Fargo is a name that may not be familiar to some of our MyStarCollectorCar readers if they did not grow up in Canada during a period when the truck was sold by Plymouth dealerships in the Canadian market.
The Fargo name disappeared in 1972 on Canadian trucks, but Fargo trucks continued to be sold in foreign countries for several years.
Jim Sutherland
The Fargo trucks were basically Dodges with different badge and trim packages, but they continue to attract curious onlookers whenever one is seen at a car show. MyStarCollectorCar spotted a 1968 Fargo Sportsman camper van at a show and was able to interview its owner.
Chrysler built the A-100 vans and pickup truck variations to compete with Ford and General Motors in this market. The vans were flat nosed with an engine compartment situated between the driver and passenger in the cab. The engine was housed inside a cover to protect the passengers from excessive noise and heat.
Gary Amell was the owner of the ’68 Fargo van and he was still using it as a camper unit when we interviewed him at the car show.
The first thing we noticed about his van was a portable bunk that fit between the two front doors of his van and was a suitable sleeping berth for a kid. The second thing we noticed was the van’s roof could be extended to provide more height and room when the Fargo was at a campsite.
Gary told MyStarCollectorCar that it was a two-person operation to manually raise the van’s roof for camping purposes.
He has owned the Fargo for about 15 years and, as mentioned earlier, still uses it as a camper while he works on assembling the camper van’s original features.
Gary’s first order of business was to make the Fargo ready for the road, so he addressed the van’s mechanical condition to ensure its reliability.
The ’68 Fargo still has its original 318 cubic-inch V-8 engine housed inside the passenger compartment and it’s attached to the Fargo’s factory Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler’s trucks from that era had a dash-mounted shifter that was unique to them and not found on their passenger vehicles from the same timeframe.
Gary mentioned that he had to raise the van’s body to get at the tranny because of its position in the vehicle’s design. The process was complicated, but Gary was able to address the mechanical issues once he figured out how to access the transmission.
The van has a 3:23 gear ratio housed in an 8 ¾ rear end, a combination that delivers better low-end performance and can handle a 65 mph (roughly105 km/h) pace on the highway, according to Gary.
Gary told MyStarCollectorCar he has always been a fan of Chrysler’s Sportsman vans built during the 1960s and got his ’68 Fargo van for that reason. He also said his father was a “Chrysler guy”, so he undoubtedly played a role in Gary’s brand loyalties.
The net result is Gary is the proud owner of a uniquely Canadian camper van with deep Mopar roots.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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