WTB: 1983 Dodge Caravan

[Juggy]

well i just happened to notice the local plant is looking for an original 1983 dodge caravan that was built in the windsor ontario plant.

if you know of any leads or info please post up! theres a phone # and contact, most likely email as well, they i will get from the write up in the paper.

so this could be your chance to get back some good coin back for your 83! The money is coming from a grant that has to be spent august 2011 so they have a little bit of time to search for one

[RoadWarrior222]

That'd be an '84 model year vehicle made in '83 right?

Spotters guide:- will probably have 4 bolt wheels and quad lamps.

[Juggy]

ya i thought 84 was the earliest mini i know of....but in the paper is says 1983 dodge caravan?!

i thought those quad headlight vans looked kind of cool. i believe it was 4 bolt too

[Juggy]

i thought of justins minivan as soon as I read the article

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=436176&postcount=6

altho I think they are looking for something more original, his would be one stand up display unit as to what the minivan could be turned into :D

[Juggy]

heres the article directly copied from the windsor star


Museum seeks piece of city's automotive heritage
BY JEFF BOLICHOWSKI, THE WINDSOR STAR NOVEMBER 1, 2010
The search is on for a four-wheeled, seven-seated treasure of Windsor's history.

Windsor's Community Museum is looking for an original, locally built Chrysler minivan to add to its collection. The vehicle, which began rolling off assembly lines in 1983, looms large in local history, says the museum's curator.

"Chrysler's been part of the history of Windsor for a very long time," Madelyn Della Valle said. "I think the minivan, at least over the last 30 years, has just become iconic.... It's the vehicle so many of us drive."

Yet those first vans didn't inspire visions of history to the workers who put them together.

CAW Local 444 president Rick Laporte, whose union represents the Chrysler workers who build the minivans, said workers didn't want the vehicles when they first hit the production lines at the Windsor Assembly Plant. "I remember my first reaction to it was, 'This thing will never sell,'" Laporte said. He said he first compared it to a matchbox.

"We were not happy that we were given that product. We didn't think the product would take off."

Nearly 30 years later, though, he's a believer in the vehicle that has become a staple of Chrysler's fleet and a big seller.

"Probably the luckiest thing that ever happened was getting the minivan," said Laporte.

"I think it's great for the city. It's kept people working for 25 years.

"I think it's certainly an icon within our community."

Della Valle said an original van could be a "focal point in any kind of welcome-to-Windsor exhibit."

The small museum, located on Pitt Street behind the St. Clair Centre for the Arts, isn't big enough to hold the van now, Della Valle acknowledged. She said if the museum did find an original minivan it would end up in storage until a bigger community museum could be built.

"I'd really love to get my hands on one of those original minivans," she said.

Now the challenge is to find one of the vehicles. Della Valle said the museum is doing some research of its own but is also looking for the public's help.

"If anyone has a minivan of that description to sell, we'd love to hear from them," she said.

"It wouldn't be something that happens overnight. We want it and we'll certainly do our due diligence when we get offers."

The funds, she said, will come from a trust fund left behind by local historical collector George MacDonald about 50 years ago. The cash he left behind and the interest it built up over the years must be spent before next August.

"I'm very conscious of more modern history and I try to collect that kind of stuff," said Della Valle. She said she even picked up a Tim Hortons roll-up-the-rim cup for its future historical value.

"History isn't just old stuff that happened back in the 1800s. History is happening now."

To Laporte, the minivan has already secured its place in the history books. "I think it has historical value similar to the (Ford) Mustang," he said.

But he said it might be tough to find an original minivan. Many of the old ones have likely decayed by now, he said.

"I'm sure there's a couple but there ain't gonna be a lot," he said.

Anyone with a lead on an original Windsor minivan can call the museum at 519-253-1812 or email wmuseum@city.windsor.on.ca.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star


Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/Museum+seeks+piece+city+automotive+heritage/3755956/story.html#ixzz143kd6200

[135sohc]

couple months ago I found an early build 84 minivan in the wreckers. Looked cherry inside and out but had the 2.6 :yuck:

[1BADVAN]

do you think they are going to pay good money? there is one here local that is pretty nice for like $500 maybe i should buy it and see if they offer more :) jk

[Juggy]

do you think they are going to pay good money? there is one here local that is pretty nice for like $500 maybe i should buy it and see if they offer more :) jk

yeah im under the impression they would like to find something in best condition they can, for the most reasonable price.

i thought they were looking for a real nice condition one, but the "Any conditon" part scares me lol

im guessing they will have it restored