The return of the Van Hauler

eddie-van-halens-van-hauler This 1993 Chevy truck is a rare piece of history that is finally seeing the light of day again.

Back in 1993, Eddie Van Halen asked Boyd Coddington to build a very special Chevy truck that would reflect his personality and strengthen his world-famous brand. The truck was christened “Boyd’s Hauler,” and was penned by Chip Foose. The running gear was comprised of the best Detroit had to offer at the time: the LT1 engine, trans, and fully independent suspension from a new Corvette. It was a show stopper, and was featured in many magazines at the time. The car was so popular, Testors even produced a model kit of Van Halen’s famous hauler in 1998.

Fallen into disrepair, Van Halen's Hauler will be undergoing a restoration at American Hotrods in Anaheim.

As is often the case with stars and their cars, a burgeoning career and numerous projects can push things to the side, and that’s what eventually happened to Boyd’s Hauler. One of the photos shows a truck that has fallen into disrepair, and except for the odd paint job and custom wheels, might get mistaken for something ready for the crusher under the Cash For Clunkers program. With the recent death of Boyd Coddington, every one of his finite number of creations are being scrutinized in a new light, including the Boyd’s Hauler. That’s when Eddie Van Halen and the American Hotrods shop in Anaheim, CA got together to revitalize the Boyd’s Hauler—now rechristen the Van Hauler. Car builders Duane Mayer and Bernt Karlsson have been commissioned to revive the Hauler, giving it a cosmetic boost with new wheels, and an updated paint scheme.

The paint scheme will incorporate elements of Van Halen’s recently released Wofgang guitar line that’s being built and distributed by Fender. Once completed, the Van Hauler will make its way to San Diego Classic & Muscle Cars in Escondido, CA, where it will be displayed for anybody to see. If you’re interested in seeing this unique piece of automotive history that represents the juncture of two artistic greats from different fields, now’s the time. The Van Hauler will only be on display at San Diego Classic & Muscle Cars from late September through December. It will then go across the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale in January of 2010.

San Diego Classic & Muscle Cars
www.sandiegoclassicandmusclecars.com

http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

“….reach down, between my legs…and ease the seat back”

That is a cool ride man…

Not as cool as my 70 chevelle though…
http://vhnd the man the myth

Should of at least made it a x-cab too!
AJ5150

I have never seen this truck before. The only one I saw was the exact same make of truck with the full body red/white/black design. OR am I confused and this is the exact same truck?
http://youtube.com/esalutti Erico Salutti

Van Hauler… sounds killer!
http://www.bellapop.com Bran Halen

There was another truck like this that had a full red/white/black stripe paint-job, and the wheels were also striped in color. It was around the time the Eddie was still playing the Music Man guitars.
I think it was in ’93 or ’94. It was on the cover of
Sport Truckin’ magazine or something like that and was also called the “Van Hauler”.
http://www.bellapop.com Bran Halen

Oh yeah, I would be happy to drive either of them
ben

the 93 version was amazing!
this one’s cool too.
Sean

I got an 88 like that giving me ideas now When did Boyd Coddington die?
nick

The truck was in a issue of sport truck years ago.I remember it well,as I remember Boyd.I used to buy wheels from Boyd every month for my shop back in the day when slammed trucks were really in demand.Boyd had some of the best styles if you had the money to get them.Eds truck is something else that I would have loved to trick out.Boyd passed away last year Feb 27th at the age of 63.
Phil Hoxworth

Anything Boyd built was the coolest. RIP Boyd. Save up your money. Goto to Scottsdale and it could be yours.
SCAR

It’s a shame for the hot rod industry losing Boyd, but Duane will do the Van Hauler justice and you can bet it will be a cool ride!!!!
Reggie Hayse

Yep, both trucks were very nice. I also bought a handfull of the Testor model trucks and made a killing from them on Ebay. I’m glad that I kept one back. I will never sell that one!
BubbaCo

Aside from the Frankenstripes, it’s ugly as sin.
Brad

Actually, the truck with the stripes all over it, and this truck (above) are both… THE SAME TRUCK! lol.. i was wondering why everybody thinks its 2 different trucks! The paint scheme that has stripes all over it was the first paint job that was done to it.. then Eddie decided he wanted it to be more Subtle so he asked Boyd to do his version of a cool paint scheme. They repainted it and put a stripe on each side that has what resembles the headstock of Ed’s Guitar at the front of the fenders. Of course within the stripes they have black and white and red stripes just like his guitar. But yeah, both versions that you see.. are the same exact truck. Has an LT-1, Corvette rear suspension. I myself are building a truck of the same body style. Mines an 1988 Model but it looks like a 1998 due to me changing the dash and interior. Mine too has the LT-1 and around $45,000 worth of modifications done… Ed’s truck needs alot of work!

Brad
Phil

It would be cooler if the Frankenstein stripes were all over the truck instead of just that pinstriping band. I saw an old VW bug that had the all-over EVH paintjob once, supercool.
http://www.AmericanHotRodsInc.com Dominique

Hey guys this is Dominque, Duane’s girlfriend, from American Hot Rods(we are restoring the Van Hauler). Just to let you all know there are 2 trucks. One with all the stripes and then the one we are working on now.
Bill

True, tehre are 2 trucks .. the oen with the stripes all over was a giveaway truck .. it did not have all the modifications that Eddie’s truck did .. it was mainly just lowered, wheels and paint (if I recall correctly) … I wonder what ever happened to it.
Brad

Yes, id like to print a retraction.. lol.. i forgot there were indeed 2 trucks! The one with the stripes all over it was used as a “give-away truck” and some lucky guy won it years ago. It was in Sport truck magazine as well. Then, there was the truck thats the topic of this article. Sorry for the typo here. lol.. i realized that long ago when i first commented but then forgot to retract the statement lol..

Brad
http://moothcupstudio bozz vh fan 4 life

hey all i taped a video of this truck being sold at the barrett jackson auction and it sold for 39k

thats right 39k!!!

i am an unemployed guy who is taking care of sick parents but just 2 years ago i couldve paid that in cash but thanks to our economy i was unable to. to me ( a true van halen fan for 25+ years) this was one off them things even gene simmonss would have said this is a piece of history and the fans will never let it fade away. so whoever got this on
1-23-10 please keep this in perfect condition because one day i want to buy it from you.

search youtube for my video of this its poor quallity but worth the view
http://www.silverliningdetail.com Silver Lining Detail

What an interesting history there is to this iconic truck. A very good client of ours purchased this beauty from the BJ auction and it was just recently delivered to Columbus, OH. In fact, we just finished a nearly 20 hour very intensive detail on it! The truck was meticulously cleaned and protected from top to bottom, including a full cleaning and polishing of the under carriage and engine. The job also entailed nearly 14 hours of polishing to perfect the paint. It was truly a pleasure to work on such a cool piece of history, and look forward to maintaining its finish for years to come. The new owner is an incredible individual and is very particular about the care and preservation of all of his vehicles, as we have been servicing all his detailing needs for 5 years now. We are revamping our website, and will be posting pics of the detail restoration of the Van Hauler there.
Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail, llc
Derick Kimbrough

UMMM….I dont wanna make anyone mad but there’s a truck in my town thats exactly like this one. The color, with the strip down the side everything, Just sayin.