What might the value be of a 30-year-old Econoline whose roof has peeled off in dramatic shards of red-brown? It’s that 250ci knocker set beneath that vinyl console cover within. In 1979, the final generation of Ford straight sixes was ending its penultimate decade; compact V8s would replace inlines in the Ford stable by the 1990s. Actually, the van has almost no value whatsoever, unless you’ve got a Rolodex bearing a few addresses in Australia. Aussie company Classic Inlines developed an aluminum head based on the Australian 250-2v head, but with raised intake ports, high swirl combustion chambers, and larger valves. The heads can also be machined to fit electronic fuel injectors. With more power and decent fuel economy, owners of Falcons and Mustangs are now keeping their inlines instead of going V8. So the next time you see an ancient rustbox wearing the Econoline badge, think of the Australians and go have a kangroo sausage omelet.

[ebay]

Long before Ford outfitted 100 web-savvy travelers with 2010 Fiesta hatchbacks, video cameras and internet access — and cast them to the four winds in search of adventure and viral-video gold — there was this. Many derided the original Ford Fiesta as a hapless, rustful econobox during its three year US run, from 1978 to 1980. But owners shined to the Fiesta’s revvy 1.6-liter Kent four and tight handling. That’s why most surviving models spend more time autocrossing than they do parked at Walgreens. This well-used model saw much pavement action at Susquehanna, PA-region SCCA events by a serious competitor who installed a Haltech fuel-injection setup and awesomeness-boosting box flares. For $7000, you also get four engines, one of which you could use in your TVR 1600M project car.

[Bring a Trailer]

If you’ve ever seen a Juicy Fruit gum (or Mountain Dew) commercial from the 1970s, you know the kind of youth-cultural vibe Ford was going for with its Free-wheelin’ appearance package. You’ll know it by the black bumpers, sunburst decals and other such “custom” accouterments. You could order the Free-wheelin’ kit on the Bronco, Ranger pickup and even the Pinto, which also shipped with a glass porthole that afforded extra privacy for when that half a jay and bottle of Mateus kicked in. Now you can recapture those days with a full-size Bronco that knows by instinct which side of the Cars’ Candy-O was the makeout side, and which one just plain sucked.

[via ebay]

Which high(ish) performance coupe honoring the 1979 running of a famous midwestern 804-kilometer race could be ordered with a %-speed transmission? Here’s a hint, its V8 was replaced in 1980 with the least-powerful V8 ever offered in such a car — 120 hp. And right, that transmission’s really a four-speed overdrive.

[via ebay]

In its penultimate year of production, the Ford Pinto’s 2.3-liter overhead-cam four may have produced just 88 horsepower, but the 8-track stereo pumped out at least 5 watts’ worth of The Cars’ Candy O. (This one’s been upgraded to cassette.) But with 31K on the clock and an owner-reported $7000 in maintenance logged, your gain here could subsequently be the gain of whoever owns the publishing rights to Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind,” which you’ll of course put into heavy rotation on the vintage Kenwood deck from morning to night.

[via ebay]