1999 Sportsmobile Dodge Camper Van on 2040-cars
Austin, Texas, United States
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1999 sportsmobile dodge ram van 3500 maxi
5.9L gas v8 2wd 202k mileage 18-20mpg highway(i saw as high as 21 all day on a nice day) located in austin, tx i bought the van from the original owner's estate after he passed. there was no mechanical history included, but everything looked to be in such good condition i trusted it enough to drive 4 hours home on the spot. all the rubber/hoses/seals were so well looked after, and the drive so flawless, that i focused on moving parts and preventative upgrades to have a maintenance baseline i could count on to not leave me broken down. ENGINE -all new fluid everywhere -new filters -new serpentine belt -new ngk iridium spark plugs -new plug wires -new distributor cap and rotor -new cam position sensor -new oil pressure sensor -new thermostat -new edelbrock intake manifold :the stock one is a two piece design that is notorious for failing at the joint, causing coolant to enter the oil. the new one flows more air and positions the injectors for more effective burn(better mpg). this was an expensive mod but it gave so much peace of mind and mileage it paid for itself. the valvetrain was inspected while the manifold was off and my brother(crew chief for 3 different lemans race teams and a mechanic for 13 years now) said it was one of the cleanest he'd come across. zero scorched oil, zero indications of heavy wear on all moving parts. RUNNING GEAR -two new rear tires(fronts and spare were already new when i bought it) -fresh alignment -new front brake discs and pads -new front hub bearings -super heavy duty rear wheel spacers for more stability since the pop-top adds a lot of weight up high EXTERIOR -raptor liner on pop top, roof, bumpers, and grill -new stainless pop top attachment hardware sealed with butyl :the old hardware's sealant had dried up and allowed a small amount of water in. 100% waterproof now. -new rubber pop top bumper/edging -new 6ft thule roof tracks, feet, and load bars -new roadshower aluminum solar shower -fresh coat of wax(such a huge job haha) INTERIOR -the interior was near flawless. I did a full flush of the water system, steamed the carpet, and that's all i could find to do in there. POTENTIAL ISSUES -i only changed the fluid in the transmission, no rebuild. it runs perfect currently, but with no history on the last time it was serviced i can't not mention it. -the suspension seems to be all factory, and i envision a fresh set of struts/springs could really up the payload capacity. as it sits was more than satisfactory for me, but there's a lot of potential for storage in the rear of the van and if two people's worth of heavy stuff is back there it could overstep the load rating for the rear leafs. -the previously leaking pop top hardware allowed for a small amount of superficial water damage to the tent fabric. it's still solid, just a little bit of mildew stain in one corner that i can't get rid of. -the current refrigerator is big. it can run all day while the engine is running and charging all 3 batteries(1 engine, 2 house) but it can only last overnight with the engine off before draining the house batteries. there are 4+ solutions to this: 1. buy a smaller fridge that's made for vehichles/boats 2. buy two bigger capacity batteries for the "house" 3. use a generator. i have one for it, but i never wanted to use it personally 4. a roof-mounted solar panel would change the whole game. this was my end goal, an adequate setup runs roughly $1000. my experience never left me wanting for more fridge usage with the current cooling power, but i don't think it could keep ice cream frozen for 4 days of stationary off-grid camping if you're into that sort of luxury. -the rear a/c is inoperable, and that hasn't been something i've attempted to service. according to many sportsmobile forum members the unit is notorious for failure and the 3 sportsmobile dealerships will no longer service them since the manufacturer(starcool) stopped producing them. i never wanted for it, if the weather got too hot i just drove somewhere else haha. -there is no alarm, and all locks/windows are manual. an easy and affordable upgrade to add if you want it. overall this van is ready for a cross-country trip at any time. i just got back from 3 months texas-california-texas with not a single issue. ready to be shipped(buyer's responsibility) or fly-in and drive-out(i can help accommodate this) . i hope i've touched on just about everything you could have worries about, but if there's more questions feel free to ask! sportsmobile, van, camper, rv, class c, class b, vanagon, westfalia, eurovan, sprinter, roadtrek, roadtrip, camping, chinook, dolphin, dodge, ram van, van, vanlife, airstream, pop-up, econoline, rialta, tradesman, pop-top, sportmobile, motovan |
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Auto blog
Chrysler investing $20M in Toledo plant to support 9-speed auto production
Sun, 28 Apr 2013In 2011, Chrysler announced a $72-million investment in its Toledo Machining Plant to modernize production of the eight- and nine-speed torque-converters for automatic transmissions made there. That upgrade work won't be finished until Q3 of this year, but Chrysler has already announced a further $19.6-million investment to increase production capacity for the nine-speeders.
The extra units will be necessary because the nine-speed transmission they'll be mated to is going into three popular models: it will debut on the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, then go into the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart. The company predicted that this year alone it would sell 200,000 units equipped with the nine-speed tranny, and it is spending some $374 million in addition to the investment in Toledo to upgrade production capacity for it.
The work attached to this new investment won't begin until Q3 of 2014, and it will be finished by the end of that year. There's a press release below with all the details.
Dodge to resurrect Scat Pack?
Fri, 27 Sep 2013Before social media ever existed, if automotive enthusiasts wanted to be noticed or recognize other fans, they joined a car club. For Dodge muscle car lovers from 1968 through 1971, that group was known as the Scat Pack. Just like the Charger, Challenger and Dart nameplates, it looks like the Scat Pack could be getting a resurrection by Chrysler.
Automotive News is reporting that Chrysler recently renewed its trademark on the Scat Pack name, and while this is in no way a guarantee that the name will return, AN talked to Tim Kuniskis, Dodge President and CEO, who stoked the fire a little more. In the article, Kuniskis said that the name is "a very important part of our history" and added that "we like the whole idea of having a Scat Pack of cars." Scat Pack models were identified by their bumblebee stripes and helmet-wearing bumblebee logo, and the idea of a modern Scat Pack doesn't seem all that outlandish in light of recent vehicles like the Charger SRT Super Bee and the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Concept.
What do you think, is this a cool idea, or is it just an unwelcome bit of nostalgia? Have you say in Comments.
Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!
Tue, 22 Jan 2013We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
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