just trying to help him figure out what camper conversion it is. It's not a sundial , the rear bench was very different - closet was a square door, etc. If it were sundial, I still have some stuff under my parents house...

Not 100% sure.

Delivered to Chicago

I think it could be a Caravelle, precurser to Sundial. It also has a plaque over the side doors in French and another language. Ill have to get a pic of that.


The door panels on the cargo doors are also look like a plastic laminate. Like cheap countertops from the '70s.

Its also obvious the hardware on the closed door isn't the original.


It has a lot of roadrunner characteristics......

From theSamba gallery....... Caravelle

Yep - sure looks like it's Caravelle. And it looks like it's in mostly good shape. Sundial would have been west coast delivery - mostly SF but there are some LA and Portland delivery sundials


Now - do you know why these campers got started? The chicken tax. Basically, in the early 60's -Germany, France, etc imposed a tariff on US Chicken being imported to Europe, US chicken was super cheap so consumption in Europe went up, and their chicken farmers suffered. This tariff hurt our economy bad, so LBJ imposed a teriff on brandy, potato starch, and light trucks. The cost of a vw truck or panel bus went up by 25%

And volkswagen, in all of their infinite wisdom, would only sell lots of buses to the importers (not the dealers themselves, the middle man). For every 10 buses, you could get 2 deluxes, 2 westys, 6 commercial trucks (or something like that). Everyone wanted a westy, but they couldnt get them - the distributors were so overloaded with panels and kombis and trucks they couldnt sell (again, 25% tax hike). So a bunch of guys, mostly the same family, worked out a deal. They would get the panels and kombi's from the importer - outfit them with camper kits. They could then be sold as a passenger vehicle, bypassing the 25% tariff. And people got a camper, and were happy.

True but weird story. When I got my sundial, I thought it was weird that mine was kombi based instead of panel based, did some research, and talked to one of the sons of the owner of sundial. he sent me jumpseat plans, the plans for the sundial back seat that his dad patented, etc. He was making enough money that his family members started doing the same thing in other cities. Kamper Kit was so cal I believe, Riviera was Washington and Oregon.

I believe the chicken tax truck tariff is still in effect today. Thats why a lot of import trucks are assembled in Mexico and Canada. The tariff doesnt apply because of NAFTA

I heard a variation of that story.....

I would love to get a copy of the jump seat plans!

Oh yeah. I'll go searching. I know I have the plans somewhere