And now for something......completely different.

*TAP* *TAP* *TAP* .................. is this thing on? WOW! I can't believe I haven't posted since 2010!! Let me get you caught up. I finally got my van back in 2010. Though I live in the Yukon, my wife and I got married back in Ontario. I had originally left my van in storage with my folks for the first three years of moving to the Yukon. My wife and I got hitched and then drove the van back across Canada as our romantic honeymoon. We tented and slept on the platform bed once it got colder. Here's one of my favorite shots from a layover in Canmore, Alberta. My van is used in the summertime and parked in the winter time. I use the van primarily for transportation of my giant scale remote control airplanes. My RC planes do not fit in the family Versa hatchback. Here's a video of mine. There's some shots of the van in the first 2mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyNiTFWawIo I just put 4 new tires on the van due to cracking around the rim. The tread was still good but I wasn't going to risk a blowout with my planes in the van. My power steering gearbox is whining so I dumped in some stop leak stuff. Other than that, she's been running well. I've got some rust showing through after about 8 years since the rust repair.I'm still on a very tight budget and must do things cheap so I will continue to do my own rust repairs, more posts on that later...... I've decided that after three vans and 15 or so years of customizing my van with the 'boogie van' or 'radical' look, it's time for a change. I really like the look of a 70's model stock van; especially with the black and white grilles. I've been doing a lot of searching on the internet of various images of vans and trucks. I finally decided on how I wanted to change my van up and then I found this image of a model kit. This model kit is exactly what I was picturing, this is the route that I'm going, (I'm keeping the chrome rims and bumpers): There have been several paint schemes swirling around in my mind, (including tremclad red oxide primer with flat black accessories), but I've finally made up my mind. I removed the flare kit and down spoiler earlier this week. Tonight, I removed the rear spoiler, roof horns and windshield visor. Tomorrow,(if I have time), I will remove the hood ornament and I will begin filling holes on the rood. I gotta say, I'm really happy with how it's looking so far. I'm going for more of a street van/rally look but I can't get away from a hint of radical custom van because of the corner windows. I'm planning to keep the brake light covers on but I may change my mind. I kind of want to remove the side emblems and bow tie off the grille and put on an old-school "GMC" on the hood like on the earlier vans but I'm not sure about that yet. Gotta run! I forgot to mention that things have really changed for me since 2010......... I have a 2 year old daughter and a boy coming in a month. I'm a very happy Daddy. :)

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's been a change of plans. Having to fly home to get married, my fiance and I decided that rather than shipping the van to the Yukon, we'd just drive it back and have an awesome camping road trip filled with disc golf adventures.

We fly out tomorrow on the 7am.

See you later!

Happy thoughts!! :)

Shipping fees...........

NEWSFLASH!!!! ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!!

I just wanted to pop in to let you all know that I am planning to ship my van up to me in the Yukon this August.................yeah baby!!

I miss my van so much it hurts! Though I don't always remember, I'm pretty sure I dream about my van every single night.

The other day I was sitting in my 1997 Mazda MPV on my lunch break. I got thinking about my van and I found myself imagining myself in it. The scary thing was that it felt so real! Lifthing your leg around to get from the front seat to the rear of the van, cranking the window down, the feel of the red crushed velvet of the doghouse on my knee, sipping my coffee from my custom made drink tray, the feel of my hands on the go kart steering wheel.....oh god it hurts so bad!


The truth is that I've only got one shot at this as I need to ship it in the summer while it's warm and I need to be with the van to a)put a new battery in it, b) get a trip permit and c) get it to its rendez-vous drop-off point.

Turns out shipping a van across the country isn't cheap, I hope I can afford it.

Wanna help? It will keep this blog going. Paypal me at didgeman.ca@gmail.com and I promise you that it will go straight into the 'ship the van fund'. $1, $2, $10, anything helps.

FORD is cramping my style............

Well, 

Howdy all, it's been a while but here I am, back again.

As some of you might know, I relocated from Ontario to the Yukon; the sad part is that my van is in storage in Ontario. I will likely go and get next summer and drive from Ontario to the Yukon.........can anyone say: "ROADTRIP"!!!!!

There aren't too many chev vans here......I've seen maybe 4 shortboxes, the rest full size and barely done up at all. There are many cool trucks here though.  There is no emissions testing in the Yukon so you can pretty much drive what you want. Also, this town is small so you can get away with driving a big boat, (if you want to), and all in all, the extra gas isn't so bad. This really is the place to drive a classic. Also, they do not use salt on the roads in the winter time so the bodies will last quite a bit longer here; It's also pretty dry here too.

There is a once loved rusty old shortbox a few blocks away from me with all of the fixings to build a sweet van.  It's got the old school grille ,  port hole windows , louvers , the windshield valiance , busted up flares (can be repaired with TLC ) , It even has a rear roof rack with chevy bow ties cut out of the metal , I don't think that's an after market rack. I'd like to talk to the owner and see if I can get him to let me go at it for a day, removing the pieces to build a new one.........you never know unless you try. I'd be sad if it was towed away to the scrap yard :(

I think I may need to re-name this blog:  "Miss my Chevy Van".  ;)

So get this, FORD 's 2010 Mustang seems to have a similar paint job as mine!?!?!@#?!??##??

They stole it from me, I was first, you're all my witnesses!!   

Check it out:

I got a good deal on a '97 Mazda MPV with 4wheel drive at the click of a button so that's what I'm currently in.  I had planned to, once again, do the $50 paint job on it but, I lost my mojo for it all. I even did a walk around 'before' video and everything!!  I went out to Canadian Tire, I bought everything for the project but when it came down to it, I just didn't care to do it.........It's just not a Chevy van.........there's just no passion in it.....sob! .....sob!   I need my van back.  So I returned all of the supplies except for the fact that I lost one receipt.  Well, my goodness!!!   I bought the paint weeks in advance because it was on sale and somehow, lost the receipt. They would not take it back, they wouldn't even give me store credit. Despite the fact that I had all the fixings for a paint project , they would not take it back without a receipt.  I even told them that this was a let down and that I chose them over Walmart who is located right beside them and who has a no fuss return policy.....still wouldn't take it back!!!   GEEEEEZZZUUSSSS CRISTO!!!!!!!!!  Finally, I found the purchase on my Canadian Tire MasterCard and finally, the manager ok'd the return. This was like pulling teeth, I tell ya!!!

So, what is the fate of this blog?????   I can't say......I've got no vans to work right now.  These days I am in to kite flying and I'm now tinkering with building kites.  I want to work up to being able to build 3D kites.  

I am also very in to RC ornithopters at the moment. I brake them, I re-build them, and then I brake them again......it's really a labour of love but at last, I have rounded the learning curve and am now able to fly them with face planting them in to the ground and losing hours a day rebuilding them.  

Maybe I will start showing you guys my ornithopter projects for a while.....with the odd kite project in there too??   

Anywho, that's it for now.........

Oh, if you like my blog, feel free to click around....especially on those links on the right side of the page, they will take you to cool sites. The more you click, the happier I am!!  :)

I live you with a somewhat older video of my homemade wings for my Thunder Roc P2 Cybird clone .  I don't fly this particular bird anymore , I've moved on to bigger and better things....

Time to go.......

So, I am just about ready to get up and move out to Whitehorse, Yukon. My partner has finished her Masters and now we are ready for a new adventure in a winter wonderland. 

But,......just before I vanish for a little while, here are some pics of the almost, finished white van. This is as complete as I can get it as I am officially out of time and must leave it.  I had a chance to install the rear flares but the problem is that the front flares extend downward to join with the downspoiler. The downspoiler can't be put on during the winter because it acts as a snow plow!! So that part will have to wait.  The front door panels never got done so they will have to wait too.

Here are some pics as well as a video; I love the reflective tint on the windows, nice touch:

See you all in what I hope will not be too long of a wait. Next posting will be from the Yukon!! 

Heavy Chevy :)

Santa drives a Chevy van...............

Howdy bloggers and vanners!!

Just a quick update before X-Mas. It's been cold and snowy, just the way it should be for this time of the year. The white van is out of my possesion for a the holidays. Before it was picked up, I managed to get the rear flares installed as well as the carpet panels on the side cargo doors. All that is left is the CD player, the panels on the front doors and the installation of the front flares and downspoiler. I'm concerned that the downspoiler will act as a mini plow and may get damaged so if there's no time left for something, it will be this.

You may have noticed my new custom van up above, let me tell you, it sure is sweet!

A friend of mine took some pictures while on vacation. He got some juicy pics of the Chevy van that they used in the movie. "Scooby-Doo". I think it was "monsters unleashed" which is the second one but don't quote me on this stuff. Anywho, it's a fully customized short box Chev/GMC van and it looks awesome. There have been many, many Mystery Machines however, this one is authentic........

***********Many thanks to 'The Big C' for these shots.

Above: Though he was asked, this guy in the shot wouldn't move.....he wouldn't even respond....that's pretty rude ;)

Above: Custom front end looks great! Love the mesh behind the grille!

Above: Scooby poses with his favorite ride. I find it odd that this van has roof racks on it.....fair enough though as the original one did too. It's just that roof racks on a van like this don't usually do much for it but, for some reason, they seem to work well for this beast.

__________

So my van is officially off the road :(

I stopped driving it as soon as the salt came out. I just couldn't see the point of salting it up just to store it for 2 years. I also failed the third part of my emmissions test, they say it's the cats (fair enough, they've been on there for a while), but what's the point of putting the money in to it now just to store it? It just means that I'll have to get it all done later when I bring it out again. I did get a 12V 'aoooogha!' horn as a birthday gift last week!! I'm pretty happy about that!

Well, I have to sign off now so I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Stay safe on the roads, don't drink and drive and remember: "seatbelts save lives" so buckle up!!!!

Heavy Chevy :)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Above: My new custom van.....I crashed it.............straight in to my mouth ;)

Almost done.....................

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, the white van is almost finished.

The interior carpet tile/checker board idea has turned out beautifully, I'll use this technique again.
Any staples visible will be removed..they were there while the glue dried.

Me, looking cool by the newly crafted interior.

I installed a trim piece on the side barn doors to give it a complete look.

The stripe over the louvers came out well and looks deadly!!!

All it needs now is for the flare kit to be painted and istalled, the CD player to be put in, front door panels and speakers to be mounted and side door panels to be fabricated and installed. It doesn't seem like much but it sure takes a freakn' long time!!

Speaker grilles will be purchased and installed on these Pioneers. There are matching 3 1/2's for the fronts which will go on the doors. The ropes keep the doors from swinging all the way open.


As I was installing the trim piece for the carpet at the rear doors, the drill snagged some carpet and tore some of the seams out.....I was bummed about this but I came up with a fix. I cut the section out and added some more fun furr giving it a 'hairy butt crack' look........it actually works and looks good.

A little custom work done on the tail lights using that stick on Chrome trim from Canadian Tire . I used it around all of the marker lights as well.

I'm taking a break this weekend while the van gets a full rust proofing/undercoating.

I've given the flare kit their first coat of paint but they will need one or two more before I can install them. They also will have to dry out in the cold garage before installation.....should happen next week. Body kits and flare kits are amazing things; they completely transform the look/shape of a car. This van looks great right now but once that kit goes on, it will level up and maximize it's HP points!!! This thing looks like a super hero van to me. I picture it exploding out of a secret garage and fish tailing around a corner and motoring off to save the day!

After pulling the van out of the garage, here is how it looks in the garage........flares waiting for paint......lumber and garbage.....tools all around....if only I had my own workshop let alone my own garage. Big thanks to my folks for letting me take the garage over for this project. I'm with them for X-Mas and then I will be moving to Whitehorse, Yukon where who knows what vehicle awaits me there?..........

Slow and steady wins the race..

Howdy folks! I know.....it's been far too long since my last entry. I try to do an entry every week but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

The paint is all done on the white van....the stripes are on, all accesories are back on, the chrome grille is on, the chrome exaust tip is on, she's had a wax job.....I'm just waiting for my friend's flare kit to arrive.

I've been working like a dog on the interior. It has been tons of work even though my back is feeling it.

My idea for this one was to go with carpet tiles and to do a checker board interior. I found my friend some carpet tiles at a good price on www.kijiji.ca as well as some speakers. I've been having some super long days working on this interior. Luckily I've had the CBC on the radio to keep me company, (although, for a guy who doesn't often listen to the news, I'm starting to think that the world is falling apart). You know it's tough times when you hear that Whitehorse can't afford to recycle and GM is ready to crash and burn...sigh....at least I still have custom vans.

Anyways, My back is sore from getting in and out of the van all day long and from installing each individual piece of carpet in this van and I'll tell you one thing, I 'aint getting paid enough for this one. I wonder what west coast customs or 'gas' would charge for an interior like this? I'd guess something in the range of $3000 or more, probably more. For the most part it's enjoyable but I really can't wait to get this done so that I can hand it back over to the owner and regain my life.

I even made a video to show you guys the interior but when I played it back just now I realized that there wasn't enough light and that you can't really see anything so for now, you will all have to settle for pictures.....I'll try to do a video tomorrow.

More pics to come and I promise to update more often.

Tah tah for now.

Keep on Truckn'!!

:)

PS: Ok, so here is the video......I think it's too dark though.....oops!

Watch out for a white van!!!!

Ok, so, as promised, here is a look at my friend's new van. It is a 1993 G10 Chevy van shortbox cargo van with 81,000 original miles on it. This thing is in superb shape, no really, it is very nice. My friend is a lucky guy to have such a nice machine. I really can't get over it, there is almost no rust on it.

So I immediately began painting this beast, (again with the $50 paint job method), because the weather is starting to change. It is staying white but is getting a nice fresh coat. After that it will have blue stripes of a sort of it down the hood. The same blue used on my van will be the color of the stripe so infact, it could be that this van will be the opposite of my van. The headlight housings will be white and it will get a nice chrome aftermarket grille to remind everyone who sees it that it is a wicked van and demands respect.

From my friend's old van, which was my first van (the orange one), we salvaged the spoiler, my original tear drop windows, the overhead valiance, the back door louvers and some other little things. All of the accessories will be painted white. I've painted as much white on this van as possible, so that it doesn't look like a cargo van. In the end, once the add-ons are on it, it won't look like a cargo van. It will most likely end up with a flare kit and a downspoiler....it's just a matter of finding some second hand if possible. The ones that I had were from my old van so I kind of got lucky because I wouldn't have been able to afford what they charge for them new ;)

I've had to pull the van in to the garage and to the rolling there. It's a tight space to work in but it stays much warmer in there; without, I wouldn't have been able to paint this van at all. Already, I'm worried that it will be too cold to paint once it's time for the stripes, we'll see. I'm hoping to get the last of the white put on tomorrow because after that, the weather is looking to be getting chilly for days to come and it may not get better. I've done a little bit of spray painting on the spots that need to be cleaned up. The spray will help achieve a unifrom coating faster and right now I need all the help I can get if I'm going to get this done before it's too late.

I had an impossible time getting the emblems off before paiting; actually, I didn't get them off. I couldn't let myself get stuck on them as I knew cold was coming so after an hour of failed attempts, I decided to go with plan B: leave them on, paint them and then remove the paint on the very top surface of the chrome. I even brushed a little bit of "PAM" on to the surface to help keep the paint from sticking. In the end, I think that this will look good and hey, it's just yet another excuse to have something custom and a little less stock.

Other than that, I've pulled the mini me model out of my own van as I need to update it's paint job ;)

That's it for now, more pics to come.

Keep on Truckn!!

Keeping it trim.............

Howdie folks!


In this posting: New chrome trim, Destruction Derby, and coming soon -- new van to do!!




Sorry it's been a while since my last post, I didn't have my camera for a while. I don't like to post without pics.......you just need that eye candy, especially all you chevy vanners needing their fix. I know I'm guilty of it; some people look at porn on the net while others, like myself, look at van porn. My girlfriend has caught me many a times, late night she walks in and says: "what are you doing?" , I say "nothing".......she says, "looking at van porn?" and I say: "yup".......and I love it, I can't get enough of it. Those sexy, spoilers, those flare kits, that all around 'bad ass' look........but I got to say, my turn off is shag, too stereotypical.

~~~~~

Yup, the more I do on my van, the more addicted I truly feel, needing more vans to get out all of the ideas that I have. Sometimes I figure I should just get model kits and release my van demons that way but then I never get around to it. Sometimes I go on to http://www.ebay.com/ and I search things like "chevy van" and I feel stuck until I get through every listing there is........

Other times I google "custom van" just to see what I can find. Then there's the famous google search for "chevy van kijiji" just to see what http://www.kijiji.ca/ has to offer.......the forbidden fruit if you will. This is actually how I found my buddy his new 1993 G10 Chevy van that we just went to pick up together 6 hours away but more on that in a later post; I'm a little behind in my posts and I need to catch up....but really, it is 99.5% rust free and has 130,000 original kms on it, get ready for it, oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about ;)















So, first thing first, I happened to be in Canadian Tire, as I usually am, and I found this stick on chrome trim stuff for $15.99. As soon as I saw it, I knew where it had to go......it was like destiny. The image of each oval on my tail light covers, chromed with trim flashed through my head like lightning hitting the waters during some wacko, intense storm. Needless to say, I bought this stuff and went to work with it. I did the tail lights first and figured that any left over was a bonus. Well, in the end, I had enough to do the tail lights, the marker lights and my dash which has really spruced things up. The key with this stuff is to pre-bend it all before applying; it is flexible but it may need some help before you stick it on. It's a little tight around the smaller, circular gauges but it looks way better than before.


Check it out:


















This stuff is well worth the money. It came with a good amount and was easy to work with. Just make sure your surface is clean before you stick to it.

Anyone wondering, those green switches control the lights on the downspoiler while the other will shut the interior lights off when the door is open, as to not drain the battery. When I'm working on the van with the doors open all day long, I don't like to have the lights on so this switch takes care of that.



------









Yesterday, my G-friend and I went out to Rockland, Ontario for the fourth annual destructive derby.
What is better than a bunch of custom vehicles smashing in to eachother until they can't anymore?
It was awesome and I hadn't been to one since I was 13.....too long. I will go to one every chance I have. Here are some pics and a vid which is bad quality, sorry, it's all I got.

I still intend on doing a video tour of my van but I need to sort out a better camera to do it with so stay tuned for that.

*Also, WANTED: My buddy is looking for a mud style flare kit and a downspoiler for a '93 G10 chevy van. The price for them new is insane and completely unreasonable. Do you have some that you'd like to sell???? Even if they're a little beat up, we may buy them for the right low, low price and then put the work into restoring them. Contact me: didgeman.ca@gmail.com

Ok guys, that's it for now. Plenty more to come, I promise.

Shout out to my KW pals, I'm missing yo' sexy butts.......... ;)

TA-DAH!!!!

Ok all, here it is in all its glory.  For an $89 paint job and an enjoyable time to do it, I'm very happy with it.

I really wanted to do a video for this posting but I was having problems with the camera. The next blog update will be a video tour of my van, inside and out.

Here are a bunch of pictures:

Oh baby!!  Check out the street glow!!  

SO, I know, underlights are totally 'fast and furious' cheesy but they do look cool.  I bought these years ago off of ebay and having used them on two different past vehicles, it would be a shame to leave them in a box collecting dust on the shelf. 

Next posting is a video tour,  stay tuned............................