Ok, I'm kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. It may be neccessary for me to buy a van, something I can haul some of our band gear in....plus I need something to drive this winter, all I have right now is the '65 T-Bird. I hate the thought of buying a "soccor mom" van but I need something reliable and decent on gas. Would a '60's van, like an Econoline work for this? I can't keep the "hotrodder" in me from wanting something cool to drive. Am I being unrealistic? Should I just settle for a Safari van with a 4.3? I'm thinking something like this. And what should I expect to pay for a decent one?
Econolines (fords) and A100;s (Dodge) are both decent vehicles. I would stay away from the Corvan's from GM. A 240 or 300 six in a ford, or a /6 in the mopar would be dead reliable and good on gas. The V8's are just as reliable, but not as good on gas. They tended to be rust buckets however so shop carefully.
I just sold my 65 Econoline in July. It was a 6 year love affair, and I'm still wistful whenever I think about it. You can't beat it for style and fun to driveness. Some assholes used to think it was some rare VW ... dumbasses. I had a 200 6 cyl out of some old mustang that was a cinch to keep going and it was good on gas too. I remember getting stuck in Bumfuk Utah in a sandstorm when the alternator went. I hobbled up to some non-descript mechanics place and bought a new alternator for 30 bucks. I changed it out right there (gotta love the mid-engine doghouse on the inside) with all mother nature could throw at me raging on the outside. Great times. I wouldn't want to ram anything over 5 mph, cuz your legs would be toast, but damn that was a fun van. You can still get all kinds of parts and panels for them, so if you do encounter rust problems, they can be fixed. I say go for it. It sure beats the hell out of a minivan or a "Rapist Mobile" 70's-90's box van. They just look friendly. FYI, I threw a couple of old Camaro buckets inmine and it was a perfect fit witha few mods to the seating brackets. Good Luck.
If you're going to drive it through the snow and salt, you might better stick to a Safari or Astro. Otherwise you'll have it ruined in a season or two. Let's face it, if just driving it is going to slowly ruin it, use up something that no one gives a crap about. I could have bought a running GMC a while back for $300 - it was about to need a new motor, but it did run and move. Don't forget, too, that Chevy offered a near-clone of the mid-engine style van, from like 1966-1970 - it replaced the Corvair and had a conventional engine layout. While too new for this board, it really doesn't look much different than the others, they all have faces only a mother could love.
Get a Dodge if you can find a solid one. They look like a Charicature and run like mad. Those slant sixes are hard to beat in terms of economy and performance, as well as durability (even better milage than a lot of mini vans.)
What about a later Van like the 70's. If you saw the movie old school that black van they have with the cragars is KICK ASS
As far as heat goes, as long as you're in the front, the stock heater works great - besides, that doghouse right next to you keeps it toasty too. (in an old Econoline that is) ** What about a later Van like the 70's. If you saw the movie old school that black van they have with the cragars is KICK ASS** (see aforementioned "Rapistmobile" - I had a 70s dodge windowless van years ago. Let me tell you, girls wouldn't go near it, and mothers grabbed their children when I rolled by. Maybe it was just me though, and not the van. Although, I never had a similar problem with my econoline, no negative stigma I guess.
been driving a '65 econoline camper top conversion. Thing has had a 250 and a 3 speed overdrive put in it. I bet it gets 17-18mpg. Won't exactly break the tires loose. But it does fine on the highways. The 4th forward gear sure helps out in that department, although the shifter now comes out the top of the doghouse.
Another idea for you, though not as traditional...GM B body wagon. My daily is a '94 Roadmaster "woodie". TONS of room 14-15mpg around town, 20-24 mpg hwy. Good tow rig, fuel injection....just another option.
Why not? I'm of the opinion that just about any 60's Ford, GM, or Chrysler product with a straight 6 is a potential daily driver. If they still have good compression just about everything else can be fixed easily. I would have a 60's van over a minivan any day of the week.
Woman down the stree from my hauls her amps and guitars in a flat black with red flake roof '69 Caddy hearse.
The heaters are ok. YOu can get an acessory heater to help heat the back. Keep in mind that you can drop a big 6 (240, 300) or v8 into a 65-67 Econoline with ease, but it will be a lot of work to get one into a 61-64. Not to mention, a 300 will not get any better MPG than a v8. A 250 will be nice, but it's even more work than getting a v8 in there. I have a 170 in my 65 and it works great, but I'm collecting parts to drop in a 302. These things are light. I don't think I'd want to drive one on ice/snow. If you want a hauler with good heat that you can beat up with band stuff and salt, get a newer van/minivan... and paint some flames on it. If you find a van with a 144 or 170, you'll probably want to swap the rear end as the stock 7" rear was very weak, even with the little 6.
Ok, so '70's van ain't so bad...but a '60's? Which would you rather drive? I could see pulling up to a gig in this black beauty.
There are stil a couple "original" articles floating around the net about dropping a 289 or 302 into an econoline with some modifications to the crossmember. Never got around to that myself. Yeah, sidebyside, there is no real comparison IMHO.
I wrote an engine swap article based mostly on info from teh OldEconolines Yahoo group. I'm going to be updating it quite a bit when I do it myself later this Fall. Motors that fit easily in any 61-67: 144, 170, 200 Motors that fit with some work: 240, 300, 289, 302, 351w (more work with 61-64s) Just about anything else requires a lot of work. The Econo transmission is an Econo-only trans... it hangs below the truck. If you want to change transmissions, you'll have to fabricate your own mounts from scratch
Had a 67 G-10 Chevy and a 327 with a 3 speed in it. Ran like stink until you hit ice. The back was cold as a well diggers ass. Look at www.vcvc.org. They have some good deals.
I've got a clean, motorless 67 dodge A-100 for sale. Needs some love, but its fixable and isn't rusty. Cheap too....
I used to always have a really cool old vehilce as a daily, but I just couldn't bear to see midwestern winters take their toll anymore. So now I drive this: I take the Cragars off in the winter. It does the job really well. The only drawback is that the stripped down cargo version goes for way more than a loaded window van. Go figure. Who woulda thought rapists and serial killers had so much cash to throw around?
My daily is a '64 econoline. I too use it for hauling amps and other band gear around, junkyard parts, and as a tow vehicle. I spent the better part of a year replacing everything mechanical in the thing, but it's very reliable now! It's got a 250 with straight pipes and a 3 on the tree, a 9", gets about 18mpg highway, pulls stumps, and hauls ass. I hope you're a good winter driver because it SUCKS in the snow or ice. I even put blizzak snow tires on in the winter and it's still ALL over the place. That aside, I love it! As others have mentioned, the heat works good, and the doghouse is nice to toast your feet on if you're riding in the back. Gonna get a metalic blue paint job come springtime...
I've owned a few 60's econolines and really loved them, I even lived in one for a while when I got out of the service in 72, drove it all over the country. I once had a fuel pump go when in the middle of nowhere, so I opened the "hood" and pulled the fuel line off and stuck a makeshift funnel in it and had my passenger pour gas in the funnel while I drove it home! They're fun to drive since you sit ahead of the wheels, but if safety is a concern, they ain't too safe, nothing in front of you but thin sheet metal. They suck in the snow though.
I had a '67 Ford "extended" van in my bachelor days. In fact we had a bachelor party in it. The heater worked great if you put a curtain behind the seats., and a blanket worked great as a heater in the back. Mine wasn't too bad in the snow, if ya have a stick second gear is your friend on the slippery stuff.... I miss the orange shag, cheap paneling, mood lights and the 8 track player *sigh*
A good friend of mine had a 66 dodge van as a daily from 1999 to 2000 it had a 273 small block chrysler. He is a drywall hanger and would haul all of his ladders, benches , stretch boards and tools in it. Hauled his boat (old early 70s ski boat) also. And on the weekend would clean it all out and shag some hot bettys in the same van. Man, all he talks about is that damn van.
I had an Econoline back in the late 60's early 70's I wishI still had it. All I can say is good , basic easy to repair transportation. Cheap, too. Dont let the socks blind ya... They were all the rage back then..
From what I can remember, the Ford vans always handled like snot while the Chevy vans drove like a car.Had something to do with the front end design that made the Ford steer weird.But that was a long time ago so maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so
Pink Floyd van is a 64 gmc. The other one is a 65 chevy...just stick a 64 grill in it and no one would be the wiser.
I got into hauling band equipment when it was still fun - back in the day. It's many wild stories I'll not subject you to now, but living and driving to gigs all over the beautiful but often wet and snowy Northeast, I have some qualification for giving advice to someone from a similar environment: If you are only hauling personal amps, drum kit and a small club type PA I have two words for you - Sub & urban. Any older Suburban up through late 80's has almost as much space as a full size van and is much better driving and dealing with bad weather. If you have to take "the band " with you then a full size van is probably your best bet. Fun vehicles are one thing, but at 4AM in the freezing rain you just want to get home. I moved up to my own sound company after a few years of working "with the bands" and bigger trucks (I'm not a musician but an engineer) but I still have a suburban because it is one of the most versatile of any vehicle. The current Suburban I have was a DOT worker transporter and has no interior finishing or headliner, fold down seating with an 8 foot bed, 305-4spd (granny) with a 4bbl and Posi , all from the factory. It is not 4WD but with the Posi and weight it drives through anything and still gets @ 15 MPG - loaded. I've used for equipment hauling: a 65 and a 66 Carry-All, A 71 Suburban panel that was an actual Paddy Wagon from MA with a raised roof and very secure cage, and an '81 Suburban. The 81 can actually be insured as an Antique now but I haven't gotten to that. If you need to get into large Showcase Hall type PA transport I'll tell you about International Harvester straight trucks and what you see on the road at daybreak... Powerband
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