Hey y'all.

I bought my wife this beautifully taken care of, 1986 Ford Econoline conversion van. Brought it home and she didn't like it. I sold it to a friend, who was making payments on it and ran into some financial difficulties. So, it's back in my garage. This time around, my wife has actually taken a liking to it and has asked that I rebuild it (slowly mind you... I don't have all the money in the world) for her.

So, before you ask, I am not asking for money to help build it. I'm asking for advice. This is going to be a long project, and although I am a truck guy and will be able to figure out most of it, I would like to document the build here and have a place I can turn to if I bugger something up or run into something I've not seen before.

And wouldn't ya know it... the first problem has already arrived. As I was removing the dash panels to get to the blinker relay, I found out that sub zero temperatures make plastic very brittle and I broke the left piece on the dash. I was planning on customizing the dash anyway, so maybe it's divine providence that I busted it. Either way... anyone happen to know of a place I can get one? Used or otherwise. I don't care on the color as I am planning on painting and hydro-dipping it. Thanks!!! Oh, here are some pictures of the old girl.

 

That takes me back to my childhood! The van looks really good for an '86! I would suggest checking eBay for that part... I have attached a list of old Ford part numbers for that item but they are all obsolete.

 

Welcome to the site..

Clean Ol van. There's a cold plastic repair kit called ' Plastex' ,, awesome product and I use it all the time for the classic car plastic pieces that I need to repair. It can be built up, molded, drilled and tapped. Complete missing areas can be formed and tooled. Or to just reinforce a weak area...

PLASTEX PLASTIC REPAIR KITS

Looks good, keep the images coming!

 

That thing sure appears to be in nice shape !
There is a place in Beaver Dam , wisc. called VINTAGE AUTO PARTS. They may just have what you seek, but our Ford parts expert , Kyle, will need to inquire since they usually sell only to dealers. Also I believe those dash panels are the same for several years before they changed the design. You may be able to find one in a salvage yard from a later year, I believe they changed the design around the 1992 model year. Kyle should be able to confirm this if it applies.

 

I love Vintage, they help me help customers so much. Unfortunately I ran the part numbers I posted previously and they have none of them. I also did a nationwide search to see if they were available anywhere and I had no luck with that either.


According to the Ford catalogue the same part from a 83-86 should work. There must be some design change after 86 that would require modification for other years with a similar part.

 

Thanks Kyle !
There are many of those years still out on the road, so I would think there has to be one in a salvage yard someplace.

 

Have an image of the broken panel?

 

Hey guys! Sorry about the delay in responding. I've been on 12 hour night shifts, so I'm like a zombie until my days off. So, here goes.

Lakeland Ford parts... Thanks for the part numbers! Those will prove useful while sniffing around the internet I think.

Hayapower. Thanks for the welcome. I did some searching on that plastex stuff... Holy sweet potatoes batman! That stuff looks AWESOME! I think I can find about a thousand and 1 more uses for it, along with fixing broken plastic parts in my cars... Also, I could just stop working on my cars when it's below freezing... but we all know that's not going to happen

Hanky. Thanks for that info. Where I live there aren't many salvage/wrecking yards. Plenty of farms around with dozens of cars, trucks, and vans in the yards. I wonder if I can convince one of them to let me rob parts. Although I do go up north often enough that with enough planning, could find a salvage yard up that way to get one from.

Lakeland Ford Parts: 83-86? This next question may sound like I've gone full retard... but, I assume the E150, E250, and E350 would all be compatible too... right? What about the econoline vs. Club wagon? Would those cross over?

Hayapower. I'll have to snag a picture of it tomorrow if I get a minute. The wife has me digging up the septic so we can have it pumped. The previous owner of the house (we just bought it six months ago) lived here for 10 years and never pumped it... So, I'm not sure what I'm gonna find. Anyway, back to the van. I'll sneak away and snag a picture of it. The front looks fine, it's the backside, the mounting points for some of the switches and ***** snapped off. I'll snap a couple pictures and get them up here.

 

Here's a Plastex repair I did on my brothers RV fridge door.
The plastic door frame is all one piece and lucky if you could find one $$. He wanted to sell it, and his options were, a cobbed hinge of some sort, a new fridge, or try and source a salvage door.

You can see the hinge was shattered and snapped off, and carries the weight of the door. Originally a webbed molded hinge from the underside, the powder was used to fill the voids and root into the lower frame making it stronger than OE. Using Plastex as a powder 'fill' with a back up putty and then activate it , or, you can use the applicator and dab a small amount of powder lifting and/or dropping it in place with the activator for small finish areas. Like wetting your finger and lifting powderd sugar to place. A dab of activator over the top and it flows out like melting butter. Easy to use, very strong..

 

The part would cross to the E150, E250, and E350 in those model years but my catalogue does not give information about the club wagon.