Project Car: 1962 Ford Econoline Race Support Van

A red Ford Econoline van, a new RAM diesel, and 1,800 miles of good decisions and questionable gas-station coffee

It has been a busy season inside The Gentleman Racer garage. An Aston Martin DB7 arrived from California needing optimism and parts catalogs. The 1962 Healey Special sits one shakedown away from freedom. The Meyers Manxster finally has brakes that behave like brakes. Naturally, that meant we needed another project.

Enter a 1962 Ford Econoline.

Anyone who has hunted vintage commercial vehicles knows the pattern. The good ones are across the country. The local ones are made mostly of rust, optimism, and body filler. After weeks of scanning Facebook Marketplace at midnight and talking with strangers who described dents as “character,” we found it. A red service van is sitting just north of Boise, Idaho. Honest, complete, and blessedly unmodified.

The plan was simple. Fly out, inspect, buy, and drive home. But the reality of driving a 64-year-old Ford Econoline van with tires wearing 1985 date codes, 1,800 miles in the dead of winter, didn’t make much sense. So we decided to tow it home instead. Our friends at RAM had just added a 2500 series Warlock to the fleet, so we loaded up and headed north.

RAM 2500 Warlock: A Tow Rig From the Modern Era

RAM Trucks handed us the keys to a brand-new Ram 2500 Warlock, a heavy-duty pickup that feels engineered for Americans who still measure distance in hours instead of miles. Under the hood sat the big Cummins diesel, the mechanical equivalent of a handshake you trust.

For this mission, we paired it with a new U-Haul Toy Hauler trailer. Not a traditional car hauler, but a full flatbed hauler capable of carrying a vintage van, race car, or even a trike thanks to its third ramp. As much as I love our classic Ford Diesel at home, a modern truck like this RAM 2500 Warlock removes the anxiety from long-distance travel. The Ram’s power tow mirrors let you see around the trailer. Integrated brake control keeps things calm on downhill grades on trailers with brakes. Adaptive cruise maintains pace across endless western interstates where the horizon stays fixed for hours. Old projects create adventure. But a modern tow rig prevents it from becoming a survival story.

Idaho: The First Look at the Ford Econoline

The seller showed us a fenced property with several buildings and garages. Where he kept his collection of all vehicles, you could spend a few days wandering around and still not see everything that was packed away in every corner of this place. But we were here for a Ford Econoline, which thankfully, sat exactly as promised. Straight panels, working doors, and the unmistakable forward-control stance that makes these vans look like they are both from the future and the past.

Inside, we found decades of work life. Tool marks in the floor. A missing glovebox door, the original spare tire still in place, it was perfect. Loading it onto the trailer was almost ceremonial. The RAM barely noticed the weight. The owner said his goodbyes, and we pointed south.

Utah: Family, Mountains, Perspective

The route carried us through Utah and into Salt Lake City to visit cousins. A road trip anchored by family visits always feels more like tradition than travel. The Wasatch Mountains framed the skyline and reminded us why people leave the coast to cross the country chasing the idea of space. After stopping for coffee and catching up, we hit the road and kept making our way across Utah and toward the Four Corners.

New Mexico went by quickly, then the endless drive across Texas, which makes up almost half the distance of this multi-state road trip. Everywhere we parked the trailer, strangers asked about the van, sharing their stories of owning one or remembering the Ford Econoline their grandfather once drove. It seems that in every gas station parking lot across the US, you’ll meet at least one person who owned a van exactly like this one in high school. And they can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Most people ended the conversation with a question, “So what are you going to do with it?” The answer: Turn it into a 1960s Race Team Support Van. Not a replica. A period-correct interpretation of what a traveling race service vehicle would have looked like when timing equipment, stopwatches, and branded pit presence mattered as much as horsepower.

Across the West: Where Tow Vehicles Prove Themselves

The miles between Utah and Texas separate good trucks from great trucks, and the RAM 2500 series is a great truck. Crosswinds in Wyoming and New Mexico tested stability. Long grades tested cooling systems. Fuel stops test range claims and patience. The Ram passed all three. Even fully loaded, the Warlock tracked straight and stable at highway speed, the trailer following without the wandering tug that older rigs produce.

The Cummins engine rarely climbed past a relaxed hum. You stop watching gauges after a while. That is the highest compliment you can give a tow vehicle.

What are the Plans for the Ford Econoline?

We immediately started working on the van the moment it got to Apex Auto Works for paint and body. After a coat of Guardsman Blue paint, the van will get period hand-painted graphics. Tool storage. Watch timing displays. Vintage jacks and period spare wheels mounted inside. The van would travel to shows, races, and events as a rolling reminder of when motorsport teams carried everything they needed and fixed problems with ingenuity instead of laptops.

Pulling into the driveway felt like arriving with a story already attached to the van. Every project car has a first chapter. This one began across mountains and deserts behind a diesel pickup and a rented trailer.

Soon, the Ford Econoline will lose its work clothes and gain a uniform. The Bulova Race Team Support Van will be built not as nostalgia but as function. A traveling workshop, display, and conversation starter. The kind of vehicle that makes people smile before they even ask what time it is.