The ford econoline They were launched on the market in 1961, and soon became tremendously popular commercial vehicles across the pond. Its first generation was sold for 6 years, and today it is a sought-after classic. However, not so long ago they were considered “old junk”, and were abandoned in fields, barns and forests. The Ford Econoline that stars in this video is from 1961, and has been parked under a tree, completely abandoned, since the distant year 1976. She does nothing less than 46 years.
YouTube channel “This N That Garage” discovered the unit parked under some trees, and set out to salvage and restore it after purchasing it from its owner. The first thing was to check if his engine was in good condition and could start. Although there was water in some of its cylinders and a valve was stuck, the fact of having the engine protected inside has possibly saved it from ruin. After much insisting, the use of hand tools and starting fluid at close range, the straight six came back to life.
There is something magical about checking how an engine that has been “asleep” for decades starts.
Next, all that had to be done was to free his wheels, completely stuck and with his tires useless – in addition to having his brakes stuck. One of the key operations was to separate the van from a tree: it had parked near the tree in 1976, but the tree grew and was starting to grow through your front bumper. The amazing thing about this process is to see the end result: the van moves by itself and even has a working gearbox. The restoration process could not have started better.