(first posted 1/7/2016) Now that the Ford Econoline van has finally gone the way of so many other automotive dinosaurs, we might want to give it a bit of rear-mirror recognition. There were ever only four generations of E-lines over a lifespan of some 55 years. We’ve covered gen1 here, and Jim Cavanaugh also did a full CC on the gen2 here. But that was an ugly, Midwest rust bucket, so let’s just peruse this nice, clean long-wheelbase window van, and remind ourselves of how common these were once. Because now they’re a rarity.
This generation Econoline appeared in the spring of 1968, as a 1969 model, due to a lengthy UAW strike at Ford that year. That means there are no 1968 models, of any generation. This second generation was rather revolutionary, in terms of the US van market, as it was the first to push the engine forward from between the front seats to…still between the front seats, although enough to the front so that there was now was access from the seats to the rear cargo area without climbing over the dog house.
But since Ford apparently was concerned about overall length, they made the nose very short, and the bulk of the engine was still inside the cab.
That made getting into and out of them awkward; never mind sitting in them. The next generation (1975) improved on that, by extending the nose and pushing the dog house forward some, but it was always a bit of a problem with these van; GM’s and Dodge’s too.
It’s a bit odd that Ford decided to go with such a compromised design, as Ford’s original UK Transit, the forerunner of the Transit that now has replaced the Econoline, arrived in 1965 with a distinctly longer nose, allowing the engine to sit under it without any significant intrusion into the passenger compartment. I hate to be such a Europhile, but it’s another example where the Europeans got it righter, which eventually led to their designs being adopted globally, although it took decades in the US. The new crop of Eurovans here are a big improvement, ergonomically as well as in every other way.
It’s hard to see exactly in this shot, but the passenger in these Econolines really gets short shrift. The engine is substantially offset from the centerline to the passenger side, which necessitates the passenger seat being attached further to the rear, as well as having only a minute amount of actual leg room. It’s impossible to sit normally or comfortably in the passenger seat, unlike the predecessor Econoline. Frankly, this design was highly compromised.
None of that kept the new Econoline from dominating its field. GM and Dodge were still stuck with their older designs until 1971, but then both of them took leapfrogged the Econoline with longer noses and more front seat room, although the Dodge less so than the Chevy and GMC.
These Econolines came in two wheelbases; the short one was 105.5″ long, and the long one was 123.5″. This is one of the latter, and badged “SuperVan” as a consequence.
They came in three weight-rated series: E100, E200, and E300. The first two were roughly analogous to the F100 and f150 pickups, with passenger-car sized brakes, axles and wheels. The e300 got the big full-floating rear axle and wheels from the F250. Power was supplied by the 240 CID six or the 302 CID V8.
These were of course wider and longer than their predecessors, and pretty much the same size as their successors, except for the longer noses. As such, the term “compact van”, which had been applied to the first Falcon-based Econoline, was no longer relevant. The compact van grew up, in one fell swoop, even if the nose suffered from developmental delay. That would come soon enough.
Related reading:
A similar short wheelbase 1971 Econoline played a pivotal role in my alter-autobiography: 1971 Econoline: What Might Have Been
CC 1961 – 1967 Ford Econoline – The Leader Of The Pack
CC 1969 Ford Econoline – Ford Builds A Better Box
“An ugly, midwestern rustbucket”? You hurt me. 🙂
Oregon is an amazing place. Not only can you find one of these that has not rusted to powder, but it seems to lack the one other feature that I saw in every single one of these back when they were around: The elliptical pattern of dimples where spot welds pulled on the outer sheetmetal over the rear wheels.
These were tough trucks with pretty much no refinement at all (especially the E300 with the six and 3 speed owned by my friend’s family). The 71 Dodge van was like a luxury sedan compared to these. But then the 75 Ford (not 74, which I’m sure was a typo) became the most refined of them all. Quite a leap in a single generation.
’75; yes.
The E300, like an F250 back then, rode like a buckboard unless it had about a ton of cargo in it.
The E100 and E200 rode reasonably well, especially in comparison.
Yes, the next gen Econoline was an enormous step up. And suddenly, Ford had the longest snout in the domestic van business. I drove the snot out of a bunch of that-gen Econoline vans one summer when I worked for a courier service. I liked them a lot better than the contemporary Chevies.
I was a passenger in these old vans more than a driver, so while I noticed the much less intrusive doghouse, easier front entry, and car-like dashboard on the ’75 Ford vans that replaced these, what really struck me was how much larger the windows were. They had thinner pillars were *much* taller. Now when I look at the ’69-’74 generation, the windows look small and the pillars between them huge. Another thing I remember from the second-gen Econoline was the step that rolled out when you opened the rear-side barn door, which sometimes failed on the vans I used. On models with a sliding door (which I think wasn’t available on early models), the rollout step was ditched in favor of a permanent built-in recessed step inside the door.
These were called Club Wagons when fitted with rear passenger seats. The top-line Chateau could be quite comfortable (though much less so than a modern minivan), but base models were as bare as the cargo version seen here – no headliner or side panels in the passenger compartment, and even the front doors were all metal inside. The floor was corrugated metal througout.
Yes, I had forgotten about that slide-out step. It was plenty noisy on my buddy’s van.
I recall that the side steps on GM vans would get rusty, making the front side door difficult to open.
Resetting feet for a stronger pull would result in the step jumping out & smiting the shin(s).
OW!
Paul, clearly as you note the European way of building a van has now become the norm but at the time the position was very different, if only because of the pathetically underpowered engines Europeans fitted in their vans. Take a trip in any of the Europeans vans from that period and you’d see what I mean – struggling along, climbing the hills loaded with 40-50 hp gets old very quick. Comfort was nothing to write home about either. As a an Israeli navy engineer hitch hiking from Eilat back up north (a trip of about 380 Km) I was very glad a man in a Chevy Vandura (with AIRCON(!)) pitied me and not someone in a Peugeot J9 or VW T2. Now, of course, turbo diesels and aerodynamics changed the game; a 204 hp VW T6 would cruise on the autobahn at 150 Km/H all day quietly and efficiently and be capable of carrying and towing most things needed to be carried or towed, but back then US made vans had the advantage.
I was referring to the basic configuration; specifically the longer nose and less intrusive engine in the passenger compartment. Obviously the American vans back then had bigger engines and other amenities.
The first van I rode in that was more car than truck was a….Ford.
It was a Transit Mk3, as introduced in 1986. SWB, single rear wheels, low roof. Just like the one below. It had the direct injected 2.5 liter Ford diesel. The Mk3 was the starting point for the modern-era Ford Transits.
Pathetically underpowered is right the 283 SBC Chevy optional on CF Bedfords no doubt fits that category very neatly, only the 1700cc Transit was woefully gutless even with our then 90 kmh speed limit but they did the job admirably speed and freight are a dangerous combination.
The first time I drove a Transit (3 years ago, the one which launched in North America) I thought “Econoline can’t die soon enough.” No more cramped footwells, no more leaking engine doghouses. And Transit’s ride and handling are light years better.
Plus, has anyone else noticed that it seems like every single Econoline on the road is dog-tracking?
It seems the last generation Econoline was dog tracking, but in most cases it’s an optical illusion. The front track is significantly narrower than the rear track, creating the illusion.
Check it out somttime- the front axle appears offset to the right on the drivers side, but offset to the left on the passenger’s side. If the truck were dogtracking, the offset would appear the same on boh sides.
Wow…The only recollection I have of one of those old Fords, would be changing the plugs, and wires, in a raging blizzard. As I recall, my tool challenged buddy, owner of said van, had managed to get it hopelessly flooded. New plugs, and wires, did do the trick.
So long ago.
An awkward, slow, clumsy penalty-box-on-wheels to drive in congested city traffic.
Good as a freight hauler, perhaps, but a dull, rough riding “people mover”.
The first Mopar mini-vans moved just as many people but drove SO much better, like a car.
A slow car, but still like a car.
Well as usual I like them. The engine being inside where you could work on it out of the weather to me is a plus. I’m sure that Transit was not as easy to tune up as you want me to believe. I would LOVE to have one of these. In fact on Dallas Craigslist there is a E200 for sale for $800. My kinda deal. You have to remember, I’ve never owned a foreign made car. Neither has any of my immediate family. Our domestics served us very well over the years. In fact when my folks bought a car, it was a 10 year or more purchase. My mother drove her 74 Montego until 2003 when I got it. My dad didn’t trade his 69 C10 Chevy until 1981. They still have their 97 F150. And my first car, a 1971 Maverick bought in November 83, I still own it as well. My dad was union and told me if I bought a foreign car, I would not be able to park it in the driveway. And our street was not made for curbside parking, being a main throughfare. So I don’t put down domestics like most folks on here because ours have served us well. With one exception, our 88 Suburban. Now I will be the first to admit THAT was a complete POS from the get go. First and only vehicle my folks traded before it was paid off. But my dad contributed that to being a GM, not because he thought the Honda’s, Toyota’s, etc., were better. He was always a Ford man. And our Fords were never any trouble.
There are a lot of “foreign made cars” built in the US, and more than a few domestics hecho en Mexico.
Not in the time frame I speak of from. Our Ford trucks, my mavericks, our suburban, etc., were USA built. And it didn’t matter, my dad was union so no foreign cars, no matter where they were built. You also have to remember, I have no car newer than a 94 Taurus. Built in atlanta, although Ford did source parts from “offshore” manufacturers. All my other cars are built in the 70’s. Pure American parts when they were built. The point I was trying to make above was we simply didn’t drive anything that was not GM or Ford. And I want a 70-74 econoline van for my collection.
Modern definition of American made sedan: “Toyota Avalon”!
Don’t forget Canada. Pretty much all Crown Vics, Grand Marquis, and Marauders were built in Windsor, Ontario, dating back to the early 90’s if not further.
The badge that says “Super Van” suddenly makes this old rig much more interesting. Never knowing there was such a badge, I have learned something today.
SuperVan refers to the long wheelbase. On the earlier cab-forward Econolines, the name was used for an extended-body model (still on the same 90″ WB, though).
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/09/curbside-classic-1965-ford-econoline-supervan-camper/
Yeah, the earlier bolt-on rear extension didn’t do the handling any favors. Dodge was the first to come out with a longer wheelbase extended van, then repeated the same mistake as the Gen 1 Econoline with their MaxiVan in the 70s.
Not to be confused with George Barris’ “SuperVan,” which was built on a Dodge Sportsman.
There is also a “Travel Wagon” badge that could also appear on first-generation Econolines, though I don’t know if it made it into this generation. It denoted the pop-up camper version, which may or may not have been factory.
That picture, with the motor home sitting there makes it look like Junior is coming home to visit with Mom.
I’ve DONE lots of work on these. A few notes:
302 Engine can come out the right side door, but transmission must come out first.
302 Engine can come out the front, but only with carb removed and very short chains for boom of cherry picker to clear bottom of dash/firewall.
Six cylinder engines will only go out the front
Rear axle shafts are different lengths—the carrier is offset from center so driveline has a straight run from offset mounted engine/trans. Also note that while GEN 3 Econolines also have offset drivetrains, it is a different offset–the differential assemblies on GEN 3, while appearing identical at first glance, have a carrier closer to center than the GEN 2.–I learned that the hard way.
A neighbor family got a brand new 69 Club Wagon Chateau, it was quite nice inside by the standards of the day. The family had at least 6 kids, they really needed that thing!
I did get to ride in it now and then, I really loved it at the time.
I’ll always associate this generation Econoline with Ironside, with Raymond Burr riding in the back in his leopard skin wheelchair.
One cool detail with these was how the deluxe versions essentially had a chrome skin placed over the entire grill and light area.
And yes, the European vans are a huge improvement over the traditional US vans in so many areas, not least of which is the ability to have a high roof version with full-height doors.
Drove cross country from CT to CA (and a lot of zig-zagging, so to speak) in summer 1980 with a few buddies. It was fairly new and we insulated/paneled the inside so it was pretty comfortable. Even had a moon roof installed about 3/4 of the way back. Lots of smoke poured out of that moon roof.. You would have thought the van was made of fiberweed. We were Cheech and Chong fans too…
I’ll always consider these to be very good work trucks
Tools (trucks are tools) are not supposed to ride like cars although I do vastly prefer aircon these days .
-Nate
Ford has not completely discontinued the E-series platform. E series cutaways are still available for use with utility and bus bodies. The E series has been popular for shuttlebus and boxtruck type duty, so Ford has kept this version in production.
http://m.ford.com/commercial-trucks/eseries-cutaway/
That’s why I said “Econoline van”. 🙂
I did not mean to challenge your point about the E van being discontinued….it was moreso the fact that Ford feels demand is sufficient to keep the cutaway version of the E series in production….and they will sell……U haul and Budget rental companies use them for their box trucks…..Our local town uses the E platform for mini-bus service and I saw what looked to be a 2015 or 2016 added to the bus fleet recently.
They should tweak the appearance in a cheap but noticeable way – build them all with sealed-beam headlights but chrome the bezels would do – so these last-of-the-line cutaways can be identified at a glance.
For the last 30+ years I’ve always had van in the family fleet. A 1998 GMC Safari SLT has been with us since 2000. This weekend I found a great deal on a twofer, 2 Ford E350 Club Wagons with the Chateau package, original owner. One is a 1994 with 190k miles the second (which I intend to keep) is a 1996 with 52k miles. Both have the 7.5L (460 ci) engine.
I have grown to love that Safari despite its shortcomings but it has been rock solid dependable all these years. In the last few years I have been using to tow cars and parts to my storage place. I have seen the limits of its hauling capacity and that is why I am making the move to the E350. I know it is a gas hog but at the current $1.56/gallon and the limited use it is going to get this should not be a problem. So the Safari and the 1994 E350 will be going on CL soon.
A 460-powered Club Wagon Chateau with 52k miles? Wow, nice score!
??? In #4 that front seat looks like a frickn’
CHIMPANZEE sat in it!
I had a 74 I bought in 84, it had the 6 and AT and I got it up to 50 MPH once…downhill of course. Other than putting a new starter in it every few months it was OK.
In another CC effect, the white Econoline van is identical to the one my parents had in the mid 80’s. It was a ’72, 302 automatic with AC and power steering. Dad bought it to shuttle around the members of his “over 50” softball team when my parents were living in San Diego. It had no seatbelts, so we hit up the U-pull and rounded up about 12 sets of black lap belts from late 60’s early ’70’s GM vehicles and I installed them so everybody had a belt.
Around this time, the neighborhood in which they bought their new house in the late ’70’s started to rapidly go downhill. It was originally an retirement community only allowing over age 50 residents. A beautiful community. Well, some how local government decided this was no longer to be allowed, and in addition to all ages being allowed low income apartments were soon built as well. Crime soared, almost all of the houses were eventually broken into and robbed. It happened to my parents twice, they lost all of Dad’s WW2 medals and Mom’s family jewels going back to her Great Grandmother, along with TV, VCR, Stereo’s etc. Elderly neighbors were also assaulted and robbed while going for walks in the neighborhood. It was rapidly turning into an unsafe ghetto.
So they decided to sell the house and move to which would be their last home in Vancouver Washington in 1986.
They asked me to help them move, Dad rented a U-Haul truck and towed their car, and I drove the white Econoline with their dog and cats in pet carriers. They didn’t leave quite fast enough. 3 days before the move, the Econoline was stolen from their driveway. It was recovered a couple of days later, but the wiring was all screwed up from the theft. Insurance paid to repair the damage, and a week later the repaired van was brought back to their house, and we loaded up the U Haul and Econoline and were on our way.
After about 100 miles (this was in July), the AC quit working in the van I was driving. So the last 900 miles and 2 days were in a 100+ degree van with constantly whining dog and howling cats for the rest of the trip.
Dad had a habit of driving the U Haul as if no one was following him, and would blow yellow lights forcing me to stop and then drive on without looking to see if I was still behind. No cell phones back then, so I would have to drive around unfamiliar towns looking for him. This happened 4 times during the trip, and no amount of asking him to remember he was being followed would change this habit.
We finally made it to Vancouver at 2:00am, and then drove around the new neighborhood for about 2 hours as Dad could not remember where the new house was. At 4:00am we found the house, to say tempers were flaring is an extreme understatement.
I really thought I had died and gone to Hell during this move. Thank God we made it in one piece, finally!
My niece had followed in my ’77 Rabbit, and as I looked under the hood after we arrived, it turned out the alternators voltage regulator had failed and had been overcharging, the battery was cooked and acid was everywhere under the hood. After I repaired the VW and visited for a couple of days, finally the nightmare was over and we had an thankfully uneventful trip back home.
I’m glad they never moved again. They had the AC repaired and sold the Econoline shortly after the move.
The father of my first girlfriend was a plumber and an alcoholic (not necessarily in that order). He had a pale green, dinged-n-dented, swb Econoline for his business as what he called a “turd-chaser.” Probably an E100, it was pretty basic; certified free of all creature comforts. It was also (to my recollection) the first and only three-on-the-tree I’ve ever driven. I didn’t like the experience. Compared to floor shift, the motions required to row through the (too few) gears seemed to me unnatural and un-ergonomic. Put this third-pedal fan off column-mounted manuals for life, it did. So it looks like no “ponton” Mercedes for me, sadly.
I hadn’t thought about old man L******n’s POS plumber’s van for years until I ran into a neighbor of theirs at a high-school reunion a while back. She said her family used to keep track of how my girlfriend’s dad parked his van, as an indicator of how much he drank the night before. If the vehicle was only slightly crooked in the driveway, it meant he hadn’t been too wasted when he came home. If it was diagonally across the front lawn, then he’d been on a bender.
“Self latching doors!”
I had a ’74 E-100 for a while. For those that think it is so “crude”, it was a huge step up from my Dodge A-100. IFS and a much longer wheelbase made for a better ride and more stability, sitting behind the front axle and engine at least felt safer.
Sort-of-very-delayed CC effect–I photographed one of these at a repair shop near my house in late October. Yeah, that was over 2 months ago, but when was the last time you saw one…
Late Econoline 100, looked to be in decent enough shape with not too much rust.
The original Ford Supervan was a Ford Transit body fitted over GT40 running gear it cut into the load space quite badly but whatever you were delivering was definitely express freight.
Being a Ford kid, I grew up riding in these. My uncle had a two-tone blue Clubwagon and it seemed to have lasted several years in the rustbelt. My aunt was one of the first “mini-van” moms – the van went to every hockey game, every softball game, every school meet, every church event. We all took a turn starting it, putting it in drive, pulling forward, putting it in reverse, then returning it to the same parking spot so the adults didn’t see us.
The idea of having this van as a family vehicle was quite a surprise in the neighborhoods at that time. The first Clubwagon had to have my uncle’s business name and address listed behind the driver’s door, because our towns considered pickups and vans to be work vehicles not allowed to be parked overnight on our streets. So we have to have the Clubwagon off the street at dusk and parked in the garage. The idea of having this vehicle for daily family use was rather unheard of in Chicagoland.
We loved riding in it. We could get up and walk around and move around when my dad or uncle was driving it. It gave us a level of freedom we didn’t have in the Galaxie 500. Although the Galaxie 500 was more luxurious and had air conditioning, the next Clubwagon in the family got a/c too. Chicago summers are pretty miserable without it. It was really cool to ride so high off the street, compared to the low and wide full size rides common back then. Seat belts – I don’t remember using them.
I do remember servicing the van with the doghouse removed and watching my dad and uncle work on it. As the van aged, the smells of the engine would be more apparent. We got used to it.
These were good vehicles.
Guy down the street has a blue one of these
It seems to me that more 1st gen Econolines have survived than 2nd gens, which I don’t think I’ve seen in the last two decades.
Good point. Or maybe it’s that the more interesting flatnose 1st gens get saved more often for car shows.
I have some fond memories of Econoline vans. An early job of mine, probably age 12 or so, was working for a friend’s father who used us as cheap labor. His work van was a white one from the early 70s, similar to the subject vehicle, that seemed pretty new. I remember that we (my friend and I) didn’t like sitting in the passenger’s seat because of the weird position. Rather, we sat on milk crates in the back, and enjoyed sliding around on turns and stops. Those were the days.
In the late 70s my dad got a well-worn 63 and set it up as a family hauler. Paneling, carpet, and a bench seat of some sort in the back. I remember the engine in the doghouse, clattery, covered with oil, struggling up the hills when we went camping. Dad, ever the vehicular cheapskate, gave it a rattle-can gray primer paint job and left it at that. I remember it had 3 a on the tree shifter. Mom crashed it at some point around the time I got my license, so I only got to drive it a few times around town when I had my learner’s permit. I remember that I liked the forward driving position.
Fast forward a few years, I got to drive one that we rented for a job I had post-college. This would have been late 80s, and the van was likely from the 70s, from a local Rent-a-Wreck. My employer was very price-conscious, and we got what we paid for, perhaps even a little less. We needed it for about a month a year, and they gave us the same one two years in a row, a little more decrepit the second year. Driving it on the highway en route to job sites was a daily adventure and the source of much humor. Sawing back and forth on the wheel to keep it moving in somewhat of a straight line felt like navigating a boat in choppy water.
I am a committed VAN MAN. In 1970 I bought a brand new E-200 Supervan with the 240 six and three on the tree, exactly like the star of this post (except in blue). It served me well (ignorant, until today, that it’s driveline was off-kilter!). This was the third van (after a ’61 Econoline and a ’59 VW transporter) I owned (followed by a ’66 A-100 swb, a ’96 Aerostar cargo swb, and my current ride, a ’22 Transit Connect cargo, lwb).
In my little corner of the world a smallish van is the most useful vehicle you can own. Never having owned a TV, I have never been subjected to the induced need for power, style and comfort. Hence, not knowing what I was missing, these vans have suited me just fine. Actually, even better than just fine. In the commercial market auto makers have to pay attention to the scrutiny of commercial buyers. They can’t get away with compromises in durability and value that consumers settle for in their quest for power, style and comfort.
The humble pickup truck, of course, has not followed this path. No segment more fully embraces the mantra of power, style and comfort than these behemoths that roam the American landscape today.
@ Norm ;
Well put .
For me, almost every van I’ve ever had (quite a few) sooner or later wound up a garden storage shed on wheels so I stopped buying them .
Vans also make wonderful cross country travelers, you get to sleep out of the rain or cold =8-) .
I don’t much like the HUGE pickups these days but every so often I see a base model short bed pickup out on the road that’s not too high so they’re still making them but who knows why Commercial buyers aren’t buying them as I rarely see the jacked up long bed fleet models even half full .
No reason not to buy a huge truck if that’s what you want but the Farm boy in me will never want more than is necessary to get the job done .