got a 1961 ford econoline panel van

HAHA... right arm mang.

Working on a decode. Should have it in the AM.

Duane in Tennessee.

I hope it a 61..... I just ordered a bunch of parts !

neondv8 wrote:I hope it a 61..... I just ordered a bunch of parts !

....I know that feeling...lol. I did the same thing and later found out it was a 67. Now I am doing up the 66 instead. Now I am sitting here with a king pin set and a single master cylinder...OUCH. Here's hoping for 61.

Question...Do you have a hump in the floor behind your dog house?

https://i.servimg.com/u/f44/17/54/82/24/photo-17.jpg
Like this?

YUP that's the one...if you have this hump you are newer then 61. I think that started in 64 and up. And if your heater is in the factory location under the dash then you are definitely 64 or 65 and up. Now upon saying that...if your door tag comes back saying 61, you will need to remove that back piece of dog house and find the Vin # that is stamped into that hump. These vans and trucks are notorious for door swapping back in the day and you may have a 61 door. But lets see what the vin tag says first before jumping to far ahead.

I hope I am not getting you all worked up here. But I have one more question...Master cylinder!!! on the floor in front of driver seat do you have a round cap or a rectangular cap. round cap is a single master--rectangle is dual master. Dual master was only available in 67. Not saying you can't put one in an older van, but the floor would need to be cut to accommodate the rectangle cap. Which do you have? This will help you to identify what you have from visual Q's

This in my 66. round hole in floor for single master and heater under dash.

it is a round cap.
i was looking in the gallery and im not so sure it is a 61 now. the vin is the same as the# stamped on that hump.

Alright...things are looking up. Door matches hump. Master is 66 and down. If heater is under dash and you have those 4 way flashers then I am guessing 65 or 66. There are a couple of other things to help identify what you have, but more knowledgeable guys in here will have to chime in cus I can't remember them all..lol. but I have learned a lot in here and so much stuff can get swapped out over the years and it sometimes makes it hard to tell. But that Vin # will set you straight and then you will no exactly what year to look for parts. Either way you still have a great looking van.

Thanks for the help.
whatever year it is i love it! so all good by me. Just need to make sure i get all the parts for this van.

Here's the decode.

E14 = Econoline van series, short body
F = 170 engine
H = Lorain Ohio assembly plant
750920 = September 1965 serial number - 1966 model
090 = wheelbase
J = Rangoon Red paint
E140 = Econoline van model, short body, 1/2 ton
5 = red standard interior
89 = van body style
C = 3 speed transmission
01 = 3.50:1 light duty axle (7-1/4 inch)
3650 = 1/2 ton GVW rating
89 at 3800 = certified net HP at RPM
72 = San Jose sales district

So it is an early 66. Check your title and see if it's just a typo. I'm told Cal DMV is bad about making typos on their paperwork and even worse about fixing them.

Being a 66 is better all around. More room in the doghouse, thicker frame, better springs, more floorspace due to the heater. They also seem to bring a little more on the resale market. I'd be really happy it's a 66.

If your doing the kingpins, becareful. All kingpins being sold today have the wrong depth in the locking groove. If installed they will wobble in the axle bores and wear them out in short time. Either have the correct grooves cut in the pins or use a larger locking pin. A larger pin will also require drilling the axle locking hole to the same size as the groove.

Duane in Tennessee

Kool..yours rolled off the assembly line 2 months before mine. So with the "corner stone" in place, you can move forward with purchasing parts for the correct year. Happy Vannin

Thanks for all the hard work Duane and Big W.
It's good to know.
Well one more trip to the DMV! hahaha

Yup ... your crate has extra holes in the dash for the dash pad and padded glove box without the door lock that's why you have that square hole in the dash adjacent to the glovebox ... fellow on the East coast just about to ditch his padded door that you need ... as I sent him a steel one ... you may want to contact him ... I generally function on the pay it forward concept ... so he may pay it forward to you ...