Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126243
• "'CI I van I"u. ••• 1977 Chevy Van Test: Trick stuff and high performance doesn't stop at two wheels ~ By Chu ck Clayton ~ If you are shopping for performance In the g four-wheel market these days , you go to the ~ truck department of your hungry local new car -, dealer. Like Arrow Chevrolet in Los Angeles. This CG21305 Chevy Van with 125" wheelbase is a demonstrator cr eated by Truck Division Manager Fulton Tidwell . Jr. to show Cycle News readers what they can order up. complete. in the way of new vans with optional equipment offered by Arrow Chevrolet. An intermediate racer who likes to run the Saturday MX at Saddleback on his 250 Ossa . Tidwell works closely with a leading custom van interior installer and painter in Los Angeles to provide customers with just about any custom interior. paint. and factory or non-factory options they want . rul es. O ur test va n burns any kind of gasoline a nd its bumper s will give as goo d as th ey get in a crash . Detroit has taken to using thinner guage stee l in van bodi es th ese past few years. so you have to pan el th e int eri or s to escape t hat feeling of riding in a sa lti ne can nis te r. Fender flares a re fibe rglass a nd break easily (the re are no Pr eston Pettys in th e va n game) . But under th at flexi ble shee t metal lurks a 400 cubic in ch . fou rbarrel. unencumbered . pass·without prayer engine that harkens b ack to th e good old days when cars were ca rs. not ve hic u la r appliances. T he fa ct o ry Rectangular headlights are from Arrow Chevrolet. Paint. awning, tires. fender flares all add to the custom look - and price. 16 rates the horsepower of this particul ar engine as " 175 at 3.600 R PM" but these a re not the horses pappy knew in his youth. The torque tells a mo re fa m iliar ' ta le ; 290 foot- pounds at 2.800. Elect ron ic ignition fires t he beast (no poi nts or co ndensor) a nd th e whole rig weigh ing out at j ust under two ton s. delivers eleven miles per gallon . inside the Arrow van . it is bl ue heav en . Button-tufted vinyl in a faded denim texture and pattern soft en th e noi ses of the rude world ou tsidc. Revolving. recl ining a rms ha irs clasp the passengers with grea t ease under adm itt ed short comings of the factory Delco ite ms . Our van sports Audiovox radios a nd a Craig ca sette snugged into th e ove rhea d con sole. Driving " Blue Velvet ," as we ca me to call th is van . is a plea sure not unalloyed with some conce rn over th e steering a nd suspe nsion. The vehicle a tenden cy to oversteer , especia lly with a bik e in ba ck a nd no pa ssenger s. The rear end wants to come around past th e front in tight turns. but this tendency is easily corrected with th e 16" custom steering wheel. Ther e is a slight hobby-horse sensation when driving on old freeways . indicating th at the heav y-duty factory shocks ma y not be the best opt ion on the 125" wheelbase . Here aga in. Arrow will work with the customer who wou ld rather sta rt right o ff with Kon is or Bilsteins. All custom van conversions. in fact all stock new vehicles have bugs. T idwell ha s worked ou t most of the gl itches in his d emonstrator and promises to warrant y customers' vans for a yea r . • Plush interior is easy to clean. Prices range from $8 .000 to as high as $11 .000 for the package eval u a ted in these pages. Bu t T id well emph asizes that a t trade-in time a professionally customized interior like this will fetch back from one-third to one-half of the cost of ex tras . whereas a homebuil t van in terior. like a home-made dirt bike. is worthless to the dealer. What you get for $11.000 Compared to anemic . overpri ced. idi ot -proofed and emi ssion- controlled new cars. 1977 vans a nd pickups are fire-breathing hotrods. Trucks over one-quarter ton capa city are exempt from some of the safety and emission th e b lue vel vet roo f. wh ile four ste reo spea kers envelop you in tape ~ r ra dio sounds. There arc cabinets. closets. ice bo x -even a kitch en sink with a pump fau cet that never loses its prime. Blu e ve lve t c u rta ins s h a de th e windows. This van is set up to ca rry on e bik e inside. out of th e way of everyth ing. With th e scooter rem oved . the rear section makes into a nice br eakfast nook . or a triple-bed . depending on you r mood . There are three -b ike interiors available . Be ing a bi ker him self. Fulton Tidwell c hose an interior for his demo van that wou ld shed th e grease and gri me t hat inevitably accompan ies off road eq u ipment. The viny l walls and ca bi ne ts wipe clean and th e nylon tufted blue carpet yields to a qui ck shampoo. Variou s nook s and crannies have been turned into cu b by ho le cabinets for easy stowage of tools . cans and riding gear. Arrow is still expe ri me nt ing with radio equ ipment from a va riety of sou rces, trying to improve on th e Passenger seats swivel.