A late model conversion van. Photo’s from wikipedia.org

To be considered a conversion van – a real conversion van – the builder must start with a full-sized cargo van and Chevrolet had just the right chassis to work with. The G15 and G20 Chevy vans were sent to third-party companies where they were outfitted with just about anything imaginable for road trips.

Hitting their full stride in the late 70s and early 80s, conversion vans often had colorful murals painted on the sides and back of the van’s body. The days of drapes drawn over the windows and a simple bumper sticker proclaiming “If this van is a rocking… don’t come knocking,” gave way to a classier mode of transport.

These mighty vehicles existed way before SUVs became popular with the yuppie crowd. These cruisers generally had more cubic-inch of free space than anything else and could be adorned with nice cushy seats, overhead lighting, a TV and game system with shelving and speakers to boot. Most had nice carpet with a bed in the back. Some even had a refrigerator to keep your drinks cold.

Converted 2009 GMC Savana.

It didn’t take long before luxurious interiors with wood trim and luxury lighting began to appear in conversion vans as families and retirees started using them for road trips and camping. With popularity came the government’s legislative eye seeking to exert some degree of control on the van conversion industry, demanding that certain safety guidelines be adhered to.

Electronic technology started becoming smaller and less expensive meaning that many automobiles now have features that were previously exclusive to conversion vans. Add to that a rising price of gasoline which lead more people away from these large cargo vans, whose V8 engines and poor aerodynamics resulted in poor gas mileage.

Conversion van sales dropped and have continued to plummet as evidenced from 181,000 sold in 1994 to less than 23,000 in 2004. These once mighty creatures have found themselves niched out of existence.