Made it just in time for the Sonoma 4th of July Parade!

Late June, 2009

FOR ALL OF THE LATEST, CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO PAGE 8

In the late 70's I scraped up $600 and bought my first car. A 1963 Ford Econoline Panel Van. It was yellow with American slotted mags, a 2" lift kit on the rear with air shocks. It had a rebuilt 144ci and a rare 4-speed English Ford Cortina column shifter. I cruised around Newport Beach until I came of age and moved to San Francisco. A day after moving into my San Francisco Apartment the u-joint gave out. I could not afford the $90 repair and sold the van for what I paid, a whopping $600.

Now, some 27 years later I was unable to find my van that I originally sold to a guy named Bob Herman of San Francisco. I bought a replacement in March of 2007 and immediately got busy building this van the way I always had wished I could have done the old van.

These pages will document the process and provide resources to other die-hard's who are contemplating the inevitable financial plunge "upside-down" in pursuit of the ride of their youth. And being a well established classic car dealer (see my site Left Coast Classics ), I understand that I will never see the money that I spend on this van again. But it's not about the money, it's about a piece of the past and a memory of simpler times....

Here's the new van in March of 2007.  

This was the picture on eBay.

The body work had begun almost immediately.

The engine was magnafluxed. Not a crack. It was an original

170ci from a later van, a 1965. We bored and balanced it. Its 100% new!

Body is about done here. Just a bit more blocking needed.

Interior painting being done at Marshalls Auto Body in Glen Ellen, CA

About ready to get the engine installed before the exterior paint.

Inner doors are painted. First glance of the 4070L blue.

All interior parts getting a PPG of 1960 Lincoln Continental

light metallic blue (just like my grandmas car! R.I.P.)

What a nice doghouse!

Fresh rebuilt engine just reinstalled! By Larry Metcalf .

It's mid 2008. Engine is back in the truck thanks to my pal, Dave Crawford owner of Dave's Muffler in Sonoma.  

After a few more interior parts go in we'll get it off for the exterior paint.

JANUARY 2009: The van has been asleep in my warehouse while I've been super busy dealing with this frickin' recession. I finally sent it back to Marshalls Auto Body in Glen Ellen in early January. By mid month it came back from Marshalls while I was in L.A. I couldn't wait to get to my warehouse and start assembling it! They really did an incredible job. The paint is as smooth and nice as my Mercedes. Marshall's is known for their great quality. I'm blown away... This is exactly what I wanted.It's been nearly two years since I got the van and started the restoration. Can't wait to start assembling it!

All the interior components are painted with the 1960 Lincoln Continental

blue metallic PPG.

I used a hotrod insulation witha high R factor and

decided to put 3/4" rigid insulation over that.