Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

Star Trek Muraled Gmc G15 Vandura Van. Survivor, Custom Van, Amazing Paint. on 2040-cars

US $12,000.00
Year:1978 Mileage:24000 Color:
Location:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Advertising:

AMAZING SURVIVOR CUSTOM  STAR TREK VAN

 

 

1978 GMC G15 Vandura Van.

 

I have reluctantly (we would like to shrink the family vehicle stable a bit as we now have two small boys and no time) decided to sell my 1978 GMC Vandura custom van.

The van was built up from stock in 1979-1980, paint was done by G.S. Roy, a well known Canadian artist.  I contacted Mr. Roy, who remembers painting this van as well as another for the owners cousin (that one was ‘mermaid’ themed…wish I knew where it was!).  The van is a survivor and sat for years in storage owned by the same family from new to 2012 (33 years)…I purchased it last summer from Ontario and shipped it out to the west coast here in Vancouver where I have enjoyed every day of owning it.  NOT a vehicle for the shy, you absolutely cannot go anywhere without many thumbs up, cheers, and people waxing nostalgic about custom vans and/or Star Trek.  The van currently has a little over 24,000 KM’s (15k miles) on it showing on the odometer.  I can’t verify for sure this isn’t 124,000km’s but looking over all aspects of the van I would not doubt if it is true…it isn’t perfect, but is a true survivor of an era gone by and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it anywhere.  I’ve replaced the tires with period correct BFG T/A’s , installed a new heater core, brake master cylinder, tuned her up, installed a back up camera, and done all required to pass a BC (ridiculously strict and silly) provincial inspection.  I’ve spent $3500 on the Van in the past year to make it mechanically excellent and drivable every day if someone wanted to.

I’ll outline the good and bad below in each category to the best of my ability, and will take as many pics as I can to show the condition of items.  Anything I missed or any questions just askJ.  I don’t really need to sell the Van but as I mentioned could use the room and free time…you don’t find something like this every day and I realize it takes a special (read as a little off…like me lol) person to own something like this…I do guarantee you will enjoy the smiles it brings to faces all around as you drive down the road and the vehicle (paint alone) could not be replicated for even close to what my reserve price is here, which is I think fair.  Custom van’s are making a comeback.

 

 

EXTERIOR –

 

GOOD - The exterior is completely covered in custom airbrushing, it is Star Trek themed in general with a LOT of small images of faces, creatures, etc that seemingly never cease to stop appearing.  Overall the paint itself has held up incredibly (stored indoors).  The vehicle was treated new to the full ‘Zeibart’ rustproofing package and has ZERO rust.  Honestly, the body is in amazingly clean shape.  Zeibart plugged, filled, closed all areas that may have someday allowed water ingress.  Has original custom windshield visor.  Bumpers are in great shape and rust free/pitting free as is custom grill.  Van has a ‘split’ sunroof that does work, though I siliconed it shut as it had a small leak on the drivers side when I wash it.  Still has the original custom thrush sidepipes that sound awesome.

 

BAD - The clearcoat technology in 1980 wasn’t as good as today and it has dried and is peeling in places.  Most notably on the hood and horizontal faces of the fenders.  Also the clear ‘rear arch’ protection is peeling badly.  I thought about wet sanding with 2000 and respraying the clear but got scared to do it myself.  There is a small dent behind the rear wheel on the drivers side which I took a few pics of and should appear in the set.  I didn’t know it was there when I bought it, it isn’t really noticeable but I believe in full disclosure.  The fiberglass fender arches have paint chips and a bit of light rash on some (I didn’t do it).  The thrush pipes should be rechromed at some point…they were pitted and surface rusting in places.  I touched them up with chrome paint but they aren’t perfect.

 

 

 

INTERIOR –

 

GOOD – Two words ‘Red Velvet’.  Diamond quilted red velvet to be exact.  This covers the door panels, wall and ceiling panels, and visor area.  The flooring is red carpeting with thick soft underpadding in rear.  Original red dash and console are crack free and in excellent shape.  Incredibly cool octagonal wood steering wheel. Period correct cassette player and equalizer with power antenna.  All gauges work, wipers work (including intermittent), horn, all lights operational.  Heater works great and is new.  I installed a backup camera to help with parking.  Front captain’s seats are swivel and again covered in quilted red velvet, both have lap belts.  Sliding door actually works.  Currently I have a bench seat with quick release function installed behind the captain’s chairs (for my kids; the original swivel ‘buckets’ did not have seatbelts).  I do have the ‘buckets’ and they will be included as well as the mounting brackets…once again, more red velvet!  There is also a pump sink, icebox, and bed in back with curtains…you guessed it…red velvet.

 

BAD – Drivers door velvet has a small tear.  A few of the upholstery ‘button’ covers are missing, I do have replacements which will be included…I just haven’t had the time to install.  The van was wired up for interior lighting above the rear seating area and in the bed area.  The wiring is still there but the lights are not.  I would want to trace all the wiring and re-set it up and install new lights…but again, I don’t have the time.

 

 

MECHANICAL –

 

GOOD – As mentioned in the description, I have done a lot of work to get this vehicle to meet our strict provincial inspection last year.  As with most vehicles that are stored long-term, I had to refresh some items.  The heater core was removed for some reason so I purchased and installed a new one.  The brake master cylinder was replaced, a new horn was installed, new front ball joints, and the van was tuned up.

 

 

BAD –

 

As far as I know the van needs nothing mechanically done to it right now (according to my mechanic).  It starts, runs, drives fine with no issues and is happy to cruise along at 120km/h (70mph) all day.  I drove it up to Whistler twice last month and had a blast.

 

 

WHEELS/TIRES

 

GOOD – I replaced the tires less than 1000kms (600 mls) ago with period correct BFG T/A’s.  Rears are 245/60/15, fronts are 225/70/15.  Has original Cragar SS wheels.

 

BAD – Cragar SS wheels are pitting/peeling and should be refinished.


All in all this van is in excellent condition, especially considering it was built nearly 35 years ago!  Ready to roll, cruise, holiday, show...whatever you like:).  Please remember your bid is a binding contract, do not bid if you really don't want to own this.  As I mentioned, any questions or more pics...just ask.


Cheers,

Brian

Auto blog

The Jitterbugs somersaulted at the 1986 Chicago Auto Show for the Chevy Nova

Tue, Dec 30 2014

Judging by the vintage videos that the Chicago Auto Show has been uploading, if you wanted to check out the latest vehicles and watch some dancers in the same place in the late '80s and early '90s, then the Windy City event was definitely the place to be. We've already seen the Footlockers pitching the Cavalier in '88 and a troupe of women singing about the Geo brand in '91. Apparently, the trend went back even further, though. Just take a look at this group called the Jitterbugs selling some badge-engineered products from Chevrolet at the 1986 show. Flanked by the Chevy Nova and Spectrum, these guys managed to do a few pretty impressive jumps and somersaults but mixed them with some rather uninspired spins, as well. Also, wait for 1:24 into the clip to see the least enthusiastic backup dancers that the world has ever known. The Jitterbugs are even further proof that Chevy's habit of mixing dancing and its vehicles goes back even further than the Volt. News Source: ChicagoAutoShow via YouTube Auto News Marketing/Advertising Chicago Auto Show Chevrolet Videos Chicago chevy nova

This map reveals the cleanest vehicles based on location

Thu, Apr 28 2016

Naysayers love to point out how dirty the electricity grid mix is when it comes to charging electric vehicles. Curmudgeons are eager to jump into any conversation about EVs to enlighten the lucky listeners about how plug-in cars contribute to pollution, sometimes even throwing in a dash of climate-change denial for good measure. (Thanks, buddy. Pray, tell me more about the plight of oppressed SUV owners.) Unless someone buys an EV just because they think they're cool (which, yeah, they often are), they probably have at least a passable understanding of their environmental pros and cons. As many EV owners are already aware, location has a lot to do with any particular plug-in car's carbon footprint. Still, there's always more to know, and knowledge is not a bad thing, especially if one uses it to do the right thing. That's why this handy-dandy map from Carnegie Mellon University is so interesting. CMU researchers have compiled information about the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of various EVs based on where they're charged, as compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. The researchers looked at the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, and Prius Plug-In Hybrid versus the gasoline-dependent Toyota Prius hybrid and the stop-start-equipped Mazda3 with i-ELOOP and compared grams of CO2 emitted per mile. CMU takes into account the grid mix, ambient temperature, and driving patterns. CMU takes into account the grid mix based on county, as well as ambient temperature and driving patterns in terms of miles traveled on the highway or in the city. For instance, if you drive a Nissan Leaf in urban areas of California, Texas, or Florida, your carbon footprint is lower than it would be if you were driving a standard Toyota Prius. However, if you charge your Leaf in the Midwest or the South, for the most part, you've got a larger carbon footprint than the Prius. If you live in the rural Midwest, you'd probably even be better off driving a Mazda3. Throughout the country, the Chevrolet Volt has a larger carbon footprint than the Toyota Prius, but a smaller one than the Mazda3 in a lot of urban counties in the US. The Prius and Prius Plug-In are relatively equal across the US. Having trouble keeping it straight? That's not surprising. The comparisons between plug-in and gasoline vehicles are much more nuanced than the loudest voices usually let on.

GM exploring ways to raise half-ton Duramax diesel tow rating

Sun, Nov 3 2019

Lots of truck owners cheered when GM announced fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-six. Even after Ram let loose its EPA mileage ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the Chevy oil-burner still took the trophy. The victory was years in the making, GM engineers spending an entire four-year development cycle refining the LM2 Duramax to increase mileage. The tradeoff, as well all know by now, is towing; the Duramax in half-ton duty pulls a maximum 9,300 pounds in the Silverado. Rivals across town can do more, the Ford F-150 PowerStroke rated at 11,500, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel game to pull 12,560. GM engineer John Barta told Muscle Cars & Trucks that more hauling chops could be on the way, explaining, "We’re actually looking at upgrading some of the materials around (the engine bay) to see if we can maybe raise our tow rating." Engine bay materials are at issue due to thermal complexities underhood. John Barta, GM's assistant chief engineer of diesel engine controls, said the Duramax's inline-six configuration allowed engineers to get emissions hardware like the combined selective catalytic reduction, diesel oxidation catalysts, and diesel particulate filter unit closer to the engine, where it heats up quicker, getting emissions down quicker. But that filter puts another heat source in those confines, enforcing a cap on the tow rating to keep the engine and other systems from overheating. "If you look under the hood," he said, "youÂ’ll see a significant amount of silver ‘moon tapeÂ’ around to make sure things arenÂ’t getting overheatedÂ… if we were to go up in higher towing, which we can, we start impacting the possibility of deteriorating some of the components.” There isn't much space for more grille, so swapping for a better grade of "moon tape" or a different kind of material could reduce engine bay heat, extracting a higher tow rating in the process.  It's important to note a point Barta's been making for months about the Duramax figures, though. "Even though itÂ’s nice to brag about big numbers, in reality, light duty customers are not towing that large with their trucks," and, "We do know that (95 percent) of our light duty customers donÂ’t tow over 9,000 pounds." On our First Drive of the 2020 Silverado diesel we called out the tow rating, but emphasized that the Chevy and GMC have more important challenges to overcome.