1967 Ford Econoline Super Van Project

Hey guys! I had my first Econoline delivered from Texas on Saturday 01/03/15. Its a 1967 8-door Super Van. I'm super excited to get to work and get her back on the road. The seller had purchased the van back in the 1980's from a man who said it was a government vehicle but I have not been able to confirm this. He had her on the road until 1993 and then was parked due to a rear wheel issue. So after 20+ years of sitting, he decided to put her up for sale due to a medical issue. He said he used to start the van every few weeks up until 3-4 years ago when he bent the key and damaged the ignition. He stated to me the only issue was the rear wheel locking up and the ignition being in need of replacement. Except for the surface rust where lettering had been removed, he also said it was RUST and ROT FREE! This was the reason I was willing to pay what I did and pay the shipping fees.

Upon the shippers arrival I noticed a few things immediately the seller neglected to mention. Both rear tires were flat and the interior of the van smelled musty and appeared wet. This appeared due to the top of the windshield leaking. Also there was damage to the rear door area which prevented me from opening the doors and other somewhat minor body damage which was not disclosed or seen in the photos. Upon inspection of the ignition I found a rat nest of disconnected wires. Since the weather in the Northeast Saturday was cold and snowy I decided to start the clean out Sunday. When I say clean out i'm not kidding as the seller left the nasty shag and a small dumpster load of trash inside. As my buddy and I removed the shag on the floor we noticed it was wet. Well.. So much for a rust and rot free van. The front floor was rusty and there was some rot in front of the passenger side seat. There was also a rot hole in front of the rear passenger side wheel well. Then to make matters worse we made our way to the back of the van where we found much of the rear floor to be completely rot through! Needless to say I'm not a happy camper. I feel very mislead as again the only reason I made the deal I did was because I wanted a rust and rot free vehicle which is very hard to find in the Northeast. Otherwise the van body is very solid and the underside appears good.

Sorry for the rant, just a bit disappointed with the rot and damage I found. Anyways.. Here are a few photos. You can also see many more photos and follow the progress at www.FordEconoline.com.

If you have any parts you notice the van is missing or ones which may be in need of replacement please let me know as I would possibly be interested in purchasing!

Welcome,

If you can post all the info from the data tag on the door I can get a decode for you. You can also look under the black wire harness cover on the passenger toe board for the body build tag.



Looks like this one from my 67 8 door. Some had them, some didn't. I don't believe your van is a 67. No backup lights and short windshield squriters say it's a 65-66



Does it have a rectangular master cylinder cover like this one? That's a sure fire way to tell a 67. If it's round it's not a 67.

Duane in Tennessee.

I just posted that in his other thread with the links to all the pics...lol. I was thinking the same thing. His van has a single master, which should make it 66 or 65 i believe. has trans hump also which is 64 and up???? I think. I'm thinking it's a 66.

Duane here is a pic of the VIN plate..



Its like -10 degrees here and I'm not brave enough to run out to the garage.. Will get back to you on the master cylinder question. In the meantime maybe I can find it in one of the pics I took..

I apologize about the pics I keep attaching. For some reason when I attach them they get cut off.. Not sure why.

Look under dog house on that trans hump, or inside tail light bracket as well. Don't always believe the door tag, as doors can be swapped out over the years and the vin# could have been changed. Go for the taillight bracket inside or under doghouse lip on trans hump.

Here's the decode from your VIN tag.

E16 = Econoline van series, extended body (Supervan)
A = 240 engine
H = Lorain Ohio assembly plant
803523 = January 1966 serial number - 1966 model
090 = wheelbase
W = Marlin Blue paint
E162 = Econoline van model, extended body, 1 ton (Heavy Duty)
2 = blue standard interior
89 = van body style
C = 3 speed transmission
07 = 3.00:1 heavy duty axle
4930 = 1 ton GVW rating
129 at 4000 = certified net HP at RPM
61 = Dallas sales district

It is indeed a 66.

Duane in Tennessee

Duane, Thanks for decoding the VIN. This certainly answers some questions.

Check out what I found in a corn field today.. Another 8 door Super Van! I couldn't believe my eyes. In true American Pickers style I stopped by to talk to some old folks and they led me to this beast. Just like mine except this one has windows in the passenger side rear doors. The old man told me it was driven into the field years ago and parked. Over the years he said the only thing he thinks was ever taken off was the rear.. Along with the tires and wheels obviously. The interior is pretty much complete. Inside the van on the floor I found myself a set of 4 original hub caps for my Super Van in EXCELLENT condition! I will post pictures tomorrow of these when I go back out there to start pulling parts.






Does anyone know what the story is with the jump seat here? Did these vans come with a passenger seat from the factory? The reason I ask is because mine has a seat from another car in it..

It's got a white steering wheel! Must have had the custom package. Nice rare van you got QCT. There weren't many 8 door vans made. Shame to see that one going to waste in the yard.

It is really a shame.. Body seemed very restorable except for the rusty old car cab on the roof. Also the rear was removed. At least i'll have a great supply of parts for mine. I noticed the white wheel on this one as well.. I didn't know there was an optional custom package.

The white steering wheel and horn ring are part of the custom equipment package. It also included woven seat upholstery, turn signal trim, chrome or stainless hubcaps. The white wheels are usually pretty well cracked like this one is. It's the same wheel as the standard wheel just painted white. The horn ring is desirable. Most have heavy pitting. They bring good money on ebay.

The jump seat was an option. You don't see many with the woven upholstery. Most came with the standard passenger seat. The folding jump seat is not that hard to find. I've had a few over the years. Gave them all away. The hard to find part is the bracket that fits on the doghouse. Seems nobody ever saves that when they remover the seat. Seat isn't much good without it.

you wouldnt have a picture of that horn ring??

Thanks for the info Duane. I didn't know a custom equipment package was an option. I'm heading back out to farm country tomorrow morning to pick some of these parts. As you can see this wheel is pretty rough. I have heard of people restoring these but not sure if this one has a chance. The ring itself is in great shape, just a bit dusty. I'm super excited to have found a pretty much complete 8 door like mine within driving distance.

Buzzard i'm heading out first thing in the morning to pick some of these parts. I will try to get you a better pic of the ring tomorrow.

Congrats on finding the parts van. GRAB EVERYTHING....radiator (if it's a 240 Rad) tanks will be needed to re-core for your van if needed. Dash pad looks like it's in nice shape. I would strip that thing right down to the floor.

Here are the parts I picked today. The horn ring is in good shape with a few minor imperfections. I am just happy to have found it. Duane thanks for reminding me to grab the jump seat bracket on the doghouse. It is probably something easy to forget. While the jump seat needs upholstery work and paint, its all complete so I will be able to make a template to reupholster it! Picked up 4 sun visors but as you can see they will also need upholstery work. The front bumper I found is perfect.. No bends or anything! The one on my van really isn't bad, but does have some holes drilled in it and some damage at the bottom. I just couldn't pass this one up. In the photos you will also see the hubcaps. These are dirty but darn near perfect. Also found myself the top half I have been looking for to my battery box. I will start cleaning this stuff up and head back next week for a few other things.

That a good haul. I probably would have grabbed the drivers seat as well just because good frames are getting hard to find. I keep all my bumpers. Even the badly bent ones. They are not making new ones and probably never will. They can be straightened in need be. You got some good parts that people are always looking for. I like those caps. They put them on a bunch of Fords but they do look nice.

The way the van was sitting on the ground we really struggled to get the bumper off.. It took forever. If it wasn't getting so late we would have kept picking. The guy in charge of the property said to get him a list and he'll pull everything for me. He shouldn't have told me that.. I'm gonna pick everything I can get off it! I would just like to have the extra parts on hand as I bring mine back to life.

Scoooooooooore!!! Congrats, sometimes you just have to ask the right questions!

I would have had a rollback haul it home!