When it comes to thinking about installing camper van windows into your tiny home build, there are lots of different routes that you can go down. But finding one in nice shape is nearly impossible.6 September, 2020 by Sebastian Santabarbara
But by then the porthole windows and the snazzy stripes were long gone. (Yes, these were offered as four-by-fours.) Although the 1970s was the peak of cool for the Trans-Van, versions of this motorhome continued to be produced until 1991. Worse yet if you opted for four-wheel drive. And back in the 1970s that meant a big V-8 probably lived under the hood and delivered something like 4 mpg. Many were heavier-duty one-ton models with dual rear wheels. The Trans-Vans were based on Ford, Chevy/GMC, and Dodge van chassis in 17-, 19-, and 21-foot configurations. It’s surprising that Trans-Vans were never painted black and gold. well, if anything sounded like “Trans Am” in the late 19 “Trans Am” in the late 1970s70s, there’s a distinct possibility it would boost sales. But on the inside, they had the comforts of a dedicated RV (bed, toilet, dinette, fridge, and more) all done in a very 1970s package. On the outside, these machines had big stripes and porthole windows-just like a custom van. That was roughly half again as much as the price tag on a loaded ’77 Pontiac Trans Am. And in that first year, a typical Trans-Van cost between $9000 and $11,000 to start. But recently, North American Muscle Cars in Portland, Oregon, created its own Yamahauler tribute van (shown here) to transport vintage Yamaha off-road bikes to races.Ĭhampion Home Builder’s Trans-Van line of camper vans struck a near-perfect balance between the custom vans of the 1970s and a taller traditional motorhome. The original Yamahauler is likely long gone. Cragar supplied the fat wheels wrapped in Goodyear Polyglas tires. The Yamahauler had plenty of wood paneling, a wardrobe closet, a fold-out bed, a fridge, and a workbench, as well as an awning out back and places to store helmets and tools. The custom interior was designed by famed drag racer and builder Tony Nancy. The Yamahauler was designed to carry two off-road enduro bikes, one a 125-cubic-centimeter model and the other with a 250-cc engine. And it probably influenced thousands of vanners to build their own version. But it was significant because in 1972, the vannin’ trend had yet to reach its peak-so this factory-backed custom really was a pioneer. The Yamahauler was an early collaboration among Yamaha motorcycles, Dodge, Hot Rod magazine, and numerous other sponsors for a sweepstakes. Weirdly, Ford also made a vannish version of the Pinto called the Cruising Wagon (shown above) that was painted in the same style and marketed alongside the Cruising Van. Two different wheel styles were offered, and the slot-mag-style wheels were easily the more stylish of the two. On the inside, the Cruising Van was fully carpeted and had plush captain’s chairs that swiveled and had big armrests. The ’76 Cruising Van had a very cool striped paint package, porthole windows on the sides, and special wheels. And the Ford ads proclaimed it, “a giant step for vankind.” So just one year after the new van hit the road, Ford debuted a custom van package that was wilder than any that came before. Ford was the only member of the Big Three to launch an all-new van right at the peak of the vanning craze. The extended nose meant more room for larger engines and more space inside the cabin, too.
It was larger and more capable in every way thanks to its body-on-frame construction-the only full-size van of the 1970s to use this type of chassis. In 1975, Ford launched a fully redesigned Econoline van. While most of the van trends of the 1970s have long disappeared (along with Pathfinder itself), four-wheel-drive vans have remained somewhat popular and are produced by a variety of manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz. Ford versions were known as Quadravans, and the GM vans were K-Vans. But no matter which system was used, all Van Chargers had a low range, excellent ground clearance, and room for some fairly beefy off-road tires. These trucks used a beefy Dana 44 solid front axle with disc brakes suspended by coil springs, and four-wheel drive was accomplished with either a full-time transfer case or a part-time setup. One of the coolest was Pathfinder’s Dodge conversion-Van Charger. Pathfinder Equipment was located in San Gabriel, California, and turned pavement-pounding two-wheel-drive vans from General Motors, Ford, and Dodge into four-wheel-drive monsters. Four-wheel-drive van conversions combined two of the most popular truck trends of the 1970s (4x4s and vans) into one mega-cool machine.
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