It’s hard not to love a period conversion van, especially one with killer side glass like this 1983 Dodge Ram Van. Shockingly, this van ended up as a charitable donation, despite being a fairly pristine survivor owned by one couple since new. To the original owners’ credit, they donated it to the Wounded Warriors Organization, which is an extremely worthy cause if you’re going to send a decent vehicle off the greener pastures without selling it outright. The seller notes they handle charitable auction sales like these, and while most go to dealers, the more interesting specimens end up here on eBay. The Dodge is a genuine Sunhawk Company conversion with under 100,000 miles and bidding at $5,600 with no reserve.
The reference to Sunhawk is an obscure one, and there’s not much out there about this conversion specialist’s history. I did find one reference to a Facebook ad from 2018 for a Chevy Astro van that was described as being a Sunhawk conversion, so they were evidently in business for at least a few years. This Dodge still looks plenty fresh with clean paint, awesome period decals, full length running boards, and that killer custom window. The ladder rack and hard-shell cover for the spare tire are typical period-correct adornments, but the real magic happens inside with one of these aftermarket conversions.
Oh yeah! Full swivel captain’s chairs, a bed, and drapes on the windows. The listing notes that the longtime original owners purchased the Dodge to keep at a second home as their transportation when they took a break from the grind; as such, it didn’t see regular, daily use, which helps explain the low mileage. The interior also doesn’t look like it got much exercise, as the seating surfaces all remain in excellent condition, and the same goes for the small cocktail table stowed neatly between the captain’s chairs. What’s super interesting about this conversion van is the custom glass on each side, with the driver’s side basically featuring one gigantic window down the side (and the passenger side slightly smaller in scale.)
The heavy tint likely ensured privacy was maintained, but I’d still be tempted to put in full-length curtains. The driver’s compartment is just as nice as the rest of the Dodge, though it looks like the carpet is fading to green. The front bucket seats remain in excellent condition, and pictures of the gauge clusters show vital dials through crystal-clear glass. The seller notes that the van is in excellent running condition, with the 318 V8 firing up with ease and running well in town. All the seller has done is change the oil; otherwise, it’s described as a turnkey van that can be bought and used immediately for your next road trip. Can you recall seeing vans like these with the custom glass treatment down the sides?
Does it come with an 8 track tape player and a copy of ‘Keep It Comin’ Love’ by KC and the Sunshine Band?
I like it, but without other camp luxuries like a fridge, cooking facilities etc rather basic.
But the real concern is, are those side glass still available?
Going by the ripples in its reflections, looks like it’s just tinted Plexiglas, so unlikely to break but easily replaceable, will need regular cleaning and polishing to stay shiny and transparent.
I built hundreds of custom vans in the 70s-80’s, and only installed 1 set of windows like these. They were glass, heavy as heck and I doubt that you could find them today. My extensive 3 minute search today turned up nothing like these monsters, but who knows?
I sold Coachmen conversion vans in the late 70s early 80s with those windows. They called it Lexan glass very sharp and very durable. Big Mike from Ohio.
I just put in 2 side windows on my moms 2003 Chevy conversion van. I believe it was 1200 just for the windows. They took forever to find and get delivered. No glass place wanted to touch the installation. I did them myself. It took 4 evenings.
If it does I’ll buy it, only if it’s a Pioneer super tuner, and it has 4 Mindblower speakers, the 6x9s with individual 100 watt amps in each, by the way I’m your boogie man mixed into Keep it comin love
Green carpet throughout the van with burgundy seats.
Carper under the seats does Not fade.
Something got changed.
A friend of mine used one of these with the giant glass windows as a base camp for kayaking from Key West to NYC. He and another guy lived in the van and would take turns driving while the other kayaked up the Intracoastal, but if they could find someone to drive for them, they would both kayak. I offered to drive the leg near my house. The van ran great, AC worked, got decent mileage. Theirs also had a 12v shore power hookup to run auxiliary lights and ac while parked. I would definitely invest in one of these.
Funny story, they had an air mattress strapped to the roof. I didn’t think much of it, because they stored the kayaks up there and I thought it was padding. The night I camped with them when we were getting ready to rack, my friend pulled the kayaks down, took his sleeping bag and went up on the roof to sleep. His buddy said he does it that way whenever it isn’t raining.
After the trip, he kept the van as a weekender for a couple years, then sold it for more than he paid when he moved to NYC.
Sunhawk? Sounds like a mix-n-match name for conversion companies. How about this chart. Just pick a name from one column and add one from other for your 80’s company:
Sun Eagle
Moon Rider
Day Glider
Sky Tour
Adventure Explorer
If this van’s a rockin’…
I didn’t let our daughter date a young man who showed up on our doorstep with a van like this. Our daughter was angry at me for weeks, but later she understood when another girl he “dated” a short while later came up in the family way.
I sold Coachmen conversion vans in the late 70s early 80s with those windows. They called it Lexan glass very sharp and very durable. Big Mike from Ohio.
Ditch the running boards for some chrome Hooker sidepipes. Get the chrome foot pedals and chain link steering wheel. Mount a couple of Lava lamps and “Keep on Truckin”.