Florida man tried fixing his V10 Viper with parts from a Dodge Caravan, the results are surprising

A Florida man’s wild attempt to fix a V10 Viper using parts from a Dodge Caravan is turning heads across the internet.

What started as a low-budget project on a junked-out Viper bought from a Florida auction quickly became something that is both entertaining and surprisingly functional.

While you may expect restoring a Dodge Viper to cost a pretty penny, the man had a plan.

Instead of using pricey parts meant for the Viper, he substituted them with cheaper ones meant for a Dodge Caravan.

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YouTuber Samcrac shared the journey in a recent video.

He bought this V10 Viper off an auction that sold problematic cars.

When he went to collect his prize, the engine fired up right away, which is a good sign.

However, the car didn’t even make it out of the lot before it started overheating.

This was the first repair needed: replacing a leaky water pump.

All good, right?

Not quite, because apparently the windows won’t wind down.

While this is normally not a major problem, the V10 Viper’s engine notoriously generates a lot of heat, and lacks modern cooling features.

In fact, every time you exit the car, you may end up barbecuing your calves, due to the location of the hot exhaust pipes.

Coupled with the Florida heat, it’s no wonder the YouTuber compares the car in its current state to a ‘slow cooking death trap’.

Restoring cars can sometimes be expensive, even if you purchase the car for a crazy low price.

Just ask this man, who bought three damaged Lamborghinis over five years and spent an absurd amount of money repairing them.

Luckily, the man had a method to spend less while restoring this Viper.

Because the car shares a lot of parts with its wallet-friendly brother, the Dodge Caravan, he could save big on parts.

First the man checked the fuse box, and took care of the blown fuses.

Then, to solve the window problem, the man tried replacing the window switches with some cheap ones meant for a Dodge Caravan.

While they did fit, the man then realized that the car’s window regulators are also not working, so he did the same thing and ordered some inexpensive ones meant for the Caravan.

After a few more fixes, like replacing the missing rear-view mirror, he took the car out for another drive.

The Youtuber describes the car as having a ‘lot of charm’, although the driving experience wasn’t the smoothest, given that he can feel every bump on the road.

Upon inspection of the tires, he noted the low tire pressure, and realized that the tires were 12-years-old, so those need replacing as well.

All-in-all, the restoration of the Dodge Viper was surprisingly successful, especially since he didn’t use many expensive parts.

Naturally, this restoration wasn’t nearly as extreme as others you may have seen, like this restoration of a 1967 Chevy Impala after being abandoned in a field for decades.

However, this isn’t a contest, and every car that is salvaged and given a new lease of life is always a happy ending.

If you want to watch the full restoration process, you can check it out here:

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