Taking the long road to Vegas

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This article was published 21/02/2020 (2280 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even though Leonard Boschman has attended the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) auto show in Las Vegas before, the MacGregor resident is participating in the event’s International RATical Rod Build Off/Drive Off competition for the very first time.

So, over the next eight months, Boschman and his team will dedicate thousands of man hours to transform a 1961 Ford Econoline van into the Mystery Machine from the cartoon Scooby-Doo.

“This van is so unique and not many people do much with them,” Boschman told the Sun on Feb. 14. “I noticed last year at SEMA there’s a lot of custom vans … and I thought why not throw a twist into it: let’s put a huge-ass diesel engine in it, so that’s what we did.”

But according to Boschman, who is the owner of Four Way Motors in MacGregor, this project represents his most challenging build to date.

Not only does the van have to be visually eye-catching, but it also has to operate on the road over long distances.

Even though the Build Off/Drive Off is more of a travelling car show than a race, each participant is still required to meet at the starting line in Lincoln, Neb., in October and complete the more than 2,200-kilometre trip to Las Vegas for SEMA.

“So it’s a four-day drive and there’s stops along the way,” Boschman said. “There’s different shop tours and stuff and lots of photo opportunities.”

Boschman actually took part in last year’s Build Off competition as an observer, riding alongside Dwayne Wiltshire’s team from Oak Lake and their modified bank truck called “Dirty Money” to get a feel for what the competition’s like.

Since then, the Four Way Motors owner has been formulating a plan to make good use of the Ford Econoline that has been sitting in his compound since 1996.

“A friend of mine from MacGregor used to work up at the DEW Line up in Northwest Territories for the government. This was his work van up there, and back in the ’90s they retired this van and they were going to crush it,” he said. “This thing was in such nice shape that (my friend) drove it from Northwest Territories and left it at my place.”

While the van has remained in decent condition throughout the subsequent 24 years, Boschman said he still wants to tear the vehicle apart and put it back together to create something wholly unique.

Outside of installing a high-performance diesel engine, Team Four Way is also looking to build a rear-ramp door, modified frame and other custom implements in their shop.

“We’ve got to build all-new floor pans and the steering components all have to be fit,” Boschman said. “We have to build interiors … you can’t just put a seat in it, you have to build it. So there’s still thousands of hours worth of work ahead of us.”

In terms of body work, the Mystery Machine still needs a couple coats of the classic green, blue and orange paint that has defined this classic vehicle since the original “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” cartoon series debuted in 1969.

But Boschman is even planning to up the ante in the visual department by laser-cutting the name into its exterior and adding some back lights for dramatic effect.

“It’s going to be all lit up,” he said. “As you go down the highway, you’ll see the ‘Mystery Machine’ in bright green letters.”

Even though the competition requires him to complete 50 per cent of the build solo, Boschman admits that he wouldn’t be able to finish this project in time without his team, which is comprised of Four Way Motors staff and other nearby gear heads.

“One person cannot do this in this short of time. It’s not possible,” he said. “It’s still hard to do because we’ve still got day jobs … so this is mostly happening on weekends and after hours and whenever we can fit it in.”

Even though Team Four Way still has a long way to go, Rivers resident Chad Bicklmeier said this project will all be worth it in the end.

In 2018, Bicklmeier and his son Dakota completed their own Mystery Machine using a 1992 G20 3/4-tonne Chevrolet van and said the response they received at conventions has been enormous, given the multi-generation appeal of such a long-running media franchise like Scooby-Doo.

“Even just driving it around, you stop at a red light and somebody drives by and they smile,” he said. “It’s definitely an adventure, and I think Len’s going to find that he brings a lot of joy into the world with it.”

The 2020 International RATical Rod Build Off/Drive Off competition will feature 22 different teams from around the world, who are set to meet up in Lincoln with their custom vehicles on Oct. 25.

 

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

»Twitter: @KyleDarbyson