Didn’t these used to be everywhere at one point or another? I’ll confess that I’m not a fan of snub-nosed vans in particular, but the Ford Econoline/Falcon vans seemed to be pretty much everywhere when I was growing up. The neighbor had one rusting into the yard when I was growing up in Illinois that matched his equally-rusted 1973 Mach 1 sitting out front. One person I know was using a Falcon van that had all of the seats removed as a redneck parts storage container, complete with holes torched through the side doors and a chain and padlock security system, and it didn’t run either. In fact, the only running Ford van from that era I’ve ever seen outside of a car show had a snapped tie rod and could barely limp around. You had to have someone standing on the outside of the van, kicking the driver’s side tire back into place to move it around!

Ok, so I might not view these snub-noses in a positive light, but I do know what good looks like, and this 1965 Econoline pickup is good. The five-window truck, part of Ford’s reaction to the success of Volkswagen’s Type 2 bus and GM’s Corvair Greenbriar, was part of the Econoline series, which for the first generation (1961-67) included the cargo van and the window van that could seat up to eight people. Unlike the Type 2 or the Greenbriar, Ford stuck with the front-mounted, cab over engine design, and used a 165 pound counterweight over the rear axle to offset the nose-heavy attitude of the vehicle. While the cargo van and people-mover did well, the pickup is actually a bit of a rarity, making up about 10% of total Econoline sales. Unless you find a Canadian-market Mercury Econoline, this is as rare as it gets. The 170 cubic inch Thriftpower Six provides the forward momentum, and the truck has been converted to run a C4 automatic, so there is no need to take lessons on how to run a three-on-the-tree. From tip to tail, this Econoline is spotless and show-ready, let alone ready to drive. The only reason that it’s for sale on eBay is because the owner “has too many projects”…what a nice problem to have! No derision needed, either…this Ford is in great condition and looks fantastic as-is. Not that we’d complain if someone wanted to re-create the “Psycho” pulling truck, of course…

eBay Link: 1965 Ford Econoline Pickup