Barn-Found 1957 Buick Roadmaster Camper Is a Home-Built Mystery

Granted, the Buick Roadmaster is not a muscle car, so they're not exactly similar, but hey, it's also a passenger car with a camper shell welded behind the front end. This one, however, is a bit crude, and it was likely put together in someone's backyard. It's also unusual when it comes to how the square aluminum shell was welded to the Buick front end.

While most car-based campers either retain the front section of the cabin or none at all, this one still sports the heavily curved and angled windshield of the Roadmaster. And the wall behind it was shaped around the chrome frame, which must have been a difficult task. But I guess this is one of the features that make this camper unique.

While damaged here and there, the camper box doesn't look half bad, and there's a chance it was sourced from a different RV. Sadly, there's no info to run by, and the shell itself doesn't look exactly familiar. We also don't know what kind of frame was used for this project, though we're probably looking at the rear section of a Chevrolet truck chassis.

The camper is relatively spacious inside, and it still includes all the amenities you can expect to find in a compact RV. There's a sink, a stove, a few cupboards, and a small dining space with seats and a folding table. The sleeping area is located above the front seats, but it's not large enough to accommodate two adults.

It's unclear if the camper also has a bathroom. We don't get a full tour of the interior anyway because the camper is in rough shape and in need of a full restoration. The same goes for the exterior, which shows a broken windshield, a crumpled hood, damaged fenders, and surface rust. Yup, you guessed it, this camper is a barn find that likely spent decades in storage.

It still has an engine under the hood, but the V8 mill is not in place, and the gearbox is missing. It's unclear if the unit is original or not, but if it is, it has to be the 364-cubic-inch (6.0-liter) Fireball V8 that Buick offered in the Roadmaster in 1957.

So is this camper getting restored? Well, not exactly. The guy who bought it has buyer's remorse, and he's already looking to get rid of it. He got it for $550 at an auction, and it looks like he's ready to part ways with it. It will probably end up as a parts car, but it's still a somewhat cool find. I haven't seen too many Buick campers in recent years.

If you're into weird builds, the video below also includes footage of one-ton truck chassis fitted with a 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88 front end. Behind it, there's also the front cab section of a 1950s Buick. It's like a crew cab but with the rear passengers sitting higher. The things people put together these days, right?