Unsullied, Shag-Tastic Dodge B200 Van

The 70s van craze is alive and well!

While it looks all period, this van recently had a correct-for-the-era interior installed with dynamat and home insulation.  We don’t know where people purchase deep, blue shag carpet in the 21st century; but the seller found some.

The current configuration is front seats and a bed; but the next owner probably has options and could consider two more cap’n’s chairs or perhaps the almost-obligatory bar and brown fridge.

Mechanically, the owner claims a good amount of recent work, including a new 727 trans.  The van is powered by a 360 (okay…5.9 liter) V8.  The seller included some pictures of the van when the interior was stripped out for replacement, and it looks very solid.  The paint is from back in the day

In case you wondered, the seller claims the bed has been slept in only twice and has never been “broken in.”  Maybe that’ll be your job, if the price is right!

Click for eBay ad
San Diego, CA, USA
$6,000 with ZERO bids and 6.5 days to go

Any van without too many windows need some sort of mural work.  In this case, the rear windows have a Saturn theme.  Five-slot mags are a nice period touch.

Front carries on the space theme and the grill is apparently new.

We love these louvers!  One might consider side pipes…

Here’s one more shot of those louvers.  Maybe they’d take black paint well?

Yes, both sides have images of Saturn.  Note that this is a ‘barn door’ van.

Here’s the freshly-installed, shag-heavy interior!

Yes, that’s some sort of matching, blue fur on the edges of the headliner.

Barefoot pedal was once a thing and youngsters need to know the small button to the left is the headlamp dimmer switch.

Dash is claimed to be in great shape and that appears to be the case.  Is there anything familiar about the doghouse/engine cover?

Yes, the doghouse was designed to look like Jango Fett’s helmet!  We’d consider adding once of those wooden quadruple cup holder contraptions these vans had in the 80s.

Here’s one of the interior teardown shots.  Everything looks solid..

Ad text:

Meet Blue Thunder. She is my 1976 Dodge B200 with a 360 and 727 transmission that runs like a dream and passes CA SMOG. Everything on this van is mechanically sound. I bought it 3 years ago from a guy named Dave that used to sell Hot Wheels at the swap meet in it. Love this vehicle, just no room for her.

I put new brakes on her and a new radiator. I took her to Fontana Motorsports in Simi Valley. Rory is the Dodge man here in SoCal. He replaced just about everything under the hood except the motor which is solid, he also replaced the tranny. I have almost $3K in repair receipts just from his shop.

Since then I have stripped the van interior out to see what I was working with, you can see how clean everything was underneath. Stoked! I put premium Dynamat everywhere. Then I installed carpet padding, blue low pile automotive carpet and topped it off with deep plush royal blue shag. You will not find shag carpet like this. I also installed low pile carpet on the paneled walls and ceiling. I finished that off with royal blue fur. The carpet and fur is brand new. It’s ready for your finishing touches. All in all it’s really clean, comfy and quiet. If you don’t want the amazing Jango Fett custom doghouse I have an original blue one you can have instead. The bed is sturdy has lots of storage underneath and the 8” memory foam mattress is new and has only been slept on two times. I never “broke” it in. Promise!

Sorry I didn’t have a chance to wash the van. The paint is a really cool blue metal flake. It’s old but still looks cool, you have to see the sparkle in person. The clear coat is peeling off up top so that’s what you see around the roof in the rear. The murals on the portholes are painted on from the same era obviously. The portholes swivel to allow air in but keep privacy. The grill is a vintage NOS Stuhl that I installed recently. She has a set of period correct louvers and a visor and a barefoot gas pedal. The dash is original, clean with no cracks. High back seats with swivel bases that work. Less than a few hundred miles on the Cooper Cobra tires. Woot!

The Bad:

The A/C does not work. Neither does the gas gauge. I don’t have room to keep her. I’m just guessing on mileage. Not sure if it has flipped. I’m keeping the license plates.

Summary:

This is a rock solid, smooth running shorty that has been well cared for, updated tastefully and is not rusted out.

I need a $500 deposit via paypal when the auction closes. I’ll need the balance within 3 days via cash (in person) wire transfer or cashier’s check. 

I will be happy to help ship this van worldwide. You pick your shipper. (No scammers please. I don’t need help selling this either.)

You will love Blue Thunder. 

Any questions let me know.