Earle Purcell was a skilled car guy with a creative flair that took a tired 1975 Dodge motorhome and converted it into a solid pickup 5th wheel dually.
The motorhome configuration was well beyond its best-before date and had serious structural issues that included major leaks that compromised its overall strength.
Jim Sutherland
The Dodge powertrain and frame was still solid, but the motorhome’s body was beyond repair, so Earle decided to head in a radically different direction rather than bale the RV. He borrowed a page from hotrodders and used the rear section of a Dodge van to create a rear passenger area in the former motorhome.
Additionally, Earle created a rear deck behind the former motorhome’s passenger quarters to house the 5th wheel trailer towing hitch. Earle’s creative talents were on full display during the process because the rear deck looks like it was built in a Dodge truck factory.
The rear bumper is molded into the deck and does not look like an add-on. Earle also blended the deck’s contours into the converted passenger compartment’s exterior lines in a way that looks like they belonged together on the side of the vehicle.
The subtle exterior alterations extend to the running boards in the former motorhome’s rocker panel area below the front doors.
Other unique features include custom storage compartments, including one for a generator, and hidden filler doors for two of the truck’s three gas tanks. The entire 5th wheel conversion process was a well-designed plan that really showcased Earle’s creative side.
Unfortunately, Earle passed away in 2011, but his legacy motorhome-turned-5th wheel pickup truck is still in his family and returned to the road this past summer when his son Stan decided to revive it.
Stan is a talented guy in his own right because he is both a mechanic and fabricator who has built some very creative custom vehicles over the years. Stan was also involved in his father Earle’s 5th wheel project, so he learned from the master when it comes to creative builds.
The former motorhome still has its original engine (a 360 small block), but Stan swapped out the factory 3-speed automatic for a newer tranny with overdrive. The upgraded transmission presented a challenge because the motorhome was built long before the computer age in vehicles, so Stan added a push button system in the driver’s compartment to manually engage the overdrive in the newer tranny.
The 360 engine was also improved with a friskier cam to up its performance game, and tuned exhausts with match-ported heads to help it breathe easier, along with a few other improvements that have given the Mopar small block a whole new lease on life. Now it has “lots of pep”, in Stan’s words.
Stan’s connection to his dad Earle’s former motorhome extends back to his own honeymoon because it was used by Stan and his new bride for the trip.
It would be fair to say the former motorhome has a special place in Stan’s world because of its connection to his late father and his own personal history with it, so it is no surprise that he intends to keep it in the family.
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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