Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! The last time we ventured into El Infierno Del Coche, we experienced the joy of electrical fires and short vehicle range in the Arc-Weld Your Soul challenge. That one was a close race, but the electric 911 edged out the electric Spitfire in a 51.5-to-48.5 split. Today we're getting all forward-control on you, with a couple of interesting Econoline projects suggested by Schoolpsych. The question you need to ask yourself here is: do you want to go low and slow... or high and muddy?
The forward-control Ford Econoline vans of the 1961-67 period are great-looking little boxes, which makes us wonder why you hardly ever see one with the full in-the-weeds/custom-bodywork treatment. Why should VW Transporters have all the fun, know what I'm saying? Oh, sure, the force field created when Foghat albums met Acapulco Gold was powerful enough to draw in some flat-nose Econolines back in the 70s, but it's really time we started seeing modern interpretations applied to them. That's why you ought to gather together $2,150 (or whatever the reserve price might be) and hand it over for this lowrider '62 Econoline van. At first glance, it looks pretty good, but a few i's need to be dotted and some t's must be crossed before this van will be moving under its own power. First of all, the slammification process meant that the original I6 motor had to go and a V6 placed in its stead. "Placed" is the right word, because that's about all that's been done with the "rebuilt Buick" engine here. You'll need to figure out the rest of the driveline, too, and "some custom fabrication/sheetmetal work will be needed for doghouse, and to cover sections of floor that were cut to allow clearance of wheels, driveline, and rear axle." Easy!
Crusing down the ave in your Bajito y Sauvecito Econoline would be pure joy, but that joy will turn to panic when society collapses under its own stinking, corrupt weight. Yes, your slammed Econoline will be about as useful as tits on a boar hog when the cities are burning, the crazies are hunting for human meat, and you need to head to your fortified survival compound in the mountains. That's why your project Econoline should be this '66 with 4x4 conversion (go here if the ad disappears). It's got post-apocalyptic style galore as it sits, but you'll need to outfit it with armor plating, extra fuel tanks, and maybe some flamethrowers to keep the riffraff at a safe distance. The seller doesn't mention the running condition, but we're guessing this Econo can at least make noise with that 240 six-banger. More'n likely, you'll need to go through everything and fix some Field Expedient Engineering done during the drivetrain upgrade, and you'll definitely need to replace that slushbox with a manual.
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