This Big Brown Dodge Ram 350 Van Was Originally A FBI Surveillance Van!


This Big Brown Dodge Ram 350 Van Was Originally A FBI Surveillance Van!

Now this is a true creeper van.

In the past 24 hours, this big, beautiful, chocolate 1989 Dodge Ram 350 work van for sale on eBay has been popping up all over the interwebs. While it’s not uncommon to see a nice, clean van up for discussion on van enthusiast groups or even a diehard Mopar page, this one had everyone talking. Why? Because, according to the current owner and seller, this plain-jane work van hides secret surveillance equipment installed by the original owners: the Federal Bureau of Investigations. That’s right, this baby is an old FBI Surveillance Van! Let’s check this thing out!

 

On the outside, it’s a typical 1980’s work van. It’s in great shape, and has the guys at the Brown Car Appreciation Society salivating (yes, that’s a real thing!). No side windows, white painted bumpers and wheels, dog dishes, and a contractor roof rack complete that “don’t worry about me, I’m just a contractor” vibe.

 

Nope, nothing exciting back here. Just acres of straight brown sheet metal, a tire carrier, and a radio station sticker in the back window to complete the package.

 

Up front, everything is stone stock late 80’s Mopar, and in fantastic shape. There are sadly no under-hood shots (boooooo) but it is said to sport a 360 that runs great.

The seller of this beast claims that the 23,597 miles displayed on the 5-digit odometer have not rolled, and that’s the true mileage. Looking at the condition of this thing, that’s easy to believe. Note the label on the speedometer to aid fumbling agents trying to fuel up this brown bomber!

The van comes with all the original paperwork you see here, including the window sticker. The current seller also states that he has the paperwork available for verification that the FBI were the original owners, and has paperwork to verify the customization that happened in the cargo area.

Now here’s the good stuff! Like many customized vans, there’s a forest worth of wood paneling in the cargo hold. But in lieu of exquisitely carved banisters, etched mirrors, and shag carpeting, there’s a whole ton of surveillance gear. The seller states that he purchased the van from a government auction, and it was definitely put to use in its prime. He claims that it was used in at least one high profile drug bust and even had some “evidence” in the form of audio tapes that came with the van!

Here, you see some monitors and audio/video switchgear. Those monitors must have been upgraded at some point in time to the flat screens you see here, but a lot of that equipment appears to be late 80’s vintage stuff. Some of the labels read “Intercom” and “videoscope”, and some of it even is wired to the van’s ignition system, presumably to kill it if needed if it’s interfering with the signals. That’s an educated guess, but it sounds good, right?

Here’s a stack of vintage A/V gear, including a Shure microphone mixer, some sort of A/V switcher, and a vintage Uniden Bearcat scanner. I bet more than a few of you are familiar with this stuff, especially that scanner. I haven’t seen one of those in a long time!

This thing is really cool in a lot of ways. As a vintage van, it’s in great shape and appears to be time capsule original on the outside. Then, you step into the inside of this thing and suddenly you’re in a late 80’s/early 90’s crime movie or TV show! You can just hear the suspenseful synth drum soundtrack pounding away, can’t you? This thing would rule at the local cruise night or racing event. Have someone yell “HE’S WEARING A WIRE!!!” and watch all the heads turn! We’re not sure of the legality of owning a supposedly legit government bureau investigation tool like this, but if you want to own it, start bidding. It’s on eBay right now, and at the time of this writing, it’s crested $10,000!

We would love to hear what you think of this sweet spymobile, so do your thing below in the comments section!

And of course, here’s the link to the eBay auction! And check out the auction details below!

*******1989 Dodge RAM 350 FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN *******

 
  • Engine 5.9
  • mileage 23500
  • Only 1 owner!
  • No mechanical issues
  • Interior is immaculate.
  • Few dents and scratches outside (Great for 1989 Vehicle)
  • 90% tires left. MS tires
  • New belts
  • AC Works
  • Clear title
  • See pictures of condition!

————————– Happy bidding —————————-

What’s in it!?

  • 2 LCD screens
  • 2 DVD players-
  • radar, surveillance
  • Intercom
  • Propane gas
  • Toilet
  • recorders,
  • tape players,
  • AC/ and heat in the back
  • Every door has extra locks
  • 3 extra batteries(will need replaced)
  • Converter to 110V+ Charger.
  • And lots of other awesome gadgets!

On Jul-19-17 at 13:38:12 PDT, seller added the following information:

Engine and gearbox run smooth.

Upgraded Suspension.
A/C Works
New Tires M/S
New Belts
 
NOW FOR THE INTERESTING PART…….
 
This van was used by FBI Surveillance Crew and is equipped with a lot of extra stuff!
3 Extra Batteries + onboard charger/adapter
Toilet in the back
2 LCD Screens
Video recorders/Players with all the gadgets
Tape Recorder/Player
INTERCOM 
Rear AC/Heat Unit
Propane Tanks
Radars
Amplifiers
A lot of 110V Sockets
* You can turn off/on the engine from the back *
Every door has extra locks!
 
 
Definitely one of a kind toy! Type of toy to be in a Museum!
 
 
What else is included?
Proof of everything from the day the Van was bought at the dealership by the FBI.
I have a workorder to the company who rebuilt it.
I have documents and owner guides for gadgets inside.
This van was bought form the government auction for anyone wondering on “HOW?”
 
The 1989 Dodge Ram 350 was used for FEDERAL DRUG INVESTIGATION and still has Surveillance tapes inside with notebooks. How cool!?!
 
 
Thanks for looking! 

 

 


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9 thoughts on “This Big Brown Dodge Ram 350 Van Was Originally A FBI Surveillance Van!

  1. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    Yeah right – there’ll be hordes of greasy, sweaty and unattractive men replying to this ad as this van is the pervert peeping tom’s Rolls Royce…

  2. bill

    But they also say it was used for drug investigations. You would think the van was used by DEA, not FBI.

    1. Frank Castle Sr

      You do not seem to understand that the FBI also conducts drug investigations. Duh!

  3. C.M. Bendig

    How many Government vehicles have you ever seen sold with any radio other then the music kind? Even the CUCV 83-87 Chevy Blazers were sold with out the comm gear. The military only sold that off in bits and pieces. Mostly in 4F condition. The GSA does not sell vehicles with ‘tapes & note books’ either. All Government vehicles go threw the GSA for disposal. GSA overseas the Military surplus auctions.

    I Call BS on buying the ‘equipped’ FBI ‘Surveillance Van’ someone put this together.

  4. Someone who knows

    No way was that actually used as a surveillance van. It\’s too clean, and like the above poster said, all equipment gets stripped before going to auction. They even take out the wig wags and emergency lights.

    1. Frank Castle Sr

      It is hilarious that you seem to think that they install emergency wig wags and emergency lights on surveillance vans.

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