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My brother Mike's vintage Econoline.

1964 Ford Econoline Van.

Super solid vintage vehicle in every regard.

The silly wheels, pin stripping and odd two tone are all going to go.

Interior is original except for the seats and stereo.

My brother Mike just recently purchased this 1964 Ford Econoline van in February 2021. He plans on doing lots and lots of travelling in it so it will never be a dust bunny collector in any way. The van originally came from North Carolina and because of this the body is mint mint mint. Here in southern Ontario, Canada where we live, this van would have been a total rot out 10 to 15 years after it was bought new. The van was previously customized and Mike plans on putting the van back to where it should be with front and rear bumpers, original steel wheels with hub caps, proper two tone paint and all emblems reinstated. The motor is the original 170 in line six cylinder with three speed stick on the tree. We have had to have the cylinder head redone because of worn guides and burnt valves but the bottom end looks strong on this 170. Mike and I are going through the vehicle front to back to make sure the van is perfect mechanically in every way. In the past owners of this vehicle were totally clueless because we found countless mickey mouse disasters everywhere. The wiring alone is the worst I have ever seen in my life with masking tape and hand twist connecting. Mechanically we are having to fix everything on this vehicle and I do mean everything. This vintage truck is going to be driven, so it must be safe in every way. Once we have completed all the mechanical work and the truck is back on the road, the plan is to make the interior good enough to travel in and to make the exterior factory type two tone. This 1964 Ford vintage truck is now complimenting Mike's 1962 Ford Falcon sedan. Mikes van is now safety certified and on the road as of 2022. There are still a number of things that we have to do to make this vehicle whole but our goal is gold. Cheers.

Interior will be reworked to do some serious travelling in. Including adding a second and third bench seat.

Every inch of the van is super solid, being a North Carolina vehicle.

Complete rebuild on the cylinder head, as well as complete ignition work and some much needed electrical work. The bottom end on this engine looks real good.

The bottom end is good and tight on this 170 in line six. Only upper work required.

Good valve train only requiring proper adjustment.

As well as complete ignition work, also rebuilt carb, replaced all hoses and thermostat.

Now a real good running engine.

The front and rear temporary tube bumpers are there until we find proper originals. We fully know how dim witted most people can be and Mike does not want all that front and rear mint sheet metal getting damaged by those same dim wits.

The front end now looks correct with the proper headlights and proper head light bezels. Wind shield washer system was also added and the nozzles show here. Our make shift bumper is here to protect that mint sheet metal until we find bumpers. Cheers.

We removed all the silly pin stripping and all the decals. Next is to get rid of those silly mustang wheels. Cheers.

Like the front we had to make a make shift bumper for the rear as well. As soon as we can we will replace with a proper bumper. Cheers.

We would like to replace those absurd door mirrors with something more "real". Any one out there know of any sources for some good door mirrors. Cheers and thank you.

Mike just added new rims, tires and caps to his Econoline. Also all the front and rear suspension bushings and shackles have just been replaced. A much better and safer ride to say the least.

We found front and rear bumpers. Now it is about stripping them and working out the dents before primer and paint. The home made hitch will be removed.

F O R D letters for front of van. To be restored soon.

Original door mirror brackets to be repainted factory silver.

Front bumper license bracket to be restored and painted black.

Original door limit straps and hardware. To be restored soon.

This front bumper needed a lot of work. Many dents but no rust. I metal worked and filed all the dents.

This was the worst side. The rest of the bumper had smaller dents that were easy to work out.

After all the body work, primer and paint. Good results.


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Comments

Mario on Mar 26, 2021 said:

Nice looking 64 Van and good luck with your project. You have a big head start with the great condition the van is in so give it lots of love and you'll do fine. Regards, Mario

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azmusclecar on Mar 26, 2021 said:

When I was a kid waaaaaaaaaaaay back when, the neighbor had one of these and I would see him leave about the same time every morning as I walked to school.

I humorously thought to myself that if you jammed the brakes on with that nose heavy vehicle it would stand on it's face. I wasn't a very bright kid then, not much has changed.

The old three on the tree I see........awesome.

Keep us posted as progress begins.

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57timemachine on Mar 26, 2021 said:

Rob, it was the pick up version of the early Econoline that had a serious tendency to lift in the rear with hard braking. It was a problem with no load of any kind in the rear. Ford was forced to retro fit these early vehicles with a 160 pound weight mounted in the rear underneath. Companies like Chevrolet had a field day exposing this fault in the Ford Econoline and there is footage of GM exposing this problem on film. Check out some of the U Tube video's showing the vehicles lift up in the air in the rear with hard braking, it is hilarious. Cheers.

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57timemachine on Apr 21, 2021 said:

An update on my brother Mike's 64 Econoline is that we got back the fully rebuilt cylinder head and put it back on. We also rebuilt the front and rear brakes that only had the fronts working because a previous owner left the rear flex hose plugged up with crud. Also adjusted the steering box with four inches of play. Repaired all the wiring that was a fire about to happen, including engine and under dash wiring. Repaired the horn system and the heater/defrost system. Replaced ALL fluids front to rear and ran some wiring for various items that did not work. There are still a number of items to tend to before we have the vehicle safety certified. Cheers.

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Mario on Apr 21, 2021 said:

You and your brother Mike have been busy beavers on your project van George! Send us more pictures as you go along we'd love to see them. Cheers!

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57timemachine on Apr 21, 2021 said:

We also rebuilt the distributor and replaced the vacuum advance. Someone had already converted to Pertronix electronic, so that saved Mike time and money there. We did a complete engine tune up and replaced all the relevant parts to do so. Next step is to restore the front and rear bumper brackets Mike got and put the bumpers on. Cheers.

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57timemachine on Apr 29, 2021 said:

We have the original front and rear bumper brackets on the vehicle now but we are still looking for original front and rear bumpers. We presently put on some tubular metal bumpers that we made up until we find the original bumpers. The vehicle was too vulnerable to idiots banging into the front and rear and damaging the mint sheet metal. I would like to put a call out to anyone that has or knows of someone that has front and rear bumpers for this vehicle. Mike will consider other years that might work as well. We would greatly appreciate any leads in this regard. Thanks and cheers.

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Mario on Apr 29, 2021 said:

https://www.ebay.com/b/Vintage-and-Classic-Parts-for-1964-Ford-Econoline/10073/bn_87169888

George check out this website on Ebay. All parts for 1964 Ford Econoline. Cheers! Mario

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Mario on Apr 29, 2021 said:

https://cgfordparts.com/wwwsectionfiles/cg_cat3_bumpers.html

Here's another site you can check. Looks like they have the bumpers you need. They're in Calif. Mario

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57timemachine on Apr 29, 2021 said:

Mario, very greatly appreciated for your kind gesture. This is what our great hobby is all about. Old car guys looking out for one another's back. Cheers to you sir.

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Mario on Apr 30, 2021 said:

Hope you can find the bumpers and anything else you need on these sites. I agree George helping each other is a great advantage on this site. Cheers!

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Mario on May 2, 2021 said:

Nice job on the tubular bumpers. They'll do the job you need until you can locate the real bumpers. Cheers.

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Mario on Jun 19, 2021 said:

Hi George any updates to your brother's van? Hope you can post some more pictures on this beauty. Cheers, Mario

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Mario on Sep 21, 2021 said:

Hi George, how are you doing with your brother's van? Any updates from the summer? Just curious. Post some pics if you can, Cheers, Mario

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57timemachine on Nov 14, 2021 said:

We got everything working on the van that was not working. Adjusted everything that needed adjustment. Mike replaced all the worn out and missing bushings for the shifter linkage. Mike made a battery box out of a plastic tool box that I thought was ingenious. We corrected all the countless horror show things that the previous owner had done or not done. Put original looking headlight bezels and halogen head lamps instead of the silly looking after market head lamps. Replaced all the front door rubber weather stripping with exact reproductions. Replaced the front windshield rubber seal with a new one. Replaced everything that could be replaced on the complete braking system. Replaced the ignition switch with a new one. Added new door hinge straps where they were missing. The next big job is putting in all the original glass to make this a full window van. Cheers.

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57timemachine on Feb 10, 2022 said:

At this point we are waiting for better weather to get the van safety certified for the road and then get on installing the side window glass. Mike and I are converting this van to a full window van. We have all the required glass that a donor van gave up. A full window van will make it more enjoyable to travel in because Mike and his family are all big time travelers. Mike is still looking for original front and rear bumpers, original steel rims and small hubcaps, factory door mirrors and all the missing original emblems. Cheers.

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Mario on Feb 11, 2022 said:

Thanks for the update George. It's going to be a really good looking van with all the glass windows.

Keep posting pictures on your progress. Cheers!

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57timemachine on Apr 18, 2022 said:

The van is now safety certified and on the road. She drives like a dream. The only thing required for the certification was new king pins, which was done. Next step is to install all the windows to make this vehicle a window van. Also all the wheels will be changed soon from these tacky mustang wheels to better looking wheels and tires. Cheers.

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Mario on Apr 20, 2022 said:

Glad to hear your brother's van is safety certified and on the road now George. Lots of work went into getting that done! When you have the chance post some new pictures. I'd like to see them. Cheers!

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57timemachine on Apr 23, 2022 said:

Mario, thanks for the kind words and I will update once I take new photos. Cheers.

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Mario on May 1, 2022 said:

Looking forward to your new pictures and an update George!

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57timemachine on May 12, 2022 said:

Some visual updates here, especially the front end. Those silly headlights and the painted over head light bezels had to go and so they did. The vehicle looks so much cleaner with the changes to original. Cheers.

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Mario on May 13, 2022 said:

Looks good George! The headlight assemblies are really sharp and make a big difference. Cheers!

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57timemachine on Jul 1, 2022 said:

Mike and I are still open to any help in finding some of the required parts for this vintage vehicle. Especially proper door mirrors, a good side access door, front and rear bumpers, factory rims and hub caps, all factory emblems and scripts and what ever you may have that might be interesting. Cheers.

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57timemachine on Jan 30, 2023 said:

I am bumping this up at this point to remind anyone out there of the parts that we are still looking for to complete this 1964 Econoline van project. Please look at some of the previous postings of what Mike is looking for. Thanks and cheers.

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57timemachine on Jan 30, 2023 said:

I forgot to mention that Mike insulated the entire interior of the van, last fall. This spring Mike will tackle putting up interior paneling to get going on the whole interior. Cheers.

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Mario on Jan 31, 2023 said:

Check out this site on Ebay George:

https://www.ebay.com/b/Parts-Accessories-for-1964-Ford-Econoline/6030/bn_86841377

Good Luck and post some more pictures of you progress, Cheers, Mario

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57timemachine on Jan 31, 2023 said:

Mario, we appreciate your help. Cheers to you sir.

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57timemachine on May 4, 2023 said:

I am doing a shameless bump here because my brother Mike and I are hoping folks can help us find parts for this vintage van. Thanks and cheers.

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Mario on May 5, 2023 said:

Keep hunting for the parts you need George. The internet has many options for you and Mike.

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57timemachine on Jun 26, 2023 said:

The interior is now fully insulated. Mike has second and third seats that are not original but look good and fit right in. The next repair is replacing the rear spring shackle bushings that have some play on one side. Mike is still looking for original emblems, rims, hub caps, front and rear bumpers and door mirrors. Any help would be very appreciated. Cheers to all.

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Mario on Jun 26, 2023 said:

Thanks for the updates George. Looking good. Cheers, Mario

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57timemachine on Jul 3, 2023 said:

Mike has decided to replace all the leaf spring shackle bushings on the front and rear complete. He just got the complete kit and it will be going in soon. Cheers.

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Mario on Jul 4, 2023 said:

Sounds good. Mike is progressing on his Van. Locating parts is always the hardest part of the job, but stick to it and you will persevere. Cheers, Mario

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Mario on Aug 29, 2023 said:

I like the new rims, tires and caps you added and all the bushing work you and Mike did George. It's ready to be driven to a car show!

Cheers, Mario

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Anonymous on Aug 28, 2023 said:

Your comment to persevere Mario reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood movie, The Outlaw Josie Wales. The Indian Chief was explaining how he was with the secretary of state in Washington and he told the Indian people to EVDEAVOR TO PERSEVERE.

This has nothing with the Econline van except that finding parts will cause one to:

ENDEAVOR TO PERSEVERE. Love the changes that are being made to this.

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Mario on Aug 29, 2023 said:

Hey "Anonymous" (we know it's you Ron AZ wink, wink!) you've been posting comments lately and maybe it's time you came back to AT officially. We miss hearing your knowledge and quick wit. Think about it. Cheers to you my friend, Mario

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57timemachine on Sep 9, 2023 said:

Last month all the front and rear suspension shackles and bushings were replaced. Also the wheels were replaced with nicer new rims, tires and hub caps. Mike still wants to put original rims and hub caps on the vehicle when he finds them. He just could not stand those Mustang wheels on his van anymore. We are still looking for front and rear bumpers, left and right door mirrors of more substance and all of the exterior emblems for the front, back and sides. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers.

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chevykid57 on Sep 14, 2023 said:

very nice write up on Mike’s spam and I love the pictures

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57timemachine on Dec 23, 2023 said:

Mike purchased a bunch of original parts recently that we will restored and put on the van this spring. This includes front and rear bumpers, factory door limit straps, front license bracket, F O R D Letters for front, F O R D letters for rear, side door handle to replace damaged one, chrome scripts for doors and rear, factory mirror brackets and a better head light ring. Mike got all these parts very reasonable from a Ford Econoline expert. I will be busy this winter. Cheers.

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Mario on Jan 1, 2024 said:

That's great George you're already planning work for the Spring. That van is looking good and will be a favorite at car shows. Cheers my friend and Happy New Year! Mario

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57timemachine on Dec 26, 2023 said:

Mike also got an original chrome horn button and a reproduction decal for proper limit strap usage.

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Mario on Apr 2, 2024 said:

Great job done on the bumpers George. You're a good metal worker! The bumpers look like new! Cheers, Mario

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57timemachine on Apr 7, 2024 said:

Mario, I appreciate the kind words my fellow gear head. A little effort usually goes a long way. No effort... no gain. Cheers.

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