127 replies to this topic

[yogreasygramma]

I've been wanting to get another van for a long time, so I finally took the plunge and bought this one I found on craigslist in Detroit. It's got everything I want in an Econoline, that is, windows all around, sliding door, 302, and all the chrome goodies. The fact that it's the heaviest duty version is also a big plus, as is the immaculate top of the line interior, original paint, and power steering and power brakes. It is equipped with the automatic C4 transmission, which I might replace with an AOD when I have the engine rebuilt. It's got 83,000 miles on it (or 183,000?) and a bit of rust, but my friend who'll be doing the rebuild says that's easy to deal with. When the body's done and repainted, and the engine souped up, I'll have it sent over to Europe to serve another 35 years' duty in family service, just like my dad's 72 E-100 Window Van did for us so many years ago. I hope my kids like it! And the wifey. I'll keep you updated on the rebuild.

[fine69]

sweeeeet find, good luck with it

[Marlon]

Nice score! That van looks a lot like mine, even the main blue colour "Brook Blue Metallic".

You're really going to enjoy having that van, and I can't wait to see the updates coming in.

I'm really happy to see you find a good one.

Marlon

[69 classic pop-top]

I like it.

[claykuch]

Awsome.

[yogreasygramma]

Thanks a lot, guys! I'm sure I'll enjoy it and the building process. I'll keep y'all informed. And I'll be sure to lean on you for knowledge!

Marlon, your van looks just like mine, but you say it's not white but some kind of very light blue? I know Ford had a color called diamond blue on T-birds and probably others; I wonder if that's the same color. It looks so damn near white you can't tell till you get up close. By the way, do you have any large pictures of yours? I'd be anxious to see them.

[Marlon]

Hi Mike,

The light blue on my roof and lower panels is called "Wind Blue". It's a sky blue, much bluer than it appears in my avatar.

Like your van, mine is a Chateau E-300, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's pretty quiet going down the road, and brakes nicely with the big 8-lug drums.

The interior of mine is the same as yours in colour and finish. I've taken my bench seats out to make room for camping gear and a bed though. I also replaced the factory radio with a factory glovebox option that I scrounged from the wreckers. A modern radio is installed under the dash near the driver's knee.

There are a few pictures in my gallery here that you can check out.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with your new ride.

Marlon

[yogreasygramma]

Marlon, I checked out your gallery pictures for the first time, and indeed the light blue is much darker than it seems in your avatar (sun was shining brightly I suppose). When you were a kid, it was cool having a van, wasn't it?! By the way, how rare is that version you had with only one window in the side doors? I think I can recall seeing some vans like that when I was young. In fact, vans were all around then. Maybe they still are, but these days it's rare to find the old ones still on the road. Also, I agree with you that the E-300 Chateau is the one to have, at least for me. Heavy duty, windows all around, luxurious interior with bench seats and all that beautiful shiny chrome on the outside. I will also remove one or two benches to make more room, but for sure I won't throw them away! In fact, the interior is mint, so I need to make some seat covers to protect those seats.

[Marlon]

Hi Mike,

Yes, my avatar picture was taken on the day of my insurance inspection. The inspector took that shot and put it on the cover of the insurance report he wrote. It was a bright sunny day, and I don't think his camera had a polarizing filter on it.

Like you say, it is neat growing up around vans. My parents were competitive sailors, and all of my early childhood memories of "vacation" consist of the family piling into Mom and Dad's '69 Econoline and going to different sailing regattas. Lots of the other sailors, maybe even "most" had vans too, and I used to love running around the campsites looking at the different vans and custom work. I really wanted my dad to put a porthole in the van, but he never did.

I have one picture of that 69 Econo up in my gallery that you must have seen. It was a 69 E100 Shorty. In the picture, we are leaving Manitoba in the winter to drive all the way to Florida for the North American Fireball Sailing Regatta. (My parents were actually pretty good and held most Manitoban records in the 70s and competed at the N.A. twice and the World's once). Anyhow, you can see the boat in the picture. The single window on the side is from my dad's "customizing" work. Originally the van had no side glass, but windows in both rear doors. He switched the P. side rear door for the forward side door. After that, the van had one window in the back and one on the side. It was kind of goofy looking, especially at first when it said "F-O" on the back, and "R-D" on the side. Later, he put the white stripes on the van, and had the opportunity for a little hole filling without pursuing a paint match, and moved the "R-D" back where it belonged. Other sailors called the van the "one eyed bandit" since they knew that when it showed up, nobody else would be getting any trophys.

My Chateau is superior to my dad's 69 in every measurable way, but if I were to cross paths with that van, I'd definitely want to save it and restore it. He sold it in 1979 (and bought a 79 supervan to replace it), so it's probably long gone.

You're right, all the bright metal on the Chateau really makes them look sharp. I love having the chrome bezel around the glass, and the beltline. My rear benches are also safely stored away in my garage, up on a platform I built to keep them out of the way, and safely covered with old curtains. I don't need them, but I can never throw them away.

I notice that you don't have the "Club Wagon" badges on your van...are they missing, or just off of it for now? They are installed with double-sided tape, so the lack of holes isn't really alarming. If you need me to measure the correct locations, just let me know.

Cheers,

Marlon

[yogreasygramma]

Nice story, Marlon! So I guess the "one-eyed bandit" option wasn't from the factory...LOL....but it does look interesting. I didn't know the rear doors had only one window, or I would have probably guessed what happened.

My van is indeed missing the Club Wagon emblems, and I don't know at what point they were removed. The van looks incredibly original and that's about the only thing missing. One tiny piece of beltline chrome between the passenger front door and sliding door is also gone.

Do you know of any sources of NOS emblems or window gaskets? I'd like to replace the emblems. I'd also like to add the SuperVan emblem to the back door even though this van never had it. I just thought they look super cool with those SuperVan emblems in the back. Because they are cool! LOL. I know, as a Club Wagon, it's not supposed to have the E-300 emblem on the front sides, and I wouldn't want to add those, but the SuperVan emblem would be one concession I'd make to customize my van.

I've never seen the van, of course, since I'm in Warsaw and the van's in Detroit. It will be gone through and restored, both mechanically and body-wise. I wanted to keep the original paint, but since the bottom needs some work, might as well repaint the whole van. And that entails removing the windows to do properly, so new window gaskets will be necessary, if I can find them. I'll leave the interior intact and untouched, unless some holes are found in the floorboard requiring removal of the rug. The rug needs to be cleaned, but I can do that once I get the van over here. My friend will rebuild the 302, tranny, and replace the shocks, springs and anything else mechanical (dual exhausts with x pipe too), and paint the van. So a lot will be done and I'll end up with a new van, which can be enjoyed for the next 35 years. I'm told that for Detroit, this van is in remarkable shape, and I know that's true. It must have been garaged all its life, but even so it was driven in the snow and salt, and hence the small rust issues. I'm just glad it was cared for and not destroyed. I'm thinking it was some sort of part time van for a church or charitable organization. Who knows, but it survived in great shape, and I'm looking forward to rebuilding it and hitting the road for some cruising.

[Marlon]

Hi Mike,

Beware of most rubber out there. You definitely want to stay away from Carr Rubber - check out the threads on our site about that little fiasco.

There is s a good windshield gasket available. I can't remember the company name off hand, but I did get a gasket from them that accepts the chrome trim.

NOS emblems sometimes turn up on Ebay, but besides that I know of no other source. I do have a spare set of Chateau emblems on hand...they're used, but in reasonable shape. I think I paid $25 for them. I can sell them to you for what I paid if you're interested. The red on them is faded to nearly nothing though, as is common with those types of emblems. I'm not sure how to restore that feature. The red on my originals is faded too, but not nearly so bad. Anyhow, if you're interested, PM me, and I can dig them out and photograph them.

As for the small chunk of trim on the side between the doors, I may have a spare one of those around that you can have for free. I try to stockpile parts when I find them in the wreckers, so I can check. There's a Clubwagon at my local wreckers now, and I've made a few trips there to plunder stuff. I plan on going back again in October when I'm back from holidays. I have quite a stash of emblems and lenses and trim bits. Over the years I 've scored a few power brake upgrades and other stuff for other members too.

I too am torn about my lack of SuperVan emblems. One idea I had was to make custom mudflaps from thick rubber and attach a couple of Supervan logos to them. I met a local vanner who had done something similar with Econoline 100 emblems, and it looked really sharp. Of course, I've so far only scored one Supervan logo, so that plan is on the back burner until my next junkyard find.

Up until this year, I had one original bench in my van, and then all the space behind it was a giant bed. This winter, I'm rehabilitating a VW Westfalia folding bench/bed and installing it in place of my bench seat. It will sit further back than the front row bench, and will free up more floor space. We don't have kids, so a second bench is only for when we have guests, though I still plan to put seatbelts on it. When it is folded out to bed configuration, the sleeping area will be the same as it is right now. Just one way to make the van more practical.

It's great that you've got a buddy on the ground to evaluate your van for you, and it definitely is a rare find to get something in such original shape. It would be interesting to find out more about its history and previous owners.

Cheers,

Marlon

[Marlon]

Just noticed an Early Econo pick up in the background of your photos. What's the story there, do you know?

Marlon

[yogreasygramma]

Yes, Marlon, apparently the previous owner is some kind of hot rodder and that Econoline pickup is his current project and the reason he sold the van, due to lack of time for both. Otherwise I know nothing about that pickup.

I'll PM you. Thanks!

[Roger]

Nice looking van!.. I see a Michigan plate on that beast but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen that one on the roads near me.

[1TuffClub]

Great score! Really nice looking van. I to am wanting a Club Wagon with the Chateau package, sweet.