Wild Cherry 1975 Chevy Van. Rescued. The Story.

Wild Cherry at the Van Nationals.
Chris Carter tells the story on his adventure to resurrect this 1975 Chevy Van found abandoned in the desert. This van made its debut in the 1979 movie called Van Nuys Boulevard. A rescue of love. Filmed at the 46th Van Nationals. rensselaer,In. by John Koterba, VansOnVideo.

[@bobbybeaver5029]

70's vans are the coolest!!!!!!!

[@jaylongton]

I grew up in the 60's and 70's as a kid and can remember the van craze like it was yesterday. Great times in America!

[@frankmcgrath5539]

My ex wife destroyed the van that I worked so hard to build. She used it to screw her boyfriend. She got what she deserved.

[@RedfishInc]

Sex, drugs, and rock n roll.

[@monmixer]

oh yea , 70's and 80's for me and I had a couple of nice ones. they are very comfortable and it wasn't hard to get chicks to come in. all you needed was a rolling apt, weed and a few bucks if you wanted something to drink or eat.

[@tbray02]

The van life is strong right now it has just morphed

[@aaroncarricato7997]

Great job brother .... seeing those vans takes me back to a much much simpler time . Thanks for the memories ...

[@Michiganderman71]

A real piece of American muscle when a van was a van all steel no plastic half of cars today are made of plastic give me a classic any day

[@al-mj4kp]

Very cool. I bought a new '75 van and customized it back in the day. Those were good times.

[@ChrisBrown-fs6kl]

Amazing heartwarming story! Thanks for the hit of nostalgia!

[@chrisneverforget9117]

I have had many "hotel on wheels". We had some very nice party vans. Amazing memories. This van is awesome.

[@mendozaconsultation]

Beautiful...great job.

[@brianrussell1565]

Now we need the Re-rescue video

[@BillSmith-ku1tp]

that is kool brother I'm 62 you know we had fun back in the day s

[@TC-eo5eb]

We need more feel good stories like this. Class of 1976.

[@stlpinstriping7772]

It was so cool doing the lettering and pinstriping on this van. Watching Chris resurrect it step by step was absolutely inspiring.

[@shieldsjohnjr]

Those doors are works of art. They had me fooled.

[@dennislafond394]

Man, That brings back lot's of memories, of cruising in my "77 Ford Van. First new car i ever bought. I was 18 drove it home and my parents were MAD ! I bought a "Sin Bin". LOL

[@kenmunoz8517]

Dennis Lafond That’s a great story buddy... I’m sure that was worth every minute of being chewed out for a lifetime of memories!

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

WTF is a "Sin Bin"? Like we needed vans for that... But it sure made it easier and was cheaper...

[@ryanweveryday1352]

Dennis Lafond a sin bin!! Hahahaha

[@jayallen408]

Master Chief 00117 no buddy Vans just made it easier

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

I loved my van... and loved always having someplace to get laid just a few feet away... I think indeed another van.

[@WildCherryVan]

Thank you for doing the video. the van will be rebuilt again. And cruised everywhere. Long live wild cherry

[@randymarsh5088]

Any updates ? Hope all is well .

[@tommymcdonnelljr1582]

I have to give you props brother for saving that van that was the year I was born 1975 I love it

[@joevrabel7374]

Ahh to go back and relive my vanning days. A 1976 B150 Dodge Tradesman, Green and all decked out. A member of the Tricky Truckers Bridgewater, NJ Van club.

[@douglascampbell3008]

That’s a sweet Chevy!

[@bookrokodil]

He ended up going to jail because the actual owners who abandoned it in the desert said he stole it and wanted the van back after he restored it. Pretty sad

[@robjones6689]

I grew up in st louis mo. Back in the 70s and 80s my folks used be members of St louis Trucking Association, I remember going to a lot of weekend van party's. I always had a blast!

[@SupercarGarageUSA]

One of my fave vans, thumbs up!

[@premiumblue1637]

A true gem! Glad you saved this classic piece of history! The van clubs meets back in the late 70's were huge and owners were so creative with interiors it was amazing!

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

LOL @ all the comments saying he "saved the van" when he absolutely DESTROYED IT!!!!

[@Red-rl1xx]

That's super awesome! Gorgeous van! Great story!✌

[@hellojuneau8917]

Beautifully restored! Chevys are just so groovy.

[@deanware6063]

Great story, well done Chris and good luck

[@artdurden2621]

We were members of (Brotherhood of Vans) from Fairfield California. Boy this brings back very good Memories.

[@elterrible2007]

I grew up in Fairfield!!

[@masterchief586]

What a great restoration of an icon. My uncle drove a '32 5 window in that movie cruise. Very cool brother.

[@sunspiral79]

32..Now theres the icon of american hot rod

[@joshandthejam7806]

This guy is my hero. Amazing job in such a short amount of time. Truly inspiring.

[@footballgeorgiebest]

Good on you man for bringing this amazing van back to life. 👍🏻

[@terrylikens3183]

That's what the American dream is all about. Thank you for sharing it. Keep up the great restoration work.

[@jscarnucci2636]

Except now he is being extradited to California and charged with felony theft for taking the van off private property

[@strietermarinesurvey1415]

Great job love the retro look! Thanks for sharing! Had that same carpet in one of my parents house bedrooms and in our 77 Chevy blazer that was left over!

[@daveryan9338]

Sweet Chevy Shorty Van Man!!! My Dad has a BadAss 77 Chevy Shorty Van!!! So im A Big Van Fan!!!

[@r.j.s.kierkels2218]

Hello Chris, thank you for introducing your lovely, LOVELY Van. It inspired me to choose the only right size rims and tires for my own G20 Chevy Van. So thank you for that. Keep on truckin'!

[@pirruripirruri4731]

Sweet 🍒👌my dad had a 78 chevy van baby blue color sound system bed in the back i remember sleeping on it on long trips Good memories

[@josephcivita1450]

Wild Cherry was also a band back in the 70s. Thier big hit was "Play That Funky Music"

[@rickyaeger5862]

Wild Cherry !! In the 60s and 70s if something is desirable. It is CHERRY !! That van Is Cherry !! The Color .The pinstriping. The wheels. The bf Goodrich tires. The gold leafing. The stereo and lighting. Thanks for sharing the pictures and story. If it's Cherry. It's Cool.

[@patrickseals5746]

Looks great. I like the doors on the gas struts. Great job on the paint.

[@daved3948]

Wow! Brings back memories of my dad and uncles custom tradesman vans. Beautiful restoration 👌

[@liamcollier2]

Beautiful, amazing work done in such a short time.

[@madmax2099a]

Nice job! Great amount of love there.

[@edwardbarnes8499]

Chris you really did a great job on Wild Cherry Thanks for sharing it with us .

[@BelindaTOV]

Shes beautiful!

[@flathead59]

Very cool , love that era

[@omcasanova]

Stumbled on this gem of a video, really cool history, restoration work. 👍

[@veeeight1976]

Saw movie as a teenager, loved it. Thank you for your effort in bringing this van back to life.

[@shakesrattlesandrolls8064]

Beautiful van! Great video.

[@oldskoolbassvan9809]

super awesome van and amazing history

[@derrickevans3016]

Thank you for restoring!

[@vincevides637]

I grew up in Van Nuys, I live two blocks from the mid point and hung out at Bobs Big Boy and i sat as a kid every Wednesday night glazing at all the rides, dreaming of one day cruising myself!! This is great stuff

[@phillipbradford6976]

Excellent video and journey!

[@IDCrisisDesign_dot_com]

Great job with that resto!

[@deedler5687]

This is what it means to be a hot rodder ~ making dreams real through perseverance. Glad that in this case the stories of cruising in this beast didn't die. Hell yeah

[@clintkasinger2342]

I just love this video. You did an awesome job. Love the pics in desert. Wow

[@davidtribuna5083]

awsum job and thanks for saving a little piece of history...after seeing this its time to get a van again...miss the good times

[@robertrockwell7581]

cool van and story. thank you for saving it.

[@James-js3fg]

Great story and great channel. Thank you

[@bluesharp59]

Cool story and Nice Van. Thumbs Up for you also.

[@samualwhittemore228]

Good call on the flares! Great resto Bro!!

[@blaing3354]

I was following this on NSAbook for some time before i logged off for the last time, glad to see the van got done. A real inspiration to get started on my 77.

[@satanas666reyna3]

Very beautiful van love it 😍

[@robertalexander7661]

KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!!!!

[@robertpradella6550]

I miss these days of vanning.I still love seeing them.There aren't many here. I love your van!

[@rudyflores9395]

History my brother that's what you have brought to life awesome work.

[@ronwasser4852]

Very cool. Hope I get to see it sometime. I’m south of you down in Collinsville / Caseyville area.

[@HumbleVoyager]

An amazing story and van.

[@shieldsjohnjr]

I was looking forward to seeing Wild Cherry finished and it came out perfect. Great job. It would be cool to see the flares painted but they look just as cool as original. I hope I get to see it in person some day.

[@VwRosstorations]

Great van, great resurrection...nice one

[@aquaticamigo6439]

Wow what a great story of this van .. super dope

[@michaelverwers882]

Great job - lots n lots of man hours ! Labor of love !

[@davesrvchannel4717]

great job!!

[@edwardrozanski9041]

Awesome job

[@Robert8455]

Now this is a very cool story. Hats off to you Chris for your efforts. You now have a bad ass time capsule to cruise in. I love the van craze and always dreamed of having a 79 Ford "Good Times Machine" but I still love the Chevys and Dodge vans too. Today these are hard to find that are not all rusted out. Love the Let's Boogie floor mats too - I had those same ones in my 72 Mustang.

[@kuehnel16]

I've seen you Driving around wood river ,up and down 255. Love to have a van like this. 🤟🤟👍. I grew up in Bethalto.

[@Brad772006]

Incredible story, Amazing restoration. Major respect to you man for preserving this piece of history. I live on the East Coast so the van craze wasn't as big over here. Although I still remember being a young kid. Going to a World Of Wheels car show. Saw a full custom van with a waterbed. That stuck with me. I remembered that van more than some of the hot rods. I guess just because of how outrageous it was.

[@tommyjackson6216]

Great story love your dedication thumbs up for keeping it original

[@robt5818]

Thanks for bringing this piece of history back to life!

[@erikbreaman9124]

This and the mid-sixties econolines are my two favs. I actually toured the US in one of these cherry red with slot mags and built 350ci 'back in the day'. I slept in it full time occasionally getting a motel room and working odd jobs. Most I come across now are rotted out bad

[@MS-ou5vd]

I Love my 1994 Chevy Van G10 5.0 . Good video. Mine is back in the making a new engine is going in and then body work and paint.

[@pontiacgrandprix733]

That's some story, love the resurrection part of it, saving it, awesome, enjoy all the love, cause when I'm at a show w my Grand Prix, the adulation gets me high, love when people love my car, by the way love those deep dish Cragers, they make the Van

[@mrclay50]

You gotta love that story and that beautiful Van! Great Job!

[@jesseortega8598]

That's Absolutely Badass Bro! I love your van. Nice Job on Restoring it. I think that van is in a clip of Sniff N The tears Driver's seat!

[@wesharlow6339]

I love it ; as a child my dad had a few of them and always liked riding in them ,and tell my kids someday I will have one ;and hats off to you Chris nice job bringing it back to life!!!

[@ryanweveryday1352]

So awesome Chris! Van looks so kick ass! Glad she got taken back to her former glory. Such a cool story

[@victorcocco6738]

Great video .Thanks!

[@mottern1]

Love it! Well done.

[@thebugman2007]

I’m green with envy! I love it! Great job!

[@joek7413]

Great story, great looking Van! Brings back memories of my 79 chevy "shorty", had the same fiberglass flares except I painted them same as the van, dark metallic jade green. my sun roof was in the front

[@stevebrenner8503]

Sweet, awesome job. Gotta love the Uncles.

[@LoserwinS1]

Even has the fuzzy dice valve stem caps. Absolutely amazing.

[@ricusserfontein1086]

Great video. Glad the van got saved. . So awsum to see this. Love the custom vans.

[@azspeedbuggy]

cool video...great job on the van Chris Carter...hope all works out for all people involved...interesting story for sure...

[@shanebo1979]

That sir, is one beautiful van!

[@donford8651]

Super van! Love your story!

[@KindCreature1]

I think this is the coolest van story I have ever heard!

[@NortonYJunior]

That is absolutely gorgeous

[@bigblocklawyer]

Good for you. Great to see a classic preserved. Born and raised in Riverview Gardens by the Chain of Rocks. I live in Florida now, but cool to hear someone talk about the area. Best of luck.

[@JosephACruz-os2ir]

I love to hear stories like that how you rescued wild Cherry van, i know it's not easy to fine original parts. Just like my self i rescued my grandparents van that was setting in the back yard untouched for 11 to 12 years and i put all new parts in to it and driving 250 miles just to work on it by the year 2015 i drove it home to Tennessee. It only had 16,000 miles on a 1982 Ford van.

[@Broseph_the_Conquerer]

Joseph A. Cruz good thing nothing on it is original and he pretty much cut every corner

[@sunspiral79]

Great story...These vans are really works of art

[@kenstrain4366]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing

[@zhannamariya]

Love the Chevy vans, looks awesome. Chevys are just so groovy. Great job on "Wild Cherry" , beautifully restored 👍 Gorgeous van! Great story😊 Thank you for sharing with us 👍

[@nojnoj3069]

Hi Chris Carter. You have a beautiful van. Thank you for putting your heart and soul into this bus. We love to see cherished vehicles like this. That's a really special ride to have. I wish you many many years of fun together. God bless you sir for all those endless hours of hard work you've poured into 'Wild 🍒 Cherry'.