Oddball Gasser: 1965 Ford Econoline Truck

Gasser vehicles were once one of the more popular hot rods that one could observe at a drag strip. Most times, gasser vehicles were extravagant and easy to notice, due to the fact that the front suspension raised higher than the stock height. This 1965 Ford Econoline truck certainly makes an interesting choice for a gasser build, but it should provide a lot of joy to whoever picks it up.

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GAA Classic Cars in Greensboro, NC offers this unique Ford up for auction. Unfortunately, they don’t provide a ton of details or photos for this fascinating Econoline, but I’m personally fascinated by what I see.

Introduced for the 1961 model year, the first-generation Econoline truck shared a platform with the Ford Falcon compact car and was only available with an inline 6-cylinder motor from the factory. This hot rod has a 351 cubic-inch V8 engine that pairs to an automatic transmission, and interestingly, the V8 engine features a clear case around it, though I’m not sure if it is for protection or just display. The transmission features modifications such as a 3,000-rpm stall and a reverse valve body with a Ratenet shifter. Additionally, the advertisement claims that the 351 V8 is a built engine, but does not specify what upgrades the powerplant has.

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To accommodate the extra power, the rear bed of the vehicle features tubs for the large tires, and there’s also a narrowed Ford 9” rear end. This Econoline also features American Racing wheels at all four corners.

When Ford first introduced the Econoline truck, they figured it would outsell the van body style. To the company’s surprise, the van ended up being the better seller, and the company ended production of the Econoline truck after its first generation. With that being said, that makes this hot rod even more unique.