While we usually have no shortage of van projects to feature, this 1971 Dodge B200 is a different take from the same era of custom van building. It features pickup-style rear bed and dual rear axles. While most of these vans were built to accommodate illicit activities, this custom bed Dodge seems to focus on utility rather than privacy. Find it here on eBay with an opening bid of $7K and a Buy-It-Now of $18K.
The cabin is protected with a custom enclosure that at one time marked right where the major cargo and recreational area began. This Dodge features custom paint with a combination of orange, yellow, and brown, and graphics that include words like “Heaven Sent You” and “Flaming Star.” Someone should film a documentary on the meaning behind the catchphrases found on the sides of vans like these – I’m sure the answers would be fascinating.
The cabin was obviously quite high-end at one time, with those custom leather seats and wall-to-wall shag carpeting. Today, it all looks a bit tired, although the seats are holding up well. The steering wheel is one of those cheap Grant / fake wood jobs, so there are areas for improvement. The seller mentions the Dodge also features a “hideaway gooseneck ball” which I truly hoped was some sort of hidden compartment for narcotics, but it appears to just be a trick hitch receiver.
The Dodge also wears the period-appropriate body kit with front air dam, and of course, the classic Keystone wheels. This is an interesting specimen, but unless some sort of iconic show-truck history can be proven, the asking price seems rather strong to me. Now, if the bed had a hot tub in the back….I might be a bidder. Would you restore this as-is or customize this Slant 6-equipped Dodge pickup even further?
Well it’s different…..
Understatement.
Just right for a fifth wheel RV.
Not with the /6
7th wheel?
Ridiculous.
The seller must be huffing something to think that this is worth the $18K BIN price. And he can’t even be bothered to clean the junk out of the bed and get a photo of that. No pictures of the underside, either.
It may be different, and interesting, but the work was quite less than top-notch when it was done, and that was a long time ago. Now it is just a conversation piece, with no real desirability, IMO. Thanks for the laugh about going 5th wheel, AL. This doesn’t have the load capacity or the power to pull much of anything. Man, that brown cab paint is ugly! ;-)
Oh Man I love it ! put it on a Dodge 1-ton chassis with a Cummins and a Z-Boom Wheel-lift …I drive a tow truck and have long wanted a custom machine .
Well everyone seems to complain you can’t get a 8′ bed truck anymore so here you go. I think with a new paint job and get rid of that hokey thing on the grill it might look decent but not for 18 big ones.
First of all I agree that the grille has got to go. This could be made into something pretty cool again but not if you have to pay $18k to get it, I’m thinking $3k or $4k tops. It’s going to need at least a 360 ci engine with an overdrive transmission. I got to wonder how much bondo is in this thing to smooth it out and how well it was constructed. I would need to see way more of the under carriage before even giving it any consideration. Vans similar to this on 1 ton chassies and real truck boxes were a more common idea back then for hauling big travel trailers. That concept has been replaced buy the 1 ton quad cab trucks. One other down side to this is length will it fit in a residential garage to be worked on.
Flaming Star was an Elvis movie, so perhaps this was built by a fan…
I know a woman that had a red Cherokee with a Flaming Star decal on the side windows. She is a huge Elvis fan. Funny thing is, it got handed down to her Grandson who contiued to drive it with the stickers on. I’d have the razor scaper in hand before I left her driveway. Alan, I give this guy a pass on the stuff in the bed. The owner looks like a worker bee, hopefully they are still using it in there trade. I do agree on the grill ornament!
There is a lot of cheap stuff on this rig but the Grant wheel isn’t one of them. The wheel and the seats just might be the only good things in the cab.
I can’t decide whether to put a Hemi,or a Hot tub in the back so I better pass.
I can’t imagine what they could have towed with the slant 6 installed. With a solid V8 or diesel, it would have the makings of a good tow vehicle for a 5er depending on construction. No where near that price though.
Put a blown v8 in the back and now we are talking.