any one with any experience towing with thease vans?
are they stable? or too short of wheelbase?

 

unibody dude, poor brakes,steering. i have a 65' and recomend you pass on the towing

 

steering and brakes are fine on mine. Plus I will use an electronic brake control in the van for my tent camper trailer brakes.
I have a 1998 StarCraft 12 foot tent camper with a slide out dinnette and roof air. Weighs 3000 pounds. I currently tow it with my 99 Ranger supercab and 2.5l four engine.

I want to tow with the for more room for the 5 of us while driving.

Can you put a sway control on a unibody vehicle?

 

I have a 63 Falcon Econoline with a 170-6, 3 in the tree. It has 3.50's in the diff. I use it to pull my 5 x 8 trailer. Some times loaded down with alot of tree trimmings. Maybe 600-800 lbs or so. I can definetely tell the difference when it's loaded up. I just adjust my braking time to compensate.

With the 3.50's in it, it pulls right along. I'm going to make a custom frame hitch and bumper as the OG bumper is definetely not designed to hold alot of weight. The OG bumper support brackets are really light weight and sag quite easily under a load of 600-800 lbs. I made a tempory brace that bolts into the bumper/body mount, but thats pushing it.

Another thought I have is to locate a leaf spring that is the same width and approximate length and cut it to fit the top leaf, aka super stock style. This will firm up the spring rate and then I'll measure the shock length compressed and expanded and then match up some air shocks or coil over load shocks.

I really want to add some disc on the front and braided brake lines all around as this will increase line pressure in the system. I'm still looking around some info in addition to what I already have.

Falconstein

 

You should be OK if you have a hitch that is bolted to the frame. Not the bumper. The bumpers are week on these. My 64 someone custom made the bumper and it would pull. They also welded it to the frame.
If you have a good quality hitch receiver that is mounted to the frame should do well and for even better traction and driving is also have a equaliser system or load levelers. That way the van and trailer travel at the same even height. Takes away the sag at the hitch.
Your trailer with that setup should work fine.
These Econolines from back then were designed for light duty work before the 1/4 tons of the 70's came on the scene. They were for delivery services in the citys, even the trucks.

 

The Econoline van's and pick ups do not have a frame! they are a true Unibody design.

i would be careful!

i owned/drove one for 10 years, put loads of stuff in the bed... i had the Pickup, but mine did not like to tow much weight.
not enough motor, brakes, etc...

 

I should have been more clear on my post. True these are a unibody design. The brace I added (where the bumper brackets attach)simply supports the existing OG brackets.

A buddy of mine located a 63 Econoline in a salvage yard today. It has June 28 written on the windsheild. It hasn't been there long. It's complete and in " surprizing " condition. I can't believe one that nice is in a salvage yard . Who would let that jewel go ??

I'll be heading out there asap to check it out and snag some parts or the whole thing if the price is right . I'll definetely try to buy the front-rear springs, rear mirrors and the rear bumper (supposedly real nice) to set up mine for better towing.


falconstein

 

Thanks, I am most concerned with stability and if a sway control can be used on a unibody car.