This 3/4-ton hauler belongs to the Alameda Unified School District, and probably delivered the crates of pencils, gallon jugs of Elmer's Glue, and that terrible pulpy gray paper that I used in elementary school. Nobody notices a plain white cargo van; I've probably seen it hundreds of times and only now have I paid enough attention to photograph it.

It suffers from the usual Northern California top-down rust, which should eat through the metal in another decade or two.

So to test out my theory I left the camera at home today and went about my day. In the afternoon, while walking to a meeting, what do you know, I come across a beautiful vintage Ford Transit (Mk II I think, the '78 to '86 production run, yes the Ford streak continues!).
Well technically I stumbled upon a beautiful yellow one first, and then, hidden by a moving truck, there was a grey/blue/bondo beater one with a high roof ( a camper top of some kind) that was even cooler, or at least more sinister.
The guys in the moving truck were quite amused by the weird dude in the Corduroy suit, snapping pictures of two old vans with a look of genuine happiness on his face...
I hope you find these two vans as I cool as I did!
bon weekend

A new crank and bearing set are allegedly on the way (Summit Racing HQ is located nearby), so we hope to see this fine racing machine back on the track later today... or tonight... or tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, it appears that every single one of the half-dozen Fieros is now broken, so we can expect to see them rendered down into a single FrankenFiero at some point this afternoon.

And that's not all- this mid-70s Chevy van boasts cubic yards of hipster accessories without being at all ironic and/or pretentious. I ran into this fine machine at the 24 Hours Of LeMons South Fall a few weeks back; its owner is a member of the USS Enterprise Ford LTD team.

Quadruple exhaust pipes, 8-ball shifter, North Carolina plates… and Tommy Chong's signature on the dash. Yes, it's for real!

We're going to fix that problem right now! I've finally found a genuine late-70s Chevy Van with authentic stripes and bubble windows. Let's get in the mood to appreciate this fine vehicle with the appropriate song:


Hmmm... that was actually kind of horrible. I was too young to drive back then, but I'm pretty sure Sammy Johns wouldn't have been my choice for custom-van soundtracks. See, that's what happened with Generation X and our damn cynicism and irony- we couldn't appreciate the simple pleasures of purple shag carpeting and CB radio. Anyway, it's good to see this battered but still recognizable Custom Van Era survivor still moving around under its own power.

Yes, that's an image of a bound and gagged woman etched into the driver's side door glass. The driver of this van must have had many lengthy discussions with members of the law enforcement community; I picture him looking exactly like the criminal silhouette on those Neighborhood Watch signs. These photos come to us courtesy of 24 Hours Of LeMons Assistant Perpetrator and BMW 2002 driver TheEastBayKid, via a lengthy chain of emails that took so long to filter down to me that the van was gone from the junkyard (located a mere 30 miles from me) by the time I heard about it.

Had it not already been fed to The Crusher, that window would now be framed, backlit, and mounted on my wall… right next to the bronze bust of Lenin that once adorned an Estonian post office.

Within days of its arrival, I must have received a half-dozen phone calls and emails alerting me to the super-rare Corvair Greenbrier in my neighborhood. Naturally, I had the camera in hand and was walking the several blocks to its parking space right away. Hooray, our second DOTS Corvair, not long after the first one.

From what I can tell, the external appearance of the Greenbrier didn't change much during its 1961-65 production run; I'm guessing it's a '62, and maybe I'm right! There's some good Greenbrier info at this site.

But we're not talking a boring old Chevy, Ford, or Dodge here. If you're going to go to all the trouble of obtaining acres of deep-pile maroon shag carpeting and diamond-tucked velveteen upholstery, to commission an airbrush artist to create a mural representing an Aztec sacrifice on a Hawaiian beach in a space station, and to hire a 37th Degree Master Bongsmith to craft you a four-footer that matches your chrome exhaust stacks… well, all that effort would be wasted on some dime-a-dozen Econoline or Tradesman. Fortunately, Robert has found us a couple of great vans, either of which would make an excellent starting point for a lifelong deeply fulfilling custom van project. For this, he gets a Project Car Hell Tipster T-shirt (unless he takes a size other than S, M, or L, in which case he'll probably get a random 24 Hours Of LeMons team T-shirt).

Try to imagine that Johnson Messenger CB mounted next to an Octophonic Sparkomatic reel-to-reel deck, in a hand-carved mahogany console. What kind of van would best suit such a setup? Why, a Candy Apple Red Thames Freighter van, of course! We've admired the Freighter ever since seeing this super-original example at the Monterey Historics, but finding an example of Ford's British proto-Econoline is harder than finding a buyer for a foreclosed McMansion in edge-city Bakersfield. Don't give up hope, though, because this 1961 Thames Freighter has a top bid of just $1,200 and no reserve! It starts and runs, sort of, but "the interior needs everything," the brakes need work, and some glass is broken. There's rust. But who cares? Someday it will make this Freighter look subdued!

Ever since we first met the Tempo Matador Hochpritsche, we've had this crazy idea that a full-on custom Tempo or Hanomag van would be the proper way to roll. In fact, a green-themed Tempo Matador, powered by a veggie-oil diesel and sporting a full-body airbrushed rainforest mural, hemp upholstery, and a pyramid-shaped meditation chamber in the back- now that's a custom van! Since most of the Matadors were made with clattery, smog-belching VW air-cooled engines (driving the front wheels), such a project has remained but a dream… until today! Would you believe that this Tempo Matador Diesel van is up for sale? We don't know the reserve price, but we suspect that there's not enough crack in the world to have made anyone feel optimistic enough to set the reserve on this terrifyingly wretched basket-case orphan somewhat challenging diamond-in-rough project much higher than the current top bid of $1,250. The seller doesn't provide any much useful information about this van in his or her description ("I don't know much about it but they are very hard to find in the U.S"). All emailed questions to the seller are answered with the following statement: "The I.D. plt says VIDAL U. SOHN TEMPO WERK HAMBURG-HAMBURG MATADOR ED 1.3 TO FAHRGESTELL-Nr serial # D6303581 wat.2700 lbs 1400." However, there isn't much rust, it appears that most of the glass and trim is intact, and that Hanomag diesel engine might be just a total rebuild a few minutes of tinkering away from rod-knocking roaring into death life!

Just like the F-150 and ROUSH F-250 Propane, the E-250 uses Ford's 5.4-liter V8 and a retrofitted propane tank. Running the van on propane results in 18% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, 20% less nitrous oxide, 60% less carbon monoxide and no performance compromises. Of course, none of that matters if you're running a fleet of work vehicles and just want to cash in on cheap propane. We also hear young girls dig environmentally friendly vehicles, just sayin'. You know, if they don't want the candy.

The conversion carries a $8,995 premium, but qualifies for a $4,500 federal tax credit. Propane is typically cheaper than gas, especially if your fleet is buying it in bulk and fleet users can qualify for a further 50 cents per gallon tax credit on that fuel. Check out our review of the ROUSH F-150 Propane for full details on how all this works.

The press release follows:

PROGRESS TOWARD DETROIT'S "GREEN-COLLAR REVOLUTION"
ROUSH and PERC Shift Focus to Existing Green Technology to Make Biggest Impact Now

ROUSH® Performance, with support from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), today introduced two new alternative fuel vehicles available through Ford dealers in the United States and Canada.

The 2010 ROUSH propane-powered Ford F-250 and 2010 ROUSH propane-powered Ford E-250 both achieve lower carbon and greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of propane as an engine fuel. On average, propane fleet vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent; create 20 percent less nitrous oxide; produce up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide; and fewer particulate emissions, compared to conventional gasoline. These vehicles follow the introduction of the ROUSH propane Ford F-150 in 2007.

In development for three years, the new low-carbon, propane-powered vehicles will meet strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certifications, ensuring availability in all 50 states.

The introductions put ROUSH at the front of the "green-collar revolution" in Detroit, namely because of the decision to focus on propane which, as an alternate fuel, is available right here, right now.

"By focusing on propane, ROUSH has been able to engineer green technology that is proven to reduce emissions now," said Jack Roush, chairman of ROUSH Enterprises. "And the upside is that we are hoping to add nearly 100 new green-collar jobs."

According to PERC CEO and President Roy Willis, propane is already the most widely used alternative fuel on roads today, powering 10 million vehicles around the world. "Of all available alternative fuels," said Willis, "propane offers the best mix of vehicle range, durability, and performance. And the nationwide propane infrastructure can readily and affordably be expanded to provide easy access to refueling stations for fleets and the public."

The Ford F-150, F-250 and E-250 are based on the 5.4L, 3-valve Ford V-8 powertrain, each using a ROUSH liquid propane injection fuel system, including new fuel rail assembly and fuel injectors. The propane trucks sustain no loss of horsepower, torque, or towing capacity as compared to a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle.

With F-250 deliveries anticipated to start in the third quarter, ROUSH will make this vehicle available in two forms. Customers can choose either a complete ROUSH-assembled 2010 F-250 with a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty or conversion kit that fits the 2009 and 2010 trucks. The additional cost for a ROUSH-assembled F-250 is $8,995 and qualifies for a federal tax credit of up to $4,500. At the pump, propane prices per gallon are normally lower than gasoline or diesel, and with the proper infrastructure in place, a fleet user can qualify for a 50-cent tax credit per gallon consumed.

Wimbles knows how to work a camera, took the time to ID all the vehicles he shot, and even cropped/resized them to the gallery-friendly 1280-pixel width we like best. This is the very best way to send in DOTSBE photos. I'll let Wimbles describe what he's found:

I'm relatively new to Jalopnik but I've always been interested in your Down on the Street series. I'm a college student going to school in San Francisco and I see a lot of cool old cars parked on the streets when I'm in town. Lately I've been photographing more and more of them in DOTS style and I figured I'd give it a shot trying to submit some for DOTSBE.

For starters, here's a 1973 Ford Torino sedan. This is probably the first one I've ever actually noticed on the street and caught my eye because I'm used to seeing the arguably better-looking Gran Torinos. Fancy seeing a plain blue, beat-up standard '73 Torino in a place as progressive as San Francisco! It was seen parked on Telegraph Hill.

I'm not sure about the year of the Dodge A-100 Tradesman, but it looks to be approximately a 1968 model judging by the style of badging and the reflectors on the doors. I could be wrong. Until I saw this one, I wasn't aware that the Tradesman name was used prior to the B-Series vans of the '70s. It appears to be in generally good condition for its age, though it has some worrisome rust on the passenger side doors. It was seen parked on Telegraph Hill near COIT Tower.
This van has been seen on DOTSBE before, but it was part of a series of street parking profile shots by Martin Taylor.

Continuing the Mopar series is a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda. I see this car parked and driving every so often and have had two opportunities to photograph it (evident from the markedly different weather in the various pictures). It is equipped with the 273CI Commando V8. It was photographed in the Financial District. Interestingly enough, I have seen another Barracuda (brown, '67-69) parked on this same street in the past and have gotten a couple of snapshots of it, but nothing DOTS-worthy.

Next up for this run is a 1979 Plymouth Sapporo which lives just north of Alamo Square. I have seen this car driving once. I actually stumbled upon its home by sheer coincidence while returning from a long walk to the Panhandle in a fruitless attempt to grab some DOTS photos of the Porsche 356 and Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4WD extended cab utility body pickup I had briefly snapped on a previous date.

Lastly, we have a very interesting find. A 2002-05 JDM Daihatsu Move Custom, probably fresh off the boat in America as it has no plates. But they wasted no time in decking this little kei car out inside with everything kawai they could find. It has a sticker on the rear hatch from Uemuru Motor, which is apparently an auto wholesaler in Callao, Peru.

Looks like we've got three decades represented here: a '71-73 Dodge Tradesman 200 custom van, a star-spangled '67 or '68 Jeep Commando, and a well-worn '48-50 Dodge pickup. Here's what DodgePolara500 has to say:

I had to stop and get this one. A 70's Dodge Van tricked out in pimpin glory with a 1960's vintage Jeep Commander decked out in Bicentenial Garb! They were captured on a busy blvd in San Jose CA. which i think is home to many DOTs vehicles worthy of notoriety.
The Van is parked there regularly and they owner seems to move it often given the lack of debris and dirt on the tires. The Jeep is a new edition and I only saw it this morning. In one of the Snaps, you can see a VERY NICE 65 Caddy Couple deVille drive by. A veritable trifecta! I wish my shutter was quicker to grab some more shots.
I'll have to let your reader pick out the dates of the Jeep. The Dodge is most likely a 1972-3 model given the grill. The jeep has a sticker on the other side that says "This is not an abandoned vehicle" I didn't get it due to the heavy traffic, but I'll try again later.
This Dodge Pickup pilot house is around the corner from my house and has been on the street for as long as I have lived in my home (1992). It looks to be 100% original and unrestored with some great patina to it. The owner drives it regularly and has a model T tucked away along with a 64 Buick Wildcat Convertible which his son drives. I haven't seen it in a while, but when it comes home again, i'll snag that one too.

Actually, GM made two different forward-control vans during the 1960s; first, there was the Corvair 95 (here's a DOTS example) from the 1961 through 1964 model years. The new G10 series half-ton Chevy van debuted in 1964, so there was a one-year period during which Chevy shoppers could choose a rear-engined/air-cooled van or a front-engined/water-cooled one. After that, the forward-control G reigned until 1970.


We've seen the Dodge version of this layout, but the only old-style Econoline in this series was a pickup version. I'll have to keep my eyes open for an early Econoline van.

What we've got here is an original, 32,000-mile, modified-back-in-the-day 1979 Dodge van with all the right custom features. Let's run down the list: Shag carpeting on every possible surface? Check! Airbrush mural featuring science-fiction interplanetary landscapes? Check! La-Z-Boy chair? Check! Stereo with dual analog equalizers and 23-channel CB radio? Check, check, checkmate! It goes without saying that you'd need to have every Foghat 8-track every released if you owned this van… but you might have a tough time fitting all those tapes into your budget, because this fine machine ain't exactly what you'd call cheap: $15,000. That hurts, but you're going to have a tough time finding a time-capsule custom van in this kind of condition. Nice Price? Crack Pipe?
[Craigslist Dallas, go here if ad disappears. Thanks to Chris for the tip]

For a Toyota to qualify for Project Car Hell, it must be rusty, rare, and packed with impossible-to-find options. We've found all three with this 1989 Toyota 4x4 van (go here if the ad disappears), which has some body rot (in a refreshing display of honesty, the seller sums it up in a single word: "Rusty") and the super-rare-in-North-America 4x4 drivetrain option. There's an assortment of minor (you hope) repairs to do, and it's nearly certain possible that the overheating problem will be tougher to remedy than the seller implies, but it's a Toyota! That means you can't just get it back to factory condition. No, you need to make it into a high-powered, mud-slinging, mountain-climbing beast, just the thing to help you flee the burning cities of the Financiapocalypse in style! For that, you'll be exploring the power-handling ability of the drivetrain's components by bolting on a supercharger (preferably with air intake inside the passenger compartment, for added ventilation), then adding some gun racks and maybe a still. Hey, you'll need to be able to produce "whiskey" from fermented possum innards, once you've reached your compound in the mountains/desert/bombed-out industrial park, because barter will be king in the post-Financiapocalypse world.

Let's say society holds together just well enough to provide for a veneer of civilization, yet without the steady jobs and stuff of the pre-Financiapocalypse world- what then? You need to be ready to make money street racing! You see, the legions of the unemployed will need entertainment, and what's more entertaining than no-guardrails racin' action down Main Street, with paid-off cops refereeing and wheelbarrows of worthless fiat currency changing hands with each match? In order to roam from town to town, fleecing the locals like those guys in the '55 Chevy in Two Lane Blacktop, you'll need a serious sleeper to race… and you can't get much more soporific than a Chrysler minivan. We all know that you can get 12-second quarter-mile times just by going crazy with the boost in a turbocharged Voyager or Caravan, but they're a little hard to find these days. However, we're on the case, and we've found this 1989 Caravan Turbo for you (go here if the ad disappears). The price? A mere 400 bucks! It's an automatic, but you can get a 5-speed in one (preferably the nice Getrag out of a late Shelby Mopar)… but first you need to put it back together. You see, the seller alleges that it was running when he or she pulled the engine and transmission a while back. You might wonder why you'd want to remove the engine from a perfectly good runner, but sometimes you just get bored- next thing you know, the engine's on the driveway! Get it back together, add insane boost levels, and you'll be ready to take the money of those Camaro-drivin' suckas!

Nissan NV2500 Concept Set For Debut

Nissan North America, Inc. today announced its Nissan NV2500 Concept, which makes its public debut in early January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. One of the largest concepts vehicle ever created by Nissan, the innovative NV2500 Concept previews the company's entry into the North American Commercial Vehicle (CV) market in 2010 and is designed to highlight multi-purpose utility solutions in the real world.

[Nissan]

Hey man,

Down in Key West I found two classic, American forward-control vans still rolling daily and parked on the street. You can find the photos attached.It's a GMC Handivan and a Corvair Greenbrier, two classic examples of America combating the Volkwagen Type 2. I saw the Greenbrier cruise past me the next day, driven by a woman no less. Cool!

P.S: I also included a pic of the very...interesting...Key West Bible Class official van, which is very, very professional.

Alameda's waterfront on the Oakland Estuary side has all manner of marine-related businesses, from dredging companies to marine engine rebuilders to sailmakers. Sea Worthy Canvas- located across the street from a Toyota parts warehouse (and just down the street from the '64 Olds Jetstar)- uses a pair of Toyota Vans to deliver the goods to salty sea dogs throughout the Bay Area. Actually, it looks like they're using them for sail storage at the moment.


These mid-engined vans sold like crazy in Asia, but they had a tough time competing with the front-drive Chrysler minivans (and, yes, we'll see an early Voyager in this series one of these days). Being Toyotas, however, most of the examples sold here are still on the street today.

Thought I'd send you these pics even though they didn't turn out so well. Sorry about the terrible camera phone quality. It was raining on/off and the light was terrible. The van was on Prince St. in Soho, it may be there again and I'll try to get better pics. I think it was an 80s Econoline, but I'm not sure what model. All labels were shaved. The rear lights look custom. The stained glass window was beautiful. The pics are mostly blurry, but the airbrush work was top-notch, 80s style.
The E-type is the 2-seater, 1960 something, parked on Orchard St and Stanton in the LES. Beautiful mint condition in and out. Unfortunately it started pouring as I was taking pics and couldn't get any more. It has a Hamptons window sticker, so I probably won't see it again.