Hot Rods 1961 Econoline station bus value

Here is a video I made of the Econoline. I couldn't help myself so I bought it. It's a sickness.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

The 2 door hardtop in the background is a 55' mercury Monterey, picked that one up also.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

Congrats, your new van looks really straight! Love those vans, theres one for sale here locally for cheap. I don't need more projects.....but I'm tempted to buy it anyways.

 

Hey 4,
Nice purchase of the Econoline Van. My friend had one in the very early 1960s. We went on surf trips and his Econoline stood out everywhere we went. Why? He was the rolling advertisement for his business as a Frantz Oil Filter Company sales person. His Econoline was spotless at the beaches and when we were finished surfing, his two side doors were always open to showcase his product installed in the motor. It was really innovative and cool looking.

He tried to get us to buy the set up for our cars, but no one we knew bought a system from him. He did make a living selling everywhere he went and he tied that in to being able to surf while his car had information posters in the windows. That always drew a crowd.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-filters-literally.16699/page-5#post-12511374

You van has the roots and it is a good starting point. Good luck on your new project. despite everyone telling you it is a surfer van, it is just a cool looking van for daily driving. They had one advantage over the standard So Cal VW vans... opening back doors for full access to the floor and interior. We gave him some patterns for a drop down bed, refrigerator, sink, and cabinets for storage. But, he had the one thing of the huge two doors in the back that gave him more accessibility. He could get a motorcycle inside as well as surfboards. The access to the motor was perfect, too. Below: two Econoline Vans

1963 A rare 1954-55 Vw van with a roof scoop in front. (Middle)
Jnaki
The only thing we did not like about the VW vans and the Econoline vans was going over bumpy dirt roads. Sitting over the front wheels gave everyone an unusual ride. The front seat people got the brunt of the solid bumps sent from the dips and culverts that we drove over to get to the surf spots.

 

Very cool find! Looks really solid. Yeah, a SBF/Auto. Great van to take to an auto swap meet, Bonneville, etc. Side load a bike in it, sleep/camp out in it. Let's see pics of the Merc.

 

Window vans were never popular hot rod fodder. if that helps.
My last Econoline was a running driving '62 I bought it in about '83 and paid all of about 30 bucks for it so I am sure that I am not going to give you a fair evaluation of value.

 

There's a couple things about Econolines that make or break them. First, the body panels are galvanized, so while rust through is less of an issue on the body of the panel, the seams tend to rust more easily. Second, the majority of them have had their nose pushed in. Finding a virgin is rare and valuable in itself. Last, the footwells tend to rust and rot out the bottom of the "A" pillars (mostly driver's side from what I've seen for some reason). This is a particular PIA to repair.
The early vans hung the drivetrain on the subframe rails and while that was fine for the 5hp they generated if you go bigger consider reinforcing the rails to handle the additional power.

 

Not a van, but a 64 Suburban

 

I put a sealed bid in on one from the Cleveland, Oklahoma fire dept for 111.11 and won the bid.....about forty years ago. Rebuilt a 200 cubic inch Mustang six, put a 1957 Ford three speed overdrive in it. Swapped out the little Dana rear end and put in a 4:11 nine inch with track loc. Made a real nice combo, we hauled our dirt bikes in it all over the place. Also put some GT wheels and new set of Goodyear tires, 75 mph was smooth as silk! Still have thst rig out behind the barn!






Bones

 

55' in the background,

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

After powerwash,

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk