One of the best things – I’ve learned – about having some variety in my project fleet is that my excitement about each vehicle tends to rotate. This makes it much easier to stay engaged and committed to seeing its restoration through. Lately, I’ve been having big thoughts about my Toyota Hiace project, which is why this 1988 Ford E150 here on eBay caught my attention.
Check out those fender flares and turbine wheels! I don’t know how vans like this Ford do such a bang-up job of wearing big flares and wheels so well, but I’m glad that they do. This Ford is referred to by the seller as the “DVW errands/parts/shipping/show van.” I’m not sure what DVW stands for in this case, as the only reference I can find to it is “Drain, Vent and Waste” – and this truck looks way too nice for that kind of duty.
Unlike so many of these vans that bear years worth of funk or heavy work inside, this E-Series is looking pretty darn clean. Plus, it was special ordered with the Club Wagon interior and retains its factory sound deadening, so this vantastic project is likely a bit more comfortable than you’d expect. And the fact that it wasn’t born a conversion van is likely a plus in this instance as it was never considered as an alternative living arrangement as a mobile habitat.
Check that out – wall to wall carpeting and acres of storage space. This is sort of the vision I have for my Toyota van project, to make it more comfortable and possible to sleep in (if you had to) while retaining maximum functionality. This Ford E150 looks pretty sweet with its body kit and period wheels, and with only 74,000 miles on the 302 V8, it’s got plenty of miles of street cruising left in its tires. The Buy-It-Now is $7,500 – anyone going to take a shot at it?
I would leave the exterior “exactly” as is. Some mild mods in the back with an air mattress handy for weekend one tank (ok,maybe two tank) trips. Nice vehicle.
This is actually a really cool find. I think DVW was the name of the previous owners business. This is unusual because it is a Ford code 764A RV conversion van package which included chrome grille and bumpers, intermittent wipers, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, front and rear a/c prep as well as a few other items that escape me right now. The unique factor is that there are no RV Windows installed and the interior looks to bed one to a nice standard. The OEM front seats are a nice touch and IMO better looking then flexstee lord othe “RV” seats from the period. Too bad about the dent and in a perfect world would have preferred to see a blue or gray dash to better match the interior but for $5500 w/o the wheels I think that it is a great buy and wish I had the room for it. Great find. Buy it. Fix a/c and drive it…
I love these short Fords esp 1988-1991 w EFI & swinging doors.
I was a van conversion company owner for 20 yrs and still have the van bug big time.
Just bought a 1990 short E150 w 4.9- 6 cyl & C6 AT. These are fun and it great for just about everything, camping too!
Mine was converted when new so it was never a plumbers truck. It sat for 3 yrs so we are going thru it front to back. Parts are cheap and acres of room to work on engine & front area.
Matches the 1990 E350 behind it. Too dark now I’ll post a pic tomorrow. This pic is a 1982 short E150 I ordered new and converted. Shame it came off the hauler with a split seam in the trans cooler tank inside the radiator. ATF and coolant were co mixed from the beginning and the trans was rebuilt before Rich Ford delivered it to me. it was OK until I sold it at 24000 miles and the trans went shortly there after. I hounded the dealer till they fixed it for him.
Lousy build quality generally.
I need to correct the white one shown is a long wb as per two gas doors. My mistake.
“DVW” is Detroit Vintage Wheels. This van is listed for sale on their website. Those guys do great work finding, restoring, and selling rad vintage wheels. I’ve definitely had my eye on a couple sets for awhile.
They make those sweet deep-dish turbines that are on it now.
It needs a small round porthole opera window on each side with a nice stripe like the brown one pictured only in a nice blue or black color to compliment the white billboard sides and the gray interior. I’d spray the dash with some gray vinyl paint to match the seats and carpet too. A period correct small whale tail spoiler on the roof with a rear roof vent and maybe his and hers sunroofs up top. A set of Doug Thorley chrome sidepipes to finish it off. SWEEEEET !!!!KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ !!!!
Interesting that a van this new has those flares on it as the van craze of the 70s had been dead about 10 years when this thing was made. Perhaps the vintage wheel company connection is the explanation.
I think that these will be like the American panel trucks –
if you have one in really nice shape.These will probably go way up in
value,as most of them were used as work vehicles.
There was always something cool about seeing a new one.
The interiors interiors just looked cool – especially in White or Black.
Thumbs-up for this one.
I like it. More like 5K for a good buy.
Yes, NADA high retail value is $5,600. Private party would be less.
I love van’s I wonder y Pontiac never made a van
or did they?
I recall a Pontiac badged version of the hideous Chevrolet Lumina APV van. Cannot recall the name. Anyone?
There was the Pontiac Trans Sport. That was followed by the Montana.
Montana
My step-daughter and her husband have a Pontiac Montana minivan with well over 250,000 miles on it and it’s still running strong though the trans is starting to slip in overdrive now. I can’t remember what year it is. It’s been back and forth from Idaho to Chicago (1782 miles one-way) I don’t know HOW many different times over the past 5 years so most of the miles are all highway miles on interstate 80. Windshield moldings are duct tapped down (peeling up was a common problem ?) some major rust showing up now, using a lot of oil now too, has a noisy lifter, plastic headlights are badly yellowed but overall it still won’t die yet so this Pontiac will go out in style. I don’t know why GM dropped the ball on Pontiac. Even though I’m a FORDaholic and my daily driver is an older classic Crown Vic, I still have a soft spot for Poncho’s. I’ve had many Firebird’s, Bonneville’s, Grandville’s, Grand Prix’s and GTO’s back in the day that were “Really Lookin’ Fine” with 3 Deuces and a 4 spd. and a 389 (Beach Boys song) and really a 455 but all treated me right.
I love these Fords. From a better time and better era and a better mindset. Sigh….