AN INSPIRING '61 ECONOLINE

Donn Dabney is a Sonoma, California resident who has embarked on an journey to restore a 1961 Ford Econoline the right way. Not the cheap way. He is taking the time that's needed to build a truly extraordinary example of a 1961 Ford Econoline panel van in the guise of a West coast surfer style van. Very few people short of Coby Gewertz (owner of VanGo) have gone so far to build a first-generation Ford Econoline. Prepare to be very impressed.

Note the surf-themed custom gauge bezel.

As you can see no stone was left unturned.

Note the modern headlight and the perfect bezels.

Even the doghouse is perfectly restored.

Classic Cragar SS rims make this Econoline look like a period-perfect throwback.

Perfect chrome.

The humble beginnings of a nice clean interior with insulation. 

What West Coast beach lover wouldn't love to pilot this puppy?

The seats have been treated to leather upholstery.

INTERIOR DECORATING- PRETTY IN PINK

I came across some interior shots of a pink Falcon van I'd seen before on the 'net. Now admittedly, it is not the first color that I'd choose to paint an early. But I'd be lying if said I didn't appreciate it. The more I see it, in fact, the more I'm drawn to it. But what really impressed me when I saw the interior pictures, was the continuity of the theme, in terms of carrying it from the exterior into the interior. I'd have to give the person who did this interior a big fat freakin' A+. It's one thing to make an interior wacky, another thing altogether to go purely functional. But once in a great while, you see someone who does a great custom interior that is a useful as it is creative. That pretty much describes how I feel about this one. Note the front center console and the rear speaker shelf in back. I'll bet this one has a killer sound system. The rims are also great, neither retro nor ultra modern, but rather an interesting balance of each. Kudos to all involved on a very well-done early. Pink. Pretty. Cool.

How to lower a first-gen van

It seems to be the $64,000 question that many of us are asking. In an effort to find the answer, I recently posted up on the world-renowned HAMB (Hokey Ass Message Board) and after a mild roasting over symantics -- referring to lowering a first-gen van as a "body drop" vs. "channeling", a few people in the know actually chimed in. Rather than repeat the highlights, I thought I'd simply share the blog thread itself. Just paste the url below into your browser and enjoy.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=604124

Feel free to give it a read and to those of you who may be unfamiliar with it, have a look at a great blog for pre-63 traditional hot rodding info. But make sure and get your terminology right!

VinVanCo merch is coming

"My, what sharp teeth you have"

I'm not generally a red lover. Better scratch that last thought.

We're just now seeing our first designs come to fruition for VinVanCo and while I'd love to
show them off, I'm going to hold back until everything is set. 

In the words of Tom Petty, "the waiting is the hardest part".
I do think first-generation van fans are going to like what they see.

Until then, here's some F-G (first gen) eye candy.

Look Ma, no doors. 

Now that's what I call raking the lawn.

SOME PEOPLE DON'T SCARE EASILY

One of the things I love about the Internet is how much you can find just digging around. Now as many of you are no doubt starting to catch onto, I've got a first-gen van Jones. But I never did care for the long wheelbase earlies, especially the Econolines. Then along comes someone with a lot of imagination and serious fabrication chops to slap my perception silly.
Case in point: The "LWBECO" seen up above. What the folks at Needful Thingz have done is quite brilliant, in my humble opinion. By relocating the rear wheelwheel of a LWB Econoline about 18" back, they've singlehandedly solved the ungainly proportion problems that made the it look like it had been beaten with an ugly stick. Now this type of fabrication is not for the faint of heart. Do not try this at home. But man have they changed my impression of the long wheelbase Econolines.  Damn fine work, gents. I'm truly impressed. For those wanting to learn more, go to NTKUSTOMS myspace page .
Hope to be bringing you more on this vehicle down the road.

OUR 1961, ORIGINAL-OWNER ECONOLINE (not counting us.)

It's a long story but I'll keep it short. A couple of years a go a young writer who worked for me asked if I might be interested in an Econoline, knowing I liked fixing up old junk. I told him I might be interested and casually inquired, "Do ya know what year it is?" His response went something like this. "I think it's a '64, it was my grandpa's work van and it's been in the garage of his lake house since he replaced it with a new van back in the eighties." Little did he know I had a past with first gens, having owned four different ones and barely surviving the much-maligned "Van Movement" of the seventies with my twenties intact. It didn't take me long to get up to Brownwood, Texas, with a trailer in tow to see what was in store for us. What we found was a bruised, but not beaten Seafoam green Econoline panel van with virtually no options. It didn't even come with a passenger seat or a glovebox door. And it was 100% bone stock as it sat. The mods we have planned? We have a Ford 302 on the stand for her out of a early seventies Bronco. We're looking for an 8", 8.8", or 9" rear for it, as well as a 3-speed automatic. We'll post up more as we add parts. Thanks for reading.

We had to drag the old girl from her cocoon of twenty years.

The original plan was to make it my son's first car, but that plan changed with the purchase of '67 Impala -- so the plan is now for the van to be fixed it up and used as the VinVanCo company van. A nice, period-70's van-movement hauler. I wanted to share a few shots of the van as we found it, and cleaned up as it sits in the garage awaiting an influx of capital to fund its restification.

Here's a quick progress report of where we're at.  

Incidently, the van is a 1961, and was last registered in 1988. 

We've named her "Poochie", in honor of Earl Clements, its first owner, 

who was known by that nickname to friends and family alike.

RIP Poochie, yer ol' girl is in good hands. 

First daylight in two decades. Check the faded Seafoam paint.  Yum.

Here she is back home after a good scrub.

Time for a little internal cleanse.

144 cubes sans doghouse.

The interior post-scrub.

Out with the old. 

Cigars. Candy. Tobacco. Drugs.  Now all we need is strippers.

Here she is having an out-of-suspension experience.

This is in mock-up. Wishful ride-height thinking at its finest. 

Everyone loves her original paint. We wouldn't dream of changing it.
We gingerly tapped out all of her little dimples and dents, then carefully pushed her nose back
into shape. We'll be leaving the paint and body as-is.
Come to think of it, maybe we'll treat her to a nice coat of clear before we start driving her.

Introducing "Custom Vanner"

Issue #1 is sold out, but more are coming. 

David "Matchstick" Brooks is not your typical van lover. I say that 'cuz while many of us love vintage vans, few are willing to take the time and the trouble to create a magazine that pays homage to 'em. David has done just that, starting Custom Vanner not long ago. I recently sat down with issue Numero Uno. I'm pleased to report that while few advertisers have stepped up to buy pages yet, David is off to an impressive start and certainly has our admiration and support. 32 pages packed with color containing finished vans, projects in progress, an interview with Adam Cruz -- co-founder of  The Vandoleros Van Club, hot rod artist, and co-conspirator at the world-renowned House Industries -- as well as an article on the proper way to choose a piece of welding equipment. The result is an engrossing new "little book" no vintage van lover should be without. If you'd like to receive future issues of Custom Vanner, call David at 502 240-9326 and tell him you heard about him from Cameron @ VinVanCo. Or, track him down by name on Facebook. I'll have more to share with you about David and his other products soon, but for now I suggest you get your mitts on the next issue of Custom Vanner. Help support the cause and fuel your passion for "earlies" simultaneously. More to come.