So the Journey begins

Getting ready to head down to TN to pick up a 1962 Econline Van. By this time tomorrow I should be loading her on the trainer for the trip home. At that time I can officially call myself a member of the club. Haven't seen her in person yet but have a lot of pictures courtesy of Duane. Here she is.

What part of TN are you heading to?

Nice looking van, looks clean. I see yours took a punch in the nose as well. Have a safe trip. Can't waite to see more pics.

Looking good, Congratulations I saw that ad and thought to myself, that looks like a pretty good van at a pretty good price.

Hi Craig,

Sorry I won't be able to meet you when you pick this one up. I was hoping I would get the chance to. I know you're going to really like this one. It's hard to find something 50 years old that is this clean and straight. Getting to meet the seller, Don was nice as well. Pretty straight shooter. Cool toys too. His Bonneville Stude is going to be cool. Maybe someday we'll get a chance to meet up. Good luck on your roadtrip. Have any trouble just give me a call. I can take off down the parkway if I need too. If you ever get through Jackson, Look me up. I'm in the book. Remember. If you get to Don's and don't like it. Give me a call. I'll go buy it. LOL.

Duane in Tennessee.

Made it home safe and sound.
Left yesterday morning a little before 10am. Made it to Newbern TN, loaded up the van and back home today. Spent the night in Kuttawa KY. Almost 1400 miles. Im tired.
Here she is on the trailer leaving TN and then tucked away in her garage.
Duane,
I am sorry we couldnt get together. It was a whirlwind trip but I'm sure we will get another chance down the road.
Thanks for all your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Nice find! Should be fun

looks good, solid body.

welcome to vintage vans nice score,,,

That is a very nice looking E-Van!! When you get a chance, more pictures... Congratulations..and again, nice van!!

Joel

Well, Was it worth the trip to Tennessee? It looks good in that nice, clean garage. Hope the wife isn't too mad.

Duane in Tennessee.

The trip was well worth it. It is even better than I expected. (no offense to your pictures Duane) The garage isn't that clean and she's stuffed into that spot as I have an 18ft boat on the other side I have to finish up before I dive into the van. In the next couple of days I'll take some more pics (some will be from Duane's album) of the van and all the parts that were in side. She starts right up. drove on and off the trailer and into the garage with no problems. Currently only the front brakes are working and she runs off a jug of gas. Don didn't know the condition of the tank and lines so he didn't try to run it off them. Probably a smart move. More pics and info to come and probably a lot of questions too.

I'm glad you're happy with it. I know I would add it to my stable in a minute. I really like the straightness of it. All the doors line up nice. My 8 door's panels are all over the place. It's going to be a job to get it back right. This van is already there. Looking forward to seeing it's progress.

Duane in Tennessee.

Great looking van!!!

cool. what are your dreams for it?

Hi Vic
Not sure I have the end vision yet. Want to get it sound enough for the road first. Final version will come later.
Told myself I would finish the boat first before doing anything with the van. I want the room before I start but couldnt help myself. Havent done anything big. Just started to clear out the inside.
Here are some Pics
Finally got the rear doors open

Like the fuel tank?

Dash is pretty clean

Passanger floor rust.Seems to be the worst area inside

Worst areas on the body

Here is what was in the boxes and rear of van. Both bumpers are there as well as a bottle jack and crank and a spare with an old bias ply tire.

cool..looks like it is all there. cant wait to see how it turns out.

Took a little time to work some on the van. Boat not done yet but I couldnt help myself. Had to play with the van.
Cleaned up the inside to see what we had to work with.



Looks like it may have had some panel replacement on the drivers side


You saw the damage on the right front that was not repaired too good. Well I found some other things that may have been related to that hit
This was behind the pass door


Here is the rear shackles on the pass spring

Frame did not look buckled or bent as far as I could see

Dropped the fuel tank as well. This was not unexpected. Not sure if it can be fixed


Overall she's in good shape for a 50 year old gal. Drivers vent window bottom pivot is broken. Can that part be replaced or do you need the vent window frame? All the lights work. Hi and low beams rear brake and parking lights (no bulbs in front yet)dash gauge lights and even the horn blows.
Has turn signals but they don't work. May be because the front bulbs are not in. Got to get the boat done so I have room to really do some work

Hi Craig,

I missed the damage behind the door. I did see the footwell damage but couldn't figure out how it got there. I did look over the frame rails and didn't see any bends. The bent shackle is very common on Econos. Both of mine on my 61 were bent when I got it. Just bumping a curb can bend them. I replaced mine with a pair from a 65 Heavy Duty van. The looked a little thicker than the originals. The gas tank is an easy fix. Just buy a new one. Econo tanks are not being made but Mustang tanks are. They are very simular. Use your fill tube and vent on the Mustang tank and it's good to go. Here's Fred Carello's instructions on doing the conversion.

Fred's Gas Tank Conversion.

The vent window can be fixed. I see the piviots on ebay from time to time. I think Mac's sells them too. Originals had rivets in them holding them to the frame. I'm not sure how you would fasten the replacements. I never can get a rivet tight like the factory could. Maybe a tack weld.

The dash looks great cleaned up. I would have never guessed that side panel was replaced. The side looks arrow straight in the pictures. Must have done a nice job repairing it. Much better than a van I had. It's side was replaced and was held in with pop rivets and silicone. Some places it was over and inch thick.

Duane in Tennessee.

Had some more time to spend on the van yesterday so I changed the oil and filter (oil was milky. not a good sign) and backed her out for a bath.
Scrubbed the hell out of her. Many years of dirt washed away.
When I pulled it back in the garage I noticed fresh oil on the floor. Climbed under and there was oil dripping from the starter. Thought it was valve cover gasket. Nope dry. Another bad sign.
This morning I pulled the starter and there is a hole in the block.
Looks like I will be looking for a 170 or 200 to put in her.


On the positive side. After the bath I took a little rubbing compound to part of the rear side. Looks a little better now

The wing window pivot can be fixed with a little dab of epoxy.

Wow. Bummer about the engine. Hard to believe it has a hole in it as good as it runs. Any idea how it got there. It must have been a connecting rod. I'd have to pull the pan and check that out. As good as it runs I think i'd try to epoxy over the hole until I came across another engine. Rubbing it out looks good.

Duane in Tennessee.

Have to hole welded up by someone that can weld with tig or arch welder. If it runs and no issues otherwise get it fixed.