This chopped and shortened 1961 Ford Econoline pickup project is coming to Barn Finds from Henderson, Nevada. With an asking price of $10,000, all the difficult custom bodywork looks to have been completed, and this truck is ready to be finished into the machine you want it to be. Are you up for the challenge?
Ford brought the new Econoline series pickup variant to market in 1961. The bed length (7.5′) put this truck right in between the F100 and F200, making it a good vehicle for businesses that wanted a little bit more cargo space than the F-1001 but without the size of the F-200. Fitted with Ford’s 144 cubic inch 6-cylinder from the Falcon in 1961, the truck also got excellent fuel mileage, another attractive feature to businesses. The engine and driver location made the Econoline trucks unique when released. The driver sat over the axle with the engine behind, making these models a forward-control vehicle, like the Jeeps. How many of these have you seen in vintage pictures with their respective businesses painted on the side?
Because of their quirkiness, Econoline trucks have been used throughout the decades to build some exciting custom trucks. One arena that they found a niche in was dragstrips across the country. From the Bill Kolb “Little Yellow Wagon” to the Galpin Ford backup truck, Econolines have been entertaining fans at strips in various forms since the 1960s. Looking at the example for sale here, I wonder if this is what the builder had in mind for this truck. The sale includes a 302 and a C4 transmission, which also lends to the racer idea. The dog houses in these models are pretty tight for a V-8, so if you install this motor in the stock location, expect to do some massaging to get it to fit. But with the short wheelbase, it sure would be a fun driver!
So, how would you finish this Econoline? Would you add the V-8 in the stock spot and make it a cruiser? Or would you mount it mid-engine in the bed and see how it handles? Or even better yet, mount the motor in the back with a V-drive and make it a wheelie machine? This truck has much of the heavy lifting completed to make a cool custom Econoline that will turn heads wherever it goes. Are you ready to take it over the finish line? If so, check it out here on Facebook Marketplace, and thank you to MisterLou for sending this to Barn Finds!
With less ballast out back, “stoppies” will be easier than ever. I suppose if we could see in the builders mind what they were going for, might make sense, but this is a graphic waste of time, if you ask me, and nobody does.
This makes me sad. These trucks aren’t that common, and to see one destroyed like this…it’s such a waste.
This was probably done decades ago, in the late-70’s, maybe early-80’s it wasn’t unusual to see shortened cars with or without chopped tops in a lot of enthusiast magazines and the occasional show. I know a guy that shortened a 64 El Camino, flared the rear fenders and installed a tunnel rammed big block. These cars subject to these modifications weren’t cream puffs to start with, they tended to be worn out or beaters that were at the bottom of the depreciation curve and were on a one way path to the wrecking yard. No matter how gaudy they are, they were a product of a specific time. Based on the picture of the engine the amount of corrosion and dust on the horizontal surfaces suggest it has beet sitting uncovered in the corner of a shop for many many years.
It’s hard to see much interest in this in its current unfinished state and that price.
Steve R
Boss,” I cut all the rust out, but we didn’t order new panels.
The purpose of project was to do what?
I don’t see it….
Maybe now weld a top section over bed and call it a van? 😙
Chop the top and remove doors to
make a golf cart?
Okay kidding but what a mess and now what’s possibly left is just parting out the vehicle to restore other rare trucks…
Sad 😞
Mark worman will show you how to put this together!
I’ve always had this image in my head of slamming on the brakes and it’d tip up on the front bumper. Can’t ever forget it.
As a propaganda promotion film from GM, boasting the new Corvan, ( you can Google it) ran a demonstration of an Econoline pickup doing what you are referring to as a “stoppie”, slamming on the brakes and the back coming up, something they showed, wouldn’t happen with the Corvan. What they didn’t tell you is, they had 500 pounds of ballast on the Econoline front passenger floor.
I bet it would do a wild “face plant” when you hit the brakes.
I worked with a guy whose grandfather passed away in a small town. He told me that he was inheriting his grandfather’s old truck. One day soon after, he came to work in one of these, totally stock, painted orange and covered with the original signage for his grandfather’s TV and appliance business. Zenith televisions, Maytag washers, etc. It was like a time capsule. I lost track of him, but given current trends, I wonder how many people have said to him, “Nice job on the vintage graphics- they almost look real.”
Slab-sided Jeep F-150.
The comments in here already about the face plant are spot on. I rode in these over the years and they already had the feeling of tipping face first into the asphalt. With that shorter bed they’ve pretty much destroyed this vehicle. Unless you’re gonna go full on wheelie machine only, and that’s gonna take a boat load more cash to finish, hard pass.
F 1001 (sic) and F200 (sic) have the same size boxes available. I assume you are referring to an F100 1/2 ton versus an F250 3/4 ton. There is no such thing as an F200.Early Econoline vans and pickups were inexpensive, light duty, and compact- that was ostensibly their draw. Slightly heavier duty Econolines were available early on- much heavier later on.
I’m trying to be more positive like Bob from Tennessee-but rookie errors like this make it difficult. Here’s my best effort:
Dusty, I would suggest that you double check your work before sending it off. Evidently no one is editing/proofreading your work. Good luck. 👍🏻
Someone did a lot of work “improving” this particular Econoline. Not to everyone’s taste, obviously. There’s a lot of difficult and expensive work to follow- making the $10k price tag unrealistic IMHO.
Sliced, Diced, and waaay Overpriced. There is a rather nice looking one on BAT today sitting at 9K. Compare these two.
yes, oe much better. Esp w/the ‘5 window’ (as they call it). Hada 164# weight @ under bed near back axel (as counter weight).
1 Friend used a break & made alu replica of van that hoists on/off on pullys in his garage. Nother 1 puda 250 Thriftpower (Ford i6 ’60/96) or 4.1L and AOD so he could use at work.
This is now equal prts bed’n cab. Probably WB = my 1st gen bronk (another falcon) 92 inches. Y not go the nxt step (roof is lowered) & 4WD it?
The only thing they could have done to desecrate this poor Econoline further, would have been to put a SBC in the poor beast. I’d give them a grand for the 302.
What a shame. Ruined a rare body and made it undriveable. No useful parts after being chopped.
No photos of the bed. Wonder why. Based on the way the light is falling in the video I’m betting it’s gone. Would kinda have to in order to shorten it.
Wonder what kind of nightmare lurks underneath; there isn’t a whole lot of room when stock, for the hard points; cutting at least a foot out of it creates some interesting challenges.
I’ll be shocked if it goes for half the ask. Kinda shocked if anyone buys it.
That proportioning valve better have a written guarantee!
Don’t hit the breaks to hard it may roll over ! Not enough weight in the rear.
The Little Red Wagon ran the Winter Nationals at Pomona CA back then as well
here’s what you do with the truck, drive it backwards!!!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493003490480897459/
Back in the late 60s-early 70s my friends would go to Lions Drag Strip, Tuesday night was Run What You Brung night, you could take your dad’s station wagon, get in line, get a class rating and mark the windshield with shoe polish, and hit the gas! Dads probably wondered where the smell of burnt rubber came from!
I don’t think they made it better looking.
These vans were built in my hometown, Lorain, Ohio. Here is a snippet from Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorain_Assembly
Lorain Assembly was a Ford Motor Company factory in Lorain, Ohio. The plant opened in 1958 and closed in 2005, having produced approximately 8,000,000 vehicles under 13 model names. Production of the plant’s final product, the E-Series, moved to Ohio Assembly in Avon
There is a poster on the webpage, showing the various models built at Lorain Assembly while in operation
Products:
1958–1959 Ford Galaxie
1958–1965 Ford F-Series
1958–1979 Ford Ranchero
1960–1967 Ford Falcon/Mercury Comet
1961–2005 Ford Econoline
1964–1971 Mercury Cyclone
1966–1970 Ford Fairlane
1968–1976 Mercury Montego
1971–1976 Ford Torino / Gran Torino
1974–1976 Ford Elite
1977–1979 Ford LTD II
1977–1997 Mercury Cougar
1980–1997 Ford Thunderbird
Here is another webpage with great information:
https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/newsroom/2020/10/lorain-assembly.html
I like the rolled panel underneath the tailgate, presumably for a license tag. I don’t mind the chopped top either. But taking an E’lines and adding more holes and less body doesn’t make a whole lotta sense. As a recent owner of a 1963 Corvan, I can tell you there have been some silly boys that shortened Corvair Forward Control vans and pickups but gotten far better practicality and road-holding ability after the surgery.