By Tim Odell
Never has a vehicle so deftly straddled the line between awesome expedition rig and sketchy homeless guy shelter on wheels. The base of this vehicle is a 1991 Dodge Ram D250 Powered by a turbo Cummins 12V Six. Atop the bed and back of the cab has been grafted the carapace of a VW camper van. Based on my wild-ass guess, it appears to be a second-generation T2 (’67-79).
At least from the outside, the graft-a-van-onto-a-truck fabrication is better than one might expect. It gives off a pretty passable giant Trekker vibe with minimally obvious seams or roof sealant overuse. The chassis is bomb-proof and now it has a lot more interior volume. Oh, but that interior…hoo-boy. Nothing screams “don’t touch” like a stained patio furniture mattress inside your custom van-like rig.
So…I actually really like this thing. You could dump most of the interior contents straight into the dumpster behind the IHOP he’s proposing to meet you at. In step two you can decide what interior finishing or racks or tie-downs (for cargo) you’d like to add. The camper tent thing is shot, but that’s a problem solved for 3-digits at GoWesty. A rear seat might be nice if you’re planning on traveling with more than one other person, as would reinstating the sliding door on the passenger side. Though, at some point you might as well just buy a Suburban or 4×4 converted van if that’s what you’re after.
The price is definitely bonkers at $5,500, but hopefully he can be brought down from there after it sits for a few months.
1991 Dodge Ram 250 Cummins turbo Vw van 4×4 – SFBay Craigslist
Jeff Glucker
I want to like it, but there are enough pictures in the ad for me to dislike it. Why does the wheelbase line up so much better on the right than on the left? Pop rivets and boogery welds don’t scream “professionally” done to me.
“Professionally” just means that someone wanted payment for it.
On the other hand, it’s in Emeryville, which is the home base of LeMons HQ….
It WOULD make a perfect LeMons tow-rig
…or HQ support vehicle, or race car, or ideally all of the above at the same event.
Listen to Eddie Eagle – Stop! Don’t Touch. Run-away. Tell an adult.
http://files.harrispublications.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/10/nra-halloween-gunsafe-661×496.jpg
couldn’t have put it better jejeje
Eddie the Eagle? http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02143/PF-EddieEagle_2143319a.jpg
Well, I think the concept is brilliant. Perhaps the execution less so. In finished, usable condition, it’s worth $5500 and then some, maybe. As it sits, the price is ambitious. Then again, have you priced expedition vehicles lately?
That is some sad shit , half done -half ass . Good buy @ $550.00
Yeah, but you’ll still have to drop that much more on industrial strength disinfectant & XTREEEEM cleaning in order to eradicate every last vestige of its current hobo sex dungeon-status.
Nope, pretty much exactly as terrible as I’d expect. Plus bonus scary mattress.
!!!
Also, I imagine giant crinkling-beer-can noises from where the cab and bed
are, um, joined together. Eh, you probably wouldn’t hear it over the
diesel.
Sketchy now, but imagine it with a full OEM-style Westie interior…
I can smell it from here.
I want to do this for other weird manufacturer pairings, because why not?
Honda Odyssey arse grafted onto an F-250! Caravan hindend stapled onto a Tundra! Astrovan mated to a Ridgeline!
Moreau’s Paint & Body
I’d rock it. That’d make an excellent travel rig.
I hate myself.