(first posted 5/1/2019) I’ve written the story of how my life might have been had I absconded with a 1971 Econoline from my employer, Towson Ford. That was a bare-bones work van. But this new addition to the neighborhood, which I ran into when I changed up the morning dog walk a couple of days ago, is what I would have much preferred. It’s a long wheelbase Club Wagon with a well-done camper kit inside and a 302 V8 and automatic. If you’re going to steal a van, why take a stripper?
This is a Club Wagon 123, which designates its wheelbase. That was very long in 1968 when this generation appeared, the second one in the long line of Econolines. It was a radical departure from the engine-between-the front seats style of the first generation vans by all of the Big Three. Ford really took leadership with this new van, and they kept it ever since.
The big change was that now the engine was in a dog house that connected to the front of the van, and there was even a minute little hood, useful for only checking its vital bodily fluids. Jobe, the owner of this fine van, came out of his house when he saw me taking pictures and invited me into the van. Having lived with a similarly-configured Dodge van/Chinook, I was surprised at how narrow the Ford dog house was compared the very wide one in the Dodge. Well, it makes sense when you consider thta the biggest engine to find its way under it was the very compact 302 V8, whereas Dodge made its big enough to house the big-block 440. There’s actually better leg room for the por passenger in this Ford than in the Dodge.
The dog house is offset to the right side, which explains why the passenger seat is further back, to compensate somewhat.
Here’s the driver’s seat.
These seats also had a curious taper to the seat bottom cushion in the front, to improve access to the rear of the van. A bit like sitting in a saddle. But that was a big breakthrough, not having to hop over the engine compartment anymore.
The automatic shifter quadrant is a bit odd.
But let’s move on to the important part of any van, the whole reason for their being. In the far back are a set of boxes over the wheel wells, whose cushions have been removed at this time. A center table with a removable post turns it into a dinette. The Table is in three sections, which are also used to bridge the gap and turn the whole thing into a big bed. The Econoline was also significantly wider than the gen1 vans, which meant that sleeping cross-wise in the back now meant one could actually stretch out.
That was not the case in my Dodge A100 van, which also had a transverse bed in the back, but I had to sleep in a semi-fetal position. That probably explains why I’m stretching out here in the morning sun.
This van is obviously in very nice shape considering its age, which is of course why Jobe bought it. He’s a musician, and uses it for out of town gigs.
In the front is a home-made cabinet housing a sink, propane catalytic heater, and a large storage cabinet.
The sink was recently re-purposed as a flower pot; it’s not just very dirty. I didn’t get a shot, but the heater swings open and behind it is room to store some fresh water jugs. The sink outlet runs down through the floor, as did pretty much all gray water until more recent years. It’s still legal to do that, but oddly, it’s not legal to empty a gray water tank in nature, even though it’s the same stuff. It’s one of those quirks…if you have a gray water tank, you have to not be caught discharging it in anything but a proper facility. But that’s widely abused. Black water is a whole different matter…
There’s a lot of storage in the cabinet. I wonder if it once contained an ice box.
Underneath it is storage for odds and ends. I’m in the middle of my vast write-up of my Promaster van build, so this si a nice diversion. it’s a lot simpler, but well done, as was typically the case back then.
It’s time to resume our walk. But this has been a pleasant diversion. I always am happy to see a new CC show up in the ‘hood, especially if it’s an old van like this.
I agree with you Paul about that shift quadrant. I think Ford began using PRND21 in 1967 on the Thunderbird instead of PRN D, D1 or D2 and L? I remember the pointer being on the column. I rented a 1974 version of this van when I finished college and moved my belongings out of my parents’ house to my first apartment in 1976. The van I rented had 16.5″ tires, which I understand were phased out due to people trying to put 16″ tires on 16.5″ wheels. It was possible to actually put a 16″ tire on a 16.5″ rim but as the tire was inflated it would break the bead and explode violently causing severe injuries or death.
I think you are thinking of the “green dot” shift quadrant that Ford last used in 1966. There were two dots under the word “Drive”, a small white one and a big green one, which was “regular” drive. The white dot (a notch up from green instead of down) was for 2. 1967 changed to the modern PRND21 where 2 was down a notch from drive instead of up a notch. For those who were not Ford people, choosing 2 means you got 2 and nothing else, so you could do 2nd gear starts.
I remember my ’73 LTD being that way. It would start out in second if you selected “2”. Kinda weird since you REALLY needed first to get that nearly 2 ton car moving. I believe that it was the C6 that was in that car paired with the 351-2V.
I think even the C4? I had in my ’79 Futura acted that way as well. It was paired with the 200 Straight Six, so it too was too slow for such shenanigans.
I’m not sure if my ’83 T-Bird did this, and my ’88 had the OD trans.
About the only time I used this feature was on snow and ice, as the wheels were less likely to spin staring out in second.
Of course today’s cars all have traction control, so this is not needed.
The entire reason for the second gear starting ability was for slippery conditions. Less torque multiplication means easier to minimize wheel spin. Once Ford went away from the “green dot” transmissions that gave you the option of a 2nd gear start with auto shift to 3rd, almost all of their transmissions had that feature, other than the AOD (came back with the AOD-E) until the 6 speeds started showing up. On my 03 Mountaineer 5sp with a OD cancel button and a PRND321 quadrant you can even start out in 3rd (2nd over).
The green dot Cruise O Matic was of the FX/MX/FMX family that was a development of the 1950s Ford O Matic – which had been a 3 speed auto that normally started in 2nd. Ford seemed to have developed a fondness for that trait.
I’ll have to try that next time I drive the 2007 Mustang. It’s got the 5 speed, with 1-2-3-D with push-button to choose 5 lockout to keep it in 4th… I’ve never noticed if it would start out in 2 or 3 when selected.
Again, with traction control, it became a moot point.
Now I’m curious! Thanks!
Ford actually called these green/white dot transmissions, dual range transmissions. The green range allowed for normal shifting from 1-2-3 while the white range only shifted from 2-3, which as mentioned, allowed for better traction in slipper conditions. This dual range setup was also used also used on the early 1964-66 C4’s and the 1966 C6.
In 1967, Ford re-calibrated the valve bodies and added a conventional shift quadrant (PRND21). The name also change from dual range Select-shift. This re-calibration of the valve body meant Drive gave you 1-2-3, 2 gave you 2nd only and 1 gave you 1st only – allowing one to select what they wanted. As Scoutdude mentions, most Ford transmissions up to fairly recent times will “lock” in 2nd when 2 is selected, unlike many other brands which will allow 1-2.
Really really late with a follow-up here, but I drove my Mustang just yesterday after washing it and tested this out as I had planned to do when I posted the above.
The 5-Speed OD unit that is in the 2007 4.0L V6 does in fact operate the way described in the posts above.
When I selected “3” from a dead stop, it did start out in 3rd, and selecting “2” did have the old girl starting out in second.
Since she’s retired from the foolishness of driving in snow, I doubt I’ll be using this long time known Ford automatic feature.
I remember the shifters in these. You never knew if it was actually in Park or not…quite unnerving. The pickup trucks were the same too. I seem to remember some controversial reports of roll always at the time. A Ford “Better Idea”
My 65 F100 with the FMX tranny uses the green dot quadrant Cruise-O-Matic and when in 2 starts off and stays in 2. For a 390 with 3.25 gears that is not a problem. The 67 Park Lane has the C6 SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic with P-R-N-D-2-1. The 68 Cougar and Mustang have the C4 SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic. When in 2 they start off in 2 and stay in 2.
The green dot, inside white circle, is where you would find the 2 in later years.
Jobe found himself a real peach. This has to be about the top trim available from Ford that year. May he have many happy miles with it.
For some reason, I find myself scrolling back and forth on the pictures, noticing how some of the interior components such as the steering wheel, instrument cluster, and exterior mirrors really show their F-Series kinship (no real surprise there). They are identical to what my father had in his ’70 F-100. There’s undoubtedly more kinship under the skin.
Seeing a Ford van of this generation is highly unusual it seems; the last one I saw was a few years ago and it was a dark green shorty in a little town called Frankenstein. Someone had been hauling kitchen appliances with it.
Great find and a real beauty – that pic of the steering wheel angle brought back memories of driving a similar age Econoline….felt just like driving a bus. Jim.
What a sweetheart! Find some vintage early 70’s clothes and take it on a retro camping trip.
When I was about 12 my friends parents had an Econoline of the same type with a similar camper conversion. They took me to a park once where admission was per person, so my friend hid in the wheelwell box and I sat on top of it. Being reflexively honest and borderline ADHD I had to really bite my tongue hard to not blurt out “And there’s nobody hiding in this box I’m sitting on” 🙂
In the early ‘70’s our neighbor bought one of these Ford vans, used … perhaps an old fleet van … to build a camper conversion. He was somewhat iconoclastic (he’s the guy I’ve mentioned in previous posts, who had sold Lloyds out of his house and at that time still had one decaying in his garage), and proudly told me that while other people raised the roof for more room, he would lower the floor. Which he promptly did, curbside, with an oxy-acetylene cutting torch and welder. As I recall he only got a few inches, and had to notch it around the driveshaft so no flat floor – not very practical. The van endured long after I had moved away from home.
One of my best friends in high school drove one of these, a total stripper 69 with a 6, a 3 speed and metal floors under the industrial vinyl covered rear bench seats. I spent a bunch of time in that thing and even drove it some. Totally, totally bus-like in the driving position. Another friend’s father had a 73 Dodge Royal Sportsman that was completely different in the driving position (and in the trim level, too.) Their other car was a total strippo early 70 (69 build) Falcon sedan – the alpha and omega of stripper 1969 Fords in a single (gravel) driveway.
This one is the last year of the original grille style. Most of these rare things sport the 71-74 grille.
What I notice about that shifter is the use of an old-fashioned exposed shift tube. I don’t believe the F series used this, but used a modern steering column where the shift tube was inside. Also, you did not take a close up of the rear quarters, but I presume that the dimples from stressed spot welds were there like in every other one I have ever seen? Seeing one of these with no rust is mind-blowing.
Here’s my ‘69 F-100 shifter for reference.
The homemade equipment is clever and elegant, but I wouldn’t want to sit in those front seats on a long trip. Looks like you’d lose circulation in both legs.
Your first pic catches a Chevy van of similar size and vintage next door. Next CC?
Nice find, Paul. It probably brought back fine memories of your Chinook.
I did notice however, the your link in the first sentence takes you to an old TTAC article about a ’59 Ford Wagon, which may or may not be a sort-of-CC-Effect, as you had an article on a ’59 Ford just yesterday. Perhaps it was a cut and paste situation that you may’ve forgotten to edit.
Here’s the link that I think you meant to use:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/auto-biography/van-of-a-lifetime-1971-ford-econoline-e100-what-might-have-been/
One of CC’s best stories here, BTW.
Thanks for pointing that out. Fixed now.
An Air Force buddy of mine had one of these, back in the mid-seventies. Steve’s had the 302 V8 but had the three on the tree manual instead of the automatic; that sort of limited who could drive the beast to him, me and one other guy. I mention this because the Ford van quickly became the vehicle of choice for mass outings to concerts, sporting events and just travelling in general and it was sort of imperative that one of us three stay straight enough to drive. The previous owner had started converting the van into a camper but ran out of money, or out of motivation, pretty quickly into the project. I remember it had carpet on the floor, a wooden bench that ran down the driver’s side and across the back (with storage underneath) and a sink. Other than that the van only had the two seats up front so carrying more than two people required some creativity. We would routinely use beanbags and folding lawn chairs for passenger duty; as you can guess we were all younger and dumber back then. I think our all time record was 11 people, to go to a concert at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum (it may have been the one where The Who opened for The Grateful Dead). The Econoline was certainly not a performance vehicle by any stretch of the imagination but, at least viewed through 40 years of time, it didn’t seem any slower with 10-12 people in it than it did with two or three.
The next van after my A-100 was one of these, a 1974 short wheelbase customized cargo van. 302/C4 with power steering, a separate cylinder acting on the tie rod, not integral. It did rust along the drip rails at the rear corners.
The GM 4L60E transmission in our ’93 Chevy also started in second when 2 was selected. The 4L80E in the 2000 K2500 does not.
I do so love these vans. Always dreamed of picking up one back in the late 70s but never got around to doing so. Starting grad school certainly put a damper on the acquisition phase of my life.
A blue one recently appeared down the street, used to see it parked there all the time, but then it dissappeared for a while.
“This is a Club Wagon 123, which designates its wheelbase.” Land Rover did the same thing with its SUVs from 1983 to 1990: 90, 110, & 127. They were all renamed “Defender” at the end of 1990 after the Discovery was introduced, resulting in the need for a more distinctive name for the older models.
Everything in my ’05 Astro (except the power mirrors) has finally gotten fixed. Turned out several things were setting off the SES light: vacuum, transmission, AND oil line leaks. Nearly ALL of the suspension components needed replacing; going over even SMALL bumps in the road would make the whole vehicle jolt like crazy! The ABS control module was replaced as well; several times before it was quite difficult to get the van to a complete stop–NOT a good thing in unpredictable traffic conditions! The driver & front passenger door lock actuators were also replaced & now all the door locks work! And I can now park on hills thanks to a readjustment of the emergency brake system. The mirrors themselves have gotten replaced but Herlong Chevrolet is still waiting on the replacement switch. Funny thing is I didn’t tell them to fix that system but they started the repair anyway (I felt that since the original mirrors were already close enough to my correct view the repair wouldn’t have been necessary); the mirror fix was declared free of charge as a result. Total repair cost was $3,860.52, honestly not bad considering how much needed replacing after 260k miles & that the van was otherwise still in good shape (it cost $5354 at B&L Auto Sales). I now have TWO vehicles to be proud of!
To a degree, I have a bit of a sleeping/camping setup in my Astro as well. The idea originated from when I was loading/unloading my church’s manger scene props with the Aerostar. I used the same board from then in addition to a LIFETIME folding table I bought from Sam’s Club earlier this year. The idea of the table came from the forums on astrosafari.com and it definitely works. By removing the leg extensions, the table is EXACTLY the right size to fit behind the 3rd-row seat (when folded down) on extended-length Astros & Safaris. The top of the table is only SLIGHTLY higher than the seatback, but not near enough to necessitate any other changes. With a blanket or quilt & 1 or 2 pillows on top of everything you have a VERY nice bed to sleep on!
Rear view–notice I have the factory cargo net too! (it came from the same ’02 at Pull-a-Part that I got the adjustable 3rd-row seat out of)
I would do a full custom on that rig. Drop the ride hite but do adjustable suspension put on some nice 22s do a tricked out paint job satin black full tint modern V8 with strate pipes LEDs digitel gages and a killer 25000 watt sound system
25000 watts? They have that?
I worked on these when new, and even the little 302 it’s a bear. There’s a good reason they didn’t keep these flat nose vans for long.
What a beauty ! .
I love the 3/4 horn ring .
The shifter just looks truck like to me, remember Ford kept the exposed column sift rod long than most anyone else .
Nice to see Van Life isn’t dead yet .
-Nate
1970-71 was a good time to buy one of these before the engines became emissions slugs with low HP and horrible MPG. Then keep it and drive it until improved engines came back. I don’t recall when that was with the Ford 302…
I had a 1980 version of this. Same color combination, but the 300 cid 6 and 4 speed manual on the floor. I think 4th was a modest overdrive. It rode relatively smoothly.