The custom van movement known as “Vanning”, which took hold in the 1970s, was indeed a fascinating evolution in automotive culture. As the muscle car era waned due to rising insurance costs, fuel costs, and stricter emission regulations; enthusiasts sought a new canvas for their creativity and individuality. Vans offered a larger, more versatile space for personalization all of types.
Vanning became a lifestyle, with van clubs and “truck-ins” proliferating across North America, where enthusiasts would gather to showcase their vehicles and share ideas. It embodied the essence of a time that cherished uniqueness and the liberty of the open road, offering an avenue for individuals to express themselves through their vans.
In the heyday of van customization, specialty shops sprouted up, providing an array of accessories to customize your van to your liking, limited only by your budget. These establishments offered a variety of products to customize your van from bumper to bumper and from the tires to the roof.
Chrysler Corporation entered the scene with a Street Van aimed at the youth market, featuring an upscale interior with Boca Raton vinyl swivel captain’s chairs with folding armrests, a padded dashboard, and custom carpeting, available with either five slot chrome mag wheels or white painted spoked road wheels with wide H70 x 15 raised letter tires.
Additionally, they offered a do-it-yourself kit complete with instructions on how to do everything, including templates for custom paint jobs, port windows, and a directory of suppliers for various accessories to personalize the van.
Ken McCarl bought his first van, a 1977 B-100, and customized it to the best of his abilities with a modest budget of $4,000. The van featured a pink exterior with a black vinyl roof, incorporating numerous styling cues characteristic of that era.
He attended the Van Nationals in Lone Oak, Texas where he met an “out there” pinstriper who was very skilled and offered to do artwork on the van. Ken found a Pink Panther and a brochure for a chainsaw and away the guy went. Two days later, the van reappeared as “Buzz Saw”, with an image of the Pink Panther wielding a chainsaw. The van, regrettably, was detested by his ex-wife, which led to its sale in the early 1990s.
As time marched on, Ken’s thoughts often returned to Buzz Saw. His search led him to the van’s final resting place, which, to his dismay, was in a wrecking yard past the point of being restored.
Thus, Ken embarked on the construction of a new Buzz Saw. The challenge lay in sourcing a rust-free van as a starting point so he turned his search to warmer climates and successfully located a 1976 B-200 van in California. In 2019, the van was acquired and brought home to Cambridge, Ontario where he got to work.
The most striking feature is the dramatically chopped 14-inch roof at the front windshield. This necessitated several significant alterations, such as chopping the driver and passenger doors to ensure they functioned properly and matched the door openings. Consequently, the side doors also had to be chopped to align with the new roofline. Furthermore, all door handles were eliminated. The roof was shifted forward to align with the A pillars, resulting in the C pillar being trimmed and angled forward by 6 inches.
To accommodate the modifications, the roof was widened. Ken skillfully crafted a 44”x100” opening to add sheet metal and installed a custom sliding ragtop sunroof, echoing the classic 1960s VW van design, obtained from Legacy Products. While the rear bumper retained its original form, it was enhanced with six round taillights that light up sequentially. Ken also added a 1970 Challenger fuel filler cap.
Creating the front windshield posed a significant challenge for Ken, requiring immense patience as he endeavored to craft a curved, custom-cut piece. The task proved to be anything but simple. After two glass shops failed him and eight windshields were shattered, Ken turned to a local machine shop. There, the ninth windshield was successfully cut with a water jet machine and then secured with urethane. Reflecting on the ordeal, Ken remarked, “My son, Zack, and I often laugh, dubbing it the ‘three-thousand-dollar glass.'”
The van initially had barn-style rear doors, but it was possible to request a single-piece door directly from the manufacturer. Ken sourced such a door and modified it to open in a gull-wing fashion. The hood louvers, fiberglass wheel flares, and chin spoiler were seamlessly integrated into the van’s bodywork for a flawless appearance.
The color itself tells its own story. Ken, a Mopar enthusiast, chose not to use Chrysler’s FM3 Panther Pink. Instead, he searched the internet and found fluorescent house paint, which he brought to the body shop for matching. The resulting color was dubbed ‘Revving Pink.’ The van was treated to four layers of this pink and eight layers of clear coat, wet sanded between each layer, with a final buffing and polishing. The finishing touch was Rollie Guertin’s recreation of the ‘Buzz Saw’ lettering, featuring the Pink Panther with a chainsaw.
Under the hood, the worn-out 318 engine was swapped out for a 440. Ken rebuilt the engine himself, which has been upgraded with a FiTech EFI, an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold and Hooker headers that flow into Patriot chrome side pipes. Visible through the doghouse’s custom transparent windows, the engine showcases Edelbrock valve covers that have been refinished with a radical paint job. Under the hood lies a Pink Panther lunch box, which, upon honking the horn, plays the theme of the Pink Panther.
The van has a 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission connected to the stock 8 1/4 rear end with 3.55 gears and a Sure Grip differential. The van has 1990s Dakota spindles which dropped the front a few inches giving it an incredible rake. The back axle was flipped, with Firestone airbags on all four corners. Viair compressors feed the air bags.
Ken embraced a classic style with the Cragar SS mags, opting for 15×10 in the rear with 295/50R15 Mickey Thompson tires and 15×7 in the front with 235/60R15s. When the van is lowered the spoiler is only 3 inches from the ground. The custom front grill was crafted from an electrical conduit purchased at Home Depot, welded together, and then sent out for chrome plating.
The dashboard features a Dakota Digital three-gauge cluster designed for a 1971–1973 Ford Mustang. A billet steering wheel helps to keep the van on the straight and narrow. Naturally, when cruising in such an awesome vehicle, tunes are a must. Ken installed a top-notch sound system with speakers throughout. The amplifier is tucked behind the rear door and the van is equipped with backup cameras and GPS navigation, all accessible via a touchscreen, simplifying the driving experience.
The rest of the interior transports you to a different time, with leather diamond upholstery meticulously created by Brian Makcrow at Fatt Ratt Upholstery located in Goderich, Ontario. Brian skillfully crafted the seats, door panels, console, headliner and other various trim. Ken acquired some shag carpeting and white “Yeti” fur to finish off the custom interior.
The van was finished in July 2021 and has since made notable appearances, including at the 2023 Motorama show in Toronto, where it won best in class. Following that, it has been on display in Kitchener, Ontario, to help raise cancer awareness and additionally, at the Detroit Autorama, Hagerty Insurance selected it as one of the top ten vehicles.
