1964 Econoline camper in the UK.

The seats are simply AWESOME....!!!! I can highly recommend them. They are firmer than the original seats, and hold you much better, which means that the driving experience is dramatically improved. I couldn't believe what a difference it made...! The wife also loves them, as she can now sleep in the front whilst on a long journey.
I haven't had chance to try out the heating elements yet, as i don't drive the van much in the winter, but the guys on the porsche owners club forum rate them very highly for cold weather driving....
Let me know if you need any measurements etc...

I have a first Gen Chevy so not sure they would fit as nicely as they did in the Ford. I am going to measure the passenger side of the 64 tonight to see what I have to work with. Good thing I read your post seeing as I didnt know the passenger side was narrower than the drivers till I did. I checked Ebay and the only seats I could find were over $1000 a set. I am sure I can find a cheaper set if I watch more.

I am also swapping to a V8 so I am going to have a bit less room but I have been thinking of making the doghouse run all the way to the passenger wheel well anyways to mount the AC blower box mod I am planning. I guess I can always mount whatever seat I get higher a bit.

I will have to see when I get closer to that point. Right now I just need to get the van in the air and get the under body done.

On a side note, that Mazda you got the seats out of, I think in the states they are called an MPV instead of what you called it. I know that cars and bikes sent over seas get different names with 90% the same body/components as the USA. I really like that Track System, makes it so much easier to slide for everyone.

I just had a quick look, and i think the MOV is a different vehicle. The Bongo was only ever available in Japan. A lot get imported over here due to them being right hand drive, and then they get camper conversions, hence why there are always seats available from them.

$1000 is a lot for a set of Porsche seats. I paid £300, which is about $450 for mine and they are in very good condition. A worn set can be bought over here for less than $300. Keep your eyes peeled on Ebay and you may find some.

I'm about to make some more progress on the Econoline.

Placed an order today for a full length sunroof, from this company...

http://www.parisbeetles.co.uk/bus%20sunroofs.htm

It will take a couple of weeks to be made, which should give me time to figure out what to do about the ribs in the roof. These sunroofs are designed to fit a smooth roof, and mine isn't...!!!

Can't wait to get rid of the remains of the camper roof...

Sy

Sy,

Fantastic van!

Could you tell me what you had to do to get the van through the MOT?

Also, where did you get your rear lights?

I am waiting on my A100 being delivered and then I will have to embark on a similar process.

Cheers,

Hugh

Hello mate. The rear lights i got from Europa car spares i think.
I fitted UK spec halogen headlights from a Mini, and fitted orange bulbs at the front for the clear indicators.
Not much else was an issue really. They MOT the van using the chassis number, and then you send off for a V5. Very simple process, didn't take too long.
Good luck with yours, is it coming from the States...?
Sy

Thanks for your reply Sy.

No,from Derby! It came from Fresno CA originally but has never been registered in the UK.

Looking forward to getting it - hopefully next week.

Nice Minivan too. Always fancied one but as a lifelong Imp fan I could never take the step over to the other side!

All the best,

Hugh

Blimey, its been a while since i updated this, as the van has been sat in my garden for quite a while now....!!
Anyway, the camper roof is now completely gone. I decided to fit a full length rag top to the van, and went ahead and bought one, without even thinking about the problems i would encounter fitting it to a roof with ribs in it.

I realized that the only way to sort it out would be to get rid of the ribs and have a nice smooth roof, which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. I am not an expert with a welder, and the first attempt was a complete disaster, so i covered it up and forgot about it for almost a year.

So, we are going camping in a few weeks, and i thought how ridiculous to be using a tent when i have a camper van waiting to be finished....!!!! So i had another go at welding the roof up. Unfortunately i didn't take any pics of the work, but here is the finished article....





I decided to leave the ridges in at the very edges of the roof, but at the back i had to make the rest of the roof all one level. I cut lengthways slots in the roof either side of the ridges and jacked up the lower sections of the panel so that it was all the same level, and then seam welded it all back together with small strips of metal filling the gaps. Sounds simple enough, but it was a complete nightmare. Trying to do it and avoid warping and distortion was tricky, but i watched a few videos on youtube and figured it out from there.



I got 2 lengths of angled iron and cut slots every couple of inches, and then bent them to form a curve that matched the existing roof. You can see the 2 curved pieces in the 2nd photo above. These were then used to hold the roof in the right shape whilst welding. By clamping these in place, it ensured that the roof stayed where it was supposed to, and i didn't get too much warping.

It took about 3 days of welding and grinding to get this right, and after finishing it i was not looking forward to tackling the front, as the ridges were much longer, so i came up with the idea of welding in a smooth section just where the roof would sit, and leaving the rest of the roof as it was.



I cut s strip of metal about 6 inches wide, and clamped it to the curve, and then welded in the small vertical fillets that were cut to fit the shape of the roof. It actually went really well, and by the end i was getting really good at welding without it distorting. And thats it, job done. Took me weeks to get it right, but i'm really pleased with the finished result. The rag top is fitted quite loose, as they do shrink a small amount as soon as the sun gets on them. This will hopefully get rid of the remaining ripples in the vinyl.

Some other jobs i have tackled have been to fit some curtain rails. I fitted stainless rods along all the windows in the back, top and bottom.



I also bent a curtain track to go around the front of the van as well.



Just need the wife to finish the curtains now.....!!!

Another job i tackled was the side step. Its been bugging me for ages, as the pressure put on lower door hinge by the mechanism has caused all the paint to crack off all around the hinge. I was never very impressed with this method of opening the step, so i decided to fit a linear actuator to operate it electrically instead.



It moves in and out 200mmm which is the perfect amount, and is activated by a small dpdt momentary action push button switch which is commonly found on guitar effects pedals. I had to make a small recessed section for it, as the switch was too big to fit in the door gap as it was, so i welded up a small plate of metal and some tube to make a recessed hole for the switch. Getting quite good at welding now, and it looks really neat.



The step now opens on its own as soon as you open the door, and closes as soon as you close the door.

I also changed the steering box for one that Fred Carello sent me last year. It feels much better now, although i haven't driven anywhere yet. Got the annual MOT test on Saturday, and then as long as it passes, it will be back on the road again.....

VERY NICE JOB,, LOVE IT !!

Sy that roof turned out great. kool idea for the step as well.

So, i work for a kitchen fitting company, and i replaced a whole kitchens worth of handles recently. The old handles were stainless steel and in perfect condition.... So what do i do with 34 stainless curved handles.....?



What do people think of the new grille...? Does it look like kitchen handles bolted to a grille....?

That looks great. Had you not said they were handles, I wouldn't have never known. Kool idea Sy.  

Love it Sy. Great looking van.

Hugh

It came out quite well, its a shame the exhaust doesn't fit as well. Having awful trouble trying to get the exhaust to seal to the POS manifold....!!!!
Ordered a mesh donut to put in there rather than the solid one, in the hope that it may compress and seal better...!! MOT test is due soon so need to get it sealed properly.

Lots of Great touches on this van Sy!!! Best of Luck with the MOT test.

So, the exhaust appears to be working much better now. I bought one of these....



And used it instead of the solid metal one that was on it originally, this seems to fit much better, as it crushes slightly when you fit it to give a much more reliable seal. First impressions are good, although i haven't taken it for a run yet as it was getting late. Will do that tomorrow hopefully. The idle seems much smoother now, the slight misses have gone completely and it is a lovely smooth and steady pitch.....

Nice work Sy dig the grille idea. will retrofit my step someday down the line of projects.

Wow, the exhaust really does make a difference to how the van runs. Now the leaky manifold is fixed the engine runs smoother, the auto box shifts better, i don't need to press as far on the gas pedal to cruise along, and acceleration is vastly improved.... It must have been leaking quite a lot before.
Went out for a blast in it today, going to take it to its first American car show tomorrow at Billing Aquadrome. Took a few piccies while i was out....









As soon as funds allow, i will be purchasing some of the Camaro split bumpers to go on the rear of the van. And maybe the front as well if they fit. Will order one set first just to find out...

It looks Fantastic, Sy!!! You've done a wonderful job bringing her back to her former glory...and well beyond that as well! Can I ask what kind of seats you have in the front? Do they fit without interfering with the doghouse lid?

Thanks in advance,

Vanny

The seats are out of a 2001 Porsche 911. They can also be found in the Porsche Boxster. They are very nice seats, and also extremely comfortable. They are electrically adjustable and are also heated, although i've never switched them on, as i don't drive the van in the winter due to all the salt they put on the roads over here in the uk that eats metal....!!!

They fitted perfectly, and clear the doghouse, but you have to be quite precise with them as there isn't a great deal of clearance. If you go back to the 5th page of this thread, i showed some pictures of them being installed.

your camper is looking very nice sy.

Thanks for the comments, we had originally planned to repaint the van green, but the colour has grown on me and i will be keeping it like this now i think. The interior is very bare at the moment and as soon as i have finished the project i have in the garage, i will be doing a full custom interior on this one....

Can't wait to see those pics and thank you for the information on the seats...I should have backtracked to see if you already had that info! Anywho, they look Great as does the van.

Hi, Stumbled across your post whilst looking at pictures of early econolines on Google, the photo led me to this forum.
Sy Your van is Great, a credit to youm and all the hard work you've put into it.
I have a friend who lives in South London who is a confirmed Early Econoline NUT, He has had numerous Econs since I've known him from the mid 70s, all earlies.
He has had Window vans, Panel Vans and Pick ups, Currently he has a 61 panel van that he has owned for over 40 years, It was originally customized by "The Van Shop" in east london and had art work on it depicting old london and was called London Scene, It has now been painted black and has a Chevy 350 engine.
He also owns a 64 econoline camper, with just over 400 miles on the clock, genuine FOURHUNDRED miles, It was originally bought at a dealers in the USA, driven to a Camper company who converted it and then driven to the docks and shipped to the UK, when it arrived here it was driven to a lock up garage in London and forgotten about until steve bought it in the late 90s, and it has still not been registered in the UK.
He also has another window van that is a complete rolling shell, he keeps saying that he is going to fit a BMW diesel in it and us it as a daily driver, but hge has said that for nearly 12 years.
The guys name is Steve Nicholls (are you on here Mate ? ) AKA Cadillac Steve.
Also Sy the Red, White and Blue van you originally looked at was owned at one time by another friend of mine, He bought it from its original owner who imported it from the states, at the time this owner worked for the British Embassy in Washington DC, he bought it New as a family runabout.
When He retired he decided that it was not worth selling in the USA so he shipped it back to the UK, My friend saw it parked on a drive way with a "For Sale" sticker in the window.
It was a grey blue colour then but my friend had it painted the Red White & Blue to match the design of one of the Custom Van Clubs Logos in America.
I think that the van has since been thru about 4 different owners since he had it.
I also have a friend in Leeds who owns a Chevrolet Corvair Van, rear engined flat 6, It was the only one in the UK until about 10 or so years ago, he has done a lot of work on it since he bought it in the 80s from of all places the "British Commercial Vehicle Museum" in Leyland.
OK enough waffling, once again GREAT VAN, so I am now off to read all the other posts on here.

Cool, thanks for the info. I've seen a couple of them at the shows, including the red, white and blue one, but not seen any other Ford ones this year yet. A friend of mine saw a white pickup in London, and i've seen a couple on Ebay, but they are still very rare over here. As soon as i saw one i knew i had to have one. I did consider a Corvair, i really like the shape of them, but they are too big to fit in my garage...!!! Your friends 64 camper sounds interesting, it was probably converted in the same place as mine, in the same year. Mine no longer has the camper top though as you might have seen from earlier posts.