Growing up, my automotive taste has always been a bit left of center, from wanting a 1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate Wagon in High School, to wanting a custom or conversion van when attending college. I actually owned neither, as I settled for a 1966 Corvair Monza Convertible, and then a 1966 Rambler American with a three-on-the-tree. Hey, that’s still a little left of center, isn’t it? Anyway, I recently completed my column for Chevy Enthusiast about a company that made Conversion Vans (You will have to wait for the issue later this month!) and I was wondering is anyone else had this desire.


In the 1960’s there was a counter revolution going on, with war protesters, the civil rights movement, and of course the free love/free dope flower children. It was this group that discovered the early Van, which could be created into anything they wanted, including a love wagon. They were cheap, easy to maintain, and could carry a commune to a Jimi Hendrix concert. The marketing geniuses at the big three tried to tie all the good times to their new Vans, with mixed success.

The Custom Van movement seemed to stall in the mid to late 70’s, only to find new life during the 80’s. The new Conversion Van builders seemed to be grouped near Elkhart Indiana, and each company added a number of styling touches to a typical Ford, Dodge, or GM Van. They included fiberglass running boards, tape stripes or graphics, quad captains chairs, a third seat that converted to a bed, mood lighting, bad wood accents, and aftermarket wheels. The sticker prices were highly inflated, only to be deeply discounted once they reached the dealers.

By the late 90’s, most of the van manufacturers went out of business. The Conversion Van was a vehicle that was poorly engineered, with haphazzard build quality, and questionable materials. It was like trying to put lipstick on a pig. However, some of the vans were quite smart, with asking prices that tend to reflect the quality materials and workmanship, but were seen as a bad investment.

But that didn’t matter, as I have always wanted one, but could never bring myself to actually buy one. My UDMobile isn’t really a conversion van, but is rather a Class “C” Motorhome, but I digress. My question to you is this: Did you ever want a Custom or Conversion Van, and did you ever come close to purchasing one? Comment Away!