Today on Shitbox Showdown, I don’t have a theme, or a price range. Sometimes I just find two vehicles that catch my eye, and I can’t find mates for either of them, so we end up with an odd couple. This time, it’s not even apples and oranges; it’s apples and Brussels sprouts, or something.
Yesterday we looked at a couple of strippers, the kind that you don’t get in trouble for looking at on your work computer. Plain was the flavor of the day, but many of you took it upon yourselves to see one of the cars not for what it was, but what it could become in the hands of a talented and dedicated owner. That Zephyr, being a Fox body at heart, has a deep and wide aftermarket of parts to make it go much faster and handle much better.
So I guess I’m not surprised that it won, but I’m going to swim against the stream and choose the Cutlass. I’m just not an engine-swap kind of guy; I like to think about such things, but I know I’d never follow through on it. So I’d rather have the two-door with fuel injection, and just maintain it as-is.
All right; let’s take a look at the sort of camper that Scooby-Doo and his friends might drive, and an off-road-ready compact two-door SUV. I told you it was a mismatched pair. Here they are.
1970 Dodge Oasis Surfside camper van – $1,700
Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Pahrump, NV
Odometer reading: 100,000 miles
Operational status: Ad says not running, but also says rebuilt engine…?
It’s rare for me to find a car I haven’t seen at least somewhere before, so when I come across one, it grabs my attention. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an RV based on a Dodge A-series van before, at least not one this large. The seller says it’s rare, and they’re not kidding; a search turns up very little information, and not many photos that aren’t of this exact van. Oasis built all kinds of other campers, both trailers and RVs, but not a whole lot of these. It looks like a fiberglass roof and tail section grafted onto an A108 cargo van, and I kind of like how the transformation turned out.
The engine in the A-series vans is in a box between the front seats. In this case it’s a 318 V8, connected to a Torqueflite automatic. The seller says the engine has been rebuilt, but it sure doesn’t look like it – unless it was rebuilt in 1980 or so. It doesn’t run, and the wiring is incomplete. At least it’s a common drivetrain, so if the engine is toast, a replacement shouldn’t be hard to find.
The interior needs to be completely redone, of course. But here, the rarity works in your favor; nobody has any idea what these things are supposed to look like inside, so you can fix it up however you want. By the way, the dashboard is included; it has just been removed for refinishing and rewiring.
Outside, it’s got cool styling, mag wheels, and zero rust. You could have a lot of fun with this thing, with some elbow grease and imagination. And the price of entry is right.
1999 Chevrolet Blazer ZR2 – $4,950
Engine/drivetrain: 4.3-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, part-time 4WD
Location: Whittier, CA
Odometer reading: 230,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
It wasn’t long after the SUV craze kicked into high gear that the two-door variants began to disappear. The imported SUVs from Toyota and Nissan grew an extra pair of doors to avoid the “chicken tax,” since four-door SUVs were classified as cars, not trucks. Buyers loved the extra practicality, so Ford and GM added four-door versions to their lineups as well. But the two-doors hung around, usually sold as either sporty models, or in this case, a more serious off-road version.
The ZR2 version of Chevy’s Blazer is more than just badges and fender flares; it has a wider frame and axles than the standard Blazer, more ground clearance, lower axle ratios, and lots of other heavy-duty parts to make it more formidable off-road. I’ve never driven an S-10 Blazer off road, so I can’t say if these enhancements help, but I can say both the standard Blazer and the ZR2 are absolute beasts in the snow. Power comes from my old friend the 4.3 liter V6, along with a 4L60-E automatic and an electronically-controlled transfer case. The seller says it runs great, despite having 230,000 miles on its odometer.
The interior is typical GM plastic and mouse fur, and it appears to be holding up reasonably well. The driver’s side door panel could use some help, and I bet there are more surprises that aren’t shown, but who cares?
It looks pretty good outside, but I’m not fond of the black-painted wheels. I still don’t understand that fashion. I do like the brush guard on the front, though. And I really dig those little triangular flip-out vent windows.
I know a direct comparison is difficult between these two, but just think of them as toys: Would you rather play with an incredibly rare and cool-looking camper van, or a not-quite-as-rare off-road SUV?
(Image credits: sellers)
Going Blazer, my parents neighbor had one back in the day. I borrowed it a few times for light hauling and it was a hoot to drive (still young out of college and building a life, dad had sold the Colony Park at this point).
The 318 in a box scares me.
I can smell the mouse poop in that Doge from here.
We’ll take the Blazer and get those wheels sprayed back to argent, tout suite.
Wow, tough choice. Do I want a 45 year old camper with a gutted interior, debuilt engine, that doesn’t run (and probably hasn’t since the Reagan administration) and looks like a suppository for the Jolly Green Giant or a running, red Blazer with some serious miles? Take my chances with the Chevy SUV.
As a van guy, I’d try and save it. Those body cladding parts on the back made me think of hood scoops, so it’s gotta have lotsa power!
Normally I’d jump on the ZR2, I always liked those.
But a high mileage 4L60E does not inspire the confidence of “ready to run”.
So I’ll gamble on the cheap RV and see what I can do with it.
4l60E is perfectly cromulent in something like a Blazer. They really suffer when stuffed into a fullsize pickup.
You aren’t exaggerating an inch when you say the Blazer was/is good in snow. I had a 2-door myself, and it is tied as the best snow car I’ve ever driven (alongside the believe it or not, ATS4).
Only people from Detroit know the little nugget of information that around the turn of the century (weird to write, right?), the City wouldn’t plow streets that weren’t main thoroughfares. In fact, the only street they’d plow in Rivertown was Jos Campau because they had to have meetings at the Rattlesnake Club. Also, because Herb Strather had his office there in the Stroh’s Building. (Google him. You won’t be disappointed.)
Point being that I lived in Rivertown on a street that never got plowed. That 2-door got me home every time, and even could do a precise Ace Ventura-style power slide into it’s spot.
This Blazer might not be the best example ever, but overally, that gen Blazer is a goshdang machine.
https://formidablemen.com/herbert-j-strather-chairman-of-strather-associates-hosts-the-black-wealth-builder-summit-in-detroit/
Also:
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/detroit-blight-bundle-bid-withdraw-herb-strather
Running and boring > non-running and cool.
The RV van is cool but that’s a project and a half. I have the skills to probably get it into some kind of usable shape but the time and money required to get it there are in short supply. If it were at least running it be a tough call but as they sit Blazer for me please.
Voted Blazer even though my ex had one that lost its ability to go in reverse.
The van is cool, but it probably is best used as a chicken coop or artificial reef given its condition. It is hard to see that thing being roadworthy any time soon.
The Blazer wins by default, although it is nice and interesting enough to win on its own merit. I wouldn’t pay $4950 for it, though.
For nearly 5 grand that stealership should fix the door panel. Sheesh.
Voted for the Van cause for 1700, eh at least its a project-centric price.
I really dig the van—but that rear overhang kills it for me. I don’t need an apocalypse-ready overlander, but this would absolutely drag its butt on many fun fire roads here.
Had to vote ZR-2
The Dodge has a certain cool but there’s no way I have the follow through to finish it. So even though the second gen Blazer is the only time I’ve seen a car evolution get worse (plenty of experience with bother 1st and 2nd gen S10 Blazers and the 2nd gen just seemed to fall apart, especially interior compared to 1st) I think that is becoming a rare find in such good shape. Even with high miles, that 4.3 will run as long as it has oil and all the other parts are cheap.
I have never had a bad experience with that engine/transmission combo, and that’s across half a dozen vehicles and three decades. 100% the Blazer for me. Also, “GM plastic and mouse fur” ROFL! That’s the writing I come here for.
Since the game is to choose one, I’ll go with the Blazer, but it seems to be a bit high on the price side. Other than that, I always dug the 2-door versions because they harkened back to the originals. I generally don’t like the black wheel look either, but it seems to work OK here – I would get rid of the brush guard because it seems a little cartoonish.
Look, I’m not going to tell anyone how to live their life but maybe you should remove the ‘SEND HELP’ sign from the side of your van before taking your for sale photos.
Maybe it’s not actually for sale and the lister is actually in need of help! It’s a literal cry for help and we’re just here saying how much we would rather have the blazer!
I picked the ZR2 I always loved this generation of Blazer in 2dr especially with the ZR2 trim. Actually shopped around for some in the past before buying a K5 blazer. Hard to find nice ones anymore around the Midwest though.
The Dodge van is very cool, but I’m not the right owner for it. I can just see it sitting in the garage while I slowly realize how far in over my head I am. Blazer it is today.
Would it even fit in a standard garage?!?
Yes, but you have to believe it will. Throwing some pixie dust on it might help.
I drove many Blazers and Bravadas of this generation with the 4.3. They’re small, nimble, fast, and damn handy off-road. No wonder they kept building them until they couldn’t.
I’d turn it into a blizzard beast, with full-on winters and a host of emergency gear. Being unstoppable in the snow has it’s virtues.
That Dodge looks like it made one too many trips to Burning Man.
Blazer for me.
Wow, they’re both pretty cool in their own way. But that van had me with the split windshield and those headlights.
The RV is neat, but totally roached. I love those ZR-2 Blazers, so hell yeah, give me a rust free one from California.
I picked the Blazer only because I had an S10 ZR2 and I loved it.
I really wanted to like the Dodge with the badonkadonk, but everything seems sketchy about, even for a mere $1700.
I picked the Blazer. It looks fun!
Badonkadodge?
Would I rather have herpes or smallpox? Neither one of these things is particularly interesting to me.
I wonder what newer 4wd truck frame would fit under that van body, which is in decent condition for its age.