Dajiban? '70s Style Custom??

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

I opened up the radius a bit.   Not as much as the '70s Streetvan, but the body lines on the 3rd Gen B-van are a bit harder than the shorter nose "Mid Dodge" the original Streetvan is based on.


There are some ways to solve it, but after looking at this thing and thinking about it for 4 years, I realized the only way to get it done is to just jump in with whatever I could get my hands on quickly and easily.

They say Perfect is the enemy of Good.

But Shoddy likes to Party.

Oh, and I have a a scheduled garage visit to cheer up an old friend later today, or I would be taping and masking right now.

But tomorrow doesn't look too bad right now.  We'll see how I feel.

You have great taste. I really like the direction you're headed with this thing.

Found this at the local grocery store today. It has a transparent roof so you can see the kart inside  

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

You have great taste. I really like the direction you're headed with this thing.

Thank you.  

I'm not sure how great my taste is, but I do know that I am thankful for anyone who enjoys what I am doing here.

I stress quite a bit (probably too much) over the cosmetic details of these builds, as well as how well those details will work together.  They are ultimately done for me to get an idea out of my head, but if others enjoy them I feel that is the highest compliment I can get, and helps me to clear my head of doubts about whether I am on the right track.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

The Dajiban in 2021's HW Drift series for Hot Wheels.
 

One of Ryu Asada's last designs for Hot Wheels before he passed away from cancer this year at 42.

Which reminds me-

Went to the JY a couple weeks ago.   



Had a bug up my butt that I was going to convert the side and rear windows to popouts.   The windows actually come out really easy and the conversion is simple, as well.   If... your van was originally equipped with windows, and they weren't just hacked in later by the ham fisted mechanics working for the state's motor pool.



Sadly, the DogeVan was originally built without any windows in any of the doors. (aside from the front doors, silly)  It would have made for a better canvas for me if it had stayed that way, but I guess I can't fault the original owners for customizing it for their uses since it meant that they kept it in their fleet for 37 years.

I will keep the windows in case I need them whenever I find a suitable Dajiban. 



But while I was pillaging pitiful parts off decidedly destitute Dodges, I found a topper for the engine cover (doghouse) on a higher optioned van.    It wasn't blue, but it was cheap at $10, and the blue interior in DogeVan had a gray element to it anyway, so it didn't look too out of place.   Besides, I was getting tired of worrying about having my drinks fall over every time I accelerated, decelerated, or took a turn.    The fact that the top flips back to use as a mini table or desk and there is a ton of storage in this are also greatly appreciated bonuses.   It is molded to sit right on top of the existing doghouse, and a bracket takes the place of the ashtray in the doghouse to button it down.

My new-to-me doghouse topper in the DogeVan while still in JY Picker mode.   Note HW Dajiban on dash- given to me by a friend who knows how much I want to find a suitable Dajiban donor to build.


Groovy Green doghouse out of a 1978 B-van from the intrawebs to show what I was working with before.  Note the "cupholders" which are merely suggestions on where you can place your drinks when parked, and end up filled with coins, screws, and whatever else gets tossed into the catch-all that is the top of the doghouse when they slide to the lowest point. 



Compare to this 1997.
 
The Dash and doghouse didn't change for 19 YEARS 

Of course, this makes it easier to find interior parts for the older vans, which is a good thing for me.

You can also see the ashtray assembly that needs to be removed for the doghouse topper in this photo.

In reply to Cooter :

I'm stupefied how any of us survived motoring without functional cupholders. Seriously. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Well, we had these- 

But they were a bit limited, damaged your window cat whiskers, and  would fall off when you rolled the window up or down. 

In reply to Cooter :

You know, somehow I'd totally blacked those out of my memories. In all the Fords I drove back then, the door panels stuck out too far so your drink was at an angle & spilled really easily. 

In reply to Cooter :

It looks like you can still get them on eBay if you want to relive the glory of the 1970's. 
 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

I have one of those in my shower. For shower beer.

In reply to iansane :

That's a truly genius idea!

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Those don't have the flimsy bottoms that eventually break off.

BTW- they never sat level.     
When they did, they usually fell off as it stressed the part that went into the window channel.

This Rustoleum is really getting on my nerves.  Sags, runs, spattering, inconsistent color, no matter how much I shake the can...

Which is a shame, as the color is exactly what I need.

Unmasked.

This thing would looking berkeleying killer with the 70s style paint and dajiban stance/wheels.

Maybe preheating the cans in warm water could help?

Regardless, I'm loving the look. Keep it up.

In reply to ShawneeCreek :

It was 80 degrees when the first can gave me trouble, and it was inside the van.
The second can was just as bad, and it was inside the house at 78 degrees.

Meanwhile, the other two colors (Ace Rust Stop) have been near flawless.


But let's end this post on a high note.   The good thing about insomnia is you can get some cool night photos when no one is on the street.

Love it , there were so many of those vans around in the 70s-80s 

you still see a few with faded  graphics ,

Good job

In reply to californiamilleghia :

I expect this to fade pretty quickly.

In fact, I am kinda counting on it.

The paint is mostly done for the year.   

The covers for the door slider will be painted when I get a chance, and I might finish the graphics over the window if I get a nice day before spring.    

The back will have to wait until next year, however.

Sweet!

Looks awesome! Love it!

I can't believe Hotwheels has a Dajiban, I had no idea that many people knew about it!

Waiting patiently to see more progress on this