The seller says this 1969 Dodge A108 Corey Cruiser Camper Conversion Van is the “hight water mark” in the collectible van market at the moment. That’s high praise for this oddball camper, and while I don’t deny that there’s some level of desirability at play, I think the 23-window VWs own the high-water mark in the van market at present. Regardless, find the Dodge here on eBay with bids over $2K and no reserve.
The seller says this California van has had just one owner prior to himself. I do think he’s correct in noting that this has left the camper van surprisingly complete, as most vintage R/Vs end up being torn apart as various owners add their custom touches and lose the OEM bits. The only camper component that isn’t original is the toilet, as that’s been replaced with a new one. If you’re looking for your own van to convert, check out this recent Barn Finds Exclusive for several Dodge A100 and Ford Econolines projects for sale.
The upholstery is torn but still looks far better than expected. Same goes for the carpets, door panels, and dash. The seller says that “…the cushions, lights, battery boxes, bumpers, factory stereo always seem to be missing by this point due multiple owners. Not this van, it is very complete.” In addition, it has functional A/C, power steering, and a “…high compression 318 2 barrel moves the van down the road with ease.”
Inside, it looks like the seller’s description holds water. The cabin is quite nice, and more complete than I’d expect for a camper conversion that hasn’t been on collectors’ radar as one to spend any time preserving. The seller says less than 400 of these Corey Cruisers were converted in Pasadena when new, and I can agree they don’t pop up for sale all that often – especially in condition like this.
I think this one may have been featured in the past…?
If that’s the “high water mark”, it may be time to flush. What an awful looking thing.
Our family had a 68′ Dodge A-108 sportsman van. Some may notice the toilet is located in front of the battery container. No telling what happens if you fart a little too much while sitting on the pot
As long as nobody strikes a match you should be o.k.
Can anyone enlighten me as to a “high compression” 2bbl? Thanks.
Well, it was 9.2:1, which isn’t exactly “high”, but not down in the 8s like you might expect from truck engines at the time.
I can only imagine how sharp looking this was when new, and for such a compact size it offers everything an avid outdoorsman would need. I would expect that in a good crosswind, getting there would be more of an adventure then the camping itself.
This reminds me of an old Greyhound bus that had a VW body grafted onto the roof. Saw it motoring down Hwy 101, in California.
It says Corey Cruisers were from Pasadena. There was a Bill Corey in Pasadena that used to modify Corvairs like John Fitch did.
Could it be the same Corey?
Yes that is Bill Corey. I lived next door to him. I saw the first one that his shop converted. It was real nice. Nothing had ever been done like his CC. A VW bus was the closes. He lived in Altadena on Skyview drive. He wrote for Road and Track and others. I remember taking a sports car called Jaguar XKE out one night for a test drive. We went to Santa Barbara and back in about 3.5 hours, what a ride.
As the kids say, “This ain’t it, chief.”
These are ugly…….but built to be a utilitarian adventure vehicle. They are far superior to a VW. Better heat, power, brakes, available A/C and much better longevity. Some had economical slant 6’s but a 318 would make a more tractable vehicle on the highway. My step kid’s old scoutmaster had one, He would fill it full of kids, hook up a trailer for there gear and off they would go.
I like this van very much! If I could I would jump in and bid on this one! The conversion looks kinda odd, but the more I looked at it I actually like it!
My first impression was that it was backwards… the low end of the raised roof addition seems like it should be over the driver’s compartment.
As I remember, these have a lowered floor in the camper area that is below the top of the frame rails giving them impressive headroom.
Lots of potential as long as you don’t mind you knees being the major crush zone.
I love that license plate Yadda, yadda, yadda
In a world of 100,000$ VW buses. I would just as soon have this when finished to driver state