Between 1974-1993, Dodge made a full-size sports utility vehicle, the Ramcharger. It was always two-door, was solid-roofed after 1980 (prior to, the roof and “cap” area was removable) and was otherwise like a short box half-ton D-150/Ram. They are neat rigs, but compared to the likes of the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition and such, they didn’t have room. It’s not a fair comparison…the Chevrolet Blazer, GMC Jimmy and Ford Bronco, the Ramcharger’s competition were all similarly sized. Even the Mexico-only 1995-2002 Ramcharger wasn’t much bigger. Sure, you could take it camping, but chances were good that you were sleeping in a tent instead of the truck.
Someone in California saw a solution to a problem that really wasn’t addressed when they decided to merge this 1991 Dodge Ram 250 with a good majority of a Volkswagen pop-up camper van. The Cummins drivetrain is attractive, and strangely enough, the VW’s shape actually compliments the truck. The back of the cab has been cut out, turning the Dodge into an SUV with plenty of room. Those are the good points…now, the bad: the whole thing looks like the kind of rig you’d expect to find deep in the woods of Idaho. The exterior needs paint, the interior needs to be completely ditched and redone from scratch, and the current rolling stock collection needs to go flying. But if you have the $5500 and the motivation and desire, this could be a sweet camping rig. Just heed our advice about cleaning the interior.
Craigslist Link: 1991 Dodge Ram 250 Camper Conversion
Its funny – I’ve been described as weird, creepy and a bit of a genius – so I think that this could be a very good buy. The VW/dodge union has been done with a lot of skill as it almost looks stock. There has been a lot of sectioning to ensure that it all looks in proportion, The neat thing is that they incorporated the extendable roof panel as otherwise only dwarfs could stand up in it.
So yes – I’d buy it and after paint and an interior to match the fine work that has gone into the VW transplant it would be a joy to behold when the radioactive fallout wears off.
For a controlled nuclear explosion would be the only way to clean out that interior!
That is a creepy interior, but at least there’s less room to clean out than whoever buys the Playboy Mansion is stuck with. Looks like the hardest work (at least from a technical standpoint) is already done.
“Free Candy”