Americans transporting nine people in their 1972 Dodge D-100 did things the old-fashioned way; pile three or four in the cab and throw the rest in the bed. In Mexico, you could buy a D-100 like this one, converted into what we would call a nine-passenger SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) today. The 1972 Dodge D-100 Careol (Carryall) in Londonderry, New Hampshire made its way from Mexico City, Mexico to New England via El Paso Texas. Now it can travel to your driveway for the asking price of $16,500. Check out more pictures and details here on Craigslist. It appears to be the same vehicle covered by our Jeff Lavery back in 2021. Thanks to reader T.J. for spotting this rare Dodge.
Roughly translated, the 1972 paperwork shows the vehicle underwent a “conversion from pick-up to panel and from panel to carreol… rear doors with lock and key and two oval shatterproof windows, padded seats for nine passengers, and shatterproof glass side windows,” all for 523 pesos, less than 1% of the 58,215 peso import price of the D-100 pickup truck. Not bad!
A later steering wheel and front seats detract from the vintage vibe, but that could be corrected with some D-100 pickup truck parts.
The famous 225 cid (3.7L) inline or “Slant Six” engine powers the big Dodge, and this one features a dual fuel conversion to run on gasoline or propane. Interestingly, the chassis and engine carry serial L2-200006 and L2-00006, respectively, making this possibly the sixth such vehicle imported in 1972.
The rear-mounted propane tank is guaranteed to raise some eyebrows during your next border crossing. My California friends extend cogent advice for returning to America: “Never get behind a van with Front B.C. plates,” referring to Tijuana’s state, “Frontiera Baja California.” I guess that goes for a propane-powered D-100 Carreol as well. If you like rare Mopars or always wanted Dodge to build a Suburban competitor, this interesting ride calls your name. Would you restore this Mexican Dodge or put it to work?
I never heard of an engine that can run on gas or propane !
I don’t think I’d want to get rear ended by a tractor trailer
with a full tank of propane ! 💣💣 ☠️☠️
Cool find !! I love these different, weird, wacky vehicles !
yes they do. i have a number of pieces of equipment with stacked carbs. propane carb sits on top of the gas carb. electric fuel shutoffs handle the switching. the biggest problem is performance is weak because propane and gas want different timing setups. so when you split the difference both are a bit doggy. one of mine is new enough that it has a computer controlled ignition and it switches modes with fuel choice that little 2.3 ford does real well on either. though it cold starts on gas way better in frigid temps.
i keep seeing this here on cl. it’s cool but wayyy to long to not have gotten 4 doors
I had a Company 3/4 ton Dodge with this conversion. This was a common site in Alberta Canada in the 90’s.
What cave have you been hiding in
I was thinking the same thing running propane tank that’s under the back seat that’s gotta be real safe lol
Now THAT’S a station wagon! I know, I know, we’re supposed to call them SUV’s but a station wagon by any other name is still the same..ad I like this one for no other reason than it’s not like every other station wagon you see at the ball game. This is akin to the early 3 door Suburban and that ilk without as common!
Cool find. Make it safe, clean it up, switch out the drivetrain/suspension/ brakes if they’re tired and know that you won’t see one coming at you anywhere else (in the USA, anyway).
Not an SUV – “SPORT utility vehicle.” Nothing sporting about this – it’s all work, boots-on-the-ground.
Neat find, although figuring out parts cross-referencing might be hard.
oh and there is no propane delivery set up on that motor in that engine shot
I grew up in the propane business and I concur, no mixer, lock off or vaporizer.
wayne i peeked at the older posting of the truck and it still had the propane stack on it. tho i don’t recognize the style
Gas & propane generators got one
Is it possible the engine is a 275 CI (not 225)? I have seen only one of these engines before, in a half ton pickup from the late 60’s or early 70’s. A friend also claimed to have one that he removed and replaced with a 318 in a 350 or 450 series utility truck that he bought from the phone company. One does not hear a lot about these engines, but I can imagine they had a bit more grunt to move a large, heavy vehicle like this one.
Well first, it’s not a 72, it’s a 71 or earlier.
2nd, it looks ridiculous, nothing attractive about it, and that era of Dodge pickups are pretty decent looking. And then top it all off with a slant 6. Be still my heart
actually being mexican built i believe it can actually be a 72. the add on cl has 2 paperwork shots. i just can’t read the spanish
Note the Willys influence. The side trim is virtually identical to 1961- 63 Willys wagons and pickups.
Certainly a dodgey dodge , yes I thought that carb setup wasn’t a factory double duece drag pack!
If I remember correctly. Didn’t I seen this one before in 2022 on BF? This would be a cool ride. I would pull the drivetrain and ditch the tank! Install a 318 or 360 with a automatic or manual transmission and duel exhaust. Either engine’s are dependable. Repaint the outside re-chrome the bumpers. And you will have a sweet ride that is very different. Good luck to the next owner.. 🐻🇺🇸
Yes, iv seen it before
Cool truck for sure, but those large side windows throw the styling off especially where the roof connects with the cab.
No air and greenhouse like windows, all you would do is hold up traffic and cook in this crate. Only $16,000?
I call shotgun!
That rear end looks like a IH Carryall. And those propane tanks would definitely cut down on the safety factor, and the number of folks you could stash back there!
Calling this an SUV is a little bit of a stretch.
Awesome find! It’s a ‘71 “style”- but was most likely not titled until ‘72- which makes it a ‘72. I’ve seen a couple in the past where the “title year” lagged behind the “production year”. The most extreme case was a ‘69 Subaru 360 (su-BAR-u in those days) that languished on the lot until 1971. Viola’!, a ‘71 Subaru.
Pretty sure that the propane set up is illegal here in Washington State. It’s not really separated from the passenger compartment. It’s not even legal to transport the propane bottle for your barbecue in the back of a station wagon, for example.
Not to mention all the tunnels and some bridges you are not allowed to travel through or on.
K.R.V.,
Those restrictions actually apply only to removeable propane tanks as used on travel trailers, etc. The restrictions are because the connections on the portable tanks and the flexible rubber hoses tending to leak. Purpose-built tanks as used on this truck exceed the safety threshold and are not affected by those restrictions.
Most owners of vehicles that are propane powered with permanently installed tanks are aware their vehicles are not restricted. One of my customers bought a new Morgan V8 in England back in the late 1980s. It was equipped with the propane system to meet the US emissions requirements, and he never had any problems with bridge & tunnel restrictions, driving his car all over the east coast..
mopar nomad? thats just begging for a late model Hemi out of a Ram or Charger to replace that slant 6,,,,, if it ever dies, dont hold your breathe those things will out survive cockroaches and Kieth Richards!
Note that the cost of this vehicle in 1972 was 61,750 MX pesos, which at the exchange rate at the time (12.50 to 1 dollar) would have put the cost in dollars at $4940.00.
Neat find, there cant be too many of them in the states, unique for sure. Tell me, is a full tank of propane any more dangerous than a full tank of gasoline ? I know I wouldn’t want to be in any vehicle that was rear ended with either or both of those out back ! This one needs a 440″ & A/C.
Propane vs gasoline:
I would be much safer in a propane fueled vehicle over a gasoline fueled vehicle, even in an accident where the fuel tank is damaged.
I used to have a CDL with the Hazmat provision, and I’m familiar with vehicles transporting both types of fuel. A propane tank like the one seen in this truck is far more unlikely to burst on impact. I’ve also been legally involved in explosives and commercial fireworks for 30+ years, and I’m familiar with how explosions happen.
A propane tank is designed as a pressure vessel, able to withstand very high pressures. A gas tank is only a metal or plastic container that is NOT designed to maintain integrity if pressurized by more than about 20PSI, and WILL often burst on impact. If you compress a gas or diesel tank, the fuel is almost impossible to compress, so the tank has to give, allowing the contents to spray out. A propane tank is designed to remain intact even on receiving a huge dent in the tank, as the tank is never filled more than about 75% with liquid propane, so it is still able to compress without leaking. A typical propane tank is arc welded 1/8″ high strength sheet steel, and a steel gas tank is only about 20 gauge mild steel. A propane tank in a serious accident where it is over-pressured, will pop it’s relief valve long before it is punctured, bleeding the propane off slowly. Even if it’s ignited. the propane escaping out of the valve will not allow the flames to enter the pressure tank. A gas tank will allow flames to gain entry into the tank, resulting in the tank exploding.
The US Dept of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program says a propane tank is 20 times safer than a gasoline tank in an accident.
My restoration shop was struck by lightning about 30 years ago, and I watched as everything burned. I saw a 1969 Chevelle SS hardtop’s gas tank literally explode about 30 feet in front of me. The car was on jack stands and I watched as the explosion peeled the 2 halves of the tank apart like a clam. I watched as our propane powered steam cleaner’s fuel tank heated up to the point where the relief valve popped, and a bright blue flame spewed out for about 15 minutes. The tank never lost it’s basic shape, while all of the cars had warped cast iron & sheet metal parts.
While driving/riding in a passenger car that is struck from behind by a much larger vehicle can result in a terrible crash, when it comes to safety from fuel leaks, I’ll take a propane fueled vehicle anytime.
And if we also include hydrogen fueled vehicles, those tanks are built of very thick fiberglass & resin or carbon fiber mats, and I’ve not heard of any hydrogen vehicle tanks exploding in vehicle accidents. They have been rated at the highest level of safety. [Source: Hydrogenfuelnews.com]
On 11 June 2023, a gasoline tanker with about 8,000 gallons onboard,* overturned, ruptured & burned in an accident, and the fire damaged twin 4 lane overpass bridges on I-95. The news had said the bridges will both require replacement, and I-95 is expected to be closed in both directions for the next 4 to 6 months.
* The 8,000 gallons was for 1 of the 5 separate internal tanks, the other 4 were already empty.
Last year, a 35′ long bulk propane tanker turned over on Rt 50 in Annapolis, MD, coming to rest with the tanker on it’s side and resting against the concrete abutment for the Severn River Bridge. The tank had a huge dent in it. Emergency workers bled off the full load of propane into other tankers, then righted the tanker & towed it away. The only other physical damage was a couple of sections of steel guardrails and some scrapes on the pavement.
I live close to that accident site, and know several of the responders from the Arnold, MD fire department. They have repeatedly said an overturned propane truck is easy to handle, and an overturned gasoline tanker is one of their biggest fears.
Wow Bill! I hate to think of your shop burning like that. What a bummer! I have to say though… I really appreciate your intelligent and informative comment. Lots of very useful information there! Thanks!
Wow thanks for the refreshing information I have h are before but had slipped away. But very sorry to hear about your shop, sounds like everyone got out ok, that’s the main thing.
Gregg & K.R.V.,
Thanks for the kind words. The shop was struck by lightning at 11:32pm on a Saturday night, so no people were in the building. This exact time was based on the fire marshal’s examination of the government records in tracking lightning strikes. He said it was one of the strongest lightning bolts ever recorded in the area, blowing out a moisture-soaked block wall 18′ by 80′, when that moisture suddenly turned to steam!
Rare does Not equal desirable.
T. Mann
You are so right.
I have always said that sometimes an item is rare because no one wanted it when new, fewer people wanted it as used, and even fewer want it now, hence it’s low value today.
The corollary to that is the situation where the item was rare when new because it was VERY expensive, plenty of folks wanted one, but few could afford it. Those are the items that tend to be rare and valuable today.
Notice that the Sweptline bed does not have the “squiggle” at the end as American Dodge trucks do, but goes straight back. That’s the difference between a D-100 built in Mexico and one in the US.