I picked up this old van a couple years ago. Always wanted one of these. It needs everything, but is fairly solid. Plan is to get it running and driving then see where it goes. I have a 200 six ready to go in but need to decide .....keep the original rear axle or upgrade?
The rear end has a bunch of slack in the ring/pinion. I need to figure out the ratio and if it's worth fixing. These came with either a 3.50 or 4.11 ratio. It also has a tiny U joint yoke and the driveshaft is missing. If the rear is junk, I'd probably swap in an 8" or 8.8"
Nice looking van.. I got rid of mine cuz it was killing my back and the engine didn't like me...I basically gave away lots of small parts and most of the glass away...but I have the bumper you can have and the front bumper is like a pretzel but u can have it...
Pic of the engine going in this. 200 from a 74 Maverick. I went through it.... All stock though. Yep I like green!
I dug into the rear axle........ it looks pretty used up. Lots of slack everywhere, including the spider gears. Needs all bearings, seals, brakes and even the drums are shot. Sooooo, I think I'll look around for something else. I have a 9 inch that would fit, but it doesn't need anything that beefy. Difficult to find anything in the junkyards this time of year, everything is buried in snow. Guess I'll have to wait a bit on that....
I have always liked the early Econoline vans and the Dodge A- 100 vans, both have gotten hard to find in restore-able shape. HRP
I had a 65 Falcon Econoline back in the late 70's. It came with a 240 inch 6 & a 3 spd. It ran well but I stuffed a mildly built 289 in it. Had a lot of fun with it till a drunk 16 yr old kid came up my street. Sure miss it. Old vans seem to be back in fashion.
I believe the heavy duty versions came with a 9”. This was from around mid-60s. If you could find one of those…. Otherwise for the money spent rebuilding the original, you could probably find a junkyard replacement. I remember the Econoline my aunt and uncle had, it was a pickup. That rear axle reminded me of a golf cart axle. It had an engine fire, was out out to pasture, and eventually scrapped. Have a soft spot for those…
You can build them 200cid. Fords More Main bearings then that 140cid. Snappy little engine in mine Back in the day. We added Crane, Holly and Clifford Research Goodies. We did make it to Fla. slight hang up in a Ohio Snow Storm.
The little angled window right behind the door is a neat touch. These vans are cool! Known for the front axle as a racing part, too.
Years ago I came across an Econoline cargo van for sale....it had doors on both sides. I think those are kinda rare? I wanted to buy it, but it was a total rust bucket.
Yes, 8 doors are rare. 2 front, 2 rear, 2 right side and the rare 2 left side. I was searching for them a while back and found maybe 50 a100s online. I've got a 68 A100 Wagon 8 door that also came with V8 and auto. Just the short (a100) v8 Auto was 2500 built in that year for all variations. Main types are Cargo (no rear windows), Display (right side windows), and Wagon (all windows). Having window or solid side/rear doors allows various other combos.
RSR's your man to acquire one(or more) A100/A-108's. PU & vans. . Get'em before they're all gone... . Also, upgrade to a 9", or maybe a 8.8". I had gotten a pu version of that ford, from my uncle after he was done w/it(beast of burden), that someone swapped a Sprint260v8 into(tilted sideways, too. Was originally a small cid 6.). On my way to school one morning at a lousy feather-foot steady-state 25mph, I twisted off the yoke. Hmmmpff, = Opportunity for Upgrade... . Got a 9" from a later van, bolted it in, all I had to do was to have a teacher friend shorten a driveshaft - which after he got done, didn't need balancing. Happy, I was. . Taught my youngest brother how to drive a stick(before he became a Quad, he learned real fast n easy, to smoke my new rear tires... ;D . *Almost* wish I had it back. Marcus...
I just had this beauty shipped in from California,RUST FREE!!! short wheelbase,3 speed stick, needs everything mechanical, putting in a 200 inch engine in place of the 144, new brakes, some minor wiring issues and hope to have it on the road buy next month.Hoping the trans and rear are good, leaving the patina, I'm too old to tackle a paint job..
Sweetdick, spend some time carefully going over all the shift linkage, cleaning, lubricating and fixing any wear and slop. Between the bushings in the column, the holes, pins and clips at the pivot points and adjustment, this is one of the biggest issues in the drive train.
Very nice! Be aware....... Depending on what year van and what year 200, they may not bolt up. The early sixes have a different bolt pattern on the back of the block. I'm sure the correct parts exist to do it, but I don't have them. I have to use the trans that came with the donor 200.
Some very good info about the little six bell housings/ transmissions https://www.moderndriveline.com/ford-in-line-6-cylinder-bell-housing-identification-2/
I pulled the trans out today. These are non synchro in first and reverse according to the internet. Note the top mount. I will have to build a mount for the 3.03 trans I am using.
So I've been working on the brakes....much easier under there with no engine/trans in the way. New brake lines, hoses, master cyl, etc. Most all of the brake parts are available, except the drums. If anyone has a source please let me know. I'm going to see if mine can be turned, but they look pretty grooved up.
The front brake drums cleaned up nice, so I've got the front brakes finished. Also picked up a 9 inch rear that should work good. Now I'm doing some rust repair on the front floors.
Not a lot getting done on this, I've been having some health issues. But I did finish the rusty floor repairs and got the engine/trans set in place. I had to trim the floor a bit because the 200 has a bit bigger bell housing than the 144.
Cool van! I've got a 64 deluxe window van with the 170 and side trim etc. Also have a 200 that might go in at some stage.
Hello, The Econoline vans had one thing that was so much better for travel of any kind. The motor up front or partially in front allowed the rear door to actually function as an entry way for anything. Longboards or motorcycles rolled up a ramp fit perfectly inside. In the VW vans, the rear engine motors, while easy to take out and put back in, caused a high entry point that was good for surfboards shoved nose down to the front. But, most of the custom camper builders put a small closet or a second small refrigerator back there. The higher level of the floor prevented any build that had access from the rear. The Econoline had both of those ideas covered. Some even had a drop down full bench that made into a bed/sofa. Then it was raised to the sides to allow full access to the floor space for motorcycles, bicycles or mopeds on camping trips. One year, we were surfing in Baja, Mexico and the Econolines, VW vans and Chevy station wagons were in full force at several locations. San Miguel was the most popular. While down the coast a mile or so, if you knew the entrance from the main highway, the another spot was there. Camping on the cliff top area and walking down the cliff trail to the surf break was the only way to see the waves. It was pretty secluded and a wonderful break kept glassy all day due to the heavy kelp bed. Above the wheel driving position, viewing the road ahead was always cool as the large window gave us a great view of the oncoming road ahead. The only drawback was that when the van went over some rough bumps in the street, our bodies instantly got pushed up and inch or two, depending on how fast we were going. The empty bed of the van made for worse handling, even on the bumpy street. On the dirt Baja Mexico side roads leading to the surf areas, was a funny amusement ride as we spent more time in the air and holding on for dear life. Slow going still made the whole van shutter and go up/down with each bump, big or small. So, those over the tires vans of any make were just not the best for all forms of driving. Plus, the heat from the motor right next to us was not the “coolest” thing. on the far left Jnaki Any building of a good handling, riding in a van also has to include, good safe brakes. Sometimes, the feeling of being right on the guy’s bumper in front of you, is a little daunting. But as teenagers, we got over it quickly with the camaraderie going on in the van during those long road trips. Good springs and shocks go a long way for comfort, especially those front, over the tire seats. Note: Our friend with the new Econoline van in 1961-62 was a good surfer, but his day job was to sell paper oil filters as a traveling salesman. He called his own hours, had a client list of shops and allowed time to surf in the morning while trying to get us to buy his paper filter system for all motors. He had a showroom built into his Econoline motor compartment to showcase the filters. The paper looked as if it was a commercial toilet paper roll. Ha! He was the only guy to be able to afford a brand new van and accessories. Plus, he had more horsepower in his van over all of the others. The Chevy vans had not arrived, yet and the Corvair vans had their own situations. These days, the motors are moved slightly back and the seats/suspension is not directly over the tires. So, the ride is much better and comfortable. But, yikes, why raise them so tall? The next Santana Winds that blow will make the whole van will shake like an earthquake ride… YRMV An old Friday Art project But, in real memories, a light blue window van… the red is a better art project… IMHO The original color was close, but a little boring when drawing a hot rod window van.
Was out picking through salvage yards and ran across a ford econoline 8 door van, pretty rare, I haven’t had time to look it over good yet but seems pretty solid, all glass is good except the windshield
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