Panel Vans in the 70s - Page 5

ford71V8 · 20-01-2022, 10:07 AM

I think there are only 2 non-Ford posters in my shed.
One of them is of this HG (not this pic but similar)

**DJR-351** · 20-01-2022, 10:07 AM

Not quite a custom van in the show sense, but I remember it getting around events and shows when i lived there, wonder what happened to it.....Perth Channel 7 CF Bedford Newscruiser....

Some of our Kiwi members may be familiar with the Canberra bomber in the background.

**GasoLane** · 20-01-2022, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford71V8

You know I've looked at these murals many times, but just now I noticed the passenger side rear has a window.
?? Only on one side ??

Looks like the one on the drivers side has a cover on it .

**DJR-351** · 20-01-2022, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcodezd

For the pommie car van fans.

Bad pic I know. It’s just around the corner from me. Seems to be a daily too.

image

My mum had an orange one (same as the pic below) that she used for her WA Country lunchbar/deli, used to drive it to Perth and back (550kms) every week for 2 years picking up stock as it was cheaper than getting it delivered, she was parked in the pick-up area of a food distributor when a semi pulled in and tried to cut around the vehicles in the pick-up area, ran clean out of ability and wrote 3 of them off, one been mums Sundowner Escort van, she loved that car and was devastated....

xkxlxm · 20-01-2022, 12:36 PM

Two cousins of mine had Ford vans in the 70s; XA, XB or XC. One worked at Ford in Geelong, so probably got a discount.

roKWiz · 20-01-2022, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Looks like the one on the drivers side has a cover on it .

It was an option to only have the front left side one fitted. For visibility out that side.

Same as with the Sandman was an option to have side rear window(s), despite what all the keyboard Sandman experts say.

roKWiz · 20-01-2022, 01:40 PM

Sundowner

ford71V8 · 20-01-2022, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Looks like the one on the drivers side has a cover on it .

? Hmm, not seeing it.

I'd like to tell you that I have seen this car in the flesh a few times so would have seen a cover - but I've only just spotto'ed the window

Looks like Rokwiz has the answer.

**GasoLane** · 20-01-2022, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford71V8

? Hmm, not seeing it.

I'd like to tell you that I have seen this car in the flesh a few times so would have seen a cover - but I've only just spotto'ed the window

Looks like Rokwiz has the answer.

If it's not a cover he's put a lumpy window shaped thing there

Probably had the covers there when showing but took them off when driving as vans are notorious for blind spots there.

ford71V8 · 20-01-2022, 03:19 PM

Sorry GasoLane but I think you are seeing the recessed panel that runs the length of the "cargo" area (from those stamped louvres behind door to the rear doors).
The window or windows sat within that recess.

(Sorry if I am missing the point)

roKWiz · 20-01-2022, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford71V8

Sorry GasoLane but I think you are seeing the recessed panel that runs the length of the "cargo" area (from those stamped louvres behind door to the rear doors).
The window or windows sat within that recess.

(Sorry if I am missing the point)

Thats right. Gaso's looking at the recess. optical illusion.

**DJR-351** · 20-01-2022, 03:34 PM

....and here

roKWiz · 20-01-2022, 04:01 PM

I remember you could order them as either 1 window on either side, front or back or 1 window either side, at both front or back on both sides, like shown on Star Warrior below.....Wonder if any one bought one with 1 window forward on one side and 1 window back on the opposite side.

Some Overlanders had the single, one side window (forward) fitted for again visibility. NMP.

mick taylor · 20-01-2022, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I remember you could order them as either 1 window on either side, front or back or 1 window either side, at both front or back on both sides, like shown on Star Warrior below.....Wonder if any one bought one with 1 window forward on one side and 1 window back on the opposite side.

image

Some Overlanders had the single, one side window (forward) fitted for again visibility. NMP.

image

I do not believe that they are Factory windows in them two.

mondeomatureguy · 30-01-2022, 08:53 PM

Hi guy's and Girl's.
If only we had a Crystal Ball back then? My poor wife say's to me when i buy another car mag " havent you got enough of them"?

As luck would have it i have a Wheel's Mag and they test a Chrysler Drifter, A Holden Sandman and a Ford Sundowner.
Its February 1977 Mag i have.

The Chrysler Drifter with a 4.3 litre and four speed was $6,584. The Ford Sundowner with a 4.9 litre motor and a four speed box was $6,614 and the Holden Sandman with a 5.0-litre engine and a 4 speed was $6,893.

prktkljokr · 30-01-2022, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJR-351

Not quite a custom van in the show sense, but I remember it getting around events and shows when i lived there, wonder what happened to it.....Perth Channel 7 CF Bedford Newscruiser....

Some of our Kiwi members may be familiar with the Canberra bomber in the background.

image

The Channel 7 Van ended up behind Georges Deli in Spearwood years ago, Old George purchased it to film his son race Go karts (GDS racing team, young George, Don and Shaun), it sat there for years, dont know where it went after that.

Ford17 · 30-01-2022, 09:26 PM

More Sundowner material:

Crazy Dazz · 01-02-2022, 03:07 PM

I think it's sad that PVs became so stigmatised.

If you look back at the abundance of "personal" utes over the last two decades, including performance versions, how awesome would they have been in PV form.

Clearly there were still a lot of people who didn't need a 5-seater car.

**DJR-351** · 07-02-2022, 11:47 AM

A nice original looking example up for auction...

https://www.shannons.com.au/auctions...:20200801:2944

roKWiz · 07-02-2022, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJR-351

A nice original looking example up for auction...

Looks good, not many vans around for sale atm, did note a tidy XH
(basically still a late 70s XD looking van so on subject) overpriced $24G

and this little gem locally on Marketplace.

slowsnake · 07-02-2022, 03:18 PM

What a cool looking Escort Van Rocky, nice clean lines!..

**FTE217** · 07-02-2022, 03:51 PM

Used to have a 1.6l Esky van just like that roK !
Pity they were a POS but a rippa size of a workhorse.
Those 1.6's were pretty ordinary I used to ring its neck and pray not blow head gaskets.

slowsnake · 07-02-2022, 04:32 PM

Two brothers I hung with in Guilford in the early 70's were surfers, both apprentice mechanics, the Escort van was for surfing, but they had a 2 door 1300 escort sedan, the father was a stern ex army taskmaster, you would see Baz one of the brothers, am sure he had ADHD with a constant black eye?

But they could go surfing once every fortnight and at home other times, they had a fully fitted out double garage, the old man told em they could spend all the time they liked in there working on their cars.
Baz built a monster 1600 Cortina GT engine and whacked it in the 1300 Escort, it was the fastest car I had ever been in, I only went in it once, the mongrel wouldn't stop, melted the front pads off the disc brakes, and the back tyres ended up square from the handbrake, we stopped about a metre from the gutter at Yennora Railway station, big run down Orchardleigh St, just smoke everywhere, burning rubber and brake pads, too cool, good little engine the 1600..

roKWiz · 07-02-2022, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayseed

Pretty sure Hayman Reece used to sell the Kit to convert them to lazy Axle.. Mostly used for tow trucks & the odd builder tradie Too..

There's a retired Builder here who still has one..

Reading back through this thread reminded me of this 6 wheeler I see laid up in Wangaratta.

MDS69 · 07-02-2022, 05:46 PM

Ah this thread has me reminiscing. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s When I was just becoming a teenager my older cousin had a green Sandman with side pipes. Was a great car. A guy a few houses down had an XC panel and from memory dark brown metallic and instead of black blackouts on the sills and over the wheel arches it was a cream colour. The rear was all decked out with an arch way and padded velour. Very effective.

**FTE217** · 07-02-2022, 10:23 PM

Yes mate reminiscing alright.
Weren’t therestickers we used to get that in the sun would flick colours and was Sinbin or something like that.

**Captain Stubing** · 07-02-2022, 11:10 PM

Not in the 70's, but from the 70's. I took photos of this Valiant 3 days ago. It was built by a former neighbour of mine, who loves his Mopars. He had a Trans Am front end handy, so grafted it onto the front of his CL van that he built.

Crazy Dazz · 08-02-2022, 12:40 AM

I just threw up a little in my mouth

roKWiz · 08-02-2022, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Stubing

Not in the 70's, but from the 70's. I took photos of this Valiant 3 days ago. It was built by a former neighbour of mine, who loves his Mopars. He had a Trans Am front end handy, so grafted it onto the front of his CL van that he built.

image

image

Ah yes, DISTURBIA a famous van from the van scene. Did he have his bmx bike on display ?

Here's the story of the van. Not keen on the trans am front but admire the engineering.

And Mr Juicy

NMP. Pictures from Majestic vanners website.

**Captain Stubing** · 08-02-2022, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Ah yes, DISTURBIA a famous van from the van scene. Did he have his bmx bike on display ?

Here's the story of the van. Not keen on the trans am front but admire the engineering.

image

image

And Mr Juicy

image

NMP. Pictures from Majestic vanners website.

He didn't have the BMX there last week. This is another one that used to be his daily drive. He sold it a couple of years back, I was a bit surprised.