It’s no mystery that I’m a huge fan of unusual (oddball?) vehicles, the weirder and more obscure the better. If they’re even barely usable, even better! Well, maybe not that part, but I would have no real use for this 1978 Dodge Dreamer former RV tow vehicle – yet I still want it. The seller has it listed here on eBay in beautiful, dry, warm El Paso, Texas, one of my favorite cities. They have a $5,000 buy-it-now price listed or you can make an offer.
This thing is just plain cool no matter how the next owner uses it. I would personally use it as a motorcycle hauler, I could easily fit three or four of my weirdo little bikes in the back where a fifth-wheel coupling for hauling a big fifth-wheel trailer or a trailer hitch would have been in a past life. Here is a full view of the bed/box with storage on each side (cut off in the photo on the left side). The seller has included a magazine cover shot showing it pulling a fifth-wheel trailer and dozens of other good photos. Nice job, seller!
In case you’re wondering, yes, those big smoked-glass side doors open! The seller says that only 100 of them were built and it was featured on Counting Cars if I’m reading that correctly? How did I miss that episode? Was this a full-sized van that was modified or a van chassis like on a Class-C motorhome without the motorhome on the back, and then a low custom bed was installed? It appears to be the latter, according to a couple of online stories about the Dreamer. Jeff showed us a similar van a few years ago here, and Josh showed us a really strange custom last summer here.
The interior is a little rugged but it might be a fun project if a person had a nice big garage or pole building to work on it. The back seat area looks good with similar wear to the front. I’d want to convert it into a sleeping area, although I’m pretty sure that it’s nicer and more comfortable back there than my ’74 Dodge van was and I slept in that many times. I don’t know if I’d want to be camping out with a few little motorcycles out in the open in the back, even if they’re strapped down.
The seller shows a ton of photos, even underside photos, and the last ones in their long list of images will show the dings, dents, and cracks. The engine is a monster 440 cubic-inch V8 with around 200 horsepower. It runs and drives “pretty good” but there’s a bit of smoke upon starting it that goes away shortly. I know that feeling. Have any of you seen a Dodge Dreamer? How would you use this unique hauler?
I’ve always wondered about the GM tail lights.
wow so lovely
Because I am a Mopar fan from the way back era, I would use this behemoth to lug around the Mopar salvage units I could find in fields, behind barns, or, languishing in the thickets of Texas. Personally, I like what I see here, they are so few and far between.
I love the “oddball” vehicles, too, Scotty! My guess would be that it’s a U-Haul-type spec 1 ton chassis-cab with the fabricators cab extension and one-bed-fits-all, hence the GM taillights. The company I worked for never did this level of conversion, but we got darned close. Cool, in its day.
Never mind the taillights, I wonder how hard to replace those one-year-only front sidemarkers are. They used the red rear ones for well over a decade but 1978 was a transition year for Dodge vans with the new dash and rear body but the old nose.
Love these (like the AMX too many decades later) as for every automotive Q there is an Application made. These? good interstate (or other ) haulin.
Followed the ford recently (10, 15 yrs now) but have not seen the dodge much. Even enjoy the manufacturers’ history/movement. Ideal? a 5th wheel (the co that makes ‘the invisible’). Ford has 3 configurations (windows/dors, etc) not sure of the dodge BUT as 1 it sure elicits my usual comment on them “12v and allison”.
All the fords seem to have horrible wiring (good luck on this one)’n a few – problems @ the glass/metal interface on the roof.
Best of Luck to seller/buyer~
I have the Ford version of this E350 back seat can seat four or fold down into a bed. I pulled the 460 out and put in a Cummins 5.9 love the truck and the best thing about it I can work on it.
I’m in a real quandary, pickup or van?
Have always liked these (for some odd reason) as well. Another unique vehicle to add to the wish list
I’ve been involved with sport car and performance rally racing my who life. If that were to made mechanically sound and reliable, it would be a perfect race car hauler. On the other hand, 200 HP from a 440 CID engine doesn’t sound right, to me. With a four barrel carburetor, it should be 255 net horsepower and 360 ft lbs torque, for that model and year. Where did the 55 HP go?
Awesome looking RV hauler. I’ve seen a few of these back in the day. Given its condition and rarity, I’d pay around the $5,000 asking price. I’d then install a diesel engine and compatible auto gearbox to make it run reliably.
Wow, 3 miles to a gallon pulling a heavy rv must be REAL fun !
With the price of gas now !?
But , still i like it
A modern engine and trans swap like others have done would be great for this beauty…
Not for me cause i have never liked dodge /Chrysler/chryco/mopar stuff but this is a gem
Auction update: this one ended up with no sale.
I used mine as race car hauler for several years. Did a Cummins swap eventually and ended up trading it off when I quit racing. I would buy another in a heart beat