I always thought these were cool, but this got me droolin'. Is the front like that from the factory behind the bumper, or did they make a pan?
My buddy always told that he would love to do a van like that and paint it to look like cardboard. Then he'd have a cardboard box rollin down the road. Silly, but it would be cool. Reverend Jake
For the most part that is what I would do but different head light treatment and steelies to keep it simple.
Looks like something that one of the Trailer Park Boys parked and is now living in. Maybe Bubbles new home?
it's a unibody...looks like a mustang crossmember would go in pretty good, if you wanna go that way. mf
Mmmm, panel econoline van.........I want one of them for my store. Seriously, I'm not kidding. Nix the bling, get some steelies and WWW's and some chrome beauty rings and a set of spiders, ah yeah. Body done in bright candy green over silver flake and top in silver flake, some bitchin seaweed flames down the sides just below my company's name, and 58 or 59 Buick grille in place of the stock one. They are unibody. Read about lowering them, it can get tricky up front, where the wheels are underneath your butt. Mr. Picasso, sir (outta respect), I have been keeping tabs on econoline PU's and vans on (ugh) eBay, and notice that many a PU goes for less than a grand, sometimes way less. Might go take a look and see what you could find.
There are 2 trucks on there now for less than $500. Both in Iowa i think. Nothing I like is ever near PA.
I'd have to keep an eye out, but there is one for sale up her in Largo, it's the one with the long rear end. I saw it on my way to a place I go all the time, I just can't remember where right now.
i wanna A-100 dodge and do a little red wagon clone....i got a start, i picked up a battery box for one at one of the swap meats
Ahahahahaha...Tomslick, you oughta have a complete "red wagon" by about 3009 or so at that rate... I'm partial to the straight axle chevy vans. I took a customer's "108" [pertains to the stock wheelbase] and removed the wheezy 283, 2 barrel, powerglide and replaced it with a fresh 1970 400 sbc, Q-jet and 350 turbo... YEOW! Made a tire fryer outa that little van in a hurry! And it all bolted in place. I'd someday like to do one for myself.
What am I sayin!? I already have a V/8 chevy van. My 85 astro van has a 350/350 turbo. I just love it too. Still, I'd like to have one of those older ones with a straight axle.
Unibody. I just torched the shit out of the front of one a couple days ago to get the steering column out. I stopped and looked at another one today that has been sitting quite a while. I think it would be fun to put a 460 inside there, I mean you have the whole inside if you want to hack at it.
I had a 1966 Chevy van right out of high school and for the past couple of year thought it would be cool to do the same thing, slam a Chevy van in the weeds with an air ride, what a bad ass parts hauler that would be!
[ QUOTE ] Mr. Picasso, sir (outta respect), I have been keeping tabs on econoline PU's and vans on (ugh) eBay, and notice that many a PU goes for less than a grand, sometimes way less. Might go take a look and see what you could find. [/ QUOTE ] you are a-number-one correct, on HWY 81 somewhere in Oklahoma- I failed to note the town, dangit- I saw several of those beauties in a farmer's yard, 2 pickups and a couple vans. they're out there....waiting.
The ol man who usedta be the across the street neighbor when I was REEL little would buy them from from the utility company at the end of their service life, fix 'em up and sell em to plumbers and such... both trucks and vans... Always tripped out on thier funkiness... back then PG&E's color scheme for their vehicles was a rootbeer brown with a tan inset... cool!
yeah, pretty neat. ever since a few months back when one of the magazines had drawings of a bunch of vans done up i fell in love with a rendering of an Econoline short wheel base panel van with Radirs and wide white slicks, a nice rake and red/orange/yellow flames over black paint. i REALLY want to build one like it someday. maybe a built Y-block or a big ole Cobra Jet motor stuffed in there!!! OH YEAH!!
My old one...my first vehicle...was one a '63 econoline panel, it is around Ozark somewhere, I heard a guy has a "garden" in it...fitting, I got it from my hippie comanche/white afro-wearin' (complete with the obligitory pick) ex bro-in-law...he never cleaned it at all, there was enough dirt in the shag carpet to allow some seeds of some sort to sprout into cute lil plants.... I havent seen it in more than 15 years, but I know it didn't go far...
More recently there was an Econo project that I saw floating around on the web. Looked pretty cool with Americans and slammed with mid engine 302(?). Something tells me they wanted it to sit flat on the ground (much like the first example in this post. Too bad. What ever happened to stance, rake?! Low? Yes. Super low? Hell yes! Flat on the ground? Why?! Looks broken to me. Mini Rant over. Dan, you're mind works in wonderous ways!
An aquaintance who used to work for a company with a severly lowered (yellow) Astro Van told me it was downright scary to drive when it was loaded with show stuff. Sitting on the ground? Yea, it's been done, ya can't drive it that way, and it's become so common it has no "Oh, WOW!" factor anymore so why do it? It definitely looks "broken" And the wheel wells have to be moved up into where the driver's ass usta be...maybe that's the point!? I like the second Gen Econoline, '68- I think. Short wheelbase, no windows "cheap" trim level. no shiny grill, painted red.
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