I had to sell my 57 chevy station wagon 2 summers ago because we hit a really tight spot. Since then I have been super budget minded. I happened on a junk yard that had 3 1960's vans that I can actually afford and still have $ to get up and running and road worthy. All about the same price all about the same condition. motors stuck but all the pieces are there. Now I am trying to figure out what would be the best. 1. Corvair - panel van mostly complete 2. Dodge A100 - windowed van but all glass is there and none is cracked 3. Econoline - panel van. windows missing but mostly complete If anyone has good and bad on these styles only I would love to hear. My end goal is something clean and simple to begin with but I may look into lowering at some point in the future. Thanks! cody
The Econoline is a unibody but some HD models had considerable thicker/larger framing under them along with 9 inch rears while standard models used the 7.25. If the frame channels are solid it would be my choice. Most anything is available to keep them going and 300 six or v8 engine swaps are rather easy. Driving them is a bit odd at first but you get used to it. The worst thing is the nonsyncro 3speed in the early ones (pre 64 if I remember) and general lack of power. The Corvair would still be my last pick unless you really like it. The cost of rebuilding the six is a bit more than a decent V8 as with the transaxle suspension parts etc. It does ride better than an Econoline for your investment. Parts in general are out there but the suppliers and Corvair yards really stick it to you. It is still a really neat little truck and the least seen of the three but one of the others might go farther on a budget. With the Dodge yank the seats out of it if nothing more and sell them to a Fairlane guy.
NOTSTOCKPHOTO seems to like the heck out of his corvair van. He drives that thing all over the country constantly: I had an father-in-law a while back that inherited his dad's ford van and he used it all the time and aside from a problem with an exhaust manifold bolt being broken, I don't recall him having any issues with it at all. I got nothing on the Dodge van.
I would go with the Econoline. You can still get a lot of new parts for these at Macs. They are VERY easy to work on and it probably has a 170 which is bullet proof. The worst thing about my Econoline is that it is SLOOOOOWW, but that can be remedied with some modifications. If the engine is no good you can easily swap it out for a 200. Also, panel vans are more fun because you can do more with the inside. The Dodge vans are very cool though. It may be faster than an econoline and the A100s don't seem as common as the Econolines. The new Chainsaw Massacre movie that came out a few years ago featured a pretty sweet A100 window van. I think the mystery machine from Scooby Doo was based on a Dodge. I don't know anything about the corvair vans. I would base your decision on which van is in better shape and if you want a window van or a panel van.
Cody, I'm a Dodge guy, so you know where this is headed. Corvair is going to be unique, and the drivetrain will require more research and effort. Econoline is common, and the stuff to fix them is pretty easy to get. A panel is what I'd want. Windshield is curved, all other glass is flat. Early Es are much harder to swap a V8 into, so you will have to stick with a 6 for cheap thrills. Dodge A-100. I held out for a panel, but my secod choice would have been an all window (I don't care for the 'display' style, with windows on the right although they are easier to see out/drive). Fairly easy to swap motors, best doghouse. Some parts are tough. All glass is flat. The A and E have disc conversions kits (a GOOD idea), not sure on the 'vair. Most rubber seals are available, some repair panels are too, but most tend to use donor stuff. Check out vintage-vans.com for fellow vanners. Pros: Unique vehicles you don't see often. Simple, basic mechanicals and decent parts availability ('vair???) Cheap buy-in and fairly cheap to build up. No group of uptight restorers to annoy you about the correct date-coded wheel and the overspray pattern under the dash. Cons: Noisy, hot, poor crash design, and the only high performance designed in was moving a bunch of stuff in a small package. Not great handling, accelerating, MPG or braking. This can be changed, but cheap means no huge changes. Some have an aversion to vans, especially panels. Free Candy...... Things to watch for: RUST - this is the biggie, closely followed by major dents. Unless you love to do rust repair, and are very good at it, get the best body possible. Missing parts - some stuff is easy, some stuff (straight rear bumper) is painful. Worn steering box and shifter (manual) - suspension and drivetrain can be redone, and the parts are often shared (cheap). The steering boxes and the shifting stuff is unique and can be a lot more time and money consuming. It can be done, but will swallow a big chunk of your build fund.
Algon, Todd A, Vanrockn and RodStRace - thanks for the input! All good things to consider. I definitely need to get out and give the vans a good look through and find a way to get underneath them to look the unibody/frame over as best as I can. I think I will get out there this Saturday with the camera and see if I can get a better look into some of the hard to reach areas. thanks again!
I grew up with these vans , and was a real fan of them in the late 60's. The Dodge was the best built of the bunch, but the Fords outsold all others. The corvans were pretty junky and needed constant attention. Oddly its the Ford that seemed to endure over the years, probably because of the sheer numbers produced. I've owned 3 fords, one Chevy (non corvan) and my best buddy owned a Dodge. The Dodge was far and away the best built.
I prefer the Ford. I have a '62 once with a swapped in 200. It wouldn't pull stumps but it did motor right on down the road.
The Dodge or Ford should both be good to go with, they are a bit under-powered with the 6-banger. I had a buddy that went with Chevy vans and swapped 327s into them and they were real screamers. On the Econoline, watch for rust in the foot wells and where the steering box and idler arms attach. Bob
I have an A100 so i of course say the dodge. The a100 is somewhere around 4" wider and 6" longer and seems to have a little bit heavier built body. The ford and chevy are both unibody with all the challenges that that includes...
Having owned one of each, the ford is the cheapest and easiest to find parts for and coolest looking. The dodge is DEFINITELY the best built of the three. Much sturdier, bigger, heavier. It's a real van. Both the econoline and the corvair felt sorta "flimsy" in comparison.
I owned several of the fords back in the 60/70's even lived in one while I traveled all over the country after my discharge. Best thing about them was their simplicity, very little to go wrong, and very simple to fix if it did. Worst thing, you better not hit anything!
Not all the econolines were uni-body. You have to crawl under and look. Some had a real whimpy rear axle and some had a 9". I don't know what the difference was, if it was a year thing or maybe they made a heavey industrial model, but I know I have seen them both ways.
All 61-67 Econolines were unibody. I have a '65, and helped work on a 64 (important changes from 61-64 and 65-67) My Econoline is great, and fun to drive. I regularly had the 170/3spd/7"rear up to about 80mph with no trouble. I pulled the 6 out and dropped in an 8 and 9" and added disk brakes. Should be ready to go soon. Mechanical parts, and a few body parts, are available from Macs, Dennis Carpenter, NAPA, etc. Several companies make disc conversion kits, and 2 guys on the HAMB sell dual MC conversion kits. 61-64s are harder to do engine swaps in than the 65-67s, even though they look pretty much the same. If you can get a '65-67 with a 240ci (or originally had one) you'll be set to do just about any swap you want... more work with a 170... and a LOT of work with a '61-64. I have a Corvair car. I don't know much about the vans, but I know a lot of parts are van/truck only and are fairly rare. You can get any of the mechanical parts, seals, etc from aftermarket places like Corvair Underground, Clark's, Rafee's, etc, but don't get anything from NAPA, AutoZone, etc. Corvairs are very unique and a lot of parts simply do NOT interchange no matter what NAPA says. The motors are pretty simple, but quirky and more awkward to work on than a water-pumper due to all the shrouds. There is an active message board shuold you need Corvair help. I don't know anything about the Dodges.
I'm gonna cast my vote for the A-100 Dodge window van,,easy to drop a V8 in with plenty of room to spare. I drove an old 1966 for about 10 years and having the window makes it easy to see ou and around you.,,I wish I could find my old one now,,I installed a 340,duel point,4 barrel carb and aluminum intake and hooker headers,,,it was fast and would blister tires. It had a lot more power than brakes. HRP
good to know about the A-100's. It is the one that appears to be in better shape out of the 3 vans the yard has. I need to crawl around it this weekend though to make sure that nothing is rusted out on the greasy side.
look up some common parts on NAPA's site, or RockAuto, AutoZone, etc and see how much they are and how available they are. For example, you know you're going to want to replace/rebuild the master cylinder, wheel cylinders, water pump, wheel bearings, brake shoes and hold-down kits, etc. Are there any A100 support websites/forums and specific parts suppliers for the stuff NAPA doesn't carry? Factor that in to your decision.
That right there should be the clincher. Best shape rules. Watch for rust though. usually where water can get in and sit, around the front floor and step area, where the floor and walls meet, and the wheelwells. also check the drip rail area, That is bad news..... The trans hangs from the unibody. engine mounts bolt to the unibody frame. The suspension and steering soft parts are available except one tie rod end. All body rubber except the vent windows is available. Tail light lenses are shared with trailers, provided you aren't going to check the DOT date. pie pans (around the headlights) are shared with some D-100s. Front lenses are tougher. make sure all the belly pan is there, the E brake setup is there, the side and rear door parts are there. You ususally get a bunch of extra stuff since these end up being mobile storage units. Check the other 2 for dodge stuff and maybe some parts you want for the van. Ford has the same bolt pattern.... Shop manuals are a big help and are available. magnetic signs?
I've owned 3 econolines... Loved them all and they were the vans I most enjoyed. But in all honesty the Dodge was a much better built vehicle. The early Fords with the 144's and 170's were still an adequate vehicle. They taught the importance of shifting to maximize the power they didn't have.
Nothing personal,drive and build what you want...but what's so traditional hot rod about a van? They were used by contractors and for store deliveries for the most part until the 70's when they became popular.And the even the mid 60's is too modern for HAMB. Might as well let some of us who are Willys Jeep guys show what 4x4's are all about
I had a 69 Chevy van for several years. One of my favorite cars ever. Any one of those you are considering will be a hell of a lot of fun! Good luck and enjoy.
i was looking for a panel van before i bought my panel trucks. i decided on the dodge because they where sturdier, came with V8's and looked goofy. all the ones i found where pretty rusty and then i stumbled across my '64 panel truck.
The Jalopy Journal
