1970 Ford Econoline Custom Boogie Van

Ford E-Series Van 1970 Description

1970 Ford E100 Econoline Custom Van

THIS IS A NO RESERVE AUCTION SO BID TO WIN!

HISTORY:

I have owned this van since 2009. I bought it from a paint and body shop who had just completed all body work and sprayed brand new baby blue single-stage paint. I have worked on it slowly since then, sing it as a weekly or monthly driver as upgrades were done. I’ve driven it back and forth to work countless times and taken it “over the hill” to camp and surf with my kids at San Onofre few times. I’ve got my eye on a new project, o this little beast has got to go.

OVERALL CONDITION:

You should consider this more of a “survivor” or “driver” and definitely not a show van. It could use a good wax job to bring out the shine in that paint, ut honestly it doesn’t look bad as is. There is a little spot near the drivers door drip rail where some rust is bubbling through and also two chips in the paint on the drivers side rear wheel lip (see pics). Other than that, here are no major flaws, ust or real dents in the body. There are nicks and scratches here and there, ut overall it is very presentable. There is one small patch (1/2” hole) in the roof over the driver’s area that was welded shut and then bondo’d over but never smoothed out and painted. It’s from an old CB mount and since you can’t see it unless you climb up to check it out, just got lazy and never got around to finishing it up. I’m going into this much detail because I want you to know what you are getting and not be surprised because you were blinded by how fantastic it looks in the photos.

Let’s talk about how fantastic it looks for a minute. This is a semi-rare body called a “display van” back in the day. Apparently, his was so a tradesman like a plumber or locksmith could stack shelves on the driver’s sidewall and then have natural light come in from the curb side. Whatever. Those days are over and this van is now built to party. I put curtains on those door windows and curtained/panelled/carpeted over the big side window so no one can see you making out in the back. The back and side doors feature pop out windows so you can get some ventilation. The bed/storage area in back was built by a friend of mine who’s a legit carpenter. It’s nicely made and has lots of storage underneath the bed and in the bench that runs along the drivers side bulkhead. There is one small compartment reachable from the front with a vintage glass knob and nice magnet closure. When you open the back doors, he storage underneath the bed is pretty big and was built with milk crates in mind. It’s high enough to easily slide several crates of camping gear under there. I did the rest of the interior myself and while kind of amateur, t never fails to evoke amorous feelings from tipsy female types. Something about ice-blue shag and fake snow leopard fur that kindles a fire in the best of ‘em. Four individual spot lights all work and can be controlled from the dash switch or from a switch on each light. The bed is fully carpeted and has a super comfy 4” thick memory foam cushion top of it. The foam is covered with a blue knit blanket and topped with a vintage Harley-Davidson blanket with matching wolf pillows. Can I get an Amen?! The bed is 70” wide and 60” deep. This is not a million dollar show van interior but is way better than most DIY jobs. I’ve stashed remnants of the snow leopard fur and ice blue carpet under the bed in case you wanna patch something or whatever.

So, bout that stance? Cooper Cobra tires were purchased in 2013 and have very few miles on them. Rear: 275/60/15 Front: 235/60/15 all on vintage classic Cragar five-spoke mags. It’s the perfect stance for a van of this era.

MECHANICAL CONDITION:

6-Cylinder engine was rebuilt in March of 2013 and has probably 1500 miles on it since then. The head got a full rebuild; new valves, uides, tc. New pistons, ain bearings and all that jazz. Of significant note is the HEI distributor (no more points to replace), rand new carburetor and electric fuel pump. These things make life with old vehicles easier and result in a van that starts every single time, ot or cold. I use the manual choke only on really cold mornings and it works great. This little six is surely no hot rod but if you drive it mellow, t’ll likely outlast your kids. It doesn’t hesitate, moke, eak or sputter. It simply purrs through the recently replaced muffler and exhaust pipe.

The trans is your typical Ford C-4 automatic. I didn’t like the way it shifted so I took it to our local trusted trans specialist in April of 2010 for a full rebuild. He did the the R&R and I’ve been totally happy with it ever since. It shifts nice and smooth with no hesitation. Now that it’s got the big meats on back, he speedo isn’t accurate but I use an app on my phone when I’m worried about the speed limit (a rare occasion). On the freeway it reads about 80-90 but you are really going 60-65. Did I mention that this thing impresses the ladies!? While working on this van, found the clutch pedal wired up out of the way which means it must have had a manual trans originally.

The steering box has been rebuilt which makes a huge impact on driveability. These old Fords are known for dangerous and sloppy steering and this has been corrected on this van. With a rebuilt steering box and fresh tires, t goes down the road as straight as one ever did in 1970.

Brakes are stock drums all around, nd have been rebuilt, ith fresh wheel bearings and lines in 2013. For a 45 year old truck with no power brakes it stops awesome with no pulling or excessive fade. Differential fluid was done at the same time.

OTHER COOL STUFF:

The stereo rules. You can’t have a proper boogie van that doesn’t actually boogie. It’s got a modern Kenwood head unit with an AUX-in so you can jam from your iPhone or whatever. This goes to a sub in back, enwood door speakers and two 6x9’s behind the front seats. There are also two 12” subs buried under the carpet in the bed structure which I haven’t even hooked up yet. It rocks as is, ut if you hook those up it will be even better. There is a hand-held remote for the unit so you can chill in the back and control the tunes. Yep.

Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan pinstriped the flames around the belt line last month and they are perfect. He also did the pot leafs and hang ten feet inside the door jambs as well as the “Go For It!” on the back door. Pete rules, nd these aren’t amateur lines.

Front seats swivel around to facilitate party vibes. They are classic low backs that I had professionally reupholstered a couple years ago and they are in great shape. Seat belts are lap only repops in baby blue.

Vintage drink tray on dog house engine cover is period correct and while it shows it’s age, t works. Dog house has been covered inside with Dynamat and rattle-canned flat black on the outside.

Note the sweet baby blue sun visors pulled from a clean van at a junkyard and the repop chrome rear view mirror.

Grille and front bumper were both chromed in 2015 and are perfect, ith new bumper bolts.

WHAT WORKS:

Dash lights

Turn Signals

Brake lights

Headlights (low and high beams)

Interior lights

Temp Gauge (super important!)

Running lights on side

Stereo (of course)

WHAT DOESN’T

Horn (aftermarket wheel was missing parts)

Heater (core leaked so I routed lines around it)

Fuel Gauge (quit last year)

SUMMARY:

New or rebuilt in past 2,000 miles:

Engine

Transmission

Distributor

Carburator

Electric fuel pump

Exhaust

Tires

Brakes

Wheel bearings

Battery

Battery leads

Stereo

Interior

Front seats

Tail light lenses

Grille

Front bumper

This is a 45 year old, sed vehicle, o manage your expectations. There is NO warranty implied. I will help with any shipping logistics as long as they are paid for by the buyer.

This van is currently registered as non-op in my name. California title is clean.

On Nov-30-15 at 22:55:44 PST, eller added the following information:

Addition: Engine size is 200ci. Also, failed to note that the door and pop-out window seals are pretty crusty.