1973 Ford Transit – Project Profile

Old vans are cool. There’s no escaping it, they just are. While old cars are of course brilliant, there is something truly captivating about old vans and for that matter, other commercial vehicles. They are the backdrop to our memories – we all remember the British Gas, BT, White Arrow and Royal Mail vans that used to be everywhere. They are part of our lives, whether we drove them or not. Even if you’re not into cars or vehicles at all, we all remember the old commercial vehicles. You would think, then, that the classic vehicle world of today would be brimming with them. Resplendent with their chrome and snazzy liveries. Sadly though, they’re not nearly as common as they should be. Even the most popular Mk1 Ford Transit is a rare sight. Shame.

You see, vans are workers from the off. Grafters that are put into employment the very moment they leave the dealership. They go from showroom shiny to building site filthy in a matter of hours. Vans are not, nor were they ever, coveted. They were and still are tools for a job. And what do you do with a tool? You buy a good one, you use it until it’s worn out, then you throw it away and get a new one. And this goes for vans. As such, classic vans represent the rarest corner of the classic vehicle world. But the good news is that those vans, like this Ford Transit, that have dodged the bullets of time, are usually in for a good time by way of enthusiastic owners looking to bring them back to life. This 1973 example is one of those vans. It’s rough, it needs love, but there is life left in it. And it should be saved.

What is it?

What we have here is a 1973 Mk1 Ford Transit chassis cab. If you’re not familiar with van lingo, a chassis cab does what it says on the tin. It was supplied as a chassis with a cab on it. It would have then been sent away to a commercial body-builder, who would have made it a Luton, or a flatbed, or a milk float, or a drop-side… the list goes on. Whatever this Ford transit was has long since gone, as it is once again a bare chassis at the rear. This is good though, as it makes inspecting the chassis a doddle, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Other things you need to know are that this was originally a 1.7 V4 petrol engine, mated to a four-speed manual transmission. They’re not fitted, but they do come with the van. It’s also worth noting that this is a desirable model with the small rear cab window, which people like. It’s a bit down at heel, and it needs a lot of work as a result, but it looks like it has good bones. Apparently in storage since the ’90s, it has been recently exhumed to be sold.

Why is it a project? 

Well, the engine is on the floor next to it for starters. However, the seller states that “the V4 engine is in running condition & believed to be in good order. Both units were removed prior to storage & will be accompanying the Transit.” So that’s a good sign. Though unless you’re going for a restoration back to factory spec, it’s probably moot as you’ll want a more modern engine. But that’s for you to decide. As for the rest of this Ford Transit, the cab looks pretty good for an old Ford. It needs restoration, of course, but it’s not falling in on itself. The floors look to be holed, as does the bonnet and the doors, but it looks to be minimal. Certainly nothing a good fabricator couldn’t sort. The chassis looks excellent, all things considered. It’s been painted at some point in the past, and it seems to have protected it rather well. Though it will need proper investigation in person, of course. By and large though, this Ford Transit makes for an appealing project. Plus, just look at it, what a handsome machine. From a time when vans were allowed to look great.

Five things to look for:

1) Floors

As we touched on above, the floors of the cab look to have a little bonus air-conditioning, so you’re going to need to have a good poke about to see how far it goes. Panels aren’t available for this van, so any repairs will need to be fabricated to suit. Happily, it doesn’t look too bad for an old Ford, but best to know how bad it is first.

2) Chassis

The chassis is the backbone of the Ford Transit, and so its condition is key. As we mentioned, it’s been painted which seems to have helped. There is some visible corrosion, though it only looks to be surface. The best bit is that this chassis doesn’t look to be a patchwork of past repairs, which is potentially great news.

3) Parts 

This Ford Transit comes with a host of spares and other parts that aren’t fitted. It never hurts to have a look what’s there and what condition it is in, like the door cards, the radiator, the prop and of course, the engine and transmission. You won’t be able to get the engine running out of the van, but you can and should inspect it as best you can.

4) Body

The body looks pretty solid by and large, but it’s an old Ford, so have a thorough look. We’ve already covered the floors, but have a closer look at the rust in the door bottoms, check the A pillars, the screen surrounds, the inner and outer wings, the headlight bowls and so on. Remember, other than the front valance, new panels are not available.

5) Trim

It’s a van, so there’s not really a lot of trim to speak of. However, things like the lights, the door handles, the interior trim on the dash and steering wheel, the dash binnacle and so on should all be checked, as finding replacement parts could be tricky.

What should you do with it? 

The big selling point of the Ford Transit has always been the potential it holds. It’s a van that was famed for being able to do anything asked of it, and that was especially the case when it came to the ultra versatile chassis cab. You could restore it as it is, and sell it on, or you could go the whole hog and rebody it as a box van, a catering van, a flatbed or even a camper. The only limits here are your skill and budget. This van looks to have solid, honest, original bones and it strikes us as being one that could be restored however you see fit. If it were ours, we’d go for a more modern engine and transmission, and then we’d build a bespoke camper body on the back. Imagine having a camper for the show season, that would turn more heads than the actual show vehicles? That could be you. But only if you buy this 1973 Ford Transit.

If you find old vans captivating, here’s where you can find yourself a Ford Transit for sale.