These Kansas City Chiefs Fans Tricked Out A Hospital Van To Create Their Dream Tailgate

Al Van Dune heads to Arrowhead Stadium to play Tech N9ne's "Red Kingdom" with 10 passengers and everyone around him.

"You can make your ears bleed if you want," he says of the stereo's potential volume.

He drove the former hospital transport van to last Saturday's playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Van Dyne and his neighbor Preston Howerton turned their party bus into a tailgate four years ago.

They say the 2008 Ford E-350 with the V-10 engine wasn't looking too good when they bought it at a hospital auction for $4,000. But it was in good shape with only 50,000 miles. It reaches about 9 miles in abundance.

When they arrived at the boat, the couple paid to have it wrapped in vinyl with the Chiefs logo, colors and other images.

"If you saw it before you put it together, it was a simple question," says Van Duyn. "The moment you put it together, you thought: "Oh, this is great!" That was a big deal.

Their vinyl design depicts the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the tailgate, which was placed there until the 2020 Super Bowl winners.

"We were worried," Van Duyn admits. "Man, we've got to win one, it feels like we've got to," he said.

The minibus attracts a lot of attention.

"There's always someone who gives money, especially when something big happens like the playoffs," Van Dyne said. “People always stop to take pictures when they come up behind. They're not just Chiefs fans, they're anti-Chiefs fans."

Van Dyne and Howerton spent about $6,000 on modifications, including a working stereo inside and out. The van has new chrome wheels, a BBQ trailer and bright red synthetic grass for the interior carpet. "KC LOUD" is written on the empty license plate.

Every year they add something new. The next item Van Dyne plans to install is a large outdoor TV.

Van Dune says they often get unsolicited offers for cars, but aren't ready to part with their labor of love. They missed last season due to COVID-19 and now say they're having too much fun to give it up.

"It never gets old for those who keep walking," Howerton says. "That's always a good thing. It brings joy to us, our children and our friends. We love it."

His wives, Green Bay Packers fan Carrie Howerton and Wyoming Broncos fan Nicole Van Dyne, took some time to reconcile.

When his wife saw the overturned bus, Howerton said, "suspicion turned to excitement."

The logistics of silence

After a while, Nicole Van Deen learned that it was easier to sit in the trunk on the bus with friends.

"We have always been behind, even without our buses," he says. "How many cars do you need to get into and where and how do you collect them? Whose cars need what? How do you stand next to each other?"

Having a bus allows you to pack your tent, games, ice chest, food, portable gear and other essentials in one place.

During the off-season and between games, they store cars at Independence Storage. But families decorate it for other occasions, such as bag or candy parties, boy scout activities, and even royal games.

"Controlled humidity, where it doesn't always work, is good for the engine and the packaging," Howerton says. "These covers... are particularly red in color, discoloring over time if exposed to the sun."

Usually they take the bus from the cave on Fridays and wake up early on game days. They would pick up friends in the neighborhood, or others would walk to Lee's Summit Street to catch the bus.

"It's more than wins and losses," Van Duyn said. "It's just going and having fun, you know, and managing people that we don't see all the time."

Another door this year

Van Duyn is excited to start this season fresh.

With the Chiefs' next playoff berth hanging on the outcome of last Sunday's Bills-Bengals game, he said, “we weren't sure if we were going to put him on the bench and save him for the rest of the year or if we should. Choose: It is Sunday. Again."

Now that the Chiefs' final home game of the season is guaranteed, it's time to dry out the mats and other equipment that got wet from last weekend's rain and snow.

After the leaders hike, the van will be cleaned, vacuumed and cleaned as much as possible before returning to the cave shelter for the season.

But Van Dyne hopes that won't stop him for long. Residents focus on April's NFL Draft in Kansas City. They still don't know what opportunities trade can provide.

"We're all about ideas," Van Dyne said. - Maybe we will think of something.

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