Ultimate Restomod Van? HEMI-Swapped '69 Dodge A108 Brings New Tech to Old-School Cool

But this isn't a constraint that holds the folks at Goolsby Customs in Hueytown, Alabama. They were all too happy to shove modern drivetrain hardware underneath a 1969 Dodge A108 van.

At Goolsby Customs, the tried and true restomod combinations as mentioned above are designed and built to the highest degree of engineering skill possible. Like their 1969 Mustang dubbed the Bleu Bayou, for example. With a modern V8 under the hood, all the ride, handling, and interior accouterments could be added. Or even their 1966 Pontiac Catalina with a supercharged LT4 fitted underneath. Each time out, only the highest level of excellence in fabrication is accepted before being sent to customers, and their Dodge van project dubbed "Vantasy."

In its day, the Dodge A100 series was little more than Chrysler's hat in the ring in the burgeoning compact van market segment. In the same class as the Ford Econoline and the original Chevy Van, the van is probably best known for its cameo in the Batman live-action show starring Adam West or as being portrayed by the character Dusty Rust-eze in the Cars series of animated movies. All in all, it's a pretty forgettable classic van if what you're focused on is Chargers and Challengers.

Rest assured, Goolsby Customs took a fairly hum-drum van and turned it into something so special that it deserves a spot next to the muscle cars and pony cars. After a full body-off removal and being stripped down to the bare frame, the whole shebang was fitted to a custom performance chassis built by the crack team at Roadster Shop in Illinois. Then, the performance garb is fitted like a nine-inch rear end, the C6 Corvette spindles with Penske adjustable coilovers, and the Wilwood six-piston brakes at all four corners. In short, it's a sports car chassis over which a vintage van's body has been placed over the top.

With the benefit of a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with 458 horsepower to play with, this is entirely too much power for a van of this caliber. Then again, most of the hardware this van shipped from the factory decades ago is in a junkyard by now. The new hardware that's present here is well up to the task, as is the stunningly trimmed interior with modern air conditioning and Bluetooth radio. Suffice it to say that this is one amazing place to spend a road trip, track day, or just sitting in it for "funzies."