The word interesting doesn’t even begin to describe this 1990 GMC Sierra 3500 dually Tridon Conversion pickup. This one-ton truck was a bit of an internet sensation this past spring and it’s for sale again, this time posted here on craigslist in Culver City, California. The seller has listed an asking price of $14,995. Thanks to Larry D. for sending in this tip!
That’s quite a difference in paint quality! The other side of the truck looked perfect but the right side, not so much. Culver City isn’t exactly Seattle, moisture-wise. With only 14-inches of rain a year, it’s dryer’n a _______ (insert un-pc phrase here). I have to wonder if the cost of a paint job on such a wicked huge extended cab pickup is one of the reasons this one either isn’t selling or is still for sale?
Or, maybe it’s just because it’s… uhhh… a little weird? I mean, I know that most readers probably don’t like Subaru microvans or oddball snowmobiles or things like that, so who am I to say if a particular vehicle is a little unusual? Apparently, Tridon Conversions really were a thing and the seller has provided a link in their ad but I tried it and got nothing. I typed in Rage Exotic Vehicles and got so many questionable links that I didn’t want to click on more than one or two and those didn’t lead anywhere. One of you will know something about this truck. The extra bits and pieces are fiberglass and this conversion was a $12,820 option in 1990, which is $27,263 today, wow.
As if it didn’t have enough hauling room outside in the pickup bed, it has room for five or six in a pinch in the cab, which looks almost like new. The southern California heat must not have done any damage inside, it sure looks good, even the top of the padded dash. The rear seating area looks equally perfect and it appears that the Tridon conversion came with some fancy woodgrain accents for the dash along with that steering wheel. Fancy.
The engine isn’t as much of a work of art as the rest of the vehicle is, or was, but it’s a 454 cubic-inch V8, an L19 I believe, which would have had 230 horsepower and 380 ft-lb of torque. The odometer shows a mere 60,103 miles on it so if this one has been maintained over the years, it has decades of life left in it. Have any of you seen a Tridon Conversion pickup?
They should have used this one for one of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies. The new family truckster.
With the shape of the body panels, condition of the paint, plus being parked on the rock….well, it gives off a Mad Max vibe.
“UGLY” on a large scale.
I’d put an F in front of the Ugly..
Showing up in this at Radwood would be so rad.
whiskey tango foxtrot
That front end looks like a Dodge Omni Charger? At least I think that’s what they were called, same body as the little Dodge Rampage. Well, anyway, I never got very excited about THOSE, either.
It’s like the Dodge had sex with a Pontiac Aztek and a drunken Chip Fooze walked in on them and joined in the act but he was wasted and refuses to acknowledge he was there but everyone knows though even they won’t talk about it because it’s too embarrasing to bring up.
Agree. Now we all need to go wash out our eyes!
Dave, I thought the same thing- haha
Kinda interesting, you’re in pretty rare company that’s for sure!
Reminds me of a Choo-choo custom.
It’ll sell at that $$
This is above and beyond anything ChooChoo Customs ever put out. They were so low grade, just like the city they were based in.
Love it. The panels add to the aero’s saves gas $$ folks. Great big block . Hook 🪝 up the trailer and follow the sunshine 🌞 in this beauty.
Not enough gas savings to make it worthwhile. A 454 with a TH400 is a pig regardless of how many aerodynamic tricks are thrown at it, instead of 9mpg it will get 9 1/2mpg? That would make it a hard pass, better to buy something similar that’s 2 or 3 years newer with a usable drivetrain (with OD), better looks and probably for less money.
Steve R
The gas savings negates the extra cost of panels which were made from oil. It’s a win/win/win for no one except the seller. Not a tree hugger. Just say’n.
The moral of the story is let the original owner bask in the glory and take the depreciation hit.
I didn’t care much for it until I saw the price. 15k for a dually with low mileage seems like a good deal to me. I could overlook unusual for functionality.
Culver City is dryer than a rattlesnakes taint.
That’s dry!🤣
Dryer than a pop corn fart.
Now, now, this is nothing more than “bigger is better” mindset. I always wonder what other countries, where efficiency is paramount, think when they see this stuff? Where do Americans drive these fuel guzzling behemoths? They sit in traffic, like the lowest Chevy Speck, with one important difference, they’re bigger, and therefore better than you, and they’d run right over you if it was acceptable to do so. I see people here, that live in the trashiest places, and have a new “dually” out front,, America. For what it is, it’s really a sharp looking truck.
You know what they say, “The bigger a man’s pickup, the smaller his…”
I was thinking the same thing — a sorry attempt to make up for an anatomical inadequacy…
28 days on Craigslist, and no bites. That should tell ya something.
I have a 2019 crew cab with less than 15K miles, and the interior doesn’t approach the newness of this one…
Well the good news is there is a 95 Chevrolet suburban in Indiana for $2000 bucks that has a good front clip so you can get this thing looking like a truck again instead of a national Lampoons reject
Very close to me, but i will stay away.
Aw, c’mon. You know you want to go look at it. It’s like train wreck. You can’t look away. ;-)
Don’t know that I would say (f)ugly, maybe unfortunate would be nicer. Definitely has a Mad Max vibe to it. Any comments about fuel mileage….get a grip. Those will only get double digits off of a cliff. I’m surprised that it doesn’t have a 5th wheel hitch in it.
It only needs a new engine /trans combo and a paint job !
So, thousands of dollars for the engine /trans to bring it to acceptable fuel usage cause you can never call these fuel economy
And more thousands for a new paint
And in my case multiply by 2 because i m canadian !
Its an oddball for sure but i would use it to pull our fifth wheel but a newer , cheaper to use and cheaper to buy is already here
So , pass …
Sweet! I’ve seen GMC Duallys before, but I love the front end treatment.
I want it. Quick sand it and rattle can the whole thing flat black. Slam it on the ground with air bags. Only chrome would be lug nuts, bumpers and door handles. Big spikey lug nuts. Lol. Only drive it on Halloween or Friday the 13th. Thank goodness I don’t have the extra $ laying around.
Wow, you guys are a tough crowd. If I were to buy this dually, yes I would make a few changes. I would first remove the thing on the bed, then the taillight covers, and probably the visor. Then I would drive it.
Is the front end design supposed to be for fuel economy? No, of course not. It’s just trying to be different, which yeah it is. If you think a different engine is going to get better mileage, just fyi my 2001 Suburban with an 8.1 and 4.10 gets 9 mpg around town and 11 or 12 on a long trip.
As far as swapping the front, yep that would be awesome, when you MUST do it. As far as the paint… ehh it’s a work truck, work it.
Anyway just my two cents. You always can buy a new one and get 12 or 13 mpg around town… for… how much is a new Dually? 80K? More?
$100K…yeah, or more. This truck isn’t really so bad. Why all the hate? It looks like all of the ugly new semi-tractors nowadays.
This thread is the reason I and many others don’t come here much anymore. The negativity level from these newbies and others is depressing. If you don’t have anything good to say then don’t.
The only upgrade for a truck like this would be either a 6.5 Turbo Diesel V8 engine, or a Duramax 6.6 litre Turbo Diesel engine.