Is it possible to make these things cool? I'm unsure!

[BT]

Hello Retro Rides.

My van was written off and i am looking for a replacement, I had a Pick up last year and miss it sorely, but have always liked larger vans. Well i think I may have possibly found a compromise. I currently have one of these in panel van form, much newer but am very happy with it. I've also had other commercials from the same manufacturer and been very happy.

My problem is that I have never seen a cool one in this specific guise. I cannot leave anything standard and I cannot help but have a slight feeling that these could potentially look awesome. I suspect if anyone knows of any cool ones it will be you guys!

This is the vehicle in question.



Now I know that the T4 bus has a cult like following, and i just wanted to know if it was possible for the crew cab pick up to look cool, fun or different.

I have no need to use it as a commercial, it will be used for recreational activities, shooting and fishing along with lugging many engines, wheels and car parts around for my other retros, a work horse as such. I am thinking of fabbing up a bar so that i can run a roof bar at the back of the pick up bed so that i can lug surf boards and kayaks around. So with this i am hoping that i can lower it a decent amount, my only concerns are the rear and the depth of the pick up bed, but i imagine i can turn up some spacers to rise the bed up for wheel clearance. I have some big 19" BBS LM wheels in the shed that would fit. Not looking to break the sound barrier, but comfortably cruise about.

[Ryannn]

Same formula!

[joem83]

Yes, there are a few that have been played with


I always fancied getting one of these and making a custom tray out of the back of a van.

*edit, like this:

[steveo3002]

please no matt black or checkered bonnet

[Deleted]

[ironmighty07]

Everything has potential!

[alolympic]

I'm sure you can make anything cool for yourself. The rest of the world, can either get it or not, I wouldn't worry about it.

[ratchart]

Paneling in the area below the pick up would work wonders I imagine.

[gotwood]

Banded steels and lowering is the perfect formula for a T4 doka , simple to lower too ...

[Porsche]

This one doesn't look half bad.



Or this one...

[mikeymk]

A lot of people on Retro Rides seem to be missing something blatantly obvious to me.

When a car is new, it looks the same as all the other ones. Lets face it, if you're driving about in a 2013 Ford Focus Titanium, nobody gives a toss. You can even try to spruce it up a bit, but it'll still look like every other jellymould on the roads.

When you're young, you can only afford a Corsa-C 1.0 and you wanna be seen and heard - cue breaking the suspension (or 'stanced' as it's being called, somewhat embarrassingly, even here) and adding ill-fitting wheels in some act of rebellious attention-seeking in order to stand out and be counted. Be honest.

But there comes a time in a car's life when being standard gives it the most powerful appearance it's ever had. That's when nostalgia kicks in, and appreciation for what it is returns after many years. It doesn't need to be on air, or splits, or matte black, or have truck wheels outside the body, or anything else that'll compromise it in every possible way - it can just sit looking totally factory, being practical and pleasant to use, and still look great.

What's needed is some TLC. Spend the time and effort on what it actually needs. Maintenance/repair.

It doesn't matter if it's the most mundane example imaginable..



Or a car which was special in it's day..



It works all the same - and it works for commercials too, even quicker because they have a shorter life. If You have a T4, try tidying it up a bit - because if you were lucky enough that you had one looking like this, you wouldn't have to do anything else with it..

[eternaloptimist]

Clearly I'm biased in my opinion about originality around commercials - but I would add to it and include anything that looks factory. The T4 doka that's had the tray replaced with a cut down van body section looks good to me.

[mikeymk]

What about this sort of treatment? Okay, it's a Transit, but it could be done to a T4..

[mikeymk]

It's factory. Generally known as the Transit 'Flare side'.



The wheels and drop aren't standard obviously (i think they suit it well). But all the rear bodywork is standard Ford - i don't know what sizes were available.

They were quite common in the late '90s but i haven't seen one for a couple of years now.

I do agree with you on that wheels/drop philosophy but i don't think it's so simple, and the trend is to go too far imo.

[Littlepixel]

I love doppelkabins, though I'm deffo more of a t25 person. This one is a favourite in that regard:


Subtle is good with these I think - and panelling under the bed—though it would look good—would be a fairly major bit of fabrication.
Some things could be done by continuing the swage line along the bed-panels, but probably more work than it's worth.


My take would be something like this - a bit of low, some VAG period-correct alloys (17" audi rs4s in this case and some black paint detailing around the greenhouse:
[edit] and some paint lower on the doors to minimise the 'gap' left by the ladder chassis)

[Littlepixel]

This is great thread with some van body on ladder chassis doka conversions; Looks like there are fibreglass kits if that floats your boat.
www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=ef3481d9a3eb9fd5bf1e8914b373182d&t=35173

from it:



Porsche lights!


t4 with t25 panels

[joem83]

What about something like this? (excuse my poor photshop & wrong truck lol)

[Deleted]

I'll have some banded Mercedes Vito steels for sale soon if you want to go the low and wide look with it just took them off my t4 due to living in the wilds of Hampshire... 8.5 and 9j had em made last year....

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

I don't know how viable it would be or how much would be required if it is possible but I reckon the best look would be to lower it (obviously) but also lower the pickup bed so that its in line with the bottom of the cab.

You'd need to do wheel cut outs in the bed and do Lord only knows what other amounts of fab work and then once it's down to that like then weld side / rear panels on top of the pick up side panels to extend them up to the window line. (A bit like the t3 double cab look)