1978 Chevrolet vintage boogie disco van. *** UNRESERVED ***

Very low mileage on this vintage’78 Chevy van.
27,715 miles.
Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Because of it's age (antique status), and domestic build, this van is exempt from any import export restrictions. Nothing is involved. Shipping is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
PLEASE, don't ask me where the van is located. It's in Calgary, Alberta. Ebay does not have provision for those with multiple residences.
Please note:
Border is only closed for personal travel, NOT CLOSED FOR SHIPMENTS AND DELIVERIES.
We have a shipping company lined up, ready to pick up the car, and go!


Now,since every low mileage vehicle usually has a story to tell, I believe the best place to start might be here.
...HISTORY:
This van was professionally“boogied" out when brand new, in the height of the disco era. It was 100% expertly done, then sold at the GM dealership.
Through newspaper advertising, it caught the eye of a young man from several hours away in a very rural area. He made a trip to the dealership, bought it, brought it home, and enjoyed theoccasional trip to cut loose in the city with it.
Fast forward a couple short years. Similar to what happened to many of our wild-&-young bachelor days, the young man met a girl, got married, and so on and so forth. He started phasing in to taking over the family farm. By this point the van was already put away, being only started routinely for maintenance.
One day, the van wouldn’t start at all. He put in a new battery but, that wasn’t it. Eventually, he was going to spend some time to find out what was prohibiting it from starting.
Well, that didn’t happen. Months turned to years, years turned to more years, and eventually decades had passed. For a long time, these vans weren’t worth anything. It remained exactly where it was….in the front area of one of the farm quonsets.
Nobody discovered the van because of it’s way-way-outrural location until one day it was pulled out of the barn and became topic of conversation among some local folks. Word got to a vintage GM parts dealer specializing insquare body pickups. He made some inquiries, eventually sourced the van, and bought it. Without doing anything to it, he placed it for sale for a quick profit. That’s where I come in. I was immediatelymemorized. Needing to know exact details of every old vehicle we have, I asked for as many details as he learned. I was fully intrigued and needed this van. It was an amazing opportunity…. An original, fully undisturbed, vintage boogie van. I immediately sent the money, then asked for more details about the van's history (which the seller happily contacted the former owner for), and meantime I organized a transport company to go pick it up.
Celebrity TV personality and famous car collector Jay Leno has said that he doesn’t have an idea what is hisfavourite type of car but, if he had to define it…. it’d be those with a great story. I'd have to agree. I love a vehicle with a good story. I hope you do too.


PHYSICAL CONDITION:
When the van arrived, I was overjoyed. It was just stunning; exactly as I’d imagined, and what I expected. A real time capsule! Farm fresh, non-running. Upon receiving it, I immediately undertook to have it restored back to it’s original dazzling disco beauty. It really didn’tneed much. The interior was inmarvellous, untouched condition. I found it to be just incredible. The body was faded in areas, on the side that faced the window, and the tires were dry rotted. There were a couple cracks where the flares came un-bonded. There were some wooden running boards (quite popular at the time on disco van's but, definitely not something that would last 40 years later). The original pattern BFG Radial T/A’s (295 rears) were on vintagetrue wire wheels that had some chrome starting to peel. I had a bodyshop strip the van to bare metal. They stripped the whole thing right down to metal... by hand(!) Thecolour we chose was right back to almost the exact samecolour. I liked it. It was a very happy colour. Lots can be done with it and it lends itself to all sorts of highlights and custom mural/stripe/name-font ideas. We wanted the exact tone as close to original as possible and easily touched up in case for future so we went with a factory colour…. GM Victory Red.

MECHANICAL:
Icouldn’t wait to find out why it didn’t run. It was explained to me that, it was believed to have been a transmission issue, perhaps broken linkage. This didn't make much sense to me but, whatever... I went with it anyhow. Because the body was so good, and everything else, I’d assumed that good 'ol Murphy would poke his ugly head somewhere, and I’d have to spendwallet-fulls of bills fixing many mechanical problems. Well, that wasn’t the case. In fact, the defective part turned out to be just a neutral safety switch!!! What a relief.
With fresh gas, an engine pre-lube (remove distributor and spin oil pump with drill), and new battery…. The engine immediately came back to life. It ran fantastic.
But, surely it needed more…. (Or not???)
Because the van was off the road for over 25 years, it was off the governmental registration/titling system. To be re-entered, it needed to undergo a thorough and comprehensive State Inspection. This inspection is SO STRINGENT, that it’s believed meant to keep most older vehicles from re-entering the system. In fact, the standards a vehicle has to meet are nearly that of a brand new vehicle. This was the elephant in the room for many months. I feared what the inspector may find lurking. Surprisingly….. The van nearly passed !!!
Only work necessary was determined to be a new battery tray. The original rotted from a leaky old battery, and a new one ordered. We were told to get it installed and bring the van back for an immediate AAA+ passing grade. It’s truly remarkable.

WHAT DOES IT NEED:
Well, in a nutshell... some fine touch-up’s and somepersonalization. It’s basically a blank canvas. To me, these van’s need some personality or murals. I became overwhelmed with ideas, and decided to wait to be hit with some sense of divine inspiration. I thought about what type decals, stripes, or murals, I’d order up but…. Never could narrow down to one. I even looked on Google for some inspiration. There’s LOTS. I’ll recommend you take a look.
For a while, I wanted to go with some gold leaf, and black/white on the Victory red and had some catchy names picked out but, second guessed myself. The van sat. It remains sitting. while I pondered, and it sat some more.

STYLES / TASTES…..
Well, I’ve been complimented on the tire and wheel choice butcriticized as well. I think the van looks good on the modern size torque thrusts but, many purists believe it needs 15” wheels. I understand that much of the car hobby has to do with one’s own personal tastes and input. Much like the paint being sans murals, I’ll leave choice of tires wheels to the buyer. The van will come with factory steel wheels and regular tires. If you would like the torque thrust wheels and tires as shown currently, please add $2,000 to the final price. I like the torque thrusts but, don’t disagree entirely with the purists…. A set of 15” Cragar SS wheels with Cooper Cobras or BFG Radial T/A’s would perhaps be preferential if trying to achieve an absolute period correct look. So, there you have it. I’m a ultra high-end luxury homebuilder and designer by trade and inevitably, people want their own choice of appliances and carpetcolour. I suppose there is a great benefit in tailoring something to one’s own STYLES / TASTES.
CONDITION:
So, the interior is in absolutely remarkable condition. I don’t think I’ve everimagined an original velvet and carpet interior could be found this nice. We had it given a thorough and deep shampooing. It smells fabulous, and feels so, well... in a word -- cozy. That said, there is a bit of fading on some areas in the front. Iapplied some dye but, a bit more can be rubbed on. Currently, there’s nomattress for the rear bed. I was going to order a foam and get it upholstered but, never quite finished. This should obviously be a finishing touch. Also, I think it would benefit greatly from some new signal and marker lenses. Not that there’s anything fundamentally wrong with the one’s on there but, brand new ones are available cheap. Upon closer look, one of the front parking lamp lenses is cracked. I bought a replacement rubber radio antenna but never installed it. The wipers are black and are included but never installed. As with other decisions, I got flustered and couldn't decided between installing them, or getting new chrome ones. Also, since time has passed and the paint has well-cured, I think a goodtri-stage cut/polish would be a good idea. Just a bunch of finishing touches, IF ONE CHOOSES. With everything else in mind, there’s probably a bit of work before it can be shown.
THE OBVIOUS:
Back bumper is bent. Antenna missing. Etc.
I had the van delivered straight from the bodyshop to the mechanical/Auto centre by deck truck. The deck truck driver refuses to acknowledge any damage. The bodyshop swears it left nice and straight. The mechanic centre owner says it arrived as such. I have zero time or enthusiasm to straighten it out. This is how the van’s been sitting. I’ve got no desire to tinker any more. Between rubbing a bit more dye, replacing the cracked parking light, ordering a mattress foamy, reinstalling wipers, aerial, and maybe other tinker touches, I'll just describe this as an ongoing project. I suppose, in a sense, all old vehicles can be but, I'll be clear... I don't want to misrepresent so I'll call it a project van. As such, I’m just selling it as how it is, where-is, and will describe the van as 1/10 project to make sure there’s no misunderstandings. Obviously I'm under-describing for the buyer's benefit and mine. I think this bumper can be straightened but, let's just say for description purposes that a new one is needed.
I paid a lot of money for the opportunity to get this van. These are highly collectible and sought after so Ididn’t mind spending more and more money at the time. For a while, it was a piece of art. Then, I lost inspiration, ambition, and desire. I got side-tracked with my short span of…. Oh hey, is that a squirrel !!!! (Just kidding… poking fun at my own short attention)
And full circle, just as before it arrived to me….
Now it sits again.



Details etc:
Review our feedback please.....Each is for a 40+ year old vehicle!

During our relatively short tenure on eBay, we've figured out2 very important things arecommunicationandprocedure. We have a little procedure. Our little procedure focuses on communication. It goes as follows:

• After auction, we ask for your buyer's information.
• You supply.
• We fill in transfer papers and scan/send to you.
• You confirm spelling and information correct.
• You go to your bank, and send funds.
• We validate receipt.
• We begin on shipping,
• ...keeping you informed every step..
• You receive your super cool Vintage Chevy Van.

We're not interested in Paypal or deposits...

I don't care for deposits. If you want this van, you know the value of what you're looking at. If you are bidding, please be serious as I am and understand our adherence to this little system/procedure. It's to help both of us. If, for any reason, you cannot adhere to this procedure, please let us know BEFORE BIDDING. OR,....IF YOU HAVE ZERO FEEDBACK OR ARE NEW TO EBAY YOU MUST CONTACT ME BEFORE BIDDING.Otherwise, I will cancel your bid.


DELIVERY:...to most states and destinations is in the $1500+ range. Please keep that in mind. Budget for at least this amount. Texas and Florida, and other far southeastern states, are obviously a bit more at minimum $2250-ish. Any required inspections, certifications, registrations, paperwork, or anything else are the buyer's responsibility. I don't know the rules in each particular state so, am selling as per Alberta rules. My wife has become pretty good at setting up shipping and, is happy to assist. Rest is up to you. Payment is by bank transfer, US account to US account. As stated, I don't ask for Paypal. Once payment is received, everything else is ready to proceed from there. I believe putting this van unreserved will easily make up for any shipping costs.


CALLS:Even a long-winded description like mine is bound to miss a few details. If you'd like to speak over the phone, I'm happy to hear from you. Please write and we'll make arrangements.

If you are fromOVERSEAS,please know we have shipped long distances several times. We are happy to assist. Since beginning to narrow down ourinadvertent collection a couple years ago, we've sold to England, France, Germany, Holland, Slovenia, as well as theMiddle East and New Zealand. If it says anything about what kind of sellers we are... We have sold 6 (six !!) to one gentleman alone in Holland, 2 to another, and 2 to one fellow in England.


One of the other things Jay Leno said about vehicles with good stories is,“In my experience, if there’s a pretty good story, there’s a pretty good car”. Maybe that can apply to vans too. :-)

Good luck everyone, and happy bidding!
So, with that said, there you go…. The long and short (but mostly long) of it.

Details etc:
Review our feedback please.....Each is for a 40+ year old vehicle!

During our relatively short tenure on eBay, we've figured out2 very important things arecommunicationandprocedure. We have a little procedure. Our little procedure focuses on communication. It goes as follows:

• After auction, we ask for your buyer's information.
• You supply.
• We fill in transfer papers and scan/send to you.
• You confirm spelling and information correct.
• You go to your bank, and send funds.
• We validate receipt.
• We begin on shipping,
• ...keeping you informed every step..
• You receive your super cool Vintage Chevy Caprice.

We're not interested in Paypal or deposits...

I don't care for deposits. If you want the car, you know the value of what you're looking at. If you are bidding, please be serious as I am and understand our adherence to this little system/procedure. It's to help both of us. If, for any reason, you cannot adhere to this procedure, please let us know BEFORE BIDDING. OR,....IF YOU HAVE ZERO FEEDBACK OR ARE NEW TO EBAY YOU MUST CONTACT ME BEFORE BIDDING.Otherwise, I will cancel your bid.


DELIVERY:...to most states and destinations is in the $1500+ range. Please keep that in mind. Budget for at least this amount. Texas and Florida, and other far southeastern states, are obviously a bit more at minimum $2250-ish. Any required inspections, certifications, registrations, paperwork, or anything else are the buyer's responsibility. I don't know the rules in each particular state so, am selling as per Alberta rules. My wife has become pretty good at setting up shipping and, is happy to assist. Rest is up to you. Payment is by bank transfer, US account to US account. As stated, I don't ask for Paypal. Once payment is received, everything else is ready to proceed from there. I believe putting this car unreserved will easily make up for any shipping costs.


CALLS:Even a long-winded description like mine is bound to miss a few details. If you'd like to speak over the phone, I'm happy to hear from you. Please write and we'll make arrangements.

If you are fromOVERSEAS,please know we have shipped long distances several times. We are happy to assist. Since beginning to narrow down ourinadvertent collection a couple years ago, we've sold to England, France, Germany, Holland, Slovenia, as well as theMiddle East and New Zealand. If it says anything about what kind of sellers we are... We have sold 6 (six !!) to one gentleman alone in Holland, 2 to another, and 2 to one fellow in England.


One of the other things Jay Leno said about vehicles with good stories is,“In my experience, if there’s a pretty good story, there’s a pretty good car”. With that thought in mind, here goes……
Good luck everyone, and happy bidding!Details etc:
Review our feedback please.....Each is for a 40+ year old vehicle!

During our relatively short tenure on eBay, we've figured out2 very important things arecommunicationandprocedure. We have a little procedure. Our little procedure focuses on communication. It goes as follows:

• After auction, we ask for your buyer's information.
• You supply.
• We fill in transfer papers and scan/send to you.
• You confirm spelling and information correct.
• You go to your bank, and send funds.
• We validate receipt.
• We begin on shipping,
• ...keeping you informed every step..
• You receive your super cool Vintage Chevy Caprice.

We're not interested in Paypal or deposits...

I don't care for deposits. If you want the car, you know the value of what you're looking at. If you are bidding, please be serious as I am and understand our adherence to this little system/procedure. It's to help both of us. If, for any reason, you cannot adhere to this procedure, please let us know BEFORE BIDDING. OR,....IF YOU HAVE ZERO FEEDBACK OR ARE NEW TO EBAY YOU MUST CONTACT ME BEFORE BIDDING.Otherwise, I will cancel your bid.


DELIVERY:...to most states and destinations is in the $1500+ range. Please keep that in mind. Budget for at least this amount. Texas and Florida, and other far southeastern states, are obviously a bit more at minimum $2250-ish. Any required inspections, certifications, registrations, paperwork, or anything else are the buyer's responsibility. I don't know the rules in each particular state so, am selling as per Alberta rules. My wife has become pretty good at setting up shipping and, is happy to assist. Rest is up to you. Payment is by bank transfer, US account to US account. As stated, I don't ask for Paypal. Once payment is received, everything else is ready to proceed from there. I believe putting this car unreserved will easily make up for any shipping costs.


CALLS:Even a long-winded description like mine is bound to miss a few details. If you'd like to speak over the phone, I'm happy to hear from you. Please write and we'll make arrangements.

If you are fromOVERSEAS,please know we have shipped long distances several times. We are happy to assist. Since beginning to narrow down ourinadvertent collection a couple years ago, we've sold to England, France, Germany, Holland, Slovenia, as well as theMiddle East and New Zealand. If it says anything about what kind of sellers we are... We have sold 6 (six !!) to one gentleman alone in Holland, 2 to another, and 2 to one fellow in England.


One of the other things Jay Leno said about vehicles with good stories is,“In my experience, if there’s a pretty good story, there’s a pretty good car”.
And, well… there's the long and short (but mostly long) of it.

Good luck everyone, and happy bidding!

On Jun-08-20 at 11:38:23 PDT, seller added the following information:

Please note: I make mention of some interior fading but, it's really not as bad as the pictures depict. Wherever the light hits the shiny crushed velvet at certain angles, it shines back. It'd likely be difficult to photograph even for someone that's good at it. This isn't just the velvet though. The carpet looks faded, where it's clearly not in real life. The actual faded spots are mostly the black inserts on the front seats (EASY re-dye), and a bit on the upper door panels. We had the dash re-dyed pretty decently while the old windshield was out, before the new one was installed.