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DEC 19, 2016 / BY JEFF / 16 COMMENTS
Sunrader, Mopar Style! 1979 Dodge Aspen Camper

image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/00W0W_a3CKKdd3T1_1200x900-e1482105638925-630x383.jpg

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We’ve all seen the Toyota camper conversions, featuring a miniarture home on wheels attached to a tiny Toyota four-cylinder. Despite the small cabins and smaller motors, the ‘Yota campers always seem pretty popular, and good ons fetch good money. However, I have never seen a Dodge Aspen Sunrader conversion like this one here on craigslist, where the seller is asking $2,900 for this truly unusual camper project.



image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/00N0N_3qv0VoyXZPc_1200x900-e1482105675589-630x293.jpg

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I have so many questions about this! Is this a one-off, or did Sunrader fix up a batch of Mopars to be its Toyota alternative? Can’t say I’ve ever seen another. It certainly looks integrated cleanly enough that I could believe the conversion took place in a factory, somewhere, but I found virtually no evidence supporting large-scale production of any kind between Sunrader and Dodge (on Aspens, anyway). Do any of our readers know if the two companies collaborated on car-based RV projects?


image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/00P0P_8QFKJNiPeSf_1200x900-e1482105696240-630x309.jpg

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It’s not all rainbows and dandelions, though – you can see this conversion was not exactly a high-finesse job, as the rear doors on the Aspen are effectively just cut in half to enable the R/V component to attach. Plus, the lack of door trim to continue the theme of the front doors to the rear is disappointing, and really only serves to draw attention to the aforementioned halved rear doors. I would have expected the belt line trim to at least continue, even if the actual piece had to be adjusted for the shortened door.


image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/00K0K_7K01qlzklHa_1200x900-e1482105853365.jpg

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On the inside, it’s all RV. That can be a good or bad thing, depending on the level of funk you find! This Aspen is definitely one of a kind and will be a hit at Mopar events and camper congregations alike. But as always, you’ll want to see just how “lived in” the accommodations are before committing to buy, along with what the parts availability is like for Sunrader conversions. Who wants a slant six with a camper in tow?

American / Dodge / Oddballs / Projects
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Yuk, now that's ugly!