A full-size vintage van may be more comfortable for long family trips, but when it comes to the cool factor, it’s hard to beat one of a shorter variety. Ford introduced its Econoline back in ’61, which was also known as the E-Series, with the offerings including both a cargo hauler and passenger transporter, along with a slick little pickup truck. This one here on Craigslist in Huntsville, Texas, has already received a substantial amount of work along with some customization, and it seems at a good point for the future owner to take over. Right now, the asking price is resting at $10,500, but the seller says it may increase as he does more stuff. Spencer D., thank you for the tip here!
The body isn’t perfect, and it would benefit from a few sheet metal repairs, such as addressing some dings here and there. There are also a couple of areas with some light rust, but fortunately, the seller mentions that the only spots that have come through are underneath where the rear bumper would be. Just to run around town in, the exterior is sort of at a fun stage where it is, with some pin striping and spider web decals adorning the passenger side. However, I’m guessing that at some point, whoever ends up with this will probably want to smooth the panels out and spray on a fresh coat of paint.
For its first year, a pair of inline-six engines were available, starting with the standard 144 cubic-inch that only produced 85 horsepower. The optional component measured in at a slightly larger 170, which upped the HP to 101, but the seller says his is equipped with a 200 CID motor, not one of the factory choices for ’61 if I did my research correctly. It’s recently gotten a full tune-up and a new carburetor, with a three-on-the-tree manual transmission taking care of the shifting. The owner says this one’s been off the road for a while, and he suggests some local driving might be preferable at first instead of immediate road trips, plus a set of new tires is also recommended.
As with the outside, the next owner will have to decide what level to take the interior. It’s really not bad at all right now, and there’s a new GPS speedometer in the dash along with some gauges in front of the engine cover that look pretty cool. There’s also been some sound-reducing material installed on the floor under the carpet, and I believe I’m also spotting some under the cab section of the roof, although that area remains uncovered as of now. This seems like a neat project, but I’m not sure how willing the seller is to negotiate on the price, since he says it could continue to rise as more improvements are made. What’s a reasonable amount to spend on this 1961 Ford Econoline in its present condition?
You’re right Mike. The 200 six was not available until the ‘65 model year, I believe. However, it’s a great bolt-in swap with about 20 more horsepower, and 7 main bearings, as compared to 4 in the 144 and 170. The 200 also had improved harmonics. All in all, the way to go. Cute little van. I had an Econoline pickup back in the day. One of Fords most poorly designed vehicles. They had to put ballast in the rear to keep it from tipping forward under hard braking. I absolutely loved it!
I’m sorry but if you look at the back quarters you can see probably close to a quarter inch of mud in them thats starting to crack out. With that being said, I’m cynical of the rest of it. Are you putting sound deadening down because the floor is rusting bad and that’s a good way to hide it?
I grew up on these vans, normally the bigger ones but I did have one shorty. All the same 3 on the tree, a six cylinder, but known for rusting out. The rattle can paint can can be seen on motor cover and it’s bad.
I’d grab someone close to give this a good look over before I would spend that kind of money on it. Might be the best money ever spent or it could tell you it’s way worth it. Jmho
Awesome ride. Square up the mechanical gremlins, leave the exterior alone & drive off into the sunset.
If you want to see 40 or more early Econoline vans and pickups in one place, here it is. I have been driving them for over 50 years and this will be our 25th annual meet.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1009734911192856?active_tab=about
Dad had a ’63? for his business, guess who got to sit on that hot engine? Because I was the youngest and there wasn’t enough seats. You want to talk about a hot a**! He hit a parked car, pushed the passenger side front to the seat crushing his toolbox, luckily no one was sitting there! He pulled the front out, painted it, fixed his toolbox, and drove it for years. This one reminds me of those days.