Vans taking back over?

ok, i dont know why but from what i can tell all the top vans from back in the day dont seem t turn up to the van nats every year.

In the Wizard thread we got talking about how they would fair against todays show cars

What would be the chance of getting a bunch of them to turn up to Summernats in a united front?

there's a number that are still together and in 'as was' condition


Jade


Innervisions


Street Legal



Innocents


Dominate


Midnight Express


There's also some that will be ready in the next year or so (or 10)

Alley Cat is in the middle of a resto


Checkmate also being rebuilt


XX-308


There's also a number of top end later built vans that would be able to go as well

Bad Ass HR Mark Ivey
Proc's J FJ Colin & Annette Proctor
Smooth '74 HJ Andrew Hoffman
Billet Delivery FJ Mark McIntyre
Haydn Rowley's XC
SJ 068 HZ Steve Jeremenko
Phoenix HZ PJ & Sheryl

im sure there's a bunch i have missed

Good to see another thread started about this,I have to disagree with you Rob about Jade to me it has the wow factor just look at that side shot and there was a lot of detail that went into it as well.It may not have all the custom work as the others but it is still an iconic van and it stands out.
Myself I have always liked a tough looking van,but I also like the customs as well as long as they were done right in the end we all have our preference and we all love vans in what ever way or form they are,but I would love to see them all roll into a few big events.

Regards Tony/

"leave em"wanting more!

Would be a good concept, Andy Hoffman's van last time I spoke to him was in a million pieces and not going back together.
Once we finish Checkmate, it'll be at the Summernats for sure, like to think between Rhino and me, we could organise the Cat to be there along side it.
I highly doubt Checkmate will appear at a van nats ever again but who knows, I'm fairly sure the Cat will be at another van nats one day.
Vans are certainly making a bit of a comeback at the moment and hopefully with time they might take off again.
Cheers Rob

willzy2905 wrote:I think you'll find that here in VIC, we catered for the masses,no overmodified spaceships for us...our vans like jade and van rat rat,wouldn't look out of place at a show even today,and we didnt have to use mass fibreglass and bog to wow the crowd....Cheers

Catered for the masses???? Like Ford did when they made white XF vans............and god when he installed belly buttons I guess.

NSW vs VIC Rivalry lives! Not.

As for looking out of place at a show today what are you saying??? Standards always in fashion?

We may have used fibreglass on our vans but we didn't need to change rules and rig results so our vans for the masses won, if you look at the top Vic vans as you've listed Van Rat and Jade they are both stock bodied Holden's with Stato fronts and park bench spoilers.
The NSW vans were along way ahead of them for the time both in mods and detail work.

I totally agree that Van Rat and Jade are iconic vans and some of the best remembered but they're no Wizard or Innervisions beaters.

I think the Vic's just took a different approach, they liked big motors and seemed to build vans around them, the NSW brigade was more into mods and details.

Either way it's history now and if we could get them all together at the Summernats would be awesome and a huge eye openner for the younger generations and those who have never seen these vans.

I think they'd still go pretty well in the results but they'd struggle to compete with the high end cars as most of them have had 6 figures spent on them, are professionally built and never used or cant be regoed. (Monuments to stupidity really). While all the vans we know and love were built by people with a passion and their mates, in backyards and driven to events and used.
I doubt we'll ever see vanning take off the way it did in the early years and I'm dissapointed I missed the hey days but hopefully it'll make a comeback............and we'll all be there for the ride this time!!!

I cant wait!

Tony,i agree with you Jade has the wow factor,along with all the vans that are pictured above.In another post it was stated by another, that Jade was just a standard holden van,and it had a perspex bonnet,and a ugly roof spoiler.Funnily enough the people whom have ''seen'' Jade in person,and have compared it to a standard holden van,can actually see the width difference.It seems there are some people that consider a top show van must have all the fibreglass flares etc to be worth any recognition,instead of showing a bit of respect for a van nationals winner,and respect the builders choice of modification (roof spoiler).Its all personal preference,and if any body has noticed, most of the vans built in the last 20+ years,as drivers or show cars,have all been reasonably stock ''appearing'' looking vans.I hate to say it,but the fibreglassed/flared look, only lives in the minds of a few in this forum.Would i put my neck out and be disespectful and call these vans ugly,or standard looking,or would i call parts of ther vans ugly(eg. horse head plaques on vans)....NO,as i have respect for these old show vans,and their builders,and at the moment they are far and few between.So lets not get into an XX308 argument here,where one person,whom has never seen half these vans in person,lets fly with a few one sided comments,and try to tarnish another vanning icon....Cheers

I just read the last post by Rob, and you say Jade rigged the results.......from what i hear,and speaking to gary,Jade never lost.Everybody that had eyes new Jade won,and when the places were read out,an uproar enraged,forcing the judges to do a countback....see what i mean about about tarnishing a vans rep.Maybe we can rig it,so that Jade was bought from a NSW dealership,then you may like the van a little bit......

finally got the pic of:

Innocents

Slow down champ, modifications come down to taste and personal preference and I wouldn't say calling them stock bodied is disrespectful, just honest when compared to other vans built in the same era.
Your big on the respect issue constantly, show some respect for a change and accept everyone is entitled to their own opinion even if it doesn't correspond with yours.
So instead of typing respect a dozen times in each post mate, show some. Dont say what you interpret my posts to be, I've never tried to tarnish an iconic van, got an issue with my opinions????? Ring me I'm sure we'll sort it out.
We all respect that you think that the fibreglass flares and front days are over, that's your opinion but gees there's a lot of vans getting built with them at present.
As for another argument......that's not going to happen mate, I can guarantee that because if you just want to come on here and have a one sided rant your on the wrong forum.

Cheers Rob

willzy2905 wrote:I just read the last post by Rob, and you say Jade rigged the results........see what i mean about about tarnishing a vans rep.

Read my post....... No where does it say Jade rigged the results. A van cant rig results, van nats judging has always been very questionable to say the least.
I'd drop the personal attacks on me mate, got an issue, let's sort it because this WONT degenerate into a slanging match of misquoted posts, I'll make sure of that.

Cheers Rob

calling a vans parts ugly,isnt disrespectful is it,saying a van (or van owner)rigged a nationals(even though you weren't there),isnt disrespectful,saying jade or van rat couldnt beat wizard or innervision (in which jade did beat wizard)......Rob look at what your saying.Its been said before ,that we should all appreciate these iconic vans,you would like people hanging $*it on checkmate,and believe me it wouldn't be hard to do compared to most of the others mentioned.Be nice,and maybe keep your own thoughts/opinions to youself,so no one gets their feathers ruffled,like i said we dont need one person filling people with wrong information(like the XX308 saga)......ps i'm sure i wont get another chance at this......

OH dear
This is a bit like theHolden/Ford debate.Its going nowhere,and its bad for vanning.

what would be the chance of getting all of these vans together?
They dont seem to turn up to the nationals in droves but maybe a special show?

As much as everyone likes to think that it's easy to get together in any state the reality is that it's usually easier to get them all to sydney

what if a special show was put on?

Or newcastle foreshore park,where you get at lest 5000 plus every weekend.Walking around the park.

I agree Newcastle Foreshore would be an excellent venue to have such an event.

[quote="The Zodiac"]

willzy2905 wrote:I think you'll find that here in VIC, we catered for the masses,no overmodified spaceships for us...our vans like jade and van rat rat,wouldn't look out of place at a show even today,and we didnt have to use mass fibreglass and bog to wow the crowd....Cheers

OK Willzy2905 - I do take a degree of offence on points here and you need to be set straight. I will stand up for the old vans

Wizard was a custom and lets get some facts straight here for the ignorants who think all is glass and bog here in NSW.

What was Steel on the body
rear custom wheel flares were done in strengthened and cross layered steel. You could stand on the suckers and do a reverse tumble if you wanted.
rear extended quarters
rear LTD light assembly beaver
flush cut and welded original rear tail lights
XA GT bonnet scoops in rear lower quarters
original door handles removed and welded up
finger inserts to trailing door edge - cut, reshaped in steel
cortina petrol cap and filler body cut into side
frenched aerial
beaten out and welded inner guards
welded lower sill seams - and ground back - minimal "bog"
steel mods to head light assemblies
these are just off the top of the head

Glass

nose cone
bonnet scoop
rear roof spoiler

wow look at that - 3 glass items out of how many body mods?

Do the same with Jade or others out of Vic for the masses

Shall I do the same on drive train mods with Jade???

So when you talk about full of glass and bog up here in NSW - get your facts right. Look at the vans up here and the innovation. The mexicans main focus was drivetrains cause the roads authority down there didn't give a rats rear end what they did.

Jade - nice van - yes. Detail yes. A blown 350 - really - no offence - dime a dozen and not hard to do. How many street machines and rods have them? I even have a local torana drive around my area with a blower hanging out of it. Plastic bonnet - OK - bit innovative at the time - but they didn't want to step up that bit extra on body- and look at the end of the day - their choice. Jag rears also became the standard of the day - which I could never work out as they were not that strong.

Other vans around had more glass - which was a heap cheaper - but at the end of the day - so what - they were absolute head turners and I would rather have a head turner/jaw dropper as compared to a nice standard looking van with a few murals on it and a blower. It does come down to personal choice. Having a massive blower hanging out - guaranteed to attract the wrong attention here. Victoria, back in those days - was far more liberal in vehicle mods, thus they could drive around with blowers hanging out - even in a rust bucket - and not get done. NSW - whole different ball game and very difficult. We used to run scared on the anti pollution laws when we blocked the hoses on the old rochester carby due to the hefty fines you could get.

and yes - there were some very fine bedfords. I quite liked Taboo as well ( out of Melbourne owned by Chris & Wendy Hughes ).

And no I am not attacking Jade or Gary - but you labelled it

in terms of judging etc - there was seemingly a bias in the nats and elsewhere - but moreso at the Nats and I raised my eyebrows a number of times. I have won plenty in my time and did a heap of shows in NSW plus in Qld and Albury/Wodonga so I think going back in time - I am fairly qualified to offer that opinion of how it used to be. How it is now - I cannot say - been out of it too long - but reading the thread - obvious the good old rivalry exists. God Love it!!

Fuzz

we have a van and like the ugly dog, we love it, cause it is ours, nothing else matters, keep on vanning guys!!!!

IMHO i think each person's particular likes come from where they grew up with the vans of the time.
I personally grew up looking at vans like Checkmate, Innervisions, Street Legal, Innocents - hence the reason i like body mods. (Maybe if i grew up in Vic, i may have liked big motors)
My personal opinion is that you can see a motor when the vehicle is driving or parked, so why spend BIG $$ on something that you can't usually see??

Flares, spoilers and murals get the tick from me.Long live the 70's!!!

agro wrote:I personally grew up looking at vans like Checkmate, Innervisions, Street Legal, Innocents - hence the reason i like body mods.
Flares, spoilers and murals get the tick from me.Long live the 70's!!!

And the 80's dude!!!

Im with ya Agro, 100%

Fairfield markets would work on a Sunday

lots of cover so it wouldnt matter if it rained as it can still go ahead

mid to late next year and get a ute club involved as well

Take us awhile to get Checkmate redone mate, lots of bog to slap back in her. Rhino should have Alley Cat redone quicker, after we get the vanners reunion sorted we could try and organise an "Iconic Vans" show?
Be worthwhile doing, just a matter of trying to get the vans there.....as you said it sounds easy but it would be a bit harder than most think.
Would also be a great way to promote vanning to a whole new generation of van fans!!
Count me in.
Cheers Rob

OR organise a display outside at Motorex as it is VERY well covered on TV & Internet.
Just a thought!!!

agro wrote:OR organise a display outside at Motorex as it is VERY well covered on TV & Internet.
Just a thought!!!

Good exposure but the vans get lot with everything else

best off to have it after motor-x and promote it there

The Zodiac wrote: ...we could try and organise an "Iconic Vans" show?
Be worthwhile doing, just a matter of trying to get the vans there.....Would also be a great way to promote vanning to a whole new generation of van fans!!
Count me in.
Cheers Rob

So many points in this thread I want to add to... but first... Rob, I have been seeing around the Gosford area many Minivans being modified.

Random pic from the net to show an example...


I agree that showing the Iconic Vans to a new generation would be great... but I think if we could involve the new generation in the show and have a look at what they are doing to the new vans... we could get a greater response and maybe even the opportunity to steel (oops... I mean be inspired) by some of the ideas they are putting into their vans.

On the location subject... I love Newcastle... and with all the foreshore improvements they have made over the years... would be a perfect spot... (As a teen, we would take our vans and cars there to see all the hotted up cars and vans on a Friday night do the circuit).

But I'm sure Sydney would have some good points too.


I think someone mentioned that Utes should be involved also... I agree (Ban any chopped utes that was once a van ) and there are some cool wagons.

BUT... it would then be a Van show and not an 'Iconic' Van show.

Maybe if the reunion on the 26th became an annual event... the Icons might creep out of the woodwork and in a couple of years be the show that everyone is looking for?


anyway, just a couple of my thoughts.
Jason (VanGoes)

VanGoes wrote:I agree that showing the Iconic Vans to a new generation would be great... but I think if we could involve the new generation in the show and have a look at what they are doing to the new vans... we could get a greater response and maybe even the opportunity to steel (oops... I mean be inspired) by some of the ideas they are putting into their vans.

That would be a given as you would need all the vans to come along but promote all the big name one

newcastle wold be fine but need somewhere thats under cover like the fairfield grounds.
Cant have vehicles coming interstate to miss out if it rains

POint taken. All Holden Day was very lucky... it was trying to rain all day and less than an hour after leaving it opened up with a down pour.

Shame to miss out taking snap shots of the Vans with a foreshore view in the background... but your right... a covered venue would provide certainty for the participants.