Caveman Camper! 1970 Ford F-350
Though their history is a little sparse online, Caveman Campers were all the rage in the Pacific Northwest from the 1950s through the 1970s. A company by that name in Grants Pass, Oregon built campers that would fit onto the beds of production pickup trucks and had many of the creature comforts of home. This Caveman Camper was built on a 1970 Ford F-350 Camper Special chassis and has survived nicely for the past 50+ years. Located in Kelseyville, California, this “old school” road warrior is available here on craigslist for $15,000. Thanks to Barn Finder T.J. for bringing this classic to our attention!
Fords were not the only trucks to receive the Caveman Camper treatment. We’ve seen photos of Dodge pickups with the same gear. The “Caveman Caravan” emblem can be seen on the camper, perhaps with Fred Flintstone’s grandfather, and we assume this must refer to some type of club or organization of which this ’70 Ford was #53. At 93,000 miles, this camper has been well used but also looks to have loads of road trips left in it.
We don’t see much if any rust on this truck and the black paint has the requisite amount of patina that must be maintained for the sake of originality. Under the hood is Ford’s big 390 cubic inch V8 that’s paired with a 4-speed manual transmission, common with the F-350s. We’re told it runs great, especially on the highways, and the transport just completed a 600-mile trip with no issues. The interior in the cab looks especially nice, and the bucket seats look like those used in the 1960s Mustangs.
Inside the camper, it looks as though time has stood still. The seller says it has the original appliances and heater, though the refrigerator is newer. There’s plenty of room for a small tribe to sleep and the camper has a toilet and shower. About the only thing missing is any sort of air conditioning, so stay out of Florida during the Summer months! We get the impression this is a turn-key vehicle that you could start using right away.
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Comments
I would love to get primitive with this get up.
You can say that again, Snotty!
I would love to get primitive in this get up.
Don’t say that again.
You can say that again !!!!!!
Not a ’70. At least the grille is a ’67.
That is really nice. I think a lot of the wood in the camper was painted white by the look of the trim. Great for a Ford nut. If it was a Chevy in that shape, I’d get excited.
🤣
I had a 1970 F350 crew cab with a 360 and a granny low 4 speed and swapped out the 8’ fleetside for a 9’ stake side. It did not have power steering. What fun it was to drive averaging 8 miles to the gallon.
I’ve been seeing listings lately for various types of campers and conversion vans as being perfect for Burning Man. I think this might fit the bill.
In my years at Beaver Coaches in Bend Ore (1970s) we would occasionally have a run of what were called “Chassis mount” motor homes. It was disturbing to the normal production of Class C units, but the dealers would demand a few so from time to time we would build them on Ford, Dodge and Chevy 1 ton trucks. Cave Man brand were well known. They also built a good quality unit. :-) Terry J
Hi Terry, questions for you is what material did they use between the camper unit and the rear cab section on the crew cab chassis models
Kind Regard
Marv
Hi, As in the construction of Class C Motor homes, the coach was completely built and lined up out in the yard. Then the truck & chassis would come out of the welding shop and using jacks, the coach would be jacked up, the truck backed under it and the coach set back down in position. Therefore that “mating wall” was typical of the rest of the coach using plywood with paneling on the inside and either metal or fiberglass on the outside. In a Class C the cab had no back from Detroit, but these Chassis mounts had regular cabs and so the back was cut out. :-) Terry J
Agreed the grille and isn’t a 1970 as I owned a 1970 years ago! And I paid 1/5 of the asking price of this vehicle of course in 1970$$$s.
GDay all
This is neat, really neat
Well then buy it before someone beats you to it!
This seems like a fair price. It is as old as me and probably in a little better shape!
If I was in the market, I’d probably try to buy it.
I know you don’t buy these for the gas mileage but does anyone want to take a guess at how far you can move this camper on a US gallon of gas?
Probably not much different mileage than my 1990 Allegro Class A which is on a Chevy P30 ( 1 ton) chassis, 454/Turbo 400. I get about 8 mpg going to the coast 5 times a year ( up hill & down). :-) Terry J
about 1320 feet………………with a tailwind…
This is not a 1970. 70’s had sliding lever heater controls. This is a 1967 with pull out heater controls. One year only, 68 thru 72 got the sliding lever controls. Unless someone swaped a cab or dash this is a 67.
I remember the day well, it was a dreary, blustery day with high cross winds blowing across Interstate 5 between Seattle and Tacoma Washington. I was on my way home from work when I saw a camper like this one swaying across the lanes out of control when suddenly it flipped over on the highway. The camper was completely destroyed, but the truck wasn’t hurt that bad. Fortunately only the driver was in the vehicle and he was unhurt. I think that might have been the reason for the demise of these campers, as apparently this happened quite often. After that you began to see more motor homes and less pickup campers on the roads.
God Bless America
I’m still trying to figure out how to get in and out of it ! I don’t see any doors- surely you don’t have to crawl thru the cab every time ?
Ahhhh ! I just outsmarted myself ! Just realized both side pics are of the same side, just from opposite directions ! No pic of the passenger side !
If I remember right,this was the same company that
made S & S campers,in Kalispell,Montana.
this was advertised here nearly a year ago, i see it is missing a marker light since then.
I was thinking that I’d seen it here before.
This is one camper I’d be happy to have……just for the avocado green oven………..god thats the worst color and soooooo……….period correct. I think this is a ’67 too………what a great rig. If only………… Pull up next to some of those 70 feet half million dollar behemoths………and wreck the neighborhood!