No Reserve: V8-Powered 1966 Dodge A100
I only say this as an envious outsider, but van life might be the best life. Consider the following: 1. A van is easier to customize because it’s a rolling billboard. 2. You can carry people. 3. You can carry motorcycles, lawn mowers, sinks, Velvet Elvis paintings from the thrift store, whatever. 4. You can move in a moment’s notice without renting someone else’s van. 4. You can live in it if the need arises. 5. It often looks cool, as cool as this ’66 Dodge. You too could be living the van life within two days with this extremely solid A100.
I say this because this van (as of yet) has no bids, and with no reserve on an auction that ends early Tuesday morning (in California), someone could swoop in and get a pretty good deal on this seemingly rust-free Dodge. The starting price is a twee $1,966. Nope, it’s not perfect, (you can see the dents and the windows that would look more suitable on a houseboat), but it’s the perfect color for a mid-’60s car, truck, or van: turquoise. And all ’60s “forward control” trucks and vans had a propensity to rust everywhere.
Not this one. You can tell by the wheel lips and floors that this is an extremely solid example of an A100 (the seller does mention that there are a few soft spots in the floor from the rubber mat). The seats are shot, but two seats make up the sum total of the upholstery in a cargo van, so any reasonably competent local upholsterer could have you on your way in days. It’s not uncommon to see a third pedal in a work van, but this one has a pleasant surprise under the dog house.
It has a 273 instead of the ubiquitous 170 or 225 Slant Six. Topped with a reliable and stone-simple Carter BBD, you have plenty of power to move this light little van down the road with just about any combination of cargo you can dream of. It has the “heavy-duty” three-speed manual and the tough 8 3/4″ rear end. The transmission is probably the A-745, which unfortunately does not have a low-gear synchromesh, but Dodge truck experts can set us straight on that one.
In a way, vans are like my sideburns – they go in and out of style every five or ten years. Van people don’t care about what others think, however, because they’re too busy living the van life. Seriously, this A100 on eBay looks like a great deal. The seller has gone through the brakes, fuel system, and cooling system and says that it’s a running, driving van that needs the small stuff worked out. Even if you only use it as a weekend hauler, this cool little Dodge might be the deal of the week.
Auctions Ending Soon
1981 Chevrolet Silverado K20 4X4Bid Now3 days$4,500
1963 Ford Country Squire WagonBid Now3 days$100
1989 Dodge Daytona ShelbyBid Now3 days$100
1991 Dodge Spirit R/TBid Now3 days$100
Comments
Love it when I get kicked out posting a comment….. Not too many of these rigs around with no rust and the V8 engine. Could be made into a fun vehicle. The rear windows were probably put in with the idea of making it into a camper as the only opening windows were in the front doors.
yep…not many with the little V8….
IF, you can get a better shot (focused on the Data Rating Plate, as you slide in to the driver’s seat), that plate has ALL of the answers that you would need as to how the van left the factory: Net HP Engine Rating at RPM, transmission type, front axle type, rear axle type, rear axle gearing and whether it’s a Hypoid Geared Vehicle, front spring rate, rear axle rate and more…. Much like the Valiant, these were light weight and ran well with their engines. Braking needs help to use daily in today’s urban commutes (where every one believes they can drive like Dale Earnhardt….). Add in a straight axle and you could have a white knuckle experience on a daily basis.
Velvet Elvis paintings, I love it Aaron!! How could we ever forget those lmao 🤣
I needed that.
I love the “face” on these things. It looks like an accountant explaining something obvious to him but not to me.
I’d be inclined remove the windows and fill with solid panels, to clean up the sides, but I it would make a decent weekend camper, and a window or two would be preferable for that. Not familiar with the 273 – would a more common 318/360 bolt in, if a piston broke? Should be enough grunt to pull a boat and maintain traffic speed. Neat old van.
Nice van at a great price currently. Too bad it’s on the other coast.
Maybe time to finally take the cross country road trip I’ve been dreaming about since around 1972 in 8th grade?
The 273 was the first of the LA-series engines, and just as reliable as those that followed. The only maintenance that a 273 might require that a 318/340/360 would not is an occasional valve adjustment, as the 273 was the only LA engine with solid lifters for all but the last year or so of its life.
To answer your question directly, yes, any other LA engine should drop right in, in the unlikely event that the 273 had to be replaced.
You forgot to point out that you can also work on the engine without getting wet in a rainstorm, even on the side of the road. LOL
Give it Mystery Machine paint and interior and I’m good to go.
I must be blind, I only see one valve cover , looks like a slant six.
I thought so for a second at first, too, but the other valve cover is hiding under the edge of the doghouse. Look at the intake manifold runners…
Errr, ummm, the inlet manifold is a dead giveaway it’s a bent 8.
Yes, straight eights are falling out of favour in our North American vans!
Or count the plug wires.
No, it is all there, V-8.
Decent shape Dodge Van! Some TLC would certainly make it enjoyable. However, don’t want to think about changing the spark plugs on the V/8….
The side panels on the dog house are removable. My 69 van had a 318 in it.
Livin’ in a van, down by the river. RIP Chris Farley
he ruined a “no window’. I like them & 8dor. Gotta B a lill different. Here, its the split windshield only. Bring back the panels, design the inside, THEN plan the windows (if any). How bout those lill oem triangles behind each the driver passenger’s heads? May B 1 in the way back by the bed if workable & 1 in the right space @ passenger’s side (for intersection negotiation)?
If it was in western pa I’d be a bidder. Always wanted a van.
No, I’d leave the windows. My question is what are those round holes on the driver side body? One could be the gas filler I suppose, no cap, but what’s the smaller one?
You probably know this, but those are custom windows in the sides. It was a cargo or work van. Passenger vans like these had more and much larger windows in the sides, along with extra seats.
If you bought one of these in ’66 all you were going to run into after that was a huge gas crisis. possibly, like me with our Blazer, they put in an extra fuel tank to get through all that. Small hole probably for a CB radio antenna used to ask where the next station with gas was.
A friend of mine had a ’69, basically the same van. We were replacing the distributor in its 318, but yours truly put the thing in 180 out. My friend goes to crank it over thinking she was ready to run, and poof! A big flame shot out of the carb and singed my forehead.
Almost built one as a wheel chair van
for my late MIL who had problems with her knees and legs. Vans like this were more than ideal for a setup
like that. Oh sure, you’re gonna need to beef up the frame rail under the side doors to hold the extra weight of
a 2 piece manual ramp that you’ll need to pull it off. The ramp would’ve
been made with 2 pieces of heavy grade steel with 2 piano hinges to open and fold the ramp. Only problem I had was how to secure the
ramp when not in use. And the real
reason I said almost was that it would’ve been really hard to find a decent van to do the conversion with.
As all the ones I found were either non running or empty shells that would need everything. It would also make really good camper just in case
your wife or GF gets mad and gives you the boot for buying it! Nice van
though.
By gar, this one takes me back, and if you were a teen in the early 70s, it should you too. The A100 was the standard issue for hippies preaching XXXX the establishment. The Dodge was probably the most common for municipal uses, and therefore became easy living for those whose parents didn’t quite agree with them. They were cheap. A used car dealer in Milwaukee” specialized” in phone co. or like vans. I remember, Ford or Dodge, $500, take your pick. He always had no less than 20 to choose from.
I have, or had, a good friend, been a while, he had an A100 “panel van” just like this, only automatic. Those side windows were added later. It was without question, the most miserable vehicles known to man. The engine cover, that served as a 3rd seat, got incredibly hot. It rattled like 6 marbles in a steel coffee can( remember those?) awful gas mileage, wouldn’t go in a straight line, especially with bias-ply, got stuck going downhill in the snow, and God help you in a panic stop. It was his “go to Home Depot” truck, nothing more. It did however start in the coldest weather.
The 3 speed on the column should garner a few stories. They were prone to excessive wear, and the shift linkage was about 3 feet long, also prone to slop. More than once, you’d have to climb under to “free up” the linkage. Oh yeah, all coming back now huh? Ford Econoline was no better. It wasn’t until the new Econoline and the Tradesman came out, that vans got to be really nice as cruisers. Like most did, I’d make a tool shed out of this out back,,,,
I had one of the new Tradesmen vans- a brand new 1973. Living in Omaha (but being from California), I was ignorant as to driving in winter weather. I actually got stuck in a flat home improvement store parking lot- no traction with my empty van on street tires. A nice older gentleman suggested that I go back in the store and buy bags of sand and keep them in the rear of the van all winter. I still had a few close calls getting stuck, but it was kind of like having three wheel drive. I drove up a few rutted alleys to get traction on the ice- the hilly streets were impossible.
Bought my brothers ’64 Chevy van as my first vehicle and it would cruise 60 mph all day with the 250 six cylinder. I carried a 5 gallon can of used oil because of the hole in #3 cylinder, and the forward driving position always made you were aware you would be the first one to show up at an accident…Shag carpet and paneling…the good days.
Sold with a high bid of $5,600.
Steve R