FORD Econoline Pickup Project

[racer8432955]

UPDATE: 12/7/2017- Updating photos in this thread since photobucket died....

I guess I should start a thread on my project here (since GJ) has long been my favorite site...

1963 Ford Econline Pickup. Tube chassis, or frame structure as they were unibody. Ladder Bar suspension, narrowed 9 inch. Will be running a SBF and a C4. I was looking for a body work, and fabrication project, and per normal in my life I jumped into the deep end of the pool. Its got rust, but when your born and raised in the rust belt you learn to hate rust with a little extra passion. Time to save a one.

If your interested / patient follow along it will take a couple years to finish. but here goes.


The day I brought it home:

 

[racer8432955]

Fixing rust with some oem parts and some aftermarket (don't fit well) repop's.











this is where I stand today:

 

[MP&C]

Nice project!

 

[racer8432955]

Filled in the stake bed holes:





Added a roll pan with my elec cut off switch, and small hitch all to be hidden by the plate (held on by dzus fasteners)



A little more on why you'd put a hitch on a truck like this... I absolutely love seeing a hot rod with a unique trailer behind it the shows. Who knows maybe someday. might as well prepare now...

 

[racer8432955]

Nice project!

THanks MPC. Its your skills (and guys like ETEC) that I dream of having. Your the gold standard.

 

[racer8432955]

Split some 67-69 Camaro Bumpers (I know gm on a ford) but the stock ones are not the right fit for this build and the Camaro bumpers look nice and slim.



Of course I had to make the mounts. That was a challenge.

 

[racer8432955]

Finally, and then i'll quit for a while, I'm grafting on a 2006 Ram tailgate. Not my idea, it was on another site. Suprisingly the fit is a darn good starting point (the profile). And its not full on crazy right angle / hard lines thru it.
THis is going to be quite a project in itself.

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

Yes sir, love me some Econoline trucks. heck Corvair rampside, econoline, A-100's all cool. Wish I had been around in the 60's to see these new. Keep us posted

 

[captain14]

Where did you find this at? someone else's uncompleted project or just sitting someplace?

 

[racer8432955]

Where did you find this at? someone else's uncompleted project or just sitting someplace?

Yes. Someone else's unfinished project. I had long wanted one, and the price was acceptable. But as we all know, I'll have way more than it'll ever be worth in the end .

 

[Ohmthis]

Jerdman, nice start! I like the stance as it sits, are you leaving it? Thanks for posting your project, I'm sure we will learn from it.

 

[saceone]

That's a funky truck for sure!! Subscribed

 

[MP&C]

If I could offer a suggestion.... Your truck so take it with a grain of salt...

The tailgate looks like a nice fit to the opening, but the sharp crease at the bottom appears out of place with this detail lacking on the adjacent panels. To add to the mystique of people not knowing what is original or not, I would do some hammer work to carry this detail over to the corner, as depicted below by the black line, using the profile suggested by the red line. Right now it appears the tail pan sits out slightly as compared to the bottom of the tail gate tapering in, this mod would pull the lower edge of the corners in to provide a smooth transition across all three panels. Just a thought... but then I like those subtle changes that leave people scratching their head.. Nice look with the bumperettes!

 

[racer8432955]

Jerdman, nice start! I like the stance as it sits, are you leaving it? Thanks for posting your project, I'm sure we will learn from it.

not 100% sure yet. I believe some call the front end down the California rake? Which I like. But I also like the front end up gasser style look. In the end it will probably come down to workable driveline angles. I plan to move the motor back (some), encroaching into the bed. So my driveshaft will be a short little guy.

 

[Stooge]

you have my interest! i love those econolines, and one with hoosier slicks and coilovers should be something interesting for sure! keep up the good work and posting up pictures!

 

[racer8432955]

If I could offer a suggestion.... Your truck so take it with a grain of salt...

The tailgate looks like a nice fit to the opening, but the sharp crease at the bottom appears out of place with this detail lacking on the adjacent panels. To add to the mystique of people not knowing what is original or not, I would do some hammer work to carry this detail over to the corner, as depicted below by the black line, using the profile suggested by the red line. Right now it appears the tail pan sits out slightly as compared to the bottom of the tail gate tapering in, this mod would pull the lower edge of the corners in to provide a smooth transition across all three panels. Just a thought... but then I like those subtle changes that leave people scratching their head.. Nice look with the bumperettes!

That's a great suggestion! I never thought of it. which is what makes these sites so valuable.

My plan was to eliminate that body line, making the whole thing smooth aside from the nice upside down smile body line running across the top.

 

[BigMike782]

My Dad had a few Econolines......one a red p/u with a homemade camper. I have always had a soft spot for these......cool build!
Your not in south west lower Michigan by chance are you?

 

[e30bradley]

This is going to be a hell of a nice truck when your done. I love Econolines.

 

[ambenz]

Very cool...is it going to be streetable of totally a drag machine?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Shades of the Dodge "Little Red Wagon" !

If you expect to do big wheelies, you really need to beef up the front suspension.

 

[macgyver37]

My best friend in HS built one and I helped him put a 350/350 in it, moved the engine back to where the carb was right under the back of the cab. Ended up with a 14" driveshaft if I recall. Had 14" Cragar SS' on it. I wasn't fast by today's standards but it was dead even with a brand new at the time 94 Mustang GT 5 spd. It was a ton of fun and he drove it 25 miles one way to school everyday.
Alot of these came factory with a 9" in them already, I don't think many realize that.

Looks like a great start and will be very cool. I always wanted to get one and chop it an obnoxious amount and do a pro stock style drag truck. Don't think I will ever even buy one with all my projects in process now.

 

[econolamb]

Very cool, will keep an eye on this one. I have a '63 van version that I'm currently fixing up.

 

[Toxicscrew]

Awesome, love those trucks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Delfonik]

Sweet, will check back often...

 

[wyo george]

Sweet build, makes me want to get off my **** and start my A-100 build. It's #2 on the list though so she'll have to continue serving utility duty for a few more years.

 

[Kevin54]

I'm gonna be watching this thread. Between my dad and I, we had three Econoline pickups. For what they were, they were some damn good workhorses. I'd still like to have another one. My wife thinks they're ugly, but I think they are a good looking truck.

Is the large ballast still underneath the back of it? If it is, and you take it out, that sumbitch will have no problem spinning the rear tires, plus it doesn't hold the road too well in wet weather either.

Where are you getting your replacement panels from?

 

[KGB Pilot125]

Just sold one looks this a couple months ago. Figured a rampside and an Econoline was to much cab over for one guy!

 

[racer8432955]

Your not in south west lower Michigan by chance are you?

BigMike- no, I'm not. but truck was previously titled in the Jackson, mi area. I bought it from a guy down in south bend. I'm over in WI right by Great Lakes Dragaway.

Very cool...is it going to be streetable of totally a drag machine?

I will plate it, and maybe take the wife up to dairy queen. or a nearby car show. Definetly not a long distance crusier.

Shades of the Dodge "Little Red Wagon" !

If you expect to do big wheelies, you really need to beef up the front suspension.

While I'm not going for a full on wheelstander ala "red wagon, or Chevy Rebellion, etc" . I sure would like to get the front end up off the line. That never gets old, brings the kid in you out!

My wife thinks they're ugly, but I think they are a good looking truck.

Is the large ballast still underneath the back of it? If it is, and you take it out, that sumbitch will have no problem spinning the rear tires, plus it doesn't hold the road too well in wet weather either.

Where are you getting your replacement panels from?

I think there so ugly there cool. Aerodynamic as a brick.

No, ballast not there, but I have heard of them. I heard they had the ford logo cast into the concrete ballast? To help get the weight balanced out properly I'm setting the motor back as much as possible, fuel cell in the back, as well as battery.

Front fenders are off a rust free salvaged truck from an econoline guru in California. I had to bang on doors (figuratively), and hunt for months to find them. Roll pan is from D&D. The new / repop parts are from MAC's. They are available several places, none are very good. Word has it they are pulling parts off of 50yr old worn out dies, I believe. But you do the best you can.
For the obsolete / not reproduced parts I'll try my hand at fabbing them (ie. floors, and bed floor parts. The more complex parts I can have the prototype guys at work help me. I work at a architectural sheet metal shop. So that helps with having forming equiptment , and lasers available.


Getting the brakes dry-fitted. Wilwood all around:



Thanks for your interest everyone!

 

[TimeWarpF100]

Way cool project! Looking forward to see progress pics.

 

[HD FLHX]

Seeing that 3 window really brings back some good memories for me. My first truck was a 66 3 window Econoline pickup. My dad was doing some brake work on it for guy when I first seen it. About 3 months later I was able to scrape up enough money and buy it. I got my start doing bodywork on that truck. Learned a lot, especially what not to do. With some guidance from one of the bodymen at the dealership my dad worked at, I was able to get all the rust repaired, dents fixed and paint it. It was the first all over paint job I ever did at the age of 15.






I look forward to seeing the progress you make on yours

 

[HD FLHX]

Here is an old Gm promotional video exploiting the Econolines short comings to the far superior Corvair

Econoline stoppee from video

 

[54FordPanel]

Very cool project

 

[cruzer75]

Awesome. Always like the oddball stuff like corvairs and cab overs.

 

[Mr. 360]

I admire your 'get to it' attitude on this one, as well as your vision of the finished product. Not many of us manage to have both of those boxes checked. This looks like a great project, well worth the effort. Coming from a rust belt myself, I completely empathize with your hatred of the orange avenger. My old grand wagoneer was so rusted you didnt even have to step up into it, since the floors, rockers, and structure were gone.

keep up the great work! I'll be watching this as i work on my truck and hopefully glean some motivation.

 

[macgyver37]

If I recall the weight was a plate of steel, I don't think it was concrete.

I too like the oddball stuff, I have a pair of Corvairs and 2 cabovers and 1 LCF.

 

[HMCFab9]

Very cool project & another member from Wisconsin, huh. Good to see lots of progress!
While not as cool as your project, i'm helping a friend put a V8 in a Corvair.
Keep us updated on this.

 

[racer8432955]

Got my wheel / caliper spacing finally nailed down. Going to run the skinnies in the front. Not much room in there! While this is a little ahead of the game... a 'medium-term' goal is to get it back on the ground to figure out some driveline angles and such.



Got the lower bedside hung on too

 

[Carl5coupe]

Jerd
Thanks for the invite to your thread, The truck is looking cool. Love the picks man. Looks like it will be a bad *** machine soon so keep up the good work.

 

[don long]

I love a challenging project and you have certainly picked one out.
It looks like you are changing out the whole lower half of the truck
I also like the subtle changes like the tailgate.

I'm here for the long haul
Thanks for bringing it on

Don

 

[BigMike782]

Any updates?