Projects Help!? What exactly is this?

So I pass this ole van twice a week and I'm in love with it for some reason!! My dad thinks I'm nuts. Anyways, what is it? I know it's an econoline, but I've never seen them with the square headlights.

 

Those headlights are 80's era GM someone grafted to the poor thing.

 

Save the poor thing and put a proper face on it again. Who the hell ever thought THAT looked better than the original? Hillbillies!

 

"Check my custom machine!" Brian Wilson '62

 

Looks like 1976 Buick headlamp and parking lamp assemblies....

 

Yep they do....70's or 80's, those are just wrong on anything aside from what they were originally designed for.

 

Someone's gonna agree with your Dad.

 

Am I seeing frenched taillights as well ?

 

move on citizen, nuthin' to see here...




it will put your eye out, kid !!!
and drain yer bank account !!!

 

That van is not worth it. I drive past it a couple times a week also. There is too much to do on that sucker.

 

Was a popular mod in the late 70's, lots of '64 Impalas got square headlights around that time.

I'm not into the look, but whoever did it, did a good job of it from what I can see, looks like they tapered off the center body line real nice and inset the bezels into the sheetmetal instead of just hacking a rectangle hole and bolting the lights in. I'd bet there are other mods done to it as well, might have been a real nice machine in it's day.

 

Am I wrong for wanting it? Looks like there are some mixed feelings from you all. I was thinking about shop van? Slamming it, putting a logo on the panel... Cool? No?

 

Follow YOUR OWN inclinations. Worst thing that can happen is, at some point you decide this vehicle was a poor choice, but you'll know why you feel that way. Upside is, you may be very satisfied with it for your purposes. Be your own man, make your own decisions and accept the results, whatever the outcome.

Ray

 

Maybe it's an Argentine model

 

You're not wrong at all!!
What we think is completely irrelevant so if you want it go get it.
I personally just dont think the headlight style/trim fits very well thats all. But im no expert on anything and again, my opinion is just that, an opinion.
Tony

 

Like Ssquablow said, that was real common in the 70's. Seem as soon a Detroit came out with square headlamps everyone wanted to retro fit them into their old car weather they looked good or not. Square lights in a round car, yeah, it'll look good!

 

Go for it and if you like that ugly face leave it as is,but you can always do some surgery and restore the Econolines original headlights. HRP

 

Well you are in Carthage so it would be a hippy van unless it is imported from Malibu in which case it is a surf van.

I would like to own it myself, so I can't say that you ( @Doctorterry ) are wrong in wanting it. I may want to do something different with the headlights, but I would make it cruise way before I started changing the outside of it. Logo no logo round or square lights it could be a pretty slick old ride. I would crawl in an burn one with you anytime.

 

porknstoner !!??

 

Old stoners, uh I mean old habits die hard. Ha, ha, ha, ha . . .

 

Bogarts.

 

Might be good for a few laughs if the price is right. Don't pay much over scrap price and you can't lose much. Get it home, check it out, make up your mind if it is worth fixing or not (to you) and go from there.

 

i think those lights don't look to bad on that thing, {call me crazy} but they are just a repeat of the rectangle shapes found on that truck. windows, profile, body feature lines etc... if i was to fix that up changing that part of it would be low on the priority list.

 

You could make something really nice out of that with about 25K.
Or, you could have 25K.

 

Aaah, rectangular quad headlights, the 90's Mercedes headlights of the 70's. Used to see a '63 Impala with rectangular headlights many years ago,. I hope someone bought it and got rid of those eyesores.

If you get it and it doesn't work out, you've always got a groovy portable shed.

 

Exactly correct. We as a community seem to forget that running and driving trumps style. make the mechanicals right then worry about what it looks like.

 

Not wrong for wanting it. I have been watching it since it showed up by that guys shop. But, this one would take a serious amount of body work. I never snuck up to look underneath it but the body is rough. Huge dent in the roof.

 

That one as seen in the photos is actually in good shape for a Missouri econoline. I owned one in the '80s that you could literally see though from one side to the other.

Where you have to watch on those is the rear spring pockets. They rust out.

 

Yea, if it's not a complete rust bucket and the price isn't too high it is worth picking up. They are getting a lot harder to find nowdays. Oh, and as an old hippie I would like to say "groovy headlights man!"

 

I too agree with 33&1/3 that those lights fit pretty well with the squared off body lines on that van. If it's cheap, oops, I mean inexpensive (I'm the one that's cheap), get it even if it's rusted away. The front axle would be good for a gasser style project and the rear is likely a 9". The engine can be sold for something if it runs and the transmission. Or, maybe I'm the only guy here that feels like he needs a little inventory around the place. ha,ha