Ford Introducing the Econoline van for the model year 1961and its combination of compact size and great load-carrying capacity (thanks to a design that places the engine in a “dog crate” between the front seat and the driver in front of the front axle) made it a business hit. sales number. GM and Chrysler copied Econoline’s layout for several years (with ChevyVan and A-100), and the American roads of the 1960s were buzzing with small but sturdy Detroit vans driving ahead. Those trucks got the job done, but the mid-engine layout proved a standstill evolution and Ford moved the engine forward and used the front suspension of the F- pickup truck. Series for 1969 model of Econoline. Today’s Junkyard Gem is one of the second generation Econolines, found in Self-catering courtyard in the Denver area.
The passenger version of the Econoline was known as the Club Wagon for most of its existence, but the name Econoline proved so memorable that most of us use it as the generic name for all the E series. -Series Ford trucks of the 20th century.
1971Econoline is available in half ton, three quarter ton and one ton versions, with wheelbases of 105.5″ or 123.5″. This is a big, one-ton, long-wheelbase monster called the E-300 SuperVan.
The engine still performs well in the rear and underneath a doghouse between the front seats, but it’s mostly forward of the front axle and the driver’s knees have a little more distance to the outside world. Starting in 1975, Econoline have a much longer snout and true body-on-frame design instead of the loosely related Falcon chassis of years past.
The build tag for this truck is long gone, so it’s impossible to know what its original engine might have been. This is a member of the Windsor V8 family, be it 289 or 302, and it could be the third or fourth factory to have powered this truck during its half-century on the road. The base engine of the 1971 E-300 was a 150hp 240cc in-line six, with the 302cc V8 being the only engine upgrade available.
There was a time when this Edelbrock Performer aluminum intake manifold would be caught right away by the scrap yard shopper who first spotted it, but those days are long gone. At least someone grabbed maybe after-sales carburetor immediately.
You have exactly two transmission options on the 1971 Econoline: one guide to move column three on tree or a three-speed automatic transmission. This valve has instructions for use.
Three Tree Trucks Newly Available in the US until 1987although Ford has stopped making them a few years ago. Even by early 1970s standards, the V8/manual combination was unusual on new trucks; if you can afford a V8, you can buy a ski box to go with it. By the end of the decade, new Detroit trucks with manual transmissions had become extremely rare, although I did see occasional quirky three-pedal machine.
This truck worked and worked and then worked more. How many dumpster driver’s seats have been swapped in its lifetime? Maybe it gets a new seat every time it gets a new engine.
At some point years ago it had fiberglass insulation and some wood paneling.
There was an RV-style skylight, but a scrap yard shopper bought it.
There is some rust, as you would expect.
The driver’s door was slammed so many times that in the end the striker’s post came loose and had to be repair with some not so nice welds.
How many miles? The odometer has five digits and doesn’t help much, so I guess half a million.
The bodywork was painted, patched, painted, dented, painted, reshaped, painted, filled with body filler, and then painted a few more things. There must be 150 pounds of paint on this truck. You can cut out a random section and hang it on the wall for a nice piece of art (I’d love to but my garage is running out of wall space).
You know a truck has stories to tell when you see a classic car American Association of Gold Explorers sticker on its bumper.
Yes, some attractive things was pulled inside.
In the end, it was parked long enough for the vines to grow into the grille. Today, a 51-year-old two-wheel drive van with a manual transmission is no longer worth it as a commuter vehicle and the bodywork is too rough for custom van enthusiasts to bother with. Next stop: crusher.
More payload than any economy van.
Chrysler and GM followed Ford’s lead in the development of van engines, but it wasn’t until the 1970s. Look, you can oil without going into the sea of passengers!
