Vanning.com logo
Boxdin
Site Navigation


Advertisements
Recent Posts
Crazy mods
by Wedgy - March 28th 2024 7:24 am
Good day
by SDMickey - March 27th 2024 10:55 pm
Lew Greger
by MufflerMan Mike - March 27th 2024 5:15 pm
1987 G20 Gypsy
by SDMickey - March 25th 2024 9:39 pm
Featured Links


Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 1 of 27 1 2 3 26 27
Reunited after 17 Years
#715929 October 24th 2016 3:21 pm
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 294
Likes: 6
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 294
Likes: 6
I recently found my Grandpa's old 1995 Chevy G20 5.7L Gladiator van sitting on a used car overflow lot by doing a vin search.

My Grandpa surprised me with it one day after Kindergarten in 1996 and I fell in love with it. After he passed away in 1999, we traded it in. Of all our past family cars, it's one I feel the most nostalgia for.

It looks almost just like how I remember it, although the TV/VHS I loved as a kid is gone but that makes sense now that everything is digital. The body has a couple rust spots mainly under the window moldings but I think it still looks pretty sharp and better than I thought it might look and it surprisingly only has 124K miles on it.

I really wish we could buy it back but we just have no room for it at the moment. It was nice to see it though and I'm surprised it was in one piece, as it seems almost every other family car we've sold has ended up totaled.


The day he bought it in 1996, I was 5.

[Linked Image]


I've always loved the front end style on these vans, still has the deer whistles my grandparents always stuck on their cars on the rubber bumpers.

[Linked Image]

Seats still look nice, looks like some wood trim is missing on the dog house cover:

[Linked Image]


It has the cool lighting fixtures on the ceiling and walls.
[Linked Image]

Somebody did a hit and run on it while it was parked in 1997 but the body shop did a perfect job fixing it all up.

[Linked Image]

The tire cap is missing or maybe inside, funny the Python alarm stickers are still on even though it was taken out right before we traded it in. The emblems are laying inside.

[Linked Image]



1995 Emerald Green Chevy G20 350TBI Gladiator conversion
AdSense long
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715932 October 24th 2016 5:36 pm
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 18,286
Likes: 558
Offline
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 18,286
Likes: 558
Welcome to the site ....

Cool find, hope you make room & get it .


SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO
ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN
ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS
'93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB
'92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715951 October 24th 2016 10:59 pm
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 18,535
Likes: 135
Supreme Master
Offline
Supreme Master
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 18,535
Likes: 135
Welcome from Florida. I really hope you find a way to bring it back home.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Arianrhod:2003 Chevy Astro
Black Magic: 1985 Dodge B-250
Serenity:1985 Chevy G-20
The Outcast:1983 Ford club wagon
Luna 1974 VW bay window transporter
Freedom:1990 Ford E-150(parts van)
Outcast Vanners van club
Support your local 2%
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715953 October 25th 2016 6:47 am
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,696
Likes: 172
Old Timer
Offline
Old Timer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,696
Likes: 172
welcome and good luck getting it back.


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
vanninvanner@comcast.net
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715978 October 25th 2016 3:54 pm
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 68
R
journeyman
Offline
journeyman
R
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 68
How did you do the VIN search? Just Google?


80% of all statistics are made up. - Abraham Lincoln.
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715984 October 25th 2016 6:33 pm
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12,107
Likes: 37
Maniac
Offline
Maniac
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12,107
Likes: 37
A vin number search will vary state by state. SOme states will let you do it by filling out a form, other states won't give you that information at all. There are databses that can be accessed if you pay a fee or are a LEO or licensed investigator, but the average citizen can't access them.

I live in Washington State. I once tried to track down the owner of a 78 Volare RoadRunner that looked like it was abandoned in a field. I called the DMV and asked if they could give me the name of the owner if I gave them the VIN and they wouldn't do it. The best they could do forme was forward a letter to the owner if I gave the letter to the DMV. I did that and never heard back.

Gladiator- that van looks like it is stillin pretty good shape. I hope you can get it. Maybe the dealer will work a deal with you? I doubt they will be able to get much for it but for you it has sentimental value. I bet you could talk them down to a reasonable price.

You were 5 in 1996? Now I feel really old. frown


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715994 October 25th 2016 9:07 pm
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,692
Likes: 32
pooh-bah
Offline
pooh-bah
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,692
Likes: 32
Welcome aboard Gladiator! [Linked Image]

So VERY cool that you were able to find the van. Easy for us to say, but get it NOW if you possibly can. It's still in nice shape, but who knows what the next owner might do to it. I see a lot of low priced old conversion vans bought up by contractors, gutted inside, and beat into the ground as work trucks. You will likely never have another opportunity to get this van.

Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #715995 October 25th 2016 9:09 pm
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 294
Likes: 6
enthusiast
OP Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 294
Likes: 6
Thanks for the welcome guys! smile

Ohio has a free online service where you can pop in the vin/title number and it will tell you some basics of a cars history. For the past several years I've been checking to see if it pops back up, luckily it was just traded in last month so the owner name was the dealers name otherwise it would say private owner.

I really want it back although I seem to be the only one from my family that really cares that I even found it, it's understandable as I spent the most time in it besides my grandparents and my brother was too young to remember it.

Biggest issue being we've got spare cars that my family doesn't plan on getting rid of anytime soon, taking up space. The dealer told me it was going to a dealers only auction, I keep checking to see when it shows up at another dealer.

I almost wanted to ask if I could at least detail it for them as I could see it needed it.

Reed: Yeah it seems like forever ago, but I can still remember the day he brought it home.

My Grandpa also had two 80s Ram Vans (can't find their vin) before this one, I'll have to find some photos of them and post them in the old photos thread sometime.


Last edited by Gladiator; October 25th 2016 9:10 pm.

1995 Emerald Green Chevy G20 350TBI Gladiator conversion
Re: Reunited after 17 Years
Gladiator #716021 October 26th 2016 6:55 am
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
C
addict
Offline
addict
C
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 523
Likes: 1
Don't let it get away! Worst case you have to sell it after you buy it if you cant find storage. Better than it possibly seeing a worse fate at a dealer auction. Once it's gone it's gone ya know?


[Linked Image]
Page 1 of 27 1 2 3 26 27

Moderated by  Astro 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Donate


Upcoming Events
discovery
Who's Online Now
1 members (Wedgy), 20 guests, and 9 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
TheDrunkenGunsmith, Jac, LOVclassics, ZenMuffin, Milkman530
12724 Registered Users
Top Posters (30 Days)
SDMickey 130
CatFish 28
frscke1 28
Wedgy 21
Forum Statistics
Forums68
Topics35,747
Posts537,897
Members12,724
Most Online177
May 8th, 2013

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4