Hey All,
I've had my van now for a good 6 months and with the full interior build underway I thought I would start a thread for progress updates.
This is my second SMB customization, the first being the
CANDYVAN. Earlier this year I was searching for a 4x4 van and came across the most unique Sportsmobile I've ever seen: a 1971 Ford E-300 4x4! I quickly reached out to the previous owners to get a full run down on the van and purchased it before anyone else could - I know many of you saw this van on EBAY or
Bring-a-Trailer. It was originally a barn find in Minnesota where it was then shipped to Hawaii for some restoration mainly of the exterior and driveline. It was then purchased by a collector in Palm Springs who could not climb into it, so it sat for about a year until I picked it up in March!
The overall condition of the van is great. The previous owner took care of the minimal rust and repainted the exterior. The interior (all original) was decent but appliances were not functional. The 302 V8 purred all the way back from Palm Springs to SF, with a brief stop at SMB in Fresno to show it off.
I have big plans for the build, as I plan to use this van extensively for adventures. I'm keeping the name "808Van" that it received while on the islands - 808 is the area code for Hawaii - and it just so happens I'm a haole who loves Hawaii so it fits. So there will definitely be a retro island theme going on with the build. I'll be playing catch up on this thread for a while but you can also follow progress on Instagram via
JoeArlo.