Whenever summer rolls around I always remember the period of 1976 to 1978
when my friend and I built a Dodge van into a wHoa Do0d-RocKn RoLL aLL dAy-PaRtY EvErY niTe cruiser.
Trolling the 'burbs of Philly on .65 gas on Friday and Saturday nites looking for a nice field or culdesac to anchor
in or rolling down the main streets of a Jersey shore, fun times happened !
Sneaking drive-ins was easy too, because NO gate attendant could ever figure out there might be more than one
person in a huge, box vehicle with Led Zeppelin blaring  ha ha ha ha ...   
::) ;)
A van or being co-pilot in one instantly elevated you way up the rungs of the Darwinian Ladder of 70's "Cool".
Back then a summer job could supply with the funds to create a lower level Luv Machine. A 500.00 work truck,
a CB radio and 8 track, a few square yards of shockingly colored shag ruggery, Angel Hair and paneling, and finally
a set of mags from the junk yard. Viola !  From "Untouchable" to "Royalty" in three weekends and 4 six-packs.
Later, you could concentrate on the more important issues of whether your murals should be of a coyote howling
at the moon, an indian on a horse or a unicorn flying through a kozmic solar system many lite years away.

Im a born again Hippy now, bicycle being the prefered mode of transportation but I still catch myself on E-Bay
looking for that one elusive Ford Econoline I missed back in '77.........
:)

http://jasonhare.com/wp-content/uploads/Image/jhcontent/thevan.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvhCgDrKf6E
I don't know who these people are in this vid but this song reminds me of the many hours I spent in my boyfriends chevy van, shag carpet, bong and all. almost forgot the 8 tracks.

When I met my husband, one of his friends had a yellow van that said "Mellow Yellow" on the sides and those round, smoked glass bubble windows and shag carpet. Man, I forgot how much mischief we got into in that van.  ;D

When I met my husband, one of his friends had a yellow van that said "Mellow Yellow" on the sides and those round, smoked glass bubble windows and shag carpet. Man, I forgot how much mischief we got into in that van.  ;D


Yep drank lots of peppermint schnapps, and beer too. I had forgotten about the bubble windows.
We have a Ben and Jerrys ice cream place that has a hippied out Mircobus. Contrived but still brings back memories. I had another boyfriend (who I later married )who had a Microbus what a piece of crap. It was really a jumker the gas pedal was held on by a door hinge It was so cold with almost no heat.Like a tin can on wheels.
Plus it broke down with all my stuff in it moving from one apt to another. I really hated that thing.

   I remember my dad's '76 Chevy van.  He used to take me camping at Lake Folsom and Yosemite and we'd sleep in it.  Had shag carpeting, hideaway bed, sink, refrigerator and removeable table...

   Oftentimes my dad would have me outside polishing all the chrome.  I also remember the bank repossessing it after he lost his job and couldn't make the payments... 

   Then he got a Pinto...

   

  I remember my dad's '76 Chevy van.  He used to take me camping at Lake Folsom and Yosemite and we'd sleep in it.  Had shag carpeting, hideaway bed, sink, refrigerator and removeable table...

  Oftentimes my dad would have me outside polishing all the chrome.  I also remember the bank repossessing it after he lost his job and couldn't make the payments... 

  Then he got a Pinto...

 


Not the exploding kind I hope.

I had a Pinto wagon I bought from this guy about 20 years ago. I paid all of 350.00 for it. It ran for about a month.... And then something disturbing happened to the engine. I remember it got so loud it shook the windows in the house and it had nothing to do with the muffler.
Then it just died and wouldn't start anymore. I think it was the ugliest car I ever owned it was this gross faded brown color. Can't remember what year it was though. Something like 74 or 75 maybe

Not the exploding kind I hope.

I had a Pinto wagon I bought from this guy about 20 years ago. I paid all of 350.00 for it. It ran for about a month.... And then something disturbing happened to the engine. I remember it got so loud it shook the windows in the house and it had nothing to do with the muffler.
Then it just died and wouldn't start anymore. I think it was the ugliest car I ever owned it was this gross faded brown color. Can't remember what year it was though. Something like 74 or 75 maybe


  No.  To the best of my recollection it never exploded... ;D

  Your Pinto's explosion problem had to be the exhaust manifold.  A hole or crack in it, or a blown gasket...

  Yeah, my dad's Pinto was some kind of avocado green or olive drab color.  Ugly.  Smelled like beer and Christmas tree air fresheners.  Went to see the The Jerk, The Empire Strikes Back, Meteor and the Muppet Movie in that old Pinto...

 

  No.  To the best of my recollection it never exploded... ;D

  Your Pinto's explosion problem had to be the exhaust manifold.  A hole or crack in it, or a blown gasket...

  Yeah, my dad's Pinto was some kind of avocado green or olive drab color.  Ugly.  Smelled like beer and Christmas tree air fresheners.  Went to see the The Jerk, The Empire Strikes Back, Meteor and the Muppet Movie in that old Pinto...

 

Maybe a blown gasket I abused the crap outta that car...

Maybe a blown gasket I abused the crap outta that car...


  There's something about a Pinto that says, "Please abuse me..."

  There's something about a Pinto that says, "Please abuse me..."

Yep that one sure did it was worth every penny of the 350.00 I paid for it. I replaced it with an 82 civic that ran forever.  I only paid like 850.00 It was my first stick shift, The starter died on it so I had to pop start it. I had it for like 10 years. I have to confess it was my fav car. I named it Girlfriend. My kids thought that was hysterical.

Yep that one sure did it was worth every penny of the 350.00 I paid for it. I replaced it with an 82 civic that ran forever.  I only paid like 850.00 It was my first stick shift, The starter died on it so I had to pop start it. I had it for like 10 years. I have to confess it was my fav car. I named it Girlfriend. My kids thought that was hysterical.


  Those Civics were tough little cars.  And pocket sized, too...

  Girlfriend.  That's funny...

  Those Civics were tough little cars.  And pocket sized, too...

  Girlfriend.  That's funny...

yep still see them around once in a while.

Tread litely on the sacred Pinto, now....... >:(

My Dad had a BRITE BLUE one in '74 to augment our Cherry Bomb, a BRITE RED '72 Torino.

Both had slammin' AM mono radio and rubber mats for kreature comforts.  ;D
8)

Tread litely on the sacred Pinto, now....... >:(

My Dad had a BRITE BLUE one in '74 to augment our Cherry Bomb, a BRITE RED '72 Torino.

Both had slammin' AM mono radio and rubber mats for kreature comforts.  ;D
8)



I remember my parents had this huge impala station wagon with three bench seats the last one faced the back of the car, so you could look or throw stuff out the window. That car was a beast, and we drove all over the place in it. From New jersey to Fla and back, camping trips.
God me and my two little brothers fighting. We liked the third seat cause our mom couldn't reach us.... ;D

I remember my parents had this huge impala station wagon with three bench seats the last one faced the back of the car, so you could look or throw stuff out the window. That car was a beast, and we drove all over the place in it. From New jersey to Fla and back, camping trips.
God me and my two little brothers fighting. We liked the third seat cause our mom couldn't reach us.... ;D


  My parents had a black Impala.  I remember it because after they seperated they kept stealing it from each other.  I don't know who actually owned it, but they each had keys.  They would track each other down, get a friend to drive them over, hop in and take off.  I have the faintest memory of my mom telling me to hurry-up take all of my dad's clothes and other belongings he had in the car and throw them on the street!  Then my dad would do the same thing...

  My parents had a black Impala.  I remember it because after they seperated they kept stealing it from each other.  I don't know who actually owned it, but they each had keys.  They would track each other down, get a friend to drive them over, hop in and take off.  I have the faintest memory of my mom telling me to hurry-up take all of my dad's clothes and other belongings he had in the car and throw them on the street!  Then my dad would do the same thing...

Couldn't ya jusy feel the love?. One day I was in 5th or 6 grade I mised the bus and was walking home and my moms friend picked me up and took me to a totally different place. My mom had left my father and didn;t want him to find us.
He was a
no good brute of a man with a sadistic streak. I was 10 and that was the las time I ever saw him

Mom remarried a few years later to w wonderful man who I will always think of as my father.RIP  he died at work in 1982 massive heart attack.
Only 48 yrs old too.

I gotta Van baby.  Wink Wink.

It wasn't just Scooby Doo with a popular 70s van...

http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/kits/images/CarRevell/revell-hardyboysvan.JPG