1979 Ford Club Wagon Super Van
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Reviving the add-on body end-cap used to create the original 1965 Econoline Super Van, the 1978-up Ford Super Van went to even greater lengths to boost cargo and passenger capacity. This 1979 E250 Super Van is a basic example with rubber floor mats, hard metal interior surfaces and painted bumpers. Did Ford offer more? Come back tomorrow to see the other end of the Econoline luxury spectrum.
I am the original owner of a 1979 E100 that is sitting in my driveway. It has a 300 w/ 4 spd overdrive stick shift on the floor. It’s never been garaged but I show it a lot of love. I am currently replacing that crappy poster board headliner. Big Ethyl has almost 300,000 miles and runs great. I removed the lame manifolds & got Clifford Engineering 4 barrel intake and headers. The flow master really helps it run and sound great. My engine has never been apart !!!
Best street engine Ford ever made. No timing chain !!!
Back in the 90's, I took a course at Bondurant's Driving School. As part of the course, we were taken for a hot lap around Phoenix Int'l Raceway in a van much like the one featured here. I figured they would go kind of slow, showing us the correct line to take. NOPE! With 15 ppl aboard, the driver practically set a new lap record! I could not believe how well it handled! When we finished, I looked at and asked about what suspension mods were done. It was STOCK!! I do believe it had a 460. We all were totally impressed!
Hi Steve, Love these videos I special ordered my E150 Supervan from Ford in April 1978 and waited till July for it to arrive with 6 miles on the clock. The first thing I did to make it mine was take out those block out covers and put in working red side marker lights.
I also ordered my van with 351 Windsor and matched up with the four speed overdrive transmission. Now I keep it pretty much a garage queen. I also still have the original brochure I ordered it from along with the original bill of sale. Would love to send you a couple pictures if your interested.
Looks like a Wisconsin vh4d powering that Lincoln welder
Noticed the Wisconsin v4 also.
Cool engines.👍
That's the very first thing I thought of. Those Wisconsin v4 engines are awesome!
Good little engines.
We had one that powered a John Deere 214T square baler.😎
Even from a young age, I always noticed the blocked-off side marker on these extended vans. It just never looked right to me (along with the added length without a corresponding wheelbase change). Thank you Steve for your videos! I look forward to them every morning before work!
Yeah I noticed that about the blocked out side marker light on the extension as well. I've got one I bought a long time ago for whatever reason. Anyway the thing is a tank and it handles like one. But you can haul a roll of carpet in the back of it pretty easily with the doors shut on back. I'll save the rest of it for my comment
Vans are just more refined versions of panel trucks. While some people with big families may have bought them as a family car, that was not the norm, so blanking out things like a side marker light to utilize the same stamping was accepted by most van buyers.
I have a Dodge Maxi-van that I love, though It needs transmission work. Not only does the extension increase interior space, at very little cost in gas mileage, but it also improves traction, which is important in Massachusetts where he is and where I'm from. However, he still shouldn't touch the headlight bulb because especially if we have a prepper type collapse, somebody might bother to test the bulb, find that it still works, and glue the glass back on, or even run it without glass.
Anyway, I love the extra bit of traction that the caboose gives me, and hope someday to swap my 318 for a 239 to get even more traction, plus posi, aluminum radiator and rear mount battery, though the latter would reduce cargo capacity.
@@kennethsouthard6042 I agree. I've only known one panel van in my entire life and that was a half ton Chevy 1970. It would been really kind of like riding in a box if you had passenger seats in back. But then I bought it from a friend of mine and everybody hated it. Well one time is red with a ton of pinstriping. By the time I got it it was black with a ton of pinstriping. They called it the fancy hearse. I dressed up the floor and back put a killer engine in it. Then trade it back to that same friend. I sure like that truck and I wish I still had it.
Really great to have a guy who works on cars also present automotive information.
When I was a mechanic for Budget Rent a Car/Truck in the 1980s, the E350s were the most popular vehicles in the fleet. Truly bullet proof trucks that after untold abuse, would keep on paying my salary over and over for years.
I like how Steve and his crew clean the windows in some videos it helps with the lighting seeing what's inside
You use to see a lot of those extended length vans purchased by churches for use as church buses to haul some of their elderly parishioners around.
My church had 2 of those and growing up my grandpa and I did all the mechanical work on them. They were good vans.
My friends father bought a 1977 Econoline Chateau and had it customized with fancy interior, side pipes and even a teardrop window (which they put in backwards, with the pointy end facing forward). It had a 351 Cleveland with an aftermarket aluminum intake, Holley 4 barrel and headers that we installed for him. It looked and sounded spectacular.
As 17 - 18 year old kids, driving this thing around made us feel like supergodbababemagnets.
The halcyon days of my youth were pretty good sometimes. Keep up the great work.👍
New drinking game: every time Steve says "austere" take a swig.
Had a 79 club wagon for almost a dozen years. Drove that thing all over the country, the stories it could tell. lol
Morning fellas!
A neighbor had one when they first came out equipped with a 460, it was a beast that went anywhere.
Except past a gas station 😅
That Salvage yard must be massive!! I could wander in there for days!!
I worked for a small company in the 70’s. We ordered 2 new 1979 E250 cargo vans. 300 six cylinder with 4 speed manual transmission.
Looking good on stage at Barrett-Jackson with Hoovies Garage cars.
Years ago my buddies and I would do junk yard crawls in south west Missouri. It was like going back in time. Cars mostly from the fifties but one never knew what was around the corner. Unfortunately the feller that owned it died and the kin folk had it all removed. I’ll never forget those times.
Steve i am loving the van content. I just bought a short wheel base 69 econoline panel
We had one of these in the 1990s, exactly, at the school district that I worked for. Powerful, heavy duty vehicle. The 15 passenger flap with these vans and insurance companies made it eventually go away. Also, I remember, nobody wanted to drive it. Even though it was a fuel injected 460, It only got about 7 MPG. Great, reliable truck though.
It's interesting, Ford and Dodge made long vans by adding to the tail, while when GM finally added a long van they stretched the wheelbase instead.
Oh, that Ford vans nowadays could still be built as strong.
Once took a econoline panel van from IA to CT on the ultimate road trip....ahh to be young again.
My dad told me back in 50s-60s you could haggle on prices at the dealer. He would show interest in a car then threten to walk if it had a dealer badge. They would take another $10 off. As soon as he got it home he take it off anyway and save $10. Back when cars were $3000
My dad owns several Econoline Vans including a club wagon due to his business and having a large family. His favorite was with the 300 and line six cargo for work. The club wagon is what I learned how to drive on. I have a soft spot for these vehicles.
Did you know they basically ran the Econoline for 30 years the front end changed but the side stamping stayed the same basically.
What's can be better than these RUclips videos? How about an all day JYG marathon on motor trend! Loving this Tuesday! Thank you for sharing everything you know about hot rods and such! Your brain truly is golden!
Like the notes written on your hand Steve . Great idea !
It's my version of the "Palm Pilot". I'm 58....Thanks for writing, Steve Magnante
@@SteveMagnante SMS=Steve Magnante (Message) System. LOL.
Thank you Steve Get well soon
We had a yellow one when I was a kid, very similarly equipped. With the last three rows of seats removed there was still room for the family, and my dad & I could load up our dirt bikes in the back for weekend rides. Had many good memories in that van.
they really didn't change. the looks changed but at the end of the day they started the same for over 30 years. someone one told they were the van that built America. Iv driven many of them
Well they left that style and went to the newer e series, and that stayed unchanged for 20 some years, the GM vans have been the same basic van for almost 30 years, and still hasn't changed that much
My uncle had several of that generation of Ford Van for his electrical contracting business. One of the weird details in the newest of them (mid-1980s E-250) is that it had eight lug wheels, but the rear hubs weren’t floating. The first time I remembered seeing an eight lug flanged axle.
Good morning guy ! Mr. B here the Mrs. is away ! These vans were so cool ! I saw them as rolling tool boxes . The new vans that replaced them drive like cars , ( SUV’s) !
SUV’s not !
Good morning from Montreal Canada 🇨🇦
Hello there!
Those vans were built tough
I had a 1975 Ford E250 with the sliding side door, 351 Cleveland V8 and a pop-top canvas roof that allowed you to stand up during camping trips. It was incredibly reliable as we took many long trips way up into the mountains where radios and cell phones didn't work. We had a shortwave with us but that was it. I finally had to retire it because the rust at the back panels became so bad that the dust from the gravel roads would fill the back and coat all our gear with dust and the body would sway when cornering. It still ran perfectly up to the day that I scrapped it. Shame. It would've made a great flat bed hauler.
I remember when Duddie Ford was an average size car dealer. He was one of the first in New England to expand to other manufacturers and create the auto groups we see everywhere today. The Ernie Boch of Worcester county.
We ran these in the Fire Department with IH Diesels and the Ambulance Package. These were built Ford Tough.
Thanks Steve! I had one of these with the side doors. It was great being able to load big stuff from the front and back. It had a fantastic ride, too, and never seemed loaded down. Northeast rust eventually got it, though. Right through the frame:(
I can't wait for the next one I had a '76 Chateau Club Wagon
Thank You Steve for doing all the Great Videos
Steve, I love your daily episodes! I find the inside stories/history of the different cars/trucks absolutely fascinating. Also look forward to your work on Barrett Jackson!
Cool old extended ford! Great video this morning! Awesome to see these old vans getting some love!
Bought a 76 for 250 15 years ago, 460, around 90k miles ,super clean, probably should have kept it
Probably wouldn't be able to afford to drive it what with gas prices and that thirsty engine
Great video, great van, my mom had one when we were kids. Can tell you those exposed hinges on the swing doors will seize if not oiled regularly. I spent a hour working oil into the doors on her van because the doors were getting to stiff lol
Good to know!
When I was in high school my friends dad had one. We called it the "Everybody rides van" 4th hour party going on!
Love the old Econolines - If i hit the powerball i want a custom E350 supervan with 4x4, slight lift, racks, lights etc.. oh and the 6.2 gas motor from the Raptor.
Like I said before in a previous video, in 1982 I used to work on a vending company warehouse in Chicago, and they had a few of them van’s . Sometimes the company used to send me to a different terminal to pick up driver’s or supply’s for the company! Also in 1983 my cousin owned a quigley 4x4 for econoline, that thing was a beast! I believe he’s had the 351ci but not sure. Definitely great van’s! Great video Steve!👌😎👍
I forgot about those! Thanks for the refresher!
Any time!
I would love to see you spend a week or so down here in South Jersey at a place called Flemming’s and do a series on some of the cars they have sitting around
That's way down in south NJ, at 353 Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township. I've been to Red and Black in Jamesburg, NJ. Another good one.
1:10 Duddie's Adventures bought me here. Maybee no one knows who the heck that is, but it's good to get the message out there.... 🌮🌮🌮🌮
Thanks for your videos I often start my morning with them
I had several that generation of Fords running service out of them the fold out doors were always in the way much preferred the sliding door.
That’s exactly how my doors open up on my Honda Element, very functional concept for loading stuff.
love ford vans, and i have owned every breed but prefer the seating arrangement and ease of movement inside my fords
Hope you are better, Steve
Hell yeah man!
I love my big boy econoline, 351 Windsor in it and she hauls
Van-tastic!
For vans in the 1975-81 model years, the model name was placed towards the rear. The nameplate on this van is up front, placing the model year between 1982 and 1991 inclusive.
Nice welder with the wisconsin v 4 air cooled on it
If you saw a Dodge Maxi Van, you probably saw a couple of rolls of carpet sticking out the back.
I remember cleaning the rental vans. They would get truly trashed by the families. You could fill a trash can fully when you cleaned one. One memorable time, the kids stuck their chewing gum everywhere in the van.
I didn't see any rotting deer heads, my bus-fume haze must be wearing off! ;) Thanks Steve!!
Had a 79 club wagon, with a 460 4V engine. What a beast!!! I think I got ten miles per gallon in that bus
Haha, 10mpg was pretty good for one of these! I have a 1993 f250 4x4 with the 460, even fuel injected I get 10-11mpg. It’s worth it though, fun truck!
Being a more or less base model, could that E250 have had the inline 6? Could it have even been an E350 1 ton? I replace a 460 in one of these vans back in the day (probably 1990 or so) and the fact that the radiator support had that center section that unbolts made it a pretty easy job, versus some vans where you had to pull the engine through the side doors. I think Dodge actually made a MUCH better looking "super" van (Maxi) since they stamped dedicated panels and avoided the add-on look and the blanked-out rear side markers. Thanks, Steve, for bringing us all this informative and entertaining stuff! You ROCK! Stay cool, bro.
My Super Duty Ford van is a 2002 E350 that started life as a local NBC Bay Area news van. It's a 2 seater with a V10 engine. You know, just like a Viper.
Quirk: it's got 8 lug wheels. But the factory wheel covers have 7 fake lug nuts.
nothing like the viper engine other than its a v-10
@@thepyrodude Really? I thought they were interchangeable. Thanks for your insight.
Just kidding. My Ford V10 has 244,000 miles on it. I doubt if any Viper has that many trouble-free miles.
@@SupergurlKara there's actually quite a few vipers approaching 200k and above
Motor mount towers say 460. The wayvto tell is 302/351w/m and 400 have single teardrop shape hole in the tower 460 tower has 2 teardrop shaped holes.
SHES A BEAUTY SHES 1 IN A MILLION BUOOOOYYYYYY
The 300 cubic inch six was available in E- and F-250 vehicles
Correct, also the 302, 351 and 460 engines.
No Doubt Ford builds the best Trucks and Vans
Steve, Please don't touch the halogen bulb without gloves!! 😉
Since that bulb was never going to be used again, what does it matter if he touched it?
Good stuff Steve 👍
Gas was about 60 cents a gallon back then in Jersey.
Yes, until the 1979 gas crisis caused a panic and the bigger V8s (except for trucks) seemed to have gone away overnight.
Looking like the big block is in back portion of that van. With a 4 barrel intake.
Funny , I'm looking at a 79 to buy pretty soon , sliding door version.
I like round headlight models
I've read those extended body vans were unwieldy when loaded. The passenger vans were especially effected due to baggage loaded in the rear.
Nah. only if you overloaded an E150. The 250s and 350s were pickups with a skin.
@@karlx-1 I drove these for a living in the mid '80s and they got very, very twitchy when fully loaded because of all of the weight cantilevered behind the rear axle. The damned things would see-saw to the point where you could hardly steer, especially if the rear tank was full.
You haven't lived until you've sat in the back and been "catapulted" into the roof over a bump on a bad stretch of road. LOL.
I built the 1/25 AMT 77 Coca Cola Econoline kit a few months ago .. a bit of a bear to build but I think it came out pretty decent ..
Hello Steve about 7 1/2 minutes or so you said four Dodge and GMC was still unitized. Not correct. Sorry. Trying to think of a small van that they put out that was. Among my collection even the later Ford aerostars and the Chevy version of the Astros were frame with body attached. I've got a 76 GMC 3/4 ton I think it is. Anyway we painted up red white and blue never to get the stars on it. Trust me not only does it have a frame but you can walk on the roof and when I was younger I would take shingles enough to do a small house put in that van and then just walk up the ladder from the doors on the side of that van up under the roof of the van because it's reinforced right onto the roof of the smaller house. It didn't take me too long to figure out wanted to hire somebody to do that part of it but the Dodge Maxi Vans I've got one of them and it's frame but body attached.. it's 3/4 or 1 ton man I don't remember. They all still run. Just remnants of a tried carpet business. The guys did all right but it wasn't worth my time for what I was getting out of it. The Ford 110 van pretty much same as what you showed except for this one's a little more dressed up because the federal government bought it and they can spend our tax money nothing about those wide doors that open up on the side made easier to put the prisoners in and transport them when they were in chains. Yep I got that van straight from Lansing Kansas.
my stepdad had one cargo conversion van. got that front hood doghouse not necessary. c'mon jeep gladiator is not even that long.
Hi Steve, Super Van; no windows. Super Wagon; had windows, (same chassis) the engine was probably a big block 460 4V (four venture carburetor) or 4 barrel carburetor "you might say" that is why the engine and Ford C-6 automatic transmission was the first thing to go. I bet the van or "wagon" was a Trailering Special Package, they got the radiator and the transmission cooler also. Please reply. Dave...
Those were big vans,used as small people carriers also
👍👍👍👍
Some of those came with V8 diesel engines also. Please don't ask me how I know.
7.3 is a real joy to work on in these.
Carpenter's Limousine 😄 Steve, the side doors are the same as the back doors, correct? Now I want two of these cut the back off one to graft to the other. Having it's back doors be the side doors of the other. Taillights flush French mounted, bumber/step rail, exhaust and 2nd license plate too 😂😂😂 model kit build of it might be more economical
At least on later ones like my 2002 E350, the side doors and back doors are different, with the second "suicide opening" side door being smaller.
Ive had a lot of vans but my favorite which i still have is an 89 E-150 with 302 and automatic with overdrive, I bought it new and only used it for trips and hauling my motorcycle. It has not been able to start for the past ten or fifteen years hence it is a storage bin in my yard. Id like to get it running again. What should I look for? It cranks and never was abused with about 120,000 miles? Steve V
Yes, Duddie Ford is now Herb Chambers Ford located at 310 Turnpike Rd Rte. 9, Westborough, MA 01581. This is the dealership group where You Tuber "Honda Laura" does her video reviews.
Yes and no. Many dealers would use stick on decals as far back as the 1950s. It all depended on the dealer. I have an original, unused "Myrtle Motors---Maspeth NY" metal dealer emblem with the old school Pontiac logo head. I got it from a member of the Bloom family who owned Myrtle. They were a performance Pontiac dealer located at 61-20 Fresh Pond Road in NYC's boro of Queens. There are various businesses there now. Back in 1980 when we bought our 1980 Trans Am which I still have, the dealer wanted to put a stick on logo on the back of the car and we were in the prep area and my father said to the sales manager, Ernie Viespoli, "Ernie, stop that guy, no dealer logo". Ernie ran over in his three-piece suit, gold chains and the whole getup and told the porter, "Don't put a decal on it". The porter said, "Mr. (Sam) DeFeo says they all get it". Ernie said, "Not this one. I'll deal with Sam". Otherwise it would have had "Park Pontiac---Jersey City, NJ" on the back of it. Around 2014, I reconnected with Mr. Viespoli and he remembered my family and the car. When I questioned him, he said, "How many Carousel Red Trans Ams could I have sold in 1980?" Yup, he remembered us. Mr. Viespoli passed away this year and his family did a tribute to him on YT. Park Pontiac is now Jersey City Ford and Hudson Hyundai depending on which site shows what address (either 919 or 977 Communipaw Ave, at the intersection of Route 440).
However, one dealer logo did make it on our 1979 Phoenix which we sold in 1980 to buy the Trans Am. The Phoenix was exported to Norway for my dad's boss's son and there's a photo of my dad with fishing gear on in Norway in the driveway of his home and you can make out "Park Pontiac---Jersey City, NJ" on the back of the Pontiac in the photo (just barely). Jersey City, NJ is where Kool and The Gang got their start in the 1960s as the "Jazziacs". I'm the same way today, no dealer logos. My 2009 G6 invoice has on it, "No dealer logo". When we got our 2012 Sonic, there was a dealer logo on the back. I told the salesperson, "That comes off". He said, "Why?" I said, "Unless you want to pay me to advertise for you, that comes off". Off it came. LOL. Yes, a 460 V8 could have been possible as well as a 300 CID straight six, a 302 V8 or a 351 V8.
My job has newer E Series vans, and they were pretty much the same (basic) chassis as what you're showing here. We use it as a people hauler and it's taken us to the airport for business trips and other local business trips. You haven't lived unless you've been "launched" into the roof sitting in the back of one of these extended vans. LOL. Add in NYC streets and you're in flight. LOL. We also have a Quigley converted 4x4 Express van.
No VIN, can't win, but should be something like E20 for E250 11 passenger Club Wagon, or E23 for E250 12 passenger Club Wagon, B for 300 CID six cylinder with one barrel, or G for 302 V8 with two barrel, or H for 351 V8 with two barrel, or J for 460 V8 with four barrel, H for Lorain, OH assembly and the rest is the production sequence. 1979 production sequence numbers ran from DC0,001 to FK9,000 as the sequence for 1979. The Loraine, OH plant operated from 1958 to 2005 and was the main van plant. Today they are made in "OHAP" or Avon Lake, OH assembly. OHAP is "Ohio Assembly Plant" and since 2015 they are only cutaway or stripped chassis. The Transit van has taken over for cargo and passenger van duty in the Ford lineup.
No tag, can't brag, but possible code "J" Silver or code "N" Light Silver exterior paint.
Hahaha 👍😂 I always said a $1000 a yr to advertise 😝 5yr loan figured 5K off was a good bargain but no dealers never took me up on my offer! 🤷♂️
The 1953 Buick Skylark I had, had a sticker. Young Buick Cadillac Inc. of Herkimer NY.
I should take the photos of it and make a video out of them, maybe I can do a slide show and talk about it. I even have the VIN and trim tag, although there's not a whole lot to brag about there, being a Skylark it's just the body numbers and the rest is blank.
@@rawbsworld6604 I don't like advertisement like that. Unless it's a Royal Pontiac, then maybe a license plate frame is OK. LOL.
@@CR7659 Not a bad idea.
@@CR7659 Looks like they were located at 124 First Ave in Herkimer and it's been gone for a while. Looks like it also was Perkins Buick-Cadillac as well. Just looks like an open field now from an old Google Maps photo.
What's up with the core support on that thing. I'm familiar with ford trucks of this year but not vans. Someone took some time to cut the core support then bend the edges down making it look somewhat factory at least through a camera.
no mention of that big block chevy in the back of the van. what big block chevy had a holley carb bolt pattern ?
I think Dodge actually extended the wheelbase in addition to the body, at least the Chrysler minivans did, when the aerostar went cheap and just extended the body and left the wheelbase as is .
Growing up, we had an Aerostar with the extended wheelbase my dad bought for cheap. I remember thinking it was ugly, and one time I said, “I hate this piece of crap van” and, I kid you not, the damn thing died 10 seconds later and had to be towed to a shop. I can’t remember what it ate for breakfast, starters or alternators. Reliable other than that.
@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 Aerostar never had an extended wheelbase, they just extended the body, I always thought it looked wrong.
@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 Love your screen name .. System
Susan wooojicky is a dude I 🤔 think
@@zackc.8015 haha thanks, unfortunately it’s true. If you get banned, they point you to a vague policy. They don’t tell you what comment (in my case) got you banned. If they really wanted people to change their behavior (not that I would), they would tell you what you did wrong. They don’t, because they don’t want people to be able to collect data on their bs leftist bias and call them out on it with hard data.
And I was referring to what they called the model, not the wheelbase.
i allways remove the dealer sticker on my cars.if they want me to advertise for them, they've got to cut me a check every month.
I had the 350 and 250 flavor
Coffee time!!!!!!!!!!
~
Don't Touch... Oh you touched it.
Steve, Are these vans the same ones still available as drivers cab and chassis for RVs with the V-10?
Were the frames the same on the E series and F series? That would explain why Ford bumped out the front end on these
I was born in 1979.
Big block Chevy at 5:15?
Yes
Can you find a ford e350 centurion to show
What was that big block motor sitting in the back? I'm using my phone to watch this morning and couldn't quite make it out.
Looks like a Chevy maybe a truck motor, it has an intake for a Holley or AFB rather than a Rochester.
It is a Chevy big block, but its a tall deck truck engine. Perhaps a 427 but most likely a 366. THANKS for writing, Steve Magnante
"nature can degrade anything" I'm going to have to remind myself that tomorrow when I look in the mirror
You skipped the Dodge B series van that was parked by the metro vans.