on the front end.
MyStarCollectorCar readers will notice the vintage boat on the back end of the van. It’s a 1978 Canaventure and Greg’s van has no trouble towing it, a fact borne out by the lack of sag on the Econoline’s rear suspension.
The boat trailer is a testimony to Greg’s mechanical skills because he customized it for other uses such as hauling ATVs and garden tractors. His vintage van is primarily used for fun, but Greg is happy it can handle a workload as well.
Either way, Greg clearly enjoys every minute with his vintage van.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
