Take one 1960 Oldsmobile, one 2002 Dodge Dakota, and a dystopian gas tanker load of vision and fabrication, and you might come up with something that looks like this! Fans of the late George Barris or the 1979 film Mad Max can unite in their appreciation of one unique custom vehicle! Said to run and drive well despite not being street-legal, this custom in Middleburg, PA comes to market here on Facebook Marketplace where $3000 makes it yours. Joking aside, this creation offers sites to behold from every angle and promises endless fun whether sitting in your yard or making jaws drop in a local parade.
What Mad Max vehicle would be complete without the Mr. Gasket “bird catcher” intake sticking up through the hood? Dodge Dakota mechanical bits should be reliable. Mopar experts can confirm, but I believe that is the 3.9L V6 engine and not the 4.7L (318 287 cid) V8. I’ve driven a friend’s 318 Dakota extensively and that small V8 in a mid-sized pickup definitely hits above its weight class. I can’t comment on the V6 other than to say it’s probably more than adequate for a rolling art piece like this.
The outrageous lines of the ’60 Olds naturally lend themselves to an extreme custom, and the builder has done a great job of melding both. The rear platform housed a fixed machine gun which has been removed for hopefully obvious reasons. Dual 38 inch rear tires lose some air over time.
The Dodge steering wheel shows signs of an escaped or partially visible airbag. In some states, a custom-built vehicle can be titled by its original VIN (usually for the vehicle that donated its body) or undergo a safety inspection and be issued a custom VIN. If road driving this beast is part of your plan, by all means, triple-check the engineering.
Torn metal on the hood adds to the eye candy. If the Mopar engine came with fuel injection and a plenum intake, this addition is almost certainly cosmetic, but it sure catches your eye, perhaps literally if you go in for a close inspection. Mind the sharp edges! No one *needs* such a vehicle, but life is short. Nobody really needs more than 150 HP, but it feeds the soul to prioritize wants over needs. How would you use this post-apocalyptic Oldsmo-Custom?
Thanks for making me laugh so much today seeing these pictures…😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Sometimes you can go too far.
Arrest the criminal who did this to an originally gorgeous car.
It’s not the car we need, it’s the car we deserve
I agree! Nothing screams testosterone overload more that this car….
Mistake here. The 318 is a 5.2 litre, a 4.7 would be somewhere in the 280s.
Thank you Bob C. and shame on me – I must confess I never realized Chrysler developed a new V8 during this time frame. Thanks for back-checking this. I’ve included a link above as well. https://www.allpar.com/mopar/47.html
I bought a used 2000 Durango with the 4.7 back in 2003. It felt more like 300 horses through the gas pedal and it consumed fuel like a 300 horse motor. It was also good at producing mayonnaise under the oil filler cap and many stories abound about how this motor generates oil sludge. I used Delvac or Rotella and the problem was solved. I traded it in at 135000 and it had excellent oil pressure.
I’m sure this was a trashed, forgotten junker when the builder got this Olds , for all we know it could have been rescued from the crusher . The floors look like they have all been replaced so it may have sat for years with little or no glass . Its not something I would do, or even have thought of, but at least its not a slab of crushed steel heading to China !
I completely agree Don. This car proves the expression – Haters are gonna hate. I’d bet everything you said in your comment is true. Do I feel a burning need to own it? No. But seriously, they’re only asking $3000.00. Have you guys even noticed some of the heart attack inducing prices for some junk, yes junk, out there?
I like it. No one will ever mistake this for a Camry.
Nice touch with the “torn” hood opening. Sometimes going over the top is over the top.
…………so this is the end result of a weekend doing meth, and having a welder’s torch, eh? Let’s not and say we did…
Poor man’s seat cover – drop cloth? lol
At least they butchered a FOUR door.
Could not find a better steering wheel & column?
With that degree of rake, could be vibration problems at higher speeds.
Dont think I’d feel safe over parade speed
Seeing this car, I suddenly don’t feel so bad about the money I’ve poured into old cars. Even the Renault.
Now, don’t be too harsh, this is just fun stuff, something I could see coming out of a barn. It’s what monkey wrenches do for fun. It’s become a trademark of Barn Finds, stuff the “Hemmings crowd” would gasp in horror over, here it’s okay. It’s called imagination, people, and it’s great to see someone still builds stuff, whether it makes sense to us or not. Great find. Good old fashioned “Rube Goldberg”,,,
Howard,
I second the motion!
someone has some great skills and too much time on their hands…..
My dad would not have understood this car. He had a ’60 Olds 98, white over maroon 4 door hardtop with the biggest engine they made. Beautiful car. But, lets not forget we do this stuff for fun like Howard said and the folks that built this rig couldn’t have had anything but fun building it. Outrages, but fun.
Hey Rex, could you imagine seeing this thing roaring down I-4 with the machine
attached to it?!!! Makes me chuckle
every time I think about it.
Well Ken, until they hit Plant City and the EB traffic just stops!
What a butcher job!
Love it,, Let the ZOMBIES Arrive,,,they see that commin at them,,, think they will run back home,,,,,50cal,,rock n roll,,
lmao👍😁🤣🤣
What the (*&^%$#@! lol!
The ideal ride for Burning Man.
Bolt two things together that have never been bolted together before and some schmuck will buy it.
Well, Maybe not this time…{heh}
Why????
Is it just me or does that front seat cover look like a body bag? Nice touch…
Sometimes bad taste is so obnoxious, the builder ought to be put into a rubber room.
I had a 1960 Olds. I lived in Pompano Bch. at the time. Put 4 new recaps and drove at night to catch some waves at Cocoa bch. the next day. Sat. Dog gone recap on the front popped at about 65 mph on US1 around Stewart Fl. Must have been spinning in that wet grassy area for an hour it seemed. On my side of the hi way of course. Then, out of nowhere, here is this huge cement base for a hi line at the edge of the field. I thought I was just going to spin till it stopped, change a tire and move on. Bam! hit the center of the rear on that cement. Short surf board was in the trunk, double skeg one. Wasn’t hurt, loose, but no way to get it out without major tools to tear or bend the body off it. Lost the car and the surf board. Never bought recaps to this day. I was 16. 65 now.
Lucky you didn’t lose your life…
My take on this …
If someone has so much free time , it is time to volunteer!
Many kids and elders need some attention
This ride is fugly and i really believe that the time spent could be put to better use …
That would be a typical response from a non-motorhead, but motorheads aren’t people persons. They get off on making something like this, not wiping old peoples behinds. I agree, the worlds a mess, and people could use a hand, it’s just, you won’t get much out of a motorhead that builds stuff like this.
Well, i am a motorhead and i still work on my cars but i dont spend ALL of my time on them !there is more to life …
Hi Howard and Claudio. Balance is good. I spend many days wrenching but I’m also a certified Early Responder with the United Methodist Church. Just got back from hurricane rebuilding in coastal Carolina. I find both enjoyable in surprisingly similar ways! A forgotten car doesn’t literally weep with gratitude when you finish a job, but a forgotten home owner might! Variety is the spice of life.
Bullseye
Claudio, lighten up, man. You have no idea about how much volunteer time and money this man gives to worthy causes. He might have saved an old car from the crusher and used it to teach neighborhood kids about welding, repairing, and building a rat rod. In fact the kids might have designed this thing, as with kids the crazier the better.
I dont knoe, do you ?
We’re not too far off. The first of the series, “Mad Max,” was set in 2021… The wilder vehicles would be just a “few” years later…
I probably have enough studded leather in my closet from my goth/punk days in the ’80s to be able to pull off a Mad Max “War Boy” cosplay with this car.
“Oh what a day! What a lovely day! Ride eternal, shiny and chrome.”
Looks like a car from the movie- “Mad Max” at the thunderdome..lol