I’m looking to replace my Ford Focus, which is in the shop every three months like clockwork and has therefore worn out its welcome. What I want: reliable, compact, inexpensive, reliable, manually shifted, and reliable. And reliable. So I’m checking the “manual” box on the Craigslist car search form every day and seeing what’s out there. Sadly, not much. But this showed up the other day.
Obviously, this isn’t what I’m looking for. But how charming! Even during my 1970s rust-belt kidhood, these were uncommon. Only rust-eaten beater examples driven by aging hippies still roamed the Earth.
According to the ad, which shouts at you in all caps, this Falcon van isn’t perfect, but it’s as good as you’ll find at the price, and the body is solid.
It looks good inside and out. Somebody has at least kept it cosmetically clean. Hard telling about the condition of that inline six between the seats. And three on the tree is always an adventure.
I can’t sort out why Ford badged some of these forward-control vans as Econolines and some as Falcons. Maybe you can shed some light on that in the comments. And if something like this trips your trigger, go here to see the ad. It’s northeast of Indianapolis a short piece.
Related reading: 1961-67 Ford Econoline.
Sweet looking Ford van. It looks like it could’ve also been a taxi. Put bench seats in the middle and third row, install seat belts for all of them, and you’re all set. 🙂
What’s the matter with an inline six and three-on-the-tree. My ’62 Falcon Ranchero has both! The engine is very hard to kill, and the manual column shifter is a serious anti-theft device. Even with a 170, my Ranchero will do 75 on the highway all day long. And that’s with the 3.50 rear axle — the cars got a 3.25 rear axle. I once had a ’63 Falcon coupe (with that crappy 2-speed Ford-O-Matic) that would run 80+ mph.
With regards to Econoline vs. Falcon, I think it has to do with the fact that this is a window van rather than a panel van. It may even have had rear seats at one point.
Having said all that, don’t get me started about the silly “Dad’s Delivery Service” graphic on the side…
I’m too young to remember when these were built, but I do remember seeing these when I was a boy. I’ve always liked the Forward Control vans, with everything forward of the front wheels.
Nice old truck .
I logged many miles in one just like this but with rows of bench seats , in the early 1960’s Down East .
I vividly remember it puking the drive shaft just out side of Harvard Square one chilly January morning…
They also made some up market ” Club Wagons ” that had cardboard interior panels .
Cheap and sturdy , these things roamed the U.S.A. in the early to mid 1960’s .
-Nate
I have a neighbor with a 66 Econoline – the same red/white colors, and it has windows and seats. His grandfather bought it new, and it is sill pretty much all original (and very nice).
Long time since I have seen a necker’s knob on the steering wheel. The college roommate had one on his 62 Bel Air. With the 6 turn lock to lock power steering, it really did help in parking, where leverage was not so important as spinning speed.
The first picture (and one in the actual listing even more so) show that the driver sits right on top of the front axel with the engine in line and just to the right. Cute vehicle but that arrangement’s gotta cause some very unusual and perhaps terrifying weight distribution issues.
http://bangshift.com/general-news/videos/this-1963-chevrolet-propagandapromotional-film-is-the-best-one-we-have-ever-seen-crazy-tests-jumps-destruction-more/
4th pic from the top…these did not have ‘ideal’ weight distribution when empty.
Especially in the pickup variant… Corvair Rampside Vs Ford Econoline Truck Vintage: http://youtu.be/HrhCAiV7diY
Everytime I see one of these I start to hear Neil Young in my head,
“Bruce Berry was a friend of mine,
he used to load that Econoline van”.
I don’t know which idea gives me more pause, the “unusual” weight distribution and handling characteristics of these, or the fact that the only thing between your feet and legs in a front end collision is a thin piece of sheet metal.
Lots of brochures on eBay now; the “Falcon” version had the windows and extra seats; the “Econoline” was the commercial van with few or no side windows:
This doesn’t quality as an example of the CC effect, but nonetheless I’m moved to share a shot of an even rarer Ford van I found today in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
That’s a Ford Transit Mk2 (ex-) ambulance in the typical German color. With German plates, registered in the Memmingen district (MM), Bavaria.
Yes, it had Augsburg dealer markings …
Normally the long wheelbase Transits were the heavy-duty versions with dual rear tires. That’s why the vans with the single rear tires (like the one above) have those huge flat wheel arches.
And, with its grandson:
What year of Focus do you have? I agree that a daily driver should not be such a garage queen unless the car is old.
Teddy, it’s a 2006 with 96k. No way should it be this troubled this soon.
Yes, JG – a first gen Honda Fit may be what you want. I am at nearly the same mileage on my early 07 and my biggest hassle has been a battery every few years, along with tires and brakes. I don’t think these are all that expensive now, either.
Gonna go look at a 2008 Fit Sport with the 5-speed tomorrow morning.
Whoo Hoo! What color? The Sport is the one you want, with cruise, remote locks, better stereo, etc. I have read that the stick is geared a bit shorter for higher revs on the highway, but you make up for it in fun if you like to shift. On the Sport, you get paddle shifters on the steering wheel if you get the 5 speed automatic, so if you get stuck in an auto, there is at least some chance to play boy racer with the gears. 🙂
Silver. But after a bit of a wild goose chase they wouldn’t let me drive it because some dude was allegedly driving in from Ohio to buy it that morning.
Do you still have the Toyota Matrix? How about a second, younger one?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/qotd-when-do-you-give-up-on-your-car/
I’d own another Matrix. I’ve had two and liked both. The first one had a massively costly transmission failure, but that was a defect in the manually shifted 2003s. Otherwise, these Matrixes have been pretty reliable.
The Matrix and Vibe come pretty close to what you want: ” reliable, compact, inexpensive, reliable, manually shifted, and reliable. And reliable. ”
Vibes tend to be less expensive than Matrixes. Now that new car sales are up good used ones are coming to market as well.
Mazda3 and Mazda6 might fit on your short list too.
Anyway, all the best for your hunt!
I agree with you because those problems should not be happening.
My 2007 Ford 500 was an unreliable garage queen. I finally traded at 92K miles. NO more Fords.
While in the Navy in the early 70s I drove 1 or 2 of these. We would literally pile a bunch of sailors in the back (no seats) and speed between work and barracks. Without seats, the weight shift of 8 or 9 young men was sometimes sudden and disconcerting.
In another instance, I saw an Econoline pick up that was hit at the rear corner at about 20-25 MPH. The Econoline got flipped on it’s roof and slid along the pavement for about a half a block. No one was hurt, fortunately.
You hit a decent sized bump with that rear axle, especially when unloaded, and you better have a good grip on the wheel. These can be much….”squirrelier” than a normal truck.
I think I prefer the Dodge A-100 series.
I had a job my first year at College driving the Econoline from van from the Johns Hopkins library in Baltimore once a week to the Library of Congress. I left at 9 AM, returned at 5. Great fun to have a van all day in DC once a week. But I never understood the wisdom of the JHU library director in hiring me, a 16-year-old college student, to drive rare books AND PEOPLE in one of these things every week. Alas, my schedule changed the next term and I needed a new job.
where’s Scooby?
My 1st regular job was as a grocer clerk in the late 60s at Norman’s Market in Binghamton, NY. We had a couple of Econoline vans, and one was a Falcon similar to the one shown, but light blue in color.
At Norman’s a grocer clerk unloaded trucks, stocked shelves, priced merchandise (with an inked stamper), sorted bottles, cleaned the store, wrapped meat, worked produce, ran a register (when cashiers on break or when real busy), packed bags (paper only…and you filled them up), assisted customers, and the younger ones (like me) delivered groceries and moved stock between Norman’s 3 stores and his warehouse. A grocery worker today would not have lasted a day at Norman’s-we worked at full steam all the time. What takes 5 minutes at a checkout today was accomplished in a minute or less at Norman’s…or you were gone. We all learned a good work ethic….and Norman would pitch right in and show you how its done if need be.
We beat the snot out of those vans. They were 6 cylinder standards (3 on the tree)but light in the rear and you could burn the tires easily. No, they didn’t handle well, but only 1 guy rolled one that I recall.
Norman bought a store downtown known as the Mohican Market. It was an ancient grocery store with no parking (except onstreet) but in its day had done a lively business especially in meat and in bakery products. The entire floor above the market was an industrial bakery (I’m talking 2′ wide mixing bowls, huge industrial mixers, etc.) and when the store closed (not long after the purchase) the bakery kept producing baked goods for Norman’s stores. We would pick up the baked goods and deliver them to the stores, where they were wrapped, priced, and put on the shelves for sale.
One evening I had picked up a load of pies in the Falcon van. They were loaded in bread racks…plastic racks about 3-4 inches tall and maybe 36″x36″….you’ve all seen them I’m sure. I had 2 or 3 stacks (each about 4′ tall) in the back of the Falcon. Of course I am driving the Falcon at my usual blazing speed, and going down an inclined street (a hill) had to apply the brakes rather abruptly. If you’re guessing what happened you are likely right….the entire load slid forward and 4 or 5 racks of pies flipped over onto me and all over the front of the truck. We all wore white aprons and mine was….blueberry surprise. Fortunately, I was near to a City sanitation site and was able to offload the mess, and on arrival at the store sneaked in to the restroom for a frenzied cleanup and fresh apron…and somehow noone noticed. Also fortunate was that the pies were not inventoried quite as accurately as they are today.
Those were exciting times….and the Econoline vans were troopers. If I had the loot I’d like to buy that red and white one…even with the Dad’s Delivery logo. I would, however, beware of hauling pies.
I’m not 100% sure about this, as my father wasn’t alive yet when these were made, but I think “Falcon” referred to the passenger/window versions, where as “Econoline” was for the work horse versions (ie van and truck).
*Full disclosure, I’ve never even seen one of these in real life, I just love hippie vans.
Here is a hot rodded version for your viewing pleasure.
Though smaller, the modern counterpart may be the Transit Connect, which I see used by small businesses all the time now. The passenger model is what gets imported, & turned into commercial variants stateside to avoid the Chicken Tax.
So that’s a way to get your Ford Focus driveline again, in van form.☺︎
My 1st regular job was as a grocer clerk in the late 60s at Norman’s Market in Binghamton, NY. We had a couple of Econoline vans, and one was a Falcon similar to the one shown, but light blue in color.
At Norman’s a grocer clerk unloaded trucks, stocked shelves, priced merchandise (with an inked stamper), sorted bottles, cleaned the store, wrapped meat, worked produce, ran a register (when cashiers on break or when real busy), packed bags (paper only…and you filled them up), assisted customers, and the younger ones (like me) delivered groceries and moved stock between Norman’s 3 stores and his warehouse. A grocery worker today would not have lasted a day at Norman’s-we worked at full steam all the time. What takes 5 minutes at a checkout today was accomplished in a minute or less at Norman’s…or you were gone. We all learned a good work ethic….and Norman would pitch right in and show you how its done if need be.
We beat the snot out of those vans. They were 6 cylinder standards (3 on the tree)but light in the rear and you could burn the tires easily. No, they didn’t handle well, but only 1 guy rolled one that I recall.
Norman bought a store downtown known as the Mohican Market. It was an ancient grocery store with no parking (except onstreet) but in its day had done a lively business especially in meat and in bakery products. The entire floor above the market was an industrial bakery (I’m talking 2′ wide mixing bowls, huge industrial mixers, etc.) and when the store closed (not long after the purchase) the bakery kept producing baked goods for Norman’s stores. We would pick up the baked goods and deliver them to the stores, where they were wrapped, priced, and put on the shelves for sale.
One evening I had picked up a load of pies in the Falcon van. They were loaded in bread racks…plastic racks about 3-4 inches tall and maybe 36″x36″….you’ve all seen them I’m sure. I had 2 or 3 stacks (each about 4′ tall) in the back of the Falcon. Of course I am driving the Falcon at my usual blazing speed, and going down an inclined street (a hill) had to apply the brakes rather abruptly. If you’re guessing what happened you are likely right….the entire load slid forward and 4 or 5 racks of pies flipped over onto me and all over the front of the truck. We all wore white aprons and mine was….blueberry surprise. Fortunately, I was near to a City sanitation site and was able to offload the mess, and on arrival at the store sneaked in to the restroom for a frenzied cleanup and fresh apron…and somehow noone noticed. God is good. Also fortunate was that the pies were not inventoried quite as accurately as they are today.
Those were exciting times….and the Econoline vans were troopers. If I had the loot I’d like to buy that red and white one…even with the Dad’s Delivery logo. I would, however, beware of hauling pies.
Aaaaaaaaaand, mrmoose wins the thread!
We had a ’61 Falcon van and a ’65 pickup at work. Never drove the van since they replaced it soon after I started there. The pickup was a far different truck than anything else in the fleet, but I liked it. Especially those new for ’65 hubcaps. 6 cylinder with 3 on the tree. It would be a hoot to have it now.
Jim, how is your Matrix? Like you (I think), we had to put a starter in ours last week; I’m kind of wondering what’s next. Good luck on your search for a new ride.
Put me down as a fan! I like these old snubnosed vans and pickups. Safety be damned…lifes too short to drive boring tin. I too would prefer the A-100 but still…GIMME.
Gotta love the blue flames
🙂
One of my cousins had a van like this, but with the extended body. It was all albout the mattress in the back, shag carpet, the stereo, bright blue paintwork and classic Cragar wheels!