Enter Sandman: 1983 Chevrolet S10 Sandtana





























Though summer is basically over (especially since Labor Day has come and gone), there is still plenty of time to go out and go camping. When I was a kid, my mom, my brother Kurt and I would go camping all around Pennsylvania in a 1976 Chevrolet G30 Holiday Rambler Spirit of America RV (say that five times fast!) Eventually, we used the RV less and less, especially once my family acquired a cabin in Pike County, Pennsylvania, but we did paint the RV in my brother's college football team colors and take it up to his college's home football games and tailgate with it. This 1983 S10 is a Sandtana camper, one that I've never seen before until now. Find it here on Craigslist in Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada, with an asking price of $2,500.




















Introduced back in the early 1980s, the S10 Sandtana is a tilt-top camper built on the S10 pickup chassis. Weighing only 3,470 lbs, according to a July 1983 Popular Science article, the S10 Sandtana could get over 20 mpg, fit in an owner's garage with the pop-top down, sleep six people, and with the pop up-top up allow a six-foot four-inch person stand inside without feeling cramped. Costing $13,500 to $16,500 depending on options, the S10 Sandtana was built in Colton, California. Production is unknown, but being that I've never seen one of these until now (I've seen a few Toyota Sandtana RVs for sale online), I'm guessing not many could have been built. Looking over this Sandtana, the RV is in great shape, with no body damage, paint fading or any blemishes in general. I love the big Western mirrors and the big black front bumper, though I would swap out the wire wheel hubcaps for a set of S10 dog-dish hubcaps and swap on a new set of Kumho Solus TA11 all-season tires.



























Is anybody else out there digging those designs in the front bucket seats? Inside, this S10 Sandtana is clean up front, with little to no wear in the seats, carpeting and door panels, and no cracks in the steering wheel, dash pad or dash face. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the engine, but the seller says the S10 Sandtana is powered by the optional 2.8L V6. Rated at 115 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque, the 2.8L is not much on power, and is backed by a three-speed TH-200 automatic. I would swap out the V6 for either a 5.3L LS-based Vortec or a 6.0L LQ4 truck motor from a Tahoe, Suburban, Escalade, or full-size pickup truck, and source a 700R4 from a 1987-1992 Caprice or 2WD full-size C10 or C20 pickup truck.



























Taking a look in the camping part of the cabin, a first glance shows a mostly complete area. There is a fridge missing underneath the sink, so I would source a mini-fridge from Lowe's or Home Depot. The pop-up features a roomy sleeping area, and I like the stove top, sink, and storage underneath both those and underneath the bed by the big back window. Overall, this S10 Sandtana is a very solid RV, and with a few modifications and swaps this would be a great RV to take around the country; I doubt you'll see another one on the road. What are your thoughts on this rarely-seen S10 Sandtana?
Location: Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 12, 2018 at 8:41 PM

    Love it do you still have it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 25, 2020 at 9:52 PM

    I just spotted one today here in western Canada, in Calgary, just parked downtown with an Alberta plate on it, I'm guessing these are quite rare

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownFebruary 25, 2020 at 10:09 PM

    I'll correct myself, It probably is the same truck as in this ad (thought you were describing a truck you own), I can see a box on the back bumper in this photo, which the one I saw has...

    ReplyDelete

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