Van out of Hell

[Chinacar]

I'm a big fan of '70's custom vans. Last year I bought a box of scraps and inside was this Ford 4X4 glue bomb. It was a great opportunity to build one. I still need to make a pair of rear view mirrors, a whip antenna and I want to put a skid plate under the front bumper. It was a simple kit so I just disassembled it, cleaned it up repainted and reassembled it. The mural is printed on vinyl and oversprayed with an airbrush to blend it in, the sides are relatively flat so they blend in well and on radiuses pieces I used paint. The engine and interior are there but really nothing exciting. I weathered the exterior a bit because I imagine hell as being a bit dirty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2024 by Chinacar
new photos

[PappyD340]

Great looking van!

[Chinacar]

Thanks Larry!

[Nacho Z]

How cool is this?!?!  Loved the album and loving the van!

[espo]

Great looking rebuild. Like the mural and the tire splash. 

[Chinacar]

7 hours ago, Nacho Z said:

How cool is this?!?!  Loved the album and loving the van!

Haha, he was a legend wasn't he? Thanks for your comment.

[1hobby1]

Very cool. Well done!

[Street Rod]

Great save on a kewl van! I really like the mural, gives it a great vibe.

[Chinacar]

28 minutes ago, Street Rod said:

Great save on a kewl van! I really like the mural, gives it a great vibe.

Thanks Doyle, I loved those old mural vans and a few years ago I became friends with Ivan Benic. I spent a couple of evenings at his shop drinking beers and looking at some crazy projects he had going on. He had the Cosmic Cruiser there and even offered to take me for a cruise! If you haven't heard of the guy or his work you need to google "Ivan Benic, Cosmic Cruiser". It's a trip...

[ChrisR]

Nice.

[ncbuckeye67]

That's a sweet Overlander rig!

[Chinacar]

On 2/26/2024 at 8:28 AM, 1hobby1 said:

Very cool. Well done!

Thanks Steve!

 

[Joe Handley]

Was just listening to Meatloaf on the way home from the gym tonight!

[Steamboat]

Awesome build!  I love the mural!

[David G.]

I love the mural, excellent work!

David G.

[NOBLNG]

Beautiful work Alex!?

[Chinacar]

On 3/3/2024 at 3:12 PM, Joe Handley said:

Was just listening to Meatloaf on the way home from the gym tonight!

Yeah, RIP Meat. ?

[Chinacar]

On 2/26/2024 at 8:28 AM, 1hobby1 said:

Very cool. Well done!

Thanks Steve.

[Leica007]

I was/am more into the street/custom vans, but you did a great job on this one.  Looks sooo authentic, the detailing sets it off. Keep on Truckin

[Chinacar]

I made some updates to the "Bat outta Hell"l van that I think made a big difference in the realism.

•  posable steering, this by far is the biggest improvement. I'm going to try to incorporate this on most future builds. I followed a how to thread and it came out great. In fact in the design studio when we review prototypes we almost always turn the front wheels.
• antenna from thin wire.
• scratch built a skid plate from sheet styrene. 
• added driving lamps from Tamiya rally car.
• adjusted and repainted front bull bar.
• repainted hood and used YBK chrome paint for the lettering.
• added emergency brake lines and fuel lines underneath.
• added an auxiliary fuel tank with metal straps.

I wished I had done these things the first time but I tend to rush my builds. Lessons learned. 

[Chinacar]

[Chinacar]

[Sledsel]

That is pretty sharp!!!

[Chinacar]

Thanks Andy. Take 2 works out a lot better I think.