My "other" ride...

I know its a motorcycle forum - but I figured since I'm in a slight holding pattern for doing things to my bikes, I could talk about what I'm doing to my "other ride". Its a Ford cargo van.

You can stop reading here if you want, I just gotta get it off my chest.

So I bought this old Ford cargo van in 2007. I needed it for transporting the custom bikes I was building. After delivering ones to Florida, Outer Banks NC, Atlanta, and Arkansas, things started slowing up and its my bad weather vehicle now. I had it painted gloss black in April - I mean everything is black. Bumpers, emblems, grille, mirrors - everything! Then I made my own lightbar with 6 off road lights cause ya never know when some idiot is going to high-beam you and I wanted to be prepared to give them an instant suntan

Well - then the a-team movie came out. I didnt wanna see it cause I didnt think they'd do it justice. But I watched it and it wasnt bad. They tweaked the van enough that I thought I could have some artistic freedom to make my own ateam van. bwhahaha. So I found the right shade or orangy-red and made the side stripe like the original. I get a lot of "A-team - woohoo!" yells when I drive it or when i'm gassing it up. So i figured I'd go all the way with it. I just returned from the salvage yard where I spent the whole morning grabbing parts. I snagged a rear spoiler from an older mustang that I will spray the same orangy-red and mount on the roof, then I grabbed a nice seat for the back. I just layed down a good wooden floor, I have to get some carpet for it before I mount in the new rear seat - but its prettyy trick. It folds out into a bed! I am then going to return to my old roots and build a serious wall of subwoofers behind the rear seat!

My wife is laughing at me - she says that a mid-life crisis is supposed to make me want a corvette, not a cargo van!

here it is back in January:


here it is after the black paint:


here it is with the stripe and lightbar: (since this picture I have pinstriped the stripe with silver outline)


no pics of the interior yet - but I am going to start that now. I just get excited about customizing something and unfortunately for you guys - this is the only place I really have to talk about it. hahah.

Not bad Amish.

Heh. I love vans! The spoiler will ice it off nicely. Throw some pics up of the seat when ya get it mounted! Can't wait to see more.

You really should be more careful with it, though...who do you think you are, BA?

Awesome Brother Amish! I love vans too and have a cool older Dodge with the couch that folds down into a bed...I do not drive it as much as I used to but I love it!

That looks pretty good. I remember when I was a kid someone had restored a Dodge Charger to look like the General Lee. Everyone now and then I would see it around town and I always thought it was cool to see someone drive a "famous" TV car. Good for you!

i also am a fan of the van, that van is groovy man,

I like it!Of course,I'm old enough I used to do some customizing back during the "custom van" craze.A friend of mine's brother used to own "Disco Vans" in Foley.I doubt anyone remembers them,though!

I do .

Yeah,I guess you have to have been here a while and be over 45 or so.

cant wait to see the ultimate finished results!

I love NOstalgia TV vehicles !

I once saw an exact replica of "THE FALL GUY" truck ( not hard to do, but still cool as hell)

Looks cool amish! Head up to O'reilly's auto parts and check out the rattle can paint section, look for VHT brand paints and pick up a can of "night shades". It is a paint used on brake light and signal lenses. Smoke out those tails and front turns to finish off that blacked out look! It will look KILLA!

Great work man and I cant wait to see more! Get some pics up when you get that spoiler on and some of the inside!

great idea on the blackout for the lights.

I have the spoiler sanded - waiting to paint and clear - then install. I really need to do some interior pics. Its a fun winter project....

Got the wing painted and installed today! Also snapped a pic of the inside - remember the inside pic is definately the "before" image. hahaha

Wing looks perfect on there, like it was made for it, nice touch up there without going too big! I can dig it! Can't wait to see what you come up with for the interior.

Because my memory was not serving me just right, I looked up some pics of the original "A" team van. I think you have done a really good job of creating a more modern version of the original, but I think you should complete it with some wheels in the matching stripe color and a brush guard or push bar on the front! That would really complete the look and make it a real true to form (but newer) "A" team van. You would not need to find wheels that are the same as the original, but rather somthing that has the same appeal the originals had, with newer styling and a bigger size. I think those changes would flow perfect with what you have done so far and pay a real good homage to the original. I have to say, I would have never thought that I would like something like this so much, but I think this is very cool!

Thanks Twisted. I wanna get some white "wagon wheels" rims (cheap and can find them almost everywhere). I wanna get them powdercoated red to match the stripe. I am also looking for some fender flares too.

Interior plans so far include some upholstered walls, a beefier stereo system, new carpet, and a permanent toolbox in the back.

I dont think I'm gonna do the puch bar cause i'd be to apt to use it with the way traffic is lately

Hahaha, good call on the fender flares! I had not even thought of those! I still think the push bar would be killer, plus....if traffic gets in the way....

I PITTY DA FOOL!

I got carpet today and just finished installing it. Got the seat in there and got one clamp on it. Lost the energy to do the other 3 clamps right now. I also got the taillight blackout paint that Twisted suggested ($12 a can!) - planning on finishing this job tomorrow!

I am almost ready to build the wall of speakers!!!

Brother Amish the van is looking cool man and I love the wing, it came out great! Keep up the hard work!

ok - carpet is done and the new seat is installed in the back. I also trimmed the side moulding on the side step doors cause it looks better now. I reinstalled some cheapo seat covers cuase the grey vinyl seats were getting COLD - hahaha.
pics:


next its onto building the new subwoofer wall!!! Need 1 more sub and I'll be good to go with it. Already got the amps and the wiring and one sub. Then once the rear wall is made and upholstered, its just down to the final side panels and the toolbox and its good to roll!!!! woohoo!

When ya gettin the mohawk.....

just blacked out the taillights and turnsignals. Its really coming together!

So I just got back to work from Lowes. I needed some parts for the machines at work and I had an unusual incident. When I parked - I had a guy in a truck ask to take a picture of my van. I laughed and said sure - so I parked it out in the empty area of the lot. When I returned to it - there were 3 other people taking pictures of the van. I was just laughing - this kinda thing never happens when theres someone with me- my wife thinks i am making it up. Then on the ride back to work - stopped at a light. The car in the turn lane next to me missed the light because she was taking a picture of the van. hahahah

I need a witness!!! this is weird.

It's hell to be a celebrity, aint it?

Thats why I dont have anything like that. I try to stay out of the limelight.