1969 Dodge A-108 Camper Van Resto Mod

This Van was purchased on May 7, 2017 from Ebay and came out of Arizona. I say, “it started as a weak moment on Ebay”. It was a perfectly rust free RED-E-KAMP conversion that spent its whole life baking away in the southwest desert sun. It has a completely unknown history but a perfectly sun baked patina. It will be sold with an Arizona title and a bill of sale. It was a 318 V8 automatic model that was Green and White with a wood camping interior and louvered windows. It is technically an A-108 having a longer wheelbase than an A-100. It had great bones. It was ready for everything but paint. I decided to keep the patina on the outside skin and the door jams. The outside has been clear coated to protect the finish and makes washing easy. The roof has been repainted white. It was also repainted on the interior the original color green as well as the whole underbody. It is truly a masterpiece that can only really be appreciated in person. However I have hundreds of pictures and a nice 10 min video tour of the underside to look at until you see it for real.

The YouTube link to the 10 minute video of the underside can be found here.

62 photos of the restoration process can be found here.

100 photos of the van at its current state, this can be found here.

The van was brought to Maine and was completely disassembled to a perfect shell. The only rust was a small hole under the driver's feet in the floor a couple inches in area. The list of modifications, fabrications, and additions is extensive and long. This van is the result of a two year project and almost 200K of investment. All the work has been done at professional well known shops. Back Bay Customs in Portland, Maine did the body and mechanicals. JK Automotive Designs in Stoneham, Massachusetts did the upholstery, interior trim, carpets and sound system with subwoofer. Opus One Studio in Falmouth, Maine did the woodwork.

This Vehicle is a multi purpose Camper and also a seven passenger traveler. You can remove the seats also and use it as a cargo or band van. It has a modern brand new 5.7 MOPAR crate Hemi motor and 4 speed auto transmission. It has AC and cruise control. The motor and transmission have been calibrated on a Dyno. There is a custom font axle with power assisted disk brakes. The rear axle is a rebuilt MOPAR 8 3/4 unit with new gears and disk brakes. The rear has air adjustable shocks. The springs are original and sway bars and panhard bars were fabricated front and rear. It has a nice sporty feel on the road. It has a custom fuel tank of 20 gallons. The underside has been freshly painted the original green and it is as much fun to look at the underside as it is the topside and inside. It is truly a work of art underneath.

The front seats are from a modern Dodge Journey recovered in beautiful green leather. The two rows of rear seats are from a modern Dodge Durango and also recovered in green leather. The seats fold down to make a platform for a queen size mattress. The mattress is a latex boat/custom 6” mattress that is “a really great night sleep”. The mattress and platform fold in half and can reside on the custom and beautifully fabricated SS roof rack. There is a custom green canvas cover/bag for the mattress and platform.

From the Driver's seat you will find the original wheel and also original dash mounted shifter. The dash and gauges are all new and retro to the original. It has a kicking bluetooth sound system. New windshield and window gaskets were installed and the original louver windows were reconditioned and functional. The vehicle also has extensive sound deadening material bonded to the whole inside. It is a quiet and very pleasant, smooth and powerful drive. It also has a custom trailer hitch for towing a small trailer. The running lights and headlights are all modern LED etc and are nice and bright. It of course has seatbelts and headrests for 7 passengers. It has seen only a handful of trips in Maine and New Hampshire and probably logged about 2,500 miles since it finished.

When you set up camp you will find a sunbrella awning tied to the roof rack ready to go. There is a removable sink and small water tank with a jump seat in a compact module that slides in. Opposite the sink is a cabinet with storage that has a small 12v fridge. There is a shore power connection on the outside that powers a power stritp inside. There is also an inverter that runs off the two batteries. The battery bank has a built-in charger and cord and there are also boost points on the custom battery box. There are red and white cabin lights and reading lamps and fans in the back. It also retains the original lamp over the sink and magazine rack. The cabinets are a redo of the originals. The bed and folding seats are a new design that replaces the old wood boat style bed configuration. When you open the side doors you will find speakers in each door that will loudly play your favorite tunes that can be heard all along the beach. On one door is a folding table…… like the original………. And on the other door……a “medicine cabinet”, also like the original.

People ask ….. What does it need ? I say the only thing I might add is a good set of mud-flaps and many many miles of Great Joy! Serious buyers only can please contact the seller with questions. This beloved (chance of a lifetime) project is moving on because there is a sailboat in the future, and we can’t spend time with both. I reserve the right to replace the spare tire in the pictures. And btw…… The flowers and some decals on the outside are magnets.