Of all the wonderfully glorious things that Americans love, perhaps no greater love exists than that of our passionate desire to drive rear-wheel drive vehicles with V-8 engines under the hood.  When emissions and fuel economy standards struck a mortal blow to traditional muscle cars in the early seventies, Americans fought back at the dealerships by purchasing personal luxury coupes and vans that they could customize.  While we have moved on and full-sized truck-based vehicles have taken over that passion, there are still a few remnants of our rebellious seventies custom van craze.  This 1977 Dodge B100 van for sale on eBay in Clovis, California is one of the few remaining examples of this unique form of good old-fashioned American creativity.  Still sporting its carpeted interior, plexiglass custom windows, and airbrushed murals on both sides, this relic of our wilder past is currently languishing at a paltry $1,225 bid with just two days to go.  Is this the kind of offbeat restoration project that interests you?  Do you think vans like this one should be saved for posterity’s sake?

The custom van craze was a fascinating part of automotive history that is hard to understand on the surface.  However, many cultural events were occurring that created fertile ground for such irreverent artistry and craftsmanship.  Muscle cars were on the way out due to government regulations, fuel supply issues were becoming a normal occurrence, and insurance companies were growing intolerant of high-horsepower automobiles.  Smaller and more efficient foreign cars were making inroads onto the once impenetrable American market, and domestic manufacturers were moving towards offering similar vehicles.  As a rule, those economy cars would be smaller, lighter, and slower.  For people who love automobiles, these were not attractive or acceptable alternatives.

While the rise of the personal luxury coupe has been well documented on these pages, the rise of the custom van craze sees little exposure.  That has mainly been due to the dearth of examples in the collector car market.  It is also due to the social stigma of what happened in the back of these rolling dens of iniquity at drive-in movies.  We had a large percentage of people in our population who weren’t quite ready to settle down for a country club wedding and a ranch house in the suburbs.  They wanted to go on dates, have fun, and party.  What better vehicle to do that in than a van?  As the seventies progressed, customized vans became increasingly popular.  It wasn’t long before custom car shows were choked with outrageous vans with exteriors that were painted in candy colors and sported outrageous murals.  Inside, yards of shag carpet and places to lay down comfortably ruled the day.

Some of these vans were mild customs held back by the incomes of their owners.  Still, others were rolling works of art inside and out.  Many of the more popular additions were CB radios, stereo systems with oodles of speakers, captain’s chairs, spoilers, mag wheels, side pipes, air shocks, dual exhaust, plexiglass aftermarket windows, gobs of chrome, tufted vinyl, mood lighting, foldout beds, and full bars in the back.  Catalogs such as J.C. Whitney’s were eagerly anticipated every month to see what new offerings were available.  Even Sears got into the act by selling accessories through their stores and auto centers.  Perhaps the best part of this blip in automotive history was that everyone’s talent, tastes, and abilities were on full display in a way that has never been equaled.  Then, custom vans seemed to vanish almost overnight only to be replaced with elephantine conversion vans crafted by aftermarket companies.  You still see a few of the old-school customs here and there, and laying your eyes on a surviving example is a rare treat today.

That is why it is fascinating to examine this 1977 Dodge B100 custom van for sale on eBay.  It seems to have started life as a standard work van with a 360 cubic inch V-8 and a TorqueFlight three-speed automatic transmission.  Work vans at the time were cheaper than passenger vans and most often came with a minimum of windows.  This was perfect for a drive-in cruiser who wanted a little bit of privacy with their popcorn.  A close look at all of the custom touches is like stepping back in time.  From the opposing airbrushed murals of the ocean and the mountains to the wood paneling and carpet slathered over almost every surface, this van is the seventies on wheels.  All of it is cool, but the custom horn button might leave a fashionable dent in the driver’s forehead if the van were ever in a head-on collision.

A peek in the back reveals the homemade nature of this van’s modifications  A removable platform made of plywood holds up a vinyl-covered bed with a bit of a sag.  Below it looks like a well installed in the floor to allow a removable table.  A groovy curtain or cloth covers the aftermarket window on the van’s flank, but there are no coverings for the bulging plexiglass windows for the rear doors.  These are in poor shape after all these years but may respond well to some polishing.   The seller tells us that it is a barn find that has been sitting since 1991.  It currently is not driveable, but the seller tells us that it will fire up with a fresh battery and starting fluid and that it does roll if pushed.  It is also advertised as rust-free.

It will take a special kind of person to sign up for the refurbishment of this custom van.  How would you preserve the original modifications that make it special in the first place?  How do you repaint it?  Perhaps the best answer would be to preserve it as a rolling artifact.  Clean up the paint and clear coat over it, while only repairing what was necessary inside.  The good news is that custom van shows are starting to pop up again with seventies and early eighties survivor vehicles eagerly sought by collectors.  Hopefully, this van will find a home with someone who wants to tell the story of one of the more interesting offshoots in automotive history.

Did you ever own a custom van “back in the day?”  Do you have any stories from that very interesting time that can be told on a family website?  If so, please share with us in the comments.