Did you know I love step vans? Are you surprised? I’m still waiting to find a really nice International Metro, my all-time favorite. But this version of the Chevy Step Van is also very nice, with its graceful, flowing front end. I was so sad when they went to the boxy, blocky version in the mid-’60s. Here’s one that CC Cohort Hugo90 posted to his own photostream, but not to the Cohort.
What instantly caught my eye was the windshield: it’s not original! There’s supposed to be a nicely rounded pane on each side; this one has three flat sections. And for that I know what to blame: the Ultra Van.
The Corvair-powered Ultra Van “borrowed” the windshield panes from this model of Chevy Step Van precisely because their very nice curves optimize aerodynamics. To accommodate the UV’s wider body, the two panes are cut a bit short and a middle section is grafted in.
The problem is that these windshields have long been out of production, and UV owners have scoured them from junkyards. Some of them have resorted to the same solution used by this Step Van owner: Make a new windshield from a number of flat panes. Here’s a piece on the UV’s windshield challenges.
I always like interestingly styled work vehicles, and I’ve always had a thing for Step Vans, when did this rounded window version go away, I remember whipped older versions of these still being used as ice cream man vans when I was kid.
I always liked the circa 70(?) to forever version of the GM Step Van’s
Seems then this version of the GM Step Van’s soldiered for a long time, until the late 1980s-early 1990s. The delivery vehicules made by Grumman Olson seems to be inspired by the Step Van or is it the other way around? And they also use Chevrolet/GMC chassis although there was some rarer models who used Ford and Dodge chassis.
Btw, who remember the Divco van? http://www.divco.org/index.html
This guy?
Love this little guys!
GM didn’t make any of these vans they were all done by outside companies. When you purchased a Multi stop chassis you got a bag that included those step van badges the headlight trim, side marker lights ect. The same thing happened when you bought a Ford, IH or Dodge Multi-stop Chassis. The only ones that were done sort of in-house were the later IH Metros when they purchased the Metropolitan Body works before they discontiued them and went back to only selling the Multi-stop chassis. Metropolitan Body works was unique in that they only made their trucks on IH chassis while Gruman, Olsen, and all the others would build you a truck on which ever or on a couple of different brands of chassis.
I think the Step Van and Value Van were made by GM themselves. Though they did sell the bare chassis for the same usage.
No, though it was a closer relationship with Grumman in the earlier years and GM did try to make it look like they built it despite the fact that the body was built and installed at the Grumman factory.
I’m going to need some more proof of this, I know that there were Grumman bodied vans, and the Step Van/P chassis, was made in both steel and aluminum versions, perhaps all the aluminum ones were made by Grumman, since that would make sense. But I find it hard to believe that ALL Step-Vans and Value Vans were made by Grumman.
This is a Grumman Van, which looks very similar to the Step-Van, except they dont have Chevy/GMC badges, I’ve seen the smaller step vans with common GM wiper and heater units, contrary to what you state in another post.
Found this too, thought you might like it.
I’d buy a nightstand from these people if they would bring it in this.
Yes, that’s a different one. As far as I can tell, these various Step Van bodies were actually built by different suppliers; at least the red one was built by Union City Body. There were other suppliers too, I suspect, and had a deal with Chevy to sell them under their name.
union city, New Jersey?
Union City, Indiana.
Bendable glass touchscreens are available now, but this video from 2007 claims that the glass can be made in various thicknesses. It wouldn’t need to bend dramatically for a windshield. When it’s available, I would like to replace all my composite headlight lenses, assuming it can be cut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHlQdfvdvUg
A guy who repaired furniture in my business park had an IHC Metro with an old six. It was a mobile sign and I loved it. He finally sold it and cried about that for a long time afterwards.
I had an early seventies cube van (1 ton) that I used for a spell. Could do any job out of that, I loved it. 8mpg was about tops though.
When I was in the process of buying my 1976 Chevy truck, my friend said as we were perusing the Chevy truck catalog and came across stepvans: “buy a step van instead…that way you can drive standing up”!
Pretty close to the truth, too.
Many Divco trucks were actually set up to be driven standing up – at least until the early 1960s. I have vivid memories as a little kid, of the milkman climbing into his Divco and driving off, standing.
Loved the Divco milk trucks. Quality Dairy in St. Louis delivered our milk, and on a hot summer day, my buddies and me would sit on the curb, shirtless, sweat-stained from dust running around all day, and when the milk man came, gave us all a big chunk of crystal-clear ice! Now we REALLY got dirty from the hunk of ice melting in our hands and running all over us!
Great days 55 years ago!
This one has a seat.
This truck (Divco) could be driven either sitting or standing. On the floor were a throttle and a brake/clutch combo peddle. Typical retail home delivery vehicle in the 60’s.
As to the bodies of Step-Vans…Olson and other companies DID make van bodies for commercial chasses…but at least the square-bodied Step-Van of the 1970s was ostensibly made by GM.
We had one in the motor pool at the DPW I worked at…it had Chevy and GM tags all over it, no mention of Grumman or other outside coachmakers.
Unlike actual Olson vans powered by Ford or International…they looked very similar but were not identical, and they WERE indicated on the serial tag as “Vehicle Completed By _____”
As to the rounded-front Step Van…dunno. Never saw a new one, ever…not even in the 1960s. The only ones I saw were decrepit or in wrecking yards.
No it was outside mfgs that built the square “GM” stepvans the bulk of them were Grumman even if they had the GM badges and stickers all over them, that was part of the box of parts strapped to the frame. I spent the last 5 years maintaing a fleet of them some dating back to the 70’s. When it was time to order wiper and heater parts the listings are not by GM they are by Grumman and the year. They were available for order directly through the GM dealer but the body did not come out of a GM factory and the completed vehicles were stocked at the Grumman faciltiy.
They did a very clean job with that Step Van, but I think that joint is directly in front of the driver. Which has got to be annoying.
One of the UVers actually persuaded the manufacturer in Peru to get out the old molds and start making these windshields again – so if you really need them they are available. They are not cheap though, that is a lot of glass.
The 1973 movie, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle”, used a Grumman-Olson stepvan as the vehicle for the revolutionaries that wanted to buy M16s.
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_312780-Grumman-Olson-Kurb-Side.html
You like step vans? You’d like this “Divrolet”, part of a Custom and Hot Rod show out in front of the Portland Art Museum last summer. Wish I’d gotten more snaps, ran outta time.
That is sweet….. it’s like the Element’s grandpappy.
Just purchased, looking forward to bringing it up to modern standards