1983 Dodge Ram Van w/ Slant-Six, 4-speed manual, 85k original miles, working A/C

Description

You are looking at a NO RESERVE auction on a creampuff '83 Dodge Ram Van B-100 shorbox with 85,041 original miles & a rare combination of options including the 3.7 liter (225 cubic inch) Slant-Six cylinder engine. 1983 was the very last year they used this engine in the Ram Vans. They are a very reliable, tried & true engine-design that was used throughout the late '50s, '60s, '70s & early '80s. Many bolt-on performance parts are available for these engines to help them produce almost double the amount of power they came from the factory with. This van is totally-stock, and has a 4-speed OVERDRIVE manual on the floor (I've never seen another full-sized van with a manual transmission, and it's a trip to drive!). The shifter almost sits behind you. The vehicle has manual steering, but does have power-brakes, and air-conditioning (that still works)! The number of these vans ordered in bright-red must've been extremely-few, especially in a shorty cargo-van style. At some point, a previous owner decided to finish out the walls with carpet, and tint the rear windows. My plan was to install a couple of swivel (or rear-facing) captain's chairs, and a wide bench way in the rear (perhaps a card-table in the middle for long road trips), but the possibilities are up to you. It could be made into a bug-out expedition camper, or even fitted out to be handicapped-accessible. Dodge used this body-style platform from 1971 through 2003 with only minor cosmetic changes, so it's a timeless classic design. Got a small business? Advertise your company-name on the slab-sides & use it for a work-van (free billboard-space!).
I had thought about swapping my Cummins 4bt diesel into this thing, but it's just WAY too nice & original to hack up at this point. The rear axle gear ratio is a 2:94, so despite having the aerodynamics of a brick, this van actually gets excellent fuel-economy just the way it's set up from the factory with the fuel-efficient six-cylinder (most all of these came with a thirsty V8 & automatic transmission). It's geared so high, that you don't even shift it into top-gear until around 40mph if you're driving it right. I know for a fact that the 85,041 odometer-reading is the actual-miles (definitely not 185,041). There's clearly no wear on the rubber brake & clutch pedal pads, the factory original paint shines amazingly nicely. I don't notice any fluid-drips on the driveway, and the engine doesn't exhibit any ticks or blue smoke. The carpet and seats are in nearly mint-condition, as is the dash.
Buying a vehicle with 85k miles on it can potentially be like opening a can-of-worms, because it's low-enough mileage that the vehicle potentially has never had almost ANY maintenance done to it, but high enough that a whole host of mechanical-wear-items are nearly ready to fail & need replacing. Before you move onto the next vehicle at this point, hear me out and read on... I literally have receipts for ALL this stuff having been replaced with dates of June & July of 2016. They are as follows: Brand new clutch with pressure-plate, new shocks, a new alternator, new spark-plugs, plug-wires, new distributor plus cap & rotor, new fuel-pump, new belts & hoses, recently replaced brake master-cylinder, recently battery, new muffler & tailpipe, new wheelbearings & axle-seals, rear brake drums, front brake-calipers, brake-hoses, wheel-studs, new brake pads and shoes front to back, and more! Also, the carburetor was just rebuilt and tie-rods were replaced with alignment job done recently. It drives down the road wonderfully, and is extremely road-worthy and dependable (it's just about like a brand new van). Virtually every single wear-item has been replaced that could possibly go bad. Other than the tires which are old and weather-checked, this thing is good to go for MANY years into the future.
All the glass is good, and free of chips or cracks. There are no rips or cracks in the seats or dash, and the interior isn't faded whatsoever. The exhaust is quiet with no leaks. Every single thing works, from lights, turn-signals, heater, A/C, stereo, horn, interior dome-lights, gauges, etc. The chrome bumpers & grill shine like new (there is a crack in the grill from hitting a bird or huge moth or something). There is very little to apologize for on this very original time-capsule. My wife's been bugging me to get a minivan which is SO uncool in my opinion, but I don't think she's going to be willing to drive this vehicle with the manual steering & stick-shift transmission combination. Too bad, because it's just so unique, and I get compliments on it everywhere I go with it. It's very practical and economical, but the Misses doesn't really view it as a daily-driver to haul the kids around in.It's been a local vehicle its whole life, and I always used to admire it when I was a teenager (it had Cragar SS wheels on it back then which looked super-cool, but these factory wheels with dogdish-hubcaps look great on it, too)... has the smaller, car-sized 5x4.5" bolt-pattern, so wheel-possibilities are endless & readily available if you'd like to change the look.
I welcome anyone to come test drive this vehicle, or would certainly be willing to take it to any mechanic or body-shop in town for an independent-inspection. I require a $250.00 security-deposit within 4 days of auction's end, and remaining balance within 10 days. I accept cash-in-person, or a bank-to-bank wire-transfer if having it shipped (or cashier's check). Vehicle would be released for pickup upon funds clearing. I can send pics of the front and back sides of the title which is in my name, clean & clear (no liens or encumberances).Deposits are considered non-refundable. By bidding on, or otherwise agreeing to purchase this vehicle, buyer acknowledges that it is being sold as-is with no warranty. That being said, mechanically... I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere on the Continent. If you'd prefer to have it shipped with an auto-transporter, Atlas Auto Shippers is a company I've used extensively over the past 10+ years (888) 285-2706. Patricia, the dispatcher knows me, and she can get you a quote right over the phone. They usually come in very competetively-priced... otherwise, I also have a number of other contacts for auto-shippers which I can provide if you'd like to shop-around a bit. I can't think of anything else to add as I describe this sweet van, but feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Thanks for looking!