1985 Ford E150 van E Series 302 Automatic W/OD Two Working Gas Tanks
1985 Ford E-Series Van Econoline Description
My father and I bought this van about two years ago. I even found the original ad for it. Its on Bearnie's Motor Sales Grand Rapids Michigan. I googled 85 ford van and looked at images and there it still is. It was going to be a project van for us and he would also be able to pull his fishing boat on weekends.
We replaced Alternator, fuel pump, and Battery when we first got it. A year ago we replaced back and front brakes, including front calipers. I think wheel cylinders also but can't remember for sure. We also had a new stereo system installed at best buy, nothing real fancy but it does have usb and headphone jacks in the front, along with cd player that plays mp3 disks.
We had put new tires on it but someone wanted one of them in the middle of the night. So it has three new Bf Goodrich Tires and a decent spare. I bought a used rim but have not got around to putting another BF Goodrich on it yet. They also broke the small window on the drivers side by the gas tank filler. I went to an auto glass place and short of replacing the whole window all they could do is putty in a piece of plexi glass. It has been fine for over a year, no leaks. There are three small rust spots. One just under the window half way between the d/s door and the gas tank door. The second is on the passenger door, some one binged it with their door in a parking lot. The third is a tiny spot just above the gray stripe on the passenger side by the back tire. There are some other small spots that rubbing compound and wax will fix, I tried to take pictures that showed the worst.The fog lights on the front and the airlift package have never worked for us, but we also hadn't looked into it. The cb on the ceiling turns on but has no antenna. The lights on the ceiling work.
About a year ago we put a new starter and Rubber Silicone lifetime Valve Cover gaskets on it. The carb on it has a manual choke we were going to fix, but it works so well we never got around to it. The carb is not that old but was on it when we bought it. The A/C and cruise does not work. Right after we bought it we noticed the amp needle jumping back and forth on the dash. Mostly at night with the lights and heater going. It has been in the shop about four times trying to get it sorted out. The only time we had to walk was when the starter went bad. all the other stuff was preventive maint. The shop said it could be anything from bad battery cables, bad ignition switch, short in wires, and a couple other things I can't remember. They said it charges fine and should not be a problem. So I tested them and drove it three time to Iowa and back to Michigan, about 575 miles each way. The lights going the heater on high, only works on high, music playing, and it did fine every time. I did the trips at Thanks Giving, Christmas, and New Years.
I trust this vehicle enough to offer to deliver it almost anywhere in the lower 48 states, as long as you pay for the gas. I will hand you receipts on delivery, or I will make sure I am available when you want to pick it up. The only things I know it could use is The idler arm for the steering is starting to develop some play so it pulls slightly to the right. It is coming due for an oil change. Door hinges need adjusting, you don't have to slam the doors but I think you have to shut them harder than you should. Just the two front doors. All the doors in the back work great. Both gas tanks work and have not leaked when I filled them. We were going to clean under the hood but haven't yet. The radiator looks aged but holds antifreeze and has not been a problem. About two months ago I had a new carrier bearing installed on the drive shaft. I didn't do the u joints because I was told they did not look bad. The odometer says 21773 but I,m sure it has at least a hundred thousand on top of that, because the rear end has a little play. The shop said something about a broken shim, not hard or expensive to fix they said. Only shows up once in a while going into and out of overdrive on the highway, and not bad enough to worry us, so we never got around to having it fixed. It also has a Reese style trailer hitch and light kit. Some one at sometime installed a reverse light that is real use full at night. It comes on when you put the van in reverse. My dad loved it when he was backing his boat trailer. Some one also backed into it in a parking lot and bent the bumper a little on the drivers side. Showed it the best I could in the Photo. To be honest I am sure there are a couple things so small I forgot, if I think of any I will enter them and revise the listing.
All and all it is a great vehicle but now that I don't have my dad I have lost interest and I don't want it to sit and rot I would be happy to answer questions you may have or try to take more pictures if you need.
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