it has been a long time coming but work resumes on the 1965 ford econoline pickup that has been a backdrop in my shop, lets make some handmade repair panels from scratch then weld them in.
I'm very happy to see this project back on Mustie's channel. I found the original series on this truck, where he basically learned how to bend and form fit metal, extremely interesting. While I like his 'will it run?' vids, watching him fabricate things from scratch is a treat. He's certainly a real renaissance man.
I really enjoyed this video, brought back memories of many years ago when I was still in the auto body repair trade with the old men who knew how to work with sheet metal,
“You’d think that I know what I’m doing, but I don’t”. Good one. When it all works out, my dad used to say, “it almost looks like we knew what we were doing”.
I say that all the time. I'll be working on something and my wife will ask how it's going and I say "I dunno what I'm doing". She always says "Don't say that; it makes me worry, and also I know that you do know what you're doing". LOL. I usually say, "nah, I'm making this up as I go."
The irony is not lost on me that my dad used to have me sit on the engine hump in the middle of this very same van. He was a TV repairman. You remember those? No seatbelts, no nothing. I just remember the immense warmth of sitting on that engine cowling. 😊
No seat belts, no nothing *and* drum brakes on all four corners. It WAS a different time when people weren't racing to each stoplight and slamming on the brakes at the last second--it's because they couldn't do that for long without severe brake fade.
That was my wife's seat when we drove my '67 Econoline around NYC for 2 years and then cross-country for 3 months camping back in '86 & '87. 3 on the tree and 33 MPH in 2nd gear on those mountain roads out west. I passed the semis, but everyone else passed me. I drove that van cross-country twice, and believe it or not it was a very comfortable vehicle to ride in. It also had the BEST visibility due to the large, flat, non-tinted windshield.
I belong to a group that I interact with daily, and I constantly have to bite my tongue when someone complains about a trivial issue. A few days ago, someone’s front camera had condensation due to the weather, so it was giving an error. They went on and on about it being a safety issue. I, on the other hand, was wondering what would happen if I set them loose in my ’84 GMC S15 fleet package truck. People would probably be better drivers if they had a real fear of death during their daily commute.
@@user-ht1xu4gv2u I had a '66 A-100 Dodge van w/225 ci. 3 on the tree/ mid engine. non synchronized 1st gear, very interesting take off in second gear from a light that turns green just as you're getting slow enough to downshift into 1st. Got tagged in the back many times because there were no brake lights on.
Im so glad we are finally getting finished up with this truck. I have fell in love with this thing since he picked it up. It always looked so sad in the background of some of the past video’s. Thx Mustie.
So glad to see you back on this truck. I love this vehicle. It is a real collectors item. Not many of them made and very few survived. Man, you have some really great tools to work with metal. I did a lot of panel building but did not have all those tools. It sure would have made the job easier and the end product better.
You first started repair on this truck 3 and 4 years ago. Glad to see you back at it. Love watching your old school style and precision work. Too cool for old school! February 25, 2024
I’m another UK viewer. I’ve been waiting for AGES for the Econoline to make a reappearance. We never had those over here but based on your videos of this one I have so much want for one it’s hard to describe.
Dear maverick 👍👌👏 Yeah! And, thank god, especially no disassembling/cleaning/assembling carburetor content. 😁 ;-) Best regards, luck and health in particular.
I've seen people use tape for a paper doll. The nice thing about using the tape is it will remember the curves. It's more of a 3d paper doll. You just cover the entire part with a few layers of tape and then can peel it off as one piece. Everywhere you need to push down on to make it lay flat needs to be stretched and everywhere you need to cut to get it to pay flat needs to be shrunk. Scott Newstead over at Cold War Motors just did a panel like this on his Thursday video either last Thursday or the Thursday before.
This was my first car back in High School, 1975. Same color and trim. Restored it twice, first fiberglass and Bondo, second time learned to weld. Reliving that rebuild here with Musty except being fresh out of college could not afford welding rod so used barbed wire from our pasture fence. Also replaced the engine and transmission. Drove it until 1985, over 100K miles then sold it for X3 what I paid for it in 74. Lot of fun with that old truck.
I only counted 3 freeze plugs, so it's probably a 170. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a V8 swapped version of one of these a couple years ago. Great to see you working on it!
Woo Hoo, back on the '65 Ford. Can't wait to see how this machine is going to look when done. A tech tip for the english wheel. When using it with bare wheels like you did, the metal will be displaced both left and right and fore and aft, giving a dome. If you cut a strip out of an innertube that can wrap around the large wheel, the fore and aft displacement goes away and all you get is the left and right displacement. The english wheel with a rubber strip on the large wheel would have been a better choice than the slip roller to give you the initial shape of the rocker panel. But hey, your method worked well in the end too.
I remember this POS. I once drove one of them for a company that I worked for. MIT was the full size van and not the step van but same POS. As I remember it had a straight four and three on a tree and more sway than a pine in a strong wind.
Hi Darren, I'm glad you are back on the Econoline. I know you didn't do it in previous videos and this is no criticism, but weld through primer for the inside of the part is a great rust prevention. You can spray all the sides that won't be paint-able after welding. I hope your migraine is going to leave you alone this time. Cheers
I absolutely loved this video and the one with the same panel on the other side. I'll have to go back and check for the other things you've done to this one. You're my Sunday "Ride or die"!
That is a pretty cool old truck. I remember back in the late 60's, my brother bought one of the Econoline vans of that style, from the telephone company. They were practically giving them away. He paid $25 for it!
Glad you jumped back on the ford! My grandfather had one set up as a catering truck in the early 70's and I would go with him as a kid on Saturdays to feed the workers at the rail yard. This was in Rhode Island where I grew up and this ford brings back a lot of memories of my grandfather. Now I watch from central Maine. We're kinda neighbors! 🤙
Been a few years waiting but I made it too see the metal work finished lol. I'm excited too see the van finished. Love your show bud and I do the same kind of work as you. Feels nice too watch you build stuff and not just me .
A good N.H. body and fender man at work in the shop. My brother was drafted for Vietnam in 1965, the year that pickup was made. He got hit in '66 and lost a lung.★!☆!★
As always sir it is a pleasure to watch you work. Even when you make it up as you go and make minor mistakes it is a damn sight better than anything I could do in this field.
It was DEFIANTLY smiling! I’m sure it feels “The Love” now. GREAT metal working video, didn’t realize how much I’d missed these, nice to see your back able to do this again without any ill after effects. Hopefully that’s behind you. SUCKS GETTING OLDER HUH! I’m 59 this year as well, so I feel ya!
Another trick is make a fiberglass shuck of the area. Put packing tape over the body and lay glass/resin You then have a female copy of the panel. You can then form the metal to make an exact copy without having to run back and forth to the car. English wheel, hehehe I remember years ago, Jesse James saying it's pretty good for making blood shoot out from under your finger nails
Back in the early 90's a client of mine bought a semi-trailer full of welders from out of an auto plant, wasn't aware until some time later I remembered seeing huge 24" c-clamp devices made of brass or bronze, dang it they were auto spot welders
Had one in 1970 ,blew up the 6 cylinder engine in 72 and replaced with the engine, trans and rear end from a 1970 ,429 Mercury Cyclone Super C J that was towed into the junk yard while I was there looking for a motor, Made an 18 inch driveshaft , ladder bars , 10 inch MTs on the front 12 inch MTs on the back all on Crager 5 spoke wheels Made it an incredible experience to drive, Sadly it was stolen and was found wrecked and stripped about 2 weeks later ,
