This 1969 Dodge D300 Open Road Camper Is So Cool We’re Nearly Speechless!


This 1969 Dodge D300 Open Road Camper Is So Cool We’re Nearly Speechless!

I actually fear for what will happen to Chad when he sees this blog item. The guy is going to make some weird gasping noises, clutch his chest, maybe swallow his beard, and just go down like a ton of bricks. He’s the camper freak here, not me and even I recognize how awesome this truck/camper is. Normally I look at these things and determine how neat the truck would look if the horrid camper unit were cleaved off the back but this time, I am voting that this whole unit stays intact. For sale in Ventura, California this Dodge D300 has an Open Road camper on its back and a 383 under its hood. A 727 three speed automatic handles the shifting and some sweet bucket seats will swaddle you in comfort as you fly down the road. We’ve never seen another one like it.

The camper was owned by a guy who used to take it on trips to Montana and other locations for fishing and hiking expeditions. It is 100% complete and intact as well as being 100% original. The odometer shows a little more than 73,000 miles and while there is some rust on areas of the cab, it looks largely superficial and as compared to a truck that would be found anywhere else in the country this thing is in incredible shape. Perhaps even more mind blowing than the exterior condition is the interior condition of the camper itself. By no means is this some broken and skuzzy junk hole. It looks like June Clever herself was maintaining the camper because everything is perfect and by the looks of most surfaces it looks like it was never used! The zany late 1960s colors and patterns are present and it looks to be (again) in perfect shape. Since the charm of the thing is in its age, the interior should remain its old school self too, right? Maybe a new mattress of something but the retro greatness cannot be wrecked.

Here’s a portion of the text of the eBay ad – 

The 1969 Dodge D300 “Sweptline” OPEN ROAD chassis mount camper.  One family-ownership since new, and only 73,309 original miles.  This is an extremely rare Heavy Duty 1 Ton truck with the big block 383 engine, automatic transmission and full power.  This camper was purchased new by a real sportsman that used to use it for trips to Montana for hunting, fishing, skiing, boating, and dirt bike riding.  It was eventually inherited by his son who then sold it to me.  It is in very original condition and 100% complete.

The main feature that sets these vintage OPEN ROAD campers apart from all the others is the rear fold-down porch with sliding glass patio doors across the back.  OPEN ROAD built a similar model using a Chevrolet 3/4 Ton chassis, but these 1 Ton Dodge D300 campers were evidently much less common.  I have even tried to search Google images for photos of another example of this type without any success.  This could very well be the very last surviving example left, and quite possibly the most macho-looking camper ever built!

When I bought this, I was given an incredible amount of literature on the camper including multiple brochures and books (Dodge service manuals, OPEN ROAD owner’s manual, instructions for each of the appliances, etc.).  I even received an original OPEN ROAD Club apron! The interior looks like a Brady Bunch time-warp in all its vintage avocado green coolness!  Great original “Midcentury Modern” lighting and appliances.  Driver’s compartment is in great shape and features a nearly perfect dashboard and wheel, original rubber floormats (protected by carpets since new), and the original gold upholstery on the front bucket seats.  Still has its period radio and CB installed.

The camper features a fantastic layout with a “walk through” cab with a double bed above, and a dinette which converts to a double bed in the rear.  It has a fully equipped kitchen with refrigerator, stove, and double sink.  It has built-in heating, bathroom with a shower, and a large clothes closet.  Plenty of storage space.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE SOME PHOTOS OF THIS 1969 Dodge D300 Open Road CAMPER AND THEN HIT THE EBAY LINK –

dodge1 dodge2 dodge3 dodge4 dodge5 dodge6 dodge7 dodge8 dodge9 dodge10

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS 1969 DODGE D300 CAMPER THAT’S FOR SALE IN CALIFORNIA 


  • Share This
  • Pinterest
  • 0

3 thoughts on “This 1969 Dodge D300 Open Road Camper Is So Cool We’re Nearly Speechless!

  1. Gregg68

    Yes, it is macho & so original you’d dare not touch it (except for a fresh mattress — bedbugs anyone?). Imagine how nasty it’d look in satin black… Maybe with gloss black stripes in the same location as the copper ones. Add the smell of an apple pie baking in that avocado colored oven.

  2. Norse

    Freshen the cab interior and exterior.
    New paint for the cab (white, of course).
    Rebuild the 383 for modern fuel and at least power output around 350-400.
    Freshen the 727 and add a Gear Vendor OD unit.
    Replace the mattress in back.
    Attach your car hauler trailer with restored alt wheelbase A330 Hemi onboard and head for the track.

Comments are closed.