From an engineering standpoint, this Dodge Caravan-turned-pickup truck (which I’m now dubbing “Caratruck”) for sale on Facebook Marketplace is a disaster. But from an enthusiast’s standpoint, who gives a damn? This machine is incredible.
I will say that a part of me cringes when I think about the torsional (shear) and bending stresses this poor Caratruck’s hacked-up unibody has to endure now that its moment of inertia around the neutral axis (cross-car axis) and the polar moment of inertia (with respect to the fore-aft axis) have been thoroughly compromised via—most likely—a Sawzall.
But the majority of me cannot get over the damn wing and windshield wiper on the back of the lovely, rounded “cab,” which was clearly made by hacking the top half of a Caravan’s butt, and melding it to the once-sliding door, the roof, and the B-pillar.
Actually, looking from the side view, it looks like this long-wheelbase third-generation Dodge Caravan had its top cut off at the beltline starting behind the B-Pillar. Then, the top part of the rear end seems to have been grafted in place at an angle. Just look at how the back hatch “leans” forward on the back of the “cab.” I kinda dig it.
What I’m most amazed by is that this hatch on the back of the cab might actually function! I say “might,” because my correspondence with the seller has not been particularly enlightening. When I asked the two questions “Does the hatch on the back of the cab open?” and “Also, is there a functioning tailgate on the back of the bed?” the response was simply “Yes it is.”
So then I tried asking each question individually, and the seller responded “I said yes” to my first query, and “Yes Yes Yes And Yes...Again It All Functions As Should” to my second.
If you think about it, “It all functions as should” is a hilarious answer, considering there really is no obvious way this home-brew Caratruck “should” function. The whole thing is just bonkers, and that it functions at all is a small mechanical miracle.
In any case, the seller says he did not build this machine himself, so there’s no info on how this whole build went down, and more importantly, why. The Caratruck is listed in Providence, Rhode Island at $1,000, which—for a one-off custom job—isn’t bad. Especially for one that functions as should.
Again, whatever the hell that means.
h/t: Joe!