Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Econoline Heavy Duty

Fun fact. Less than a tenth of my sightings/postings over the last couple years have been vans-- and most of those are Fords. This Econoline hopes to change that. When I first saw a glance of it, I knew it was worthy of a feature. Shame about the minor big dent, but overall it looked good.
As most car guys (and girls) are probably quick to point out, this example is a first generation, which lasted from the 1961 model year, until 1968. They came in 3 distinct bodystyles-- the cargo van (shown here), a passenger van, and a pickup truck. While I have seen a few of each, I have to say I like the cargo vans most. For some reason, they remind me of the little "vannettes" sold in Europe, Asia, and everywhere else but here in the USA. When new, these little Fords competed with the Corvair vans and Chevy "van", and the Dodge A-100. Both of these were available in the same configurations as the Ford as well. Since these vans could have a choice of three different six cylinders, and a three speed stick, this van probably has no engine upgrades. And that's fine. I like classics when mostly left untouched.
The paint on this near fifty year-old example looked great, save for a dent right up front. However, since this is Minnesota, and the paint is white, I'm going to hedge my bets on this being a repaint. Although, since it has its factory badges in the correct spot, it's hard to tell if it is or not.
While the script on the doors says heavy duty, it probably isn't up to carrying today's version of a "heavy duty" load, but that's fine. Most of these vans are bought and used by enthusiasts anyway, and clearly this one is owned by an enthusiast. The chrome baby moons are pretty awesome. While I generally would like to see stock wheels on such a rare (especially for this climate/area) vehicle, I quite like the visual appeal of this choice of wheels. I'm also going to guess that the combination fender flares/mudspats probably weren't a stock item back in 1961 when this van was introduced.
But that's quite alright. I dig this example just how it is. I'd change nary a thing on it, and just drive it. Although with a 3 spd manual (probably on the tree) it would probably be an extreme chore to drive in today's traffic, and it's probably quite slow, too. Oh well, I'd make the best of it, and deal with it. It's not a race car, and I don't think the owner intends it be.