Rob found this 1990 Chevrolet G10 Van by accident one November when he was comparing car prices across the country. He forgot about it until after Christmas when he stumbled onto it again. The van was in Calgary so it was not a quick drive to check it out. He bought a plane ticket and flew to Calgary, liked what he saw and made the deal. He flew back home that night and made plans to get it home. He and his wife Diane flew back to Calgary in May and drove it home together. He tells us it was a fun drive home as they got honked at, given the thumbs up, had their picture taken and got told many stories about boogie vans at every stop they made. He hadn’t told anyone at home about his purchase so he quickly got a safety and sent it off to the body shop for a few changes to make it his own.
Rob’s van in the fall. Credit: Rob Hall
The van was originally a shop truck for a custom motorcycle builder in Western Canada. Then it was sold to a local gentleman. Along the way, an upholstery shop was given the green light to put an interior in it. The owner only took it to one car show as he was too busy with work and had other toys as well.
Umm… is that Rob?! Credit: Rob Hall
Rob’s history with vans goes back to the late seventies when he bought this 1977 GMC regular length van and with his wife, built it into a full custom with sunroofs, running boards, fender flares, visor and a full interior with an overhead console, CB radio and captains’ chairs. The two of them enjoyed the vanning culture and all that went along with it.
Rob’s van on display at one of the many car shows he’s attended. Credit: Roger McGetchie
This van reminded him of the van he had built years ago back in the ‘70’s. But, this one was the short wheelbase version (shorter than most street cars) which he really liked. Rob tells us that when he first saw it in person, the flares, side pipes, Cragar S/S with wide tires and the interior all caught his eye. But, it was all dependent upon inspection and as it turned out, this van had a really good solid body and was very clean underneath.
Work in progress. Credit: Rob Hall
Well, as is the case with many custom car and van owners, Rob just can’t leave anything alone. First, he had the body shop remove the side door windows, install rear louvers, install a rear roll pan and a visor above the windshield. A custom grill was also installed along with different marker lights and tail lights. To improve handling, heavy duty shocks and sway bars were installed. It rolls on BFG T/As 245/45/15 in the front and 295/50/15 in the rear. In the interior, a new custom steering wheel and drink tray were installed. The dash was removed, repainted and vintage air was installed. With no kit made for this van, it all had to be fabricated. While the van was apart for the A/C install, Rob cleaned up all the wiring and the engine compartment was completely repainted. All door panels were removed and new button tufted ones were made (he had a good teacher in Jerry Brady) and installed. The interior layout is currently being changed to allow for a different cabinet behind the driver’s seat.
So much blue velour! Credit: Roger McGetchie
After months and many hours of work by Rob and his wife, Diane, this heavily modified brilliant white custom van was revealed at a family gathering. The family was very surprised and loved it. There was a bunch of laughter and comments about why he needed another van…”those are for young people”. Later that summer, he took it to Monkey Joe’s cruise night where it drew a lot of attention. Rob is known locally for his wild foxbody Mustang and the van was quite a surprise for the cruise night usual crew.
It seems that most places this spotless white custom van goes, everyone has an interesting van story to share. He has taken it to various car shows and van events in the area, around the province (Vanfest) and to the Truck Nationals in Carlisle (Vanarama). He has also attended the Van Nationals in different US states. The van community is a tight one and has stood the test of time. Rob tells us that after all these years, at some of these events he has attended with his 1990 custom van he has reconnected with people he knew from back in the seventies when he had his first van.
There’s always that other van in the same colour! Credit: Rob Hall
Rob has more plans for this fun toy. He is planning some more interior work including lighting and other upgrades as well as new paint. Like all cars and trucks, they are never done. Keep an eye out for the upgrades along the way as Rob and Diane keep on vanning!
Enjoy more pictures of Rob’s van.
So many wires! In the middle of the Vintage Air install. The dash controls are in place, the duct work, wiring and the compressor are in. Most lines had been made. During the install, the original heater was removed so a new panel was made for the firewall. Credit: Rob Hall
Velour, mirror ball and wood… So very 70’s! Credit: Roger McGetchie
An infinity mirror table! Does that mean you get unlimited drinks? Maybe not, but with the mirror ball and other interior lights going to the music, it can be quite a show. Credit: Roger McGetchie
Just the right stance! Credit: Roger McGetchie
