From toy to the real McCoy
A local Hot Wheels collector approached me to build a van in the spirit of the redline Hot Wheels Super Van. Like so many of us, his love for cars started with a $0.97 die-cast at a young age. As an adult, he wanted to have a life-sized one.
That’s where I came in. With a toy van in my hand – and an actual van in front of me – the wheels were set in motion to build one of the coolest rides you’ll ever see.
End to end in 6 months
The ’78 Chevy was the perfect candidate to bring the iconic Super Van to life.
With the right paint, stance and wheels – it would be easy to nail the look of a life sized Hot Wheel.
The project took about 6 months to complete from start to finish.
The build
We started the project by dissembling and sand blasting the entire vehicle – proper surface prep is so important. For the best results, do not paint over old paint work and body repairs.
Then we started on general body and some rust repair. We needed very little because this van was in excellent shape for its age. We:
- Split and widened rear wheel tubs to make room for the wider rear tires.
- Notched the rear frame rails and welded half of a Harley Davidson gas tank into the floor – allowing for rear axle clearance.
- Lowered the rear axle about 6 inches and used new front control arms, springs and spindles to lower the front.
- Refinished the body, inside and out, with gloss black and added exterior flame graphics.
The chrome 5 spoke wheels are 18” diameter in the front and 20” diameter in the rear, wrapped in redline tires, to achieve that iconic Hot Wheels look that we all remember.
3 takeaways from the build
- When I first built this, I knew it would get attention – but I had no idea just how much. It’s been almost 10 years since the van was finished and it still gets re-posted and shared all over the world.
- When you decide to build an iconic vehicle that is well known in pop culture, make sure you get the details right! Don’t build a Starsky and Hutch Torino out of a Ford Maverick. Do your research and study the vehicle that you plan to replicate.
- Be realistic in the expectations of your build. Sometimes toys or movie vehicles don’t carry over to a car that is truly meant to be driven. But don’t worry – have fun with the build! You want to make sure your project is ready to hit the road and Get Out N Drive!
About Get Out N Drive
Two automotive superstars with 60 years of restoration experience behind them sharing their sage wisdom about cars. The things you want to know. The things you DON’T want to know. And more.
They are John and Shawn – and they’re on a mission to enlighten the next generation of Petrolheads.
For the next episode of John and Shawn’s Restoration Corner, we’ll explore their restoration mastery with a 1965 Chevelle. Stay tuned!
Check out their page to find out more!
