I was looking through the factory brochure for Barth vans yesterday, and felt the 'urge'. I've always been a van guy--owned several. Has anyone ever seen a Barth van? Wonder how many they made? Wonder what distinguished them from any other conversion van of the period?
Jim

Now, come on out there. Somebody, somebody must have at least heard something about Barth vans or maybe even seen one. Inquiring minds would like to know

quote:

something about Barth vans

try these
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors
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Forums > Ads, Documentation, Brochures/Schematics

Didn't see any for sale.

There are many Brochures that been posted but I have never seen an actual van for sale or otherwise!

I never have either, Mary. We seem to have plenty of Barth Class A's and Class C's from that era but I've never seen a van. I wonder if one of the old Barth employees might shed some light on the subject. My guess is that they just did the interiors. But still, I'm sort of stuck in the 70s when it comes to things automotive and If I ever saw one of these, I might be sorely temped to buy it. That is before I was institutionalized.
Jim

Do we even know how many of the vans were made/sold?

I suspect the price of the vans was, like the coaches, very high end. Considering the number of "van conversion" companies back then, I suspect the cheaper options may have prevailed in the market. Most of the "camper conversion vans" I remember were way lower end, not the kind of interior Barth was doing at the time.

It would be interesting to see one.

The Barth Van brochure I have indicated that Barth actually formed a separate division called "Barth Vans". All of the pictures in the brochure featured Chevy vans and there were no high tops. There were several different styles, but the only thing that popped out was that the brochure talked about extensive rust proofing that Barth did before they built the interiors. They also did lots of insulating, installing the insulation while the "rustproofing was still wet". As Steve said, all the finishes look high end. I bought a Ford van in the mid 70s and had the entire thing spray foamed by a boat builder. Then I covered the walls and ceiling in paneling, built a couch/bed in the back, a set up for an 8-track player, and if we had a few more people, we'd just throw a couple of easy chairs from the house in there. What a blast.
Jim

In my 1988 RV buyers guide by Trailer Life vans are listed as "Camping Van Conversions"

and NADA has Barth price, Value and Specs

for the 1973 - 1975 Van type only:

Classic 19'Mini Motor Home (Class C) All Floor Plans

with a suggested:

List Price $10,380
Low Retail $3,730
Average Retail $4,490