1972 Ford E100 Van, Shorty, Surfer, Custom Van Project. on 2040-cars

VIN: E14AHP04709 Year: 1972
Drive Type: Rear wheel drive
Make: Ford
Mileage: 150,000
Model: E-Series Van
Trim: Base

Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

This auction is for my 1972 E100 Ford Econoline Van.

Photos and videos can be found on Photobucket at:

http://s203.beta.photobucket.com/user/Xoloski/library/1972%20E100

Please, no more non-responsive bidders, you waste both of our times and you cost me money.

If you don't intend to pay, do not bid.

The van has a 105.5 inch (short) wheel base, a (3.9 liter) 240 cubic inch in-line six cylinder engine, single barrel carburetor, and a three speed manual transmission with column mounted shifter. The van has twin I-beam front suspension, leaf spring rear suspension, and a Ford 8 3/4 differential.

To the best of my knowledge, the van was sold and lived in Arizona. The body is mostly straight and rust free with a few minor exceptions, all of which are in the accompanying narrative, photos, and video.

I had many a good time in a van much like this during my youth in the '70's. When I first found this van, I created a goal of restoring it to its early '70's glory days. I've since decided to concentrate on my other ongoing activities.

This vehicle is an excellent candidate for a restoration / custom van project, would make a great business advertisement investment (write off), or could just be a reliable daily driver. I've even contacted Stacy David to use this van for a custom build on his Gearz program, but as of this writing he hasn't responded.

I had this van posted before on E-bay and a lot of (50+) potential bidders watched the auction. One person did bid but I convinced him to cancel his bid and let me do some repairs. During the auctions, I received many questions of; "If I win, can I drive the van to (pretty much anywhere in the continental United States & Canada)?

Although I drove the van home 80 miles from Tucson without issue, because I had not personally checked out the mechanics of the van, I had to recommend against driving the van home. Needless to say, the van did not sell on E-bay.

I then decided to make the van drivable to anywhere in the US. I thought I should be able to recoup my investment in parts, and realized I would not be able to recoup (much if any of) my investment in labor.

The below narrative is what I have done to this vehicle as a presale mechanical inspection and repair. Please contact me with any questions you may have after reading the description.

1) I checked engine compression, the highest was 125 and the lowest was 115. The factory spec for a new engine is 150. The important thing is that all cylinders are within 10% of each other. In this case the 41 year old engine has a cylinder compression difference of 8% from highest to lowest. The lower compression is caused by worn rings. There are no leaking valves. Blow-by is minimal for the condition of this engine.

2) I checked the carburetor and found the float sticking. I disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt the carb and adjusted the idle mixture screw. the carb works fine now. I tested the fuel pressure and volume and found it to be questionable, so I replaced the fuel pump. I changed the fuel filter and fuel hose. I also installed an new air filter and replaced the missing air horn gasket.

3). The PCV valve tested good. The vacuum line to the distributor was replaced.

4) I checked the points and found the distributor shaft very loose, the distributor cam was worn, the points were burned and wet with oil due to the excess shaft wear. The distributor was beyond repair so I replaced the entire distributor, points, and condenser as an assembly. I also replaced the distributor cap with a new one.

5) I tested the high tension ignition wires and found the resistance to be excessive. I installed new ignition wires. I set the points and timed the ignition. It runs well now.

6) I inspected the spark plugs, none were wet with oil, all were dark with carbon from the carb flooding. I installed new spark plugs.

7) During the tune-up the starter seemed to drag and strain while turning over the engine. The starter looked old and likely original. I decided to install a rebuilt starter, which now works fine.

8) I changed the oil and oil filter. The oil pressure gauge works and the engine has good oil pressure. There appear to be no oil leaks.

9) The wire to the water temperature sending unit was brittle and damaged so I replaced it with a new wire. The temperature gauge works and indicates normal operating temperature when running. The radiator hoses are in good condition, the radiator does not leak, the radiator cap retains radiator pressure, the antifreeze is a good clean color green. I tested the freeze protection and found it to be good to -15 degrees. The water pump feels tight, the belt is in good condition. The previous owner removed the heater in its entirety.

10) The van came to me without a battery. I installed a good used battery. The charging system works as it should. The head lights, parking lights, brake lights, turn indicator lights, all work. The fuel sending unit was unplugged by the previous owner who removed the fuel tank to clean and seal it. A test of the wires indicate that the gauge does function. I have not removed the tank to test the sending unit and reinstall the wiring.

11) When I went to inspect the front wheel bearings I discovered the front wheel seals were bad and grease had leaked onto the brake drums. I disassembled the front brakes and wheel hubs. I cleaned and inspected the wheel bearings, finding one bad outer wheel bearing. I replaced the bad bearing, packed the wheel bearings, and installed new seals. I cleaned the backing plates and all brake hardware. I inspected the front brake drum diameter and found it to be within spec and usable. I installed new shoes, degreased the drums, and reassembled the front brakes. While the front end was off the ground, I inspected the steering king pins and found them to be tight as they should. The tie rod ends were tight and the boots were in good shape. The steering sector was a little loose. I adjusted the sector and it seems good now with plenty of adjustment remaining. All the grease fittings accepted grease without issue, there are no leaks or damaged seals. The shocks do not leak and seem to function as they should for used shocks. All the front suspension and steering bushings seem to be in good usable condition. The front tires are worn on the outside diameters, indicating a camber misadjustment. Twin I-Beam camber alignment is dependent upon the front spring length which is dependent upon the age of the vehicle and the lifelong spring compression from loaded use. Camber adjustment can be achieved by either new springs, spring spacers, or hydraulic bending of the I-beams, all of which are beyond the scope of this presale mechanical inspection and repair. The front wheel geometry settings of castor and tow-in appear to be good. Except for the outer front tire wear above, overall front tire thread is 1/4 inch. Lug nuts were tightened to 85 lbs using a torque stick and impact wrench.

12) When I inspected the rear wheels I found the brake shoes to be in good usable condition, the brake drums where within specification and usable. The rear axle bearings were tight and there was no leaking differential fluid. There was considerable brake dust build up from time and wear. The brake hydraulic cylinders seem to be in good condition. The van came with an empty box of rear brake shoes indicating the shoes were recently replaced, but the housing was not cleaned. I used brake cleaner and cleaned the brakes, hardware, and drums. The tires have 1/4" thread, are not weather checked, and were reinstalled. Lug nuts were tightened to 85 lbs using a torque stick and impact wrench. The parking brake was adjusted.

13) The differential housing was loaded with grease from a leaking pinion seal. I cleaned the majority of the old dirt and grease from the housing and removed and replaced the pinion seal. I inspected the pinion bearing and found it to be tight and smooth. I replaced the differential gear lube. The rear shocks do not leak and appear to function properly for used shocks. The rear springs, bushings, and hardware are in good usable condition. There are aftermarket spring overloads on the rear springs. There is a Reese class III/IV receiver hitch installed.

14) The drive shaft had a loose front universal joint. I replaced the front u-joint. I inspected the rear u-joint and found it to be in good condition.

15) The three speed transmission had a leak from the rear output shaft seal. I replaced the seal and the transmission tail shaft bushing. I replaced the gear oil. The transmission shifts well, all synchronizers function properly, there are no strange noises. The column shifter is worn as would be expected over time. I have no problems shifting the transmission without missing gears. The speedometer did not function when I drove the van home. Inspection found the speedometer head functional, and the odometer showing around 150,000 miles. The speedometer cable is in good condition, the speedometer cable driven gear located on the end of the cable is in good shape. The speedometer cable drive gear, located on the transmission output shaft is worn and does not fully contact the cable driven gear, thus the speedometer and odometer do not work.

16) The muffler looked original and was loud. The inlet pipe was loose and disconnected from the muffler. I replaced the original muffler with a new stock muffler, new clamps, and exhaust new hangers. The header pipe seemed intact and was retained. Tail pipe has a hole and a couple of dents but is usable, and was retained.

Conclusion:

I have inspected and repaired every mechanical aspect of this vehicle. I have made all repairs of any defective systems or components except those disclosed in the narrative. I would not hesitate to drive this van anywhere in North America.

As you can see from the above narrative, I have done a lot of work to make this project van drivable so a winning bidder can get to AZ, drive it home, and create the van of their dreams.

To the best of my knowledge the van was originally sold and spent its life in Arizona. With consideration to the vehicle age, the body is straight and solid. There are a couple minor rust areas that would be a real easy fix. The frame is straight and solid. The glass has a few minor chips but is intact. The right window regulator doesn't work (I didn't look at it). The weather strips and door / window seals will need to be replaced. The original seats were replaced with RV type captains seats what would work for travel but look real ugly. All the doors work, the right door interior handle is broken. These are all easy fixes during the build portion of this project.

I did locate another van for sale of this generation near me that has all the minor parts mentioned in this writing along with 3/4 ton suspension, a 302 engine, original bomber seat frames, and a bright metal grill. I will disclose the location to the auction winner. We might even do a road trip to the site.

This auction has no reserve price, the van is sold as is / where is.

There is no warrantee. I am a well qualified ASE certified mechanic.

The van has a free and clear AZ title. I will also supply a bill of sale upon request.

The license plate stays with the vehicle in AZ. A nationally recognized 8 day travel permit is available on-line for a few bucks.

The successful bidder must provide payment within 5 days of the sale, and is responsible for removal and transportation of the van within 15 days of the sale (it's negotiable).

For the cost of fuel, I will pick up the successful bidder at Tucson International airport (TUS) and bring you to the van, it's about 80 miles.

Please feel free to ask any questions