The seller says that this 1991 Dodge Ram Van is 1 of 1, a factory-built dual-axle van by Dodge. It sure would draw a crowd anywhere it went. It can be found here on eBay in beautiful Tucson, Arizona. There is a buy it now price of $13,000 and the current bid price is $6,100. Let’s check it out.
It isn’t surprising that the owner seems to specialize in Hot Wheels. This looks like it could have/should have been a Hot Wheels, maybe in a brighter color with a heavy metal flake in it. It looks like it’s ready for moon duty and it appears to be in pretty nice condition. One of the axles is a poseur, as in it’s a tag axle and isn’t driven but just helps with the weight distribution. I can’t imagine that it’s really needed, I had a Dodge Maxivan in the 1980s that was this long and it didn’t have dual axles but I wish it would have.
They say that the original owner was a Dodge dealer in Los Angeles and he talked Dodge into building him a factory dual-axle van and this is it, a 1 of 1 creation from the factory. The seller is the fourth owner and it sounds like it may have been in the southwest its whole life which may explain the lack of rust and the somewhat faded and possible sunburnt paint in spots. They recently bought it in Las Vegas and drove it home to Tucson and it worked perfectly. It’s wearing its original paint and every single thing works on and in this cool creation.
There are no photos showing the bare steering wheel or dash but one could assume that they may be showing a bit of sun damage like a lot of people in the southwest are. The interior is fantastic, not really a camping van but more of a weekender. There is a sink behind the driver’s seat and enough seating for a few people.
I don’t want to know the mpg of this van with that extra axle and all of that heavy wood inside. 8 mpg? There are no engine photos but they say that it has a 360 V8 which would have had around 155 hp. The AC works as does everything else. They have provided a YouTube video showing the van and it looks nice but it could use some tidying up, paint-wise and possibly interior finishes-wise. I don’t know how much the next owner will sink into it if the bidding gets close to that $13,000 buy it now price, though. Any thoughts on this dual-axle Dodge Ram Van?
With the extra set of wheels in the back, how is anybody going to know it’s safe to knock when they can’t determine if it’s rockin’?
Ha!
Where is Mr. T , this might be perfect…
LOL i have his Tandem for real
Tell me those are not Ttops I see Joe P?
Where did you get that? I like it.
Cool A team van ! This van atleast looks longer, the Dodge van looks normal length with an extra axle for show.
Double HA!
Perfect tow vehicle for the “Bullet proof Cutlass convertible”…
Dang the inside, show the suspension!!!
The “Factory” never build tandem axle maxi vans of any kind.
155hp with an extra axle? Ugh. I had an 83 dodge van with a straight six and a three in the tree, that thing was scary slow.
May I call B.S. BF? I don’t believe Lee Iacocca and the ghosts of the Dodge Brothers with a flyover by Bob Lutz could have convinced anybody to build a one-off barge such as this. Nope, not buying that story for one minute.
I agree with Ike.
I assume the aftermarket conversion company did it and the seller is confused (or lying); no way something like this came out of the factory.
I will have to agree. if it was a place like Pete Ellis Dodge, who specialized in conversion vans, then he would have had a good relationship with the conversion companies.
I seriously doubt the factory would create one off pieces for a project like this no matter how many vehicles the dealers sell for them. The cost would have been prohibitive.
I would like to know the name of that dealer in California.
Sounds a little thin to me too, but then, I was floored when I read that Chrysler had an aerospace division as well and had submitted a design for the space shuttle.
They actually built Redstone and Jupiter rockets in Warren, Michigan in the 1950’s.
I like the van part, and apparently, so do 9 others, but the extra wheels are plumb silly. I’d have to think that extra axle will kick you in the butt all day, and does nothing for stability. And turns, like any tag axle that can’t be lifted, is going to be hard on the back tires. I’d rather it had duals on the back, not this baloney. I swear, California folks sure do weird stuff to their cars. Maybe they need to spend some time in the cold to slap them around a little bit,,,
Howard, I have seen several Chevy Suburbans with dually rear axle conversions and extended box flares – they did not look very appealing. Won’t argue that these Suburbans would look better with dual rear axles but the application on this van looks neat. This is definitely a vehicle for an extravert as it will be the attention hog anywhere it goes.
“I swear, California folks sure do weird stuff to their cars. Maybe they need to spend some time in the cold to slap them around a little bit,,,”
Yeah, maybe they need to spend some time in Tennessee:
https://barnfinds.com/one-of-a-kind-1972-oldsmobile-cutlass/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter+(Instant)
You’ve obviously never been to South Florida in the spring/summer season. There’s an automotive abomination that they loose yearly for a time called a “donk”.
Why don’t I like those Corvettes with the ugly body kits but I think this van looks cool? There’s a very talented guy in my town that builds crazy fast street cars that also built an ’80s Suburban with an extra rear axle, don’t know if it’s live or not, but it’s pretty damn cool!
The van came from dodge stripped out with the popular convenience packages i.e. windows, locks and all the other power goodies and only a transport seat to load and offload this from the factory and transport. More than likely the converter did everything else. The original “factory” paint was just the base color and all stripes, graphics and colors were done by the conversion company. Cool van but guarantee that Dodge did not put the tag axle in at the factory.
Im a converter who has been buying dodge vans since1973 and I too guarantee the factory did not make this dual axle van.
No, it’s not from the factory. This van was built by Family Wagon Co of Irwindale California. The original ad is here:
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/dodge/551660-1991-dodge-b250-ram-van-conversion-with-tandem-axle.html
Not just the tandem axle, but the interior screams conversion company. Even the conversion vans the dealers sold were done by outside companies. I picked up a van 1 time that had all the bells and whistles as far as factory accessories but didn’t even have upholstery on the seats and no door panels. It was slated to be a conversion, never happened.
Clearly you must have just forgotten to check the “dual axles” box on the order sheet….
I think everyone nit-picking this thing forgets how cool it would be to Uber in it! Yeah, sure the fuel costs would be double the pay but you would get a following and start your own YouTube or something. Maybe it would pay for a stroker motor with a supercharger later. Hahaha
We are not “nit-picking” it. We are slamming it for the abomination it is.
Yes, like who would put an antenna in the middle of the left side? Ugly
If it were a camper van, I would buy it.
It can be with a few swift swings of the hammer and a reciprocating saw….
Original suspension set up for a rear water bed? Would you believe a hot tub? How about one of those cut-a-way 5th wheel haulers?
Other wise a waste of suspension parts. Cool looking? Yes, Practical/Useful? No, I don’t think so.
It must track straight but be a bear to turn at slow speeds, dragging that extra rear axle sideways.
This is a standard Maxi-Van with two extra wheels. Without extra body length, the tax axle is pointless and will kill the turning radius, unless you can raise it, which just adds needless complication to the rig.
Wonder when the industry came out with self centering tag axles? They turn as you take a corner, then go back to straight when the turn is finished. No connection to the steering system at all. The axle usually raises and lowers by driver control, depending on load. Air bags push it down, then it has air-ride suspension. Springs bring it back up when the air is released. Look at a big dump truck with a 3rd, 4th or more rear axle, maybe even one just in back of the cab. That’s how they work. Another spring keeps the wheels centered. No tire side-scrub at all. The extra axles also have brakes, because if you can carry the extra weight, you have to be able to stop it, too. Turning a tandem axle tractor in a sharp turn with no trailer on it will cause a lot of side-scrubbing, too.
I see plenty of RV’s with a trailing axle and those tires don’t where out any faster. Don’t see why they would. Rotate the tires regularly and everything should be fine. Any one who drove or rode in those extended vans with a load (people) knows how much they needed help in the rear suspension. If it was done right, it should be great if you plan on hauling around a bunch of people. Or, drive it to car shows for the cool factor. ‘Cause it sure does look cool.
Just gotta throw this out there too.
Mark,I agree with you. The fact that Dodge and Ford decided to just tack on additional space to the rear. Is why we now have rollover protection requirements for 15 passenger vans today. (It was bad enough for weight distribution in the Dodge. But with the Ford it also accelerated front tire wear and instability with the”Twin-I-Beam” front suspension.) Couple that with owners/drivers that had no clue as to correct tire pressures or correct weight loading and you have a recipe for disaster. (GM did the smart/safe thing by extending the wheelbase.)
And yes it does look cool!
Good evening I am sitting in my home in Grantham Lincolnshire England and I wish we could buy vans like this in the UK but we have no chance I love this Van it is awesome Many thanks Sean Conner