In Chicago’s north side neighborhood of Edgewater, west of Broadway.
It has been such a pleasure to both leave for, and arrive home from, work in this month of February bookended by there being light outside. I believe that Seasonal Affective Disorder is an actual thing, and I’m not saying that I have it as much as some, but I love sunshine. My spirits have been lifted immensely by the prospects of longer days, open windows, warmer temperatures, and time outdoors when I gaze westward at my neighborhood out of my living room windows. During the warmer months of last year, I had made it a point to take walks in the evening in and around Edgewater, where I live, and doing so was so enjoyable that I wondered why it had taken me over a decade to enjoy the picturesque beauty of this lovely, little corner of Chicago.
It was on one such walkabout when I came across this ’65 Ford Econoline parked across the street from local Senn High School. (Last summer, I had actually composed a couple of essays in the evening on the grounds of Senn, so I thought the proximity of this discovery of this classic van was perfect.) The first thing that I noticed from afar was that its two-tone green-and-silver paint scheme didn’t look like something that would have been offered in the mid-1960s. I think of this color combination as being kind of “’90s”, though this Ford wore it well.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that a few of its doors were open, and there was lumber inside. In a very Niedermeyerian twist, this vintage Ford from the ’60s was still being used for work purposes. I’m usually a little wary of lingering too long to take pictures of one of my automotive subjects if there’s a possibility of being caught in the act while doing so but I figured in this case that it was worth the risk.
Some very nice gentlemen who appeared to be in maybe their late-20s / early-30s returned to the van from inside the beautiful, old, multi-unit brick building the van was parked directly in front of. They were covered in sawdust, but looked genuinely pleased that I had taken an apparent interest in their van. It was from our all-too-brief verbal exchange that I learned this Econoline was a ’65 model.
This van came to the forefront of my mind as an essay topic probably because I recently celebrated a birthday. It wasn’t a “significant”, decade-marker birthday, but for whatever reason, it had me thinking about my time on Earth thus far and life expectancy statistics which point to the fact that I’m very likely past the halfway point. Even though there’s little (if any) correlation between what keeps a vintage vehicle on the road and a “vintage” human being active, trucks like this Econoline and Paul’s F-100 (both of which are still working hard, last I knew) give hope to a dude like me that my “date of manufacture” doesn’t necessarily dictate the degree of my usefulness.
There’s a Hershey commercial that has been airing lately that show a nonagenarian gentleman from Iowa who has been giving out chocolate bars to people in his community for over a decade, just out of the basic goodness of his heart. Is love for others the secret to longevity? Likewise, this Econoline, clearly a beloved vehicle, must not have spited its various owners over the years and thus earned its place in their hearts. Would a vehicle prone to breakdowns and catastrophes still be kicking around over a half-century since rolling off the assembly line? I think of such heinous vehicles that hit the scrapyards first in their relatively short lives, due to some inherent design flaw and/or poor overall quality. Who says an inanimate object can’t show “love”, or something like it, to its trusting owner?
As for me, I had kicked off my birthday weekend with close friends, some of whom were born when I was in high school. We all still had many common threads and plenty to talk about, and we all had a ball. It may be cliche, but it’s true – age is a state of mind, and the high utility quotient of this ’65 Econoline is proof of that.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Monday, July 15, 2019.
Click here for related reading on a different, same-year Econoline I spotted a few years back.
Never saw one of these before (I am in Europe), they must not have been a success here when new. But I did see one today, not on the road but on my screen: https://barnfinds.com/former-eastern-airlines-van-1965-ford-econoline/
Interesting little triangular window behind the doors.
Dion, I agree that the triangular windows are an intriguing design element. I suppose they were necessary in order to give the window frames of the front doors that forward rake.
Nice! Looks a bit plushed out compared to my F100. But since it’s a HD version, it presumably has the same 240 six as my truck. And yes, it’s still very much at hard at work; used it for two dump runs last week.
I used to deliver the afternoon Baltimore Sun papers in my neighborhood in Towson, and the distributor drove a ’65 HD window van just like this one. I can smell all the ink and paper riding in the back, sitting on bundles of papers.
Wow – I was also a newspaper deliverer. The smell of ink and newsprint is also indelibly etched in my mind, as well!
I was a bit further down the distribution chain. My delivery vehicle was a Schwinn. Nice write-up of a very nice van.
From what I can see of the driver’s seat I’d say you are spot on with the 90’s as being the time this van received it’s most recent update.
I completely missed that clue (the seat) before you pointed it out! That was a good catch. I think I’ve seen some Toyota Camrys from the ’90s with a similar dark green-and-silver paint scheme.
Joseph, allow me to commend your obvious optimism and fortitude. To be so bright-spirited as to be buoyed by the mere prospect of longer days while still only 2/3 of the way through a Chicago Winter is a real triumph of the human spirit.
Seasonal Affective Disorder was a big factor in my relocation from NYC to Florida. Chicago might truly have done me in decades ago.
Cool van too.
MTN, I’ll just say that the Weather Channel has forecast highs in the 40s next week for the beginning of March. That, combined with this past Sunday’s temperatures scraping 50 Fahrenheit, has me thinking that spring 2020 will get here on time.
“Is love for others the secret of longevity?”
It likely helps, but is by no means a guarantee. Case in point: My paternal grandmother, who will be 99 next month. Mean as hell. Vindictive, also. But for her it works, which is likely where the real secret is….one has to do (and use) what works for them. And this Econoline certainly works for its owner.
This generation of Econoline is still enigmatic for me as they are simply seen so infrequently in these parts. For that matter, the second generation is also and the third is getting thin enough to warrant my writing up the ’89 last week.
We’ve been having a delightful run of vans lately. It’s hard to believe there’s very much one can say about a box on wheels that is new or exciting, but Joe has managed to do that here.
Seems like we’ve had a delightful run of vans here lately.
I think it’s more of a quality issue (with apologies to Robert Pirsig). I believe good people tend to live long, happy productive lives followed by a quick, painless death, while the more miserable people tend to live long, uncomfortable lives followed by a slow deterioration and a somewhat painful end. This is not an absolute, of course, but I have noticed more examples of the above than the inverse.
Jeanne Calment, who was the oldest human at 122 years, was not exactly known for her generous and loving personality, to say the least.
Longevity is in the genes. As are our personalities. Good luck changing either of them. 🙂
“One has to do (and use) what works for them.” Bingo, Jason.
These appeal to my inner minimalist. Somehow in all the years I have been contributing stuff I have never gone down the street and asked my neighbor if I could photograph his red and white 66 that is all original from the days his grandfather bought it new.
JP, as long as it’s still there, the nicer weather outside here in the Midwest should afford you some opportunities to photograph that ’66 some time soon.
Another enjoyable essay, Joseph. It was a uncharacteristically warm Sunday up here in Connecticut and my wife, daughter and I enjoyed a walk around Old-Town Wethersfield while my son was at a party nearby. It definitely got us excited about more walks in our own neighborhood come Spring.
A lot of others were enjoying the weather as well. In the same walk, I saw a couple pull out of their driveway in a Super Beetle Convertible and a pristine Subaru BRAT with Lambo doors. I should have grabbed pictures of the Subie, but Pioneer Fox just did the BRAT three weeks ago.
Thanks so much, Adam. I’ll say that neighborhood walks were one of my favorite discoveries of 2019.
A quiet, well-preserved older neighbourhood, and that old Econoline suits it perfectly. They were quite common when I was a boy (I have two years on it) but I haven’t seen a first or second generation Econoline here in Ontario for many years. It’s always great to see an old truck or van still on the job, simply doing what it was built for and bringing a smile to those of us who appreciate them.
I can also appreciate that this Econoline is still “working”. I would love to see its whole life’s trajectory.
We were touching the high 40s here (F) in Toronto these past few days, but we are due to get more the just a few inches of snow here between now and Friday. That’s why I don’t understand the folks who try to escape SAD by going south at Christmas time. Winter has barely begun, although the shortest days of the year have just hit then I guess. Now would be the time for me to go find some sun, facing the prospect of another four to five weeks or so of mostly winter weather.
Very nice paint job on that Econoline. At 55 years old, it looks in very nice shape. Great shots Joseph.
Thank you so much. I think your logic regarding SAD and vacation time is solid. I think this may be why spring break comes for most students in the middle of March. (Too bad we working adults don’t also automatically get “spring break”.)
I will keep it short Joseph.
Happy birthday and thank you for all your wonderful articles and pictures.
May you and your talents grace curbside classic for many more birthdays to come.🎂
Thanks so much, Bill. So far, so good!
I love the paint job on this van — even though its representative neither of the 1960s or of modern times, I think it looks great, and really turns this workhorse into something memorable.
And always, great photography here, particularly the last shot.
Regarding longevity, my grandmother, who turns 105 next month, credits her longevity in part to moderation… as in “don’t do too much of any one thing.” Same probably goes for vehicles… if it’s not driven too much, worked too hard, abused badly, etc., but rather used steadily and respectfully, then its chances of reaching old age improve exponentially. Easier said than done, though.
Great story, great rig. Your realization that this old truck was still being used for its original purpose reminds me of an old car I used to see around town in the ’80s. There was this ancient couple that drove a chalky green 1938-39 Buick, just because it still ran and only needed to get them to and from the grocery store. I liked the fact that they never tried to fix it up. They used it for transportation, period.
Our family owned a 1963 passenger model of this van. Metallic light blue with brushed aluminum side trim. 2 rows of bolt in ” removable” bench seats behind driver and passenger buckets. Between these was the engine compartment (that could double as a 3rd frontseat). We could open the lid and mess with the little six’s carb while on the highway! The front solid axle double leaf spring suspension likely accounted for it’s odd tendency to leave the road in a crosswind. I inherited in the late 60′ and added chrome reverse 14 wheels and wide ovals along with a hand painted Shelby mustang style set of center racing stripes that went up the front, over the top and down the back. I also added front seatbelts (because I thought they were cool) and a pair of jc whitney headrests. It was a blast and I could even burn a little rubber when I popped the clutch. I have many stories about this van, and some are even repeatable in mixed company!
That’s MY van! haha. What a surprise to find a whole article here and thank you to whomever wrote it. If you see me out there again please come say hello.
I bought the 65′ on Ebay and had it shipped over here to Chicago. I was looking for a fun delivery van for my custom framing business. Ive been taking it back little by little to its factory condition. It is in fact a 1965 Econoline Automatic with the 240. New original seats and upholstery on the way as well as bunch of other horribly expensive original accessories only a car lover would buy. The paint, what can I say, is what it is, but I will be removing the silver bottom line near the wheels and matching with green. Wood paneling the inside, and really going for it this summer.
I hope you stop by to see the progress!
-Nicholas