Full-size vans aren’t cool these days. Something like 99.9994 percent of all new Chevrolet Express, Ford Transit, and Ram ProMasters are sold to businesses or fleets for the thankless job of hauling stuff or mobs of people from point to point. Nobody buys vans for personal use anymore. But back in the 1970s, vans were the psychedelic alternative to muscle cars, boxy sedans, and fuel-sipping imports. Guys even modded their rigs performance parts, side pipes, Cragar wheels, and custom paint jobs. Oh… those custom, air-brushed paint jobs.

Even Mr. T of the A-Team drove a muscle van. You can’t argue with Mr. T!

The thing is, I’ve always admired the muscle van, but the stereotypes surrounding van ownership just isn’t appealing – well, except for Mr. T, of course. Still, it’s just a cool and different class of vehicle. Add in the practicality of being able to haul stuff or people around, and the appeal grows even stronger. And it’s not like they handle much worse than muscle cars of that era, anyway. Thankfully, Hot Rod Garage saw the beauty within a Chevy van. The only problem, the Chevy G10 van wasn’t the right year. By the mid-1980s, the Chevy van had taken on a new, more straight-laced persona with a new grille, bumper, and larger side mirrors. But rather than dumping this otherwise clean van, the guys swapped those parts for ones from the right era. They also swapped in some suspension and brake upgrades, the necessary side pipes, retro graphics, and of course, a bubble window in the walls.

The result is nothing short of amazing. Check the video then tell us if you think muscle vans should make a comeback.