During the 2016 American presidential election, those voters who loathed both Trump and Clinton had the option of voting for one of a couple of long-shot third-party candidates, or perhaps the far more rational fourth-party candidate. Those rebellious souls who opted for the fourteenth-party candidate in 2016 went for that Econoline-driving Californian: Jussy G.G. Prussly.
Here is Jussy’s once-glorious van, now retired in a Central Valley self-service wrecking yard.
Sadly, Mx. Prussly (we cannot determine the gender, if any, deployed by this reclusive politician) lacked the corporate backing needed to reach an audience broader than, say, a few square blocks of West Sacramento, and this van had to serve as the Prusssly campaign’s media blitz.
The www.jussyforpresident2020.com URL on the van doesn’t exist, and the Wayback Machine indicates that it never did exist. There’s a “Jussy for President” reference on a Czech snowboarding blog, which seems about right, and the Urban Dictionary entry for “Jussy” doesn’t do much to clear up the Jussy G.G. Prussly mystery.
Since we don’t know much about the Prussly ’16 or ’20 campaigns, let’s talk about this Econoline itself, which ended its life as the chariot of a highly quixotic presidential hopeful somewhere between the Coast Range and the Sierras. It’s an early third-generation E-150 half-ton cargo van, and it worked hard during its 40 years on the road.
With a five-digit odometer, we can’t tell the difference between 14,062 miles and 714,062 miles. The engine is gone, but the VIN indicates that this Econoline was built in March, 1977, with a 351 Windsor V8, at the Lorain Assembly Plant in Ohio.
The interior is quite grotacious, featuring plenty of hanta-tastic rodent poop and chewed-up bits of seat foam.
No doubt due to dirty tricks by the black-bag operatives of the Vermin Supreme campaign, the Prussly van appears to have been abandoned from a time beginning even before the November 2016 balloting.
Rest in piece, veteran Econoline.
Room for bags, and boats, and beauties.
A friend of mine had one and he used it for his grocery/meat market. He had several wholesale accounts with schools and restaurants so it didn’t take long to pile on the mileage. He had teenaged delivery drivers who beat the daylights out of that thing and people borrowing it to move stuff all the time. After 6 1/2 years and 200,000 miles he gave the van to a guy who needed a car, that guy drove it for five more years before it just died from abuse. Ford can be proud of that Econoline, it took a beating from multiple drivers, years of road salt, and general neglect. I know the transmission was replaced and various segments of the exahaust were swapped out as well, the engine didn’t sound great but it never needed major work. The van started it’s life with a white paint job, it ended up two-tone…bondo and primer.
We have a few company E150 vans still tooling around – rusty but trusty. You’d be amazed how much IT crap one can squeeze into the back of a van.
I’ve seen 300k and 400k E-Series, what they lack in road manners, refinement and comfort they more than make up for in durability.
That said, I think I’d rather have a Transit.
I feel like I need to take a bath in hand sanitizer and get an antibiotic shot just from looking at those pictures.
@Sub-600, Bondo and primer **with rust accents**
Classic pragmatism.
When truck styling was done with a T-square, and 45 and 30/60 triangles.
I’m pretty sure I’d fail a drug test at work from just watching that second ad with the accountant.
Too flamboyant for the hooker murdering these were originally designed for.
This is just cryin’ out for a Last Rides story from the retired Crabspirits. Still the best one:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/08/last-rides-premium-selects-goin-nowhere/
I miss Crabspirits.
Inefficiently packaged, horrible fuel economy, drive like a big truck, but definitely durable.
These things didn’t die on their own, you had to kill them.
Love the aftermarket passenger seat!