matt's first

so i dove right in and started the process and never thought it would be this much fun. my wife is getting nervous that she won't be able to fit her car in the garage this winter since i have completely taken it over. i converted the front brakes to discs using the D&D brackets. they worked great, very easy to follow directions on they're site. learned how to bend brake lines and flare the ends and replaced all the old lines. converted the master cylinder two a dual using the modern form bracket, a little expensive but seem to work great. just sent out the bumpers to get chromed. and i'm in the middle of dismantling the dog house to clean and insulate. of course i realized that i had to take the battery box out and then realized i'd have to take the front seat out which is fine they could use a cleaning as well. also taking apart the front windows so i can get the vent window frames chromed. i have some questions on engine stuff but will post those in the econoline discussion.

Looks awesome Matt. Kinda stinks though that you have to buy that expensive master cylinder kit. Not sure why Ford just didn't adapt an existing dual circuit master to work on the Econolines.

thanks guys
i know that would have been nice. i asked dennis from D&D brakes if he had a rear disc brake conversion, he said no but it was because he was working hard on a master cylinder bracket. i believe he said it would be a quite a bit cheaper and he seems to do good work. so maybe that will be available soon.

Does the van have a 9" rear? They gotta make kits for that. I know Mike Cook's "Vanishing Breed" has rear disc brakes.

it doesnt but i am replacing my axle with a 9" soon. who do you think would have that kit

Looks great Matt! My guess is that rear disc brake conversions are more generic than these fronts, as most newer vehicles have disc /drum combos, and the drums get updated. Looks like you could simply adjust your proportioning valve to get the right pressure to front and rear when you do that upgrade.

And good for you buying the wilwood mc... at least you're starting with new and very compact hardware! I want to go that direction rather than with a 67 rebuild.

the rear axle from the granada/lincoln cars should be almost a perfect fit for an early fordvan or pickup. they were the hard to find but had rear discs. the other good ford one was the thunderbird super coupe turbo cars with rear discs. they were the 8.8 if memory serves me correct and i'm a dodge guy so go easy on me.those turbo rear diffs were as hard to destroy as a 8 3/4 dodge and easier to find.

thanks guys
i'll tell you both conversions were really easy even with somebody with my knowledge or lack of. good idea jkr. i was planning on getting a 9 inch from a salvage yard. i wonder if going your route would be better?

The Granada axle is too narrow. Ford Explorer rear discs will fit the stock Econoline 9" rear axle. They are hard to find but Henry's Auto Parts had two last time I was there. They are simple to remove. Just remove the rear cover from the center section, push out the lock pins then slide the axles out and remove the caliper brackets. New rotors and calipers are relatively cheap. The emergency brake is a small drum brake that fits inside the rotor and is engaged by a cable. There are also several aftermarket kits available.
Fred

hi guys
here is the parts van i got on ebay. its got a mustang 289 v8 which i plan on rebuilding(any input on rebuilds would be great). it has a 9" rear axle so i will be able to throw those explorer discs on there(thanks fred). new heater. lots of good stuff to use or store for an emergency. so would anybody have use for a 170 engine that runs and drivetrain with 8" rearend or should i junk them?

more pics

hang onto that breather and steering wheel. the breather will sell for a good buck to some ford restoration person. looks mid to late 60's and an oil bath type to boot. the horn ring on the steering wheel will look good in your own van. after you get what you need take the rest and park it down behind the horse in the field cause old parts are hard to find and running out.
the wheels on the yellow van possibly a dodge or chrysler part???

thanks gman. what is a breather exactly? still learning. i am definitely going to strip it and save what i can and sell what i can.

Mattvinc the breather their talking about is the air cleaner on the motor. Instead of having a removable filter, it filters the air through a small amount of oil that is inside the aircleaner. wideload

cool thanks wideload. do you guys think anybody has use for a 170 engine and drivetrain(8" rear axle)

Matt anything that is a factory stock item and still useable is worth saving if you've got room to store it. A lot of this stuff is getting really hard to find and a lot of guy's like to put these old vans back to orginal apperance. Like G-man said, it gives you a good feeling to help out a fellow vanner looking for parts and who knows next time it might be you who needs a part. wideload

Hi all
it has been awhile. been very busy. and have spent a lot of money. here are some pics. first the engine i got from the parts van. before and after the machine shop.
matt

long bronco headers i got that did not fit, so i went with the shortie versions. anyone need headers?

installed







nine inch rearend from parts van

chrome... yessss

body work, panel replacement, Pats Autobody

more pics to come