So as my fellow Hoons may remember, this olelongrooffan used to Hoon around in a 1963 Ford Falcon Station Bus. Like every car I have ever owned, whenever I see a variant of that olestationbus, I have to stop and check it out.
A couple weeks ago while this olelongrooffan was hanging out in the pits I harkened down to the sponge docks that make up the town of Edin that is Dun and on the way home, this forward control pickemup was spotted.
I struck up a conversation with the retired hippy/Air Force vet who ran the flea market stand where it was being offered. Turns out he traded a bunch of Star Wars memorabilia for this ole truck and was convinced he got the better end of the deal.
This olelongrooffan? Believe me fellow Hoons, if this dude sells this thing for anywhere near the asking price of 7,900 bucks, I will call that “Well sold.” Caveat: It does have the rare automatic transmission.
What do my fellow Hoons think?
Image Copyright Hooniverse 2015/longrooffan
Truck Thursday: NPOCP – First Generation Econoline Pickup
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Well I love the van, but I hope I’m not the only one to wonder what Star Wars memorabilia got traded for this awesome van….
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Sometimes, rarity is good. In this case, the rarity is automatic. Not so good, from a Hooniversal perspective.
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I don’t really know the Econoline market, but if this thing is somewhat restored and doesn’t have any rust, then $7,900 doesn’t sound out of line for a nice usable classic vehicle. Any other 1960s truck in similar shape would command at least $7900.
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I remember when these were priced at disposable prices. I think the scrap heap claimed most of those.
I’ve been looking for a Dodge A-100 pickup at a scrapheap price, and they all tend to be a lot more than I’m willing to part with. If Ford prices are anywhere comparable, this one is in the right ballpark for its apparent condition. -
I remember watching a video of an Econoline pick up truck in some comparison test with a GM truck, or maybe a Dodge too….. anyhow, it apparently does a nice nose-dive-into-head-stand under hard braking. I would have tried to post the link, but it was 10 seconds of a clip that was 20 min long.
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Ford actually came up with a fix for that. They bolted a steel plate beneath the bed floor just behind the rear axle. I would suspect acceleration times were cut in half with that plate in place.
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The sponge docks are in Tarpon Springs, not Dunedin…
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I can say the Doge A-108 passenger van I had as my first ride, for everything, was a blast to drive.
Short in length, and the 318s V-8’s trans was geared so that 1st and 2nd would take the then brand-new ’85-86 Z28s and 4.9L Fox-body Ferds to the cleaners…until about 45 MPH. Then 3rd year.
Yawn…
At least it got double-digit MPGs with said 3rd gear.
Because these are effectively mid-engined, they handle remarkably well. Mine was stiff enough, I could lift the inside rear wheel without much trouble, though it did have the optional 1-ton springs in it. Truck rode like crap, until you had 1,500 lbs. in it.
Four wheel drum brakes, and no-power-anything is an eye opener for many folks, but the steering isn’t that bad, what with a wheel the size of what you’d normally see in a Grumman.
This one, though…yep, if you’re a Ferd guy, and the automatic doesn’t put you off, it’s close to NP.
BTW, the linkage in a manual goes all the way back to about the middle of the body, so it’s not the greatest-feeling. Clutch linkages can be a bit delicate, too. I know, I had to redesign mine after it kept breaking the actuating rod which was like 3′ long.
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