Need advice what to look for

Hi all, so got a call from my cousin, about 2 weeks ago, he found a 1967 Econoline, swb panel van. now after 2 weeks of talking to the neighbors I was finally able to get in touch with the owner. I am going to look at it this weekend. don't have a lot of info on it, other then the neighbors say, it has sat along side the guys garage for at least 20 years, and that he just put the for sale sign in it a month ago. he also put a v8 in it before parking it there.I'm not afraid of rust, I welded the floors and quarters back on my ranchero, but I need to know what are the big trouble/ common problem areas are, its a van that has spent its life in upstate NY, and been neglected so I'm certain it is going to need attention. but just want to know what to look out for. Any info is greatly appreciated.

I guess because it's spent it's life in the snow belt, make sure the frame is solid. If it's been parked next to a garage, check the drip rails for rust as well. You know what your skills are so you know what you can handle. Sitting for that long, expect to have to go through the fuel and brake systems along with wiring also. Being a 67, it should have a dual master cylinder which can be rebuilt. That's a good thing. You'll probably know if it's something you want to take on once you've had a good look at it. Good luck and keep us posted.

Yea I figure brakes, fuel system needing to be done is a sure thing, and depending on what motor he stuck in it possibly a motor swap, is there anywhere that the salt and water tends to lay on these.( as an example the water puddles in the boxes of the rancheros right against the headache panel, causing the panel and floor to rot out quicker) It never occurred to me to look at the drip rails, 20 years of sitting, I imagine the mice have had a field day with the wiring also.

Great advice Vanney.

Check for worn kingpins. raise the front wheels, one at a time. Grab the tire at the top and bottom and alternately pull top of tire towards you (away from van) and then push back. It should not have much play in it. If it does, then you need to replace the king pins, and possibly the axle.

All four corners tend to rust through in the snow belt because salt, dirt and moisture tend to accumulate there. Along the bottom of the panels, etc. There are some replacement panels available if necessary for the rear corners and around the wheel wells. There are a few sites that sell them but I think the panels basically all come from the same manufacturer. Mac's Antique Auto Parts has them and there are some Ford Parts links in the forum under Parts Links Resource: https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/c13-parts-link-resource

thanks for the info guys, Barnabas, I'm glad you mentioned the king pins, it reminded me I have to throw my good floor jack/ and jack stands in the truck, I don't trust a bottle jack, for crawling around under anything. talked to my cousin again tonight, and he said it looks like the spot the van is sitting on used to be blacktop, so that's a plus. going out on Friday to look at it, tomorrow is going to go by way to slow . hahaha

alright, so went and looked at the econoline, He started out by telling me how badly he needs the van gone, and that he has paper work for it. the running gear is beautiful, all four corners, and side panels are nice, that's the end of the good, it has sat under pine trees, for the last 20 or so years, cleaned off the needles and mud,the roof and drip rails, are Swiss cheese. he did put a 289 block in the van, but it is just the block, no transmission either, the floors looks like he cut them out with a hatchet to remove the old engine and tranny, no dog house, and mice have made off with the foam out of the front seats. I was still interested so I made him an offer. turned out the two of us weren't even the same book let alone on the same page. after bitching about how my offer was a lowball(which it was $550), he told me he wouldn't take a penny less then $6500, I don't know if he believes this is what its worth, or if he was just insulted by my offer, but if he's serious about the price, he's not serious about selling it. so I thanked him for his time, and started the 3 hour drive home. on the up side got to have lunch with my cousin, and a nice drive out of the day.

You dodged a bullet...Swiss cheese around the roof and drip rails means most likely finding a donor van for a replacement roof. He's dreaming if he thinks he's going to get that much for a rolling chassis with no tranny and a rotted roof rails. Be patient and the right one will come your way.

the guy was nice enough to deal with once I was able to get a hold of him, but I don't think he is serious about selling. according to my cousin, the town just put new ordinances into effect about 2 months ago, regarding unlicensed vehicles, along the lines of not allowed more the one or two unlicensed vehicles in view of the public. with a loop hole for those trying to sell the cars. and the guy had a matched set of a dodge Daytona, and a Rampage, a vw thing, all sitting there with new for sale signs taped to the inside of the windshields, just like the van. I put the $550 offer out there with intentions of trying to save it, but figuring worst case I could recoup the money by selling off the solid parts, and scraping the rest. or move it as a parts car. the push is off for a couple months, still browsing, but a friend from high school offered me his 1973 triumph Bonneville project( one complete bike, and 2 boxes of Yamaha xs 650 parts that he had) not long after I got home, so I blew my play fund on another motorcycle project, and spare parts for my daily rider.

IMHO $550 is too much based on your description.

Barnabas wrote:IMHO $550 is too much based on your description.

noted, I'll admit that I don't have a strong grasp on the going rate for these vans, I made my offer based on the very few vans I've seen listed on craigslist in my area. just out of curiosity, and for future reference, what would you guys put the value of this particular econoline at?

I would say, with the roof and drip rails full of cancer and missing original engine, trans and dog house- about salvage yard price. I guess i would find out the asking price before i traveled 3 hours to look at a vehicle.

The owner told me over the phone, that in his opinion, it was a brake job, and some motor work away from being able to be driven, when asked the price he said take a look at it and make an offer. all my cousin could tell me about it was what he was able to see from the road, posted signs on every tree on the edge of property so he wasn't going to go any further, so I took a chance, hahaha. the 3 hour drive didn't bother me, I was gonna be out that way helping my cousin repair his daily driver anyways this weekend, I'm the one with the most flexible work schedule in the family at the moment, so I get nominated to go out there, anytime he needs a hand fixing something that him and his college buddies cant handle by themselves. plus its like a mini road trip in my eyes, I usually take secondary roads, as I like seeing what cars, snowmobiles, and motorcycles people have sitting in their yards.

vanny wrote:You dodged a bullet...

For sure. That guy's nuts. Wouldn't be worth half that parted out not including labor.

Too Bad you can't pick up this 8 door Econoline out here in Arizona. Sure would beat that one you went and looked at, and you would have only have had to drive a few more hours to get it!

Keep your eyes open, you'll find something.