young whipper snappers wouldn't understand

[Tonz]

dang this is memory lane big time, so many things have changed and not all for the better, life was fun.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-...1970s/10766540

[roKWiz]

Life was fun in the front and the back of a panel van, It wasn't just about driving back then, add the beach, lookout parking with the GF, the van shows, getting away and drive ins. Great times.

The van nationals are still held every year in October to re live some of the 70's and 80's.

[Junkyard-Dog]

I think we would like to understand but the world has changed. Its not our fault that older generations left us with such a bad situation... Just my 2c.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

I think we would like to understand but the world has changed. Its not our fault that older generations left us with such a bad situation... Just my 2c.

The world is what you make of it.

[minheim]

I remember how cool it felt it was going to the beach in the back of a mate's older brother's v8 ute in the 1970s with a few other mates in the back. The wind in your hair and the burble in your ears. Of course now being older and maybe a bit wiser I realise how dangerous it was in reality. The same mate's brother traded the HQ sandman ute in for a later model sandman panel van but sitting in the back of it was no where as good as the ute and the fumes were a killer in the panel van with the back open.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by minheim

and the fumes were a killer in the panel van with the back open.

If you had the windows wound up with the back open, It didn't have the fumes problem.

[paule11]

Good memories coppers pulling you over telling you that your car looks good and sometimes being let of for speeding. Six blokes in the back getting dropped home from drinking early in the morning no seat belts still with money in their pockets not possible now

[superyob]

The 60s, 70s and 80s...

The 90s and beyond...

[roKWiz]

Some more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HSIwKrlry4

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

I think we would like to understand but the world has changed. Its not our fault that older generations left us with such a bad situation... Just my 2c.

We are only in the position to critically assess the efforts of our ancestors BECAUSE of their efforts. The old saying "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants". Without the technical developments that allowed us to automate and mass produce, likely the majority of the population would be still working just to stay alive; literally not figuratively as the term is used in first-world countries. Far more useful would be to remember history and not repeat the mistakes; but we will because every generation thinks what they are doing something new, unique and innovative .. but forget that the common factor is always human behavior involved ... my 2c.

[whitelion65]

Hey OzJavelin, are you saying we should be doing up Tarago's? ;-)


Many of todays young whipper-snappers are there BECAUSE of the times had in teh ol' sin bin!

[jaydee]

I remember those days, (he says with a glint in his eye).

If the vans a rockin don't bother knockin.
Don't laugh, your daughter maybe inside.
Shaggin wagon.

Great clip, thanks.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by whitelion65

Hey OzJavelin, are you saying we should be doing up Tarago's? ;-)


Many of todays young whipper-snappers are there BECAUSE of the times had in teh ol' sin bin!

One of my mates 1st car was an 84 tarago. He put rims on it, an exhaust and a big stereo. No need to lower it but because everywhere he went he had atleast 5 mates in the van. Regardless of who drove it home that van was at every party because it was a 7 seater.

[Sprintey]

Those Aussie vans were still awesome in the 90's - much cheaper too as of their depreciation. So there were a few of them between our mates, used to dig them out of the sand with shovels and planks of timber searching for the next surf spot, camp in them, wake up to great waves. Lying in the back with arms around 2 girls, yeah fun times. In some ways 90's were the peak of it all - older generation were dug in to careers or houses copping 17% interest rates, and everything was still cheap and it was just us around. Music was exploding as the alternative undercurrent punk - and the general disquiet in young people - went mainstream. So what about the recession? Pay your way however you can and chase waves.

Nowadays people are living in their vans, partly because of bubble level real estate and rent prices. I was talking to an Italian chef who was eyeing off the Renault work van "Eh, that's a lotta space in it, I have blown $7000 in rent while I've been working in Australia, I could've bought a van and saved so much!" There's a level of vagrancy and dodging the council inspectors, there's crazy rules like not being able to camp within 50km of a WA caravan park. I know some homeless people and a van would be a step up for them, warmth in winter. I also note tent site prices are way higher too, certainly more so than in 2002 when we did our first big trip. (Remember the 'Free Camping Australia' book anyone?) It's a little more like "The Grapes of Wrath" compared to the freewheelin 70's.

I've seen a dude rig a hammock to sleep in, in the back of his van! The vans themselves are bigger too, they're the Euro full body van and not the Aussie sedan based van, more space, often a Euro diesel and dual clutch - cheaper to run now but wonder how those will age...

Van Lyfe is something different today and yeah the older generation don't see the imbalances that have made this transient lifestyle more of an economic necessity for some rather than hanging out and having fun. There's also a parallel in the small house movement. So yep, the young whippersnappers don't understand.

My vote for all time van is XG or XH with column shift and bench seat. ftw

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

The world is what you make of it.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that. Life may be what one makes of it but the world is not.

Perception is one thing - reality is another.

[.:4:.]

I will leave it at this and not go further, young people as apprentices now have rights and stuff, when i was an apprentice the only right i had was the right to do what my tradesman told me to do. You learn a lot faster not to mess up when you know if you do stuff up a set if pliers will be sent thrown across the room and probably get you in the side of the knee. But now young blokes have the option not to learn. I cant get angry at apprentices, that's not allowed. I can show disappointment but it cannot be agressive but has to be sympathetic. Yes that was a basic task, its not correct, but let me fix that for you.. In my day if something wasnt quite perfectly level id cop 'your an f ing retart sort it out' followed by ' how would you like a ride in an ambulance'. So yeah i learnt not to make mistakes. But now everything is so pc. People cant be put under preasure if they cannot do their jobs if the incompetant person has it on record they arent confident to perform the task they get employed to do. Thats a massive hang up for my work at the moment. They have to be too sympathetic. Back when my time was done i was told just f ing do it. Lack of confidence went out the window and i learnt a lot in a short time because my 1st uear playing tradeaman (i was a 4th year in a van) taught me a stupid amount. The treatment made me learn a load fast. Yes it wasnt wonderful at the times of failure, but those points made me grow from that and create the solutions machine i like to think of myself now.

[arronm]

75 - 85. The golden years. HZ sandman for me. Had it for 3 years.

[Pilko FNQ]

I can relate to that as a fitter and turner apprentice 90 - 94 but appreciate it looking back now. They were very different times however some of the kids I have helped that I see coming through today ask about how it was and say would love to have that unsanitized experience.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Pilko FNQ

I can relate to that as a fitter and turner apprentice 90 - 94 but appreciate it looking back now. They were very different times however some of the kids I have helped that I see coming through today ask about how it was and say would love to have that unsanitized experience.

They say that, but young people get offended easy these days. And they, as apprentices, have case workers and such from the apprenticeship people who people like myself didnt have who can action things against companies and persons. I took a punt getting into a trade knowing my own ability even though it wasnt my chosen direction. It was only bad if i wasnt didnt learn what was taught, but i was a fast learner so i got it easy compared to a few mates who are a bit dim. There are a a lot of little things you pick up to do with quality workmanship over the years. A good job is a good job, but a next level quality job, theres self satisfaction in that. It doesnt have to take an age longer to do it or even charge more for the top notch work. Its the little things like a job i did today where i counter sunk the screws in an aluminium extrusion. The young bloke i was working with had never seen a counter sink bit. So all that says to me is no other bloke i work with has any attention to detail. Turned out to be a really clean install that i was really happy with for 4.75m of ally extrusion diffused and 24v 4k leds fitted. Now the bloke i was working with has done this style of job before. Being under bench lighting even a **** job looks good. But i quoted the job, didnt put any extra time on the job, but it was for a good client. So i schooled the young fella on how to make something nobody will notice a full on 100% install. Yeah i did the cuts bacause i know i can cut straight with a hacksaw, same reason as i mark my own cuts with a setsquare. Yes i did ask the question are you retarded a few times (im allowed to do that, its a question not an insult) but i did some schooling and a got a next level result out of that job.

[SpoolMan]

My sisters boy friend had a XA panel van in 1977 had 4 side pipes either side.
I guess my parents knew where she always was lol.

[mike_nofx]

At 33, I’m kind of on the very tail end of the good days of enjoying cars. At 17-20 I was still driving cars like my LX Torana turbo 202, and had mates with Gemini’s, Datsuns, VB-VL commodores and we’d still go for cruises down to the beach. A bit of a stretch from the panelvan days, I know. But still better than today’s car culture I feel.

And my generation being on the cusp of today’s new generation of male drivers who have Priuses and Hyundai’s to drive down to the local hipster cafe to buy a soy latte and sit there offended by everything, I ask... who raised these Nancy boys?
The generation who raised them is as accountable as the generation of the offended.

[roKWiz]

My experiences from the late 70s, early 80s with cars...As a 15 year old, coming straight from school and entering the workforce as an apprentice in 1978 was one scary time for me.
Agree with 4 in that you were told to shut up and do your f**ing work as we were the last rung in the food chain and treated as such. Being an app. (Dept. Public Works) Stonemason I often wondered at the time whether this was what being a convict was like. 1st year pay was all of $56 a week. Growing up around my in laws owning HQ-HZ Holden wagons, utes and panel vans it seemed like the obvious vehicle for me to buy and a year later I acquired my first.
My first car I bought off my old man when his lease finished on it, a year old 77 HZ Holden station wagon. I bought it from my new found wealth (not) working. Owned it for 9 months before I had a licence. The wagon was great as it carried my bicycle everywhere with me and I regularly travelled weekends and crash in the back usually on the beach somewhere.
After I did my time (as a convict) It was time to earn big money which didn't exist in the building game back then so I sold my wagon and bought my first van, 77 HX my plan was to go and chase the money in the courier industry. It wasn't always the big paying industry they have you believe but being a stupid 19 year old I was living my dream of owner driver self employed and had the van I dreamed of.
The HX was the fastest, spotless van in the fleet and I gained a good reputation with a lot of the big companies I contracted to being personally asked to do their courier work.
At the time I thought it was the bees knees with a rare (at the time) Supra 5 speed conversion mated to the reliable 208 with triple SU's.

This is the van that really started it all for me in vanning with several incarnation rebuilds of it along with a couple of HJ vans, a HZ Sandman and the last Holden for me a WB Belmont van.

The stories I could tell just on the courier industry would frighten any boy racer of today.





Today being a contract Stonemason I'm happy still travelling and re living some of the vanning days with the XF even though it's still a work vehicle.
People I meet along the way always have a shagging wagon story they want to share when they see this van.

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

A
And my generation being on the cusp of today’s new generation of male drivers who have Priuses and Hyundai’s to drive down to the local hipster cafe to buy a soy latte and sit there offended by everything, I ask... who raised these Nancy boys?
The generation who raised them is as accountable as the generation of the offended.

Couldn't agree more with this sentiment..

[.:4:.]

So in this instance as a parent i would not think my kid is a girly man. Last year he got tripped playing soccer and said his wrist hurt but refused to leave the field and played out the second half. Turns out he had fractured his wrist when after the game he asked to get it checked out. Had he left the field and got it checked out that would be fine in my book as he had actually done damage, but he wanted to be a team player and played his wrist down until the game was over. Thats a bit odd for a 9 year old these days. Had me or the ex wife told him to stay out, thats child abuse, but he didnt say it was bad until after the game. I had to have the reverse conversation with him saying if you are hurt properly speak up. 8 weeks in a brace he copped.

[FG50T]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

At 33, I’m kind of on the very tail end of the good days of enjoying cars. At 17-20 I was still driving cars like my LX Torana turbo 202, and had mates with Gemini’s, Datsuns, VB-VL commodores and we’d still go for cruises down to the beach. A bit of a stretch from the panelvan days, I know. But still better than today’s car culture I feel.

And my generation being on the cusp of today’s new generation of male drivers who have Priuses and Hyundai’s to drive down to the local hipster cafe to buy a soy latte and sit there offended by everything, I ask... who raised these Nancy boys?
The generation who raised them is as accountable as the generation of the offended.

The problem with todays society you're all too damn judgemental. I live in the inner city, sip my soy latters, drive my eco box, frequent vegan restaurants and ride my bike in lycra. I also have 2 cars in the garage with over 400 cubes each and both with over 650hp each and I can comfortably do a skid in top gear whilst holding my vegan burger. If people cared LESS about what people used as their mode of transport or what they put in THEIR mouths the world would be better off.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

dang this is memory lane big time, so many things have changed and not all for the better, life was fun.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-...1970s/10766540

Looking a little closer at the video posted you can see the line up of vans heading up Epping Rd from the Macquarie Park dip (as I called it) funny enough just south of here was a pedestrian crossing (yes across 8 lanes of 80km/h Epping Rd) where I had a police car ram me at high speed across said crossing. Narrowly missing a school girl. Wasn't a pretty sight for the Police when their XE HWP car literally fell apart when it hit the full wagon bumper on my van.
After this I renamed this HJ van "Battletruck" after the movie.

At 0.38 secs they top the hill and travel past the old El Rancho (the Ranch now) heading for Marsfield. Great clip thanks for posting. Tonz

[Sprintey]

Mr .:4:. heard of Gen Y apprentice was left in a farm tank for an afternoon by his workmates, very lucky the water wasn't overhead deep. And this is only a few years ago!

Mike_Nofx, the young one has FG XR6 here and of all mates tends to get the most favourable comments for the car. He knows the history, knows to keep it low k and original, learnt to drive in manual V8. I did suggest Subies for the AWD for the snow, and I'm so glad he got the Falcon, he says he is lucky being the last of the generations to be able to buy near-new Aussie cars you could describe as being drivers cars in a family sedan. Plus it has best safety for that time of any car on sale. There are quite a few petrol heads amongst them, XH XR6, BA in the mix as well as Commodore utes, Hiluxes, etc.

FG50T agree completely with your sentiment, just go easy on the Soy as it's not kind to the size and condition of the old fella and his 2 mates...

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by FG50T

The problem with todays society you're all too damn judgemental. I live in the inner city, sip my soy latters, drive my eco box, frequent vegan restaurants and ride my bike in lycra. I also have 2 cars in the garage with over 400 cubes each and both with over 650hp each and I can comfortably do a skid in top gear whilst holding my vegan burger. If people cared LESS about what people used as their mode of transport or what they put in THEIR mouths the world would be better off.

The eco boxes are really no different to the Geminis, Escorts and Datsuns of back then but apparently they are all classics now and acceptable.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Mr .:4:. heard of Gen Y apprentice was left in a farm tank for an afternoon by his workmates, very lucky the water wasn't overhead deep. And this is only a few years ago!

...

That kind of crosses the line when it comes to the treatment when a person is at the bottom of the ladder. Good thing the bloke got out alright, but its kind of like the saying its only funny until someone gets hurt. Yeah, all but 1 found it funny.
My angle isnt towards the simply being an a hole to the young blokes, its a stance of if you stuff up dont come back until you sort it out. Thats the thing, i dont like but i see it in my own kids attitude, young persons arent scared of failure. Personally failure terrifies me. Especcially if im getting paid for the final result. Provided its something within my job description, if i cannot do it, to me that states i cannot do my job.

[Franco Cozzo]

My 'panel van' was cooler than yours:



There was blood under the stretcher when I removed it, I wonder how many people died in the back of it?