Chevrolet Step-Van

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Chevrolet Step-Van
Overview
ManufacturerBody: Union City Body Company, Union City, Indiana
Chevrolet (General Motors)
Also called
  • GMC Value-Van
  • Chevrolet Forward-Control Chassis
Production1940–1942, 1946–1998
AssemblyDetroit Assembly (purchased by Workhorse Custom Chassis in 1998)
Body and chassis
ClassMulti-stop truck
Body style2-door van
PlatformGeneral Motors P-series
RelatedChevrolet C/K
Chronology
SuccessorWorkhorse P-series

The Chevrolet Step-Van (and its badge-engineered counterpart, the GMC Value-Van) is a multi-stop truck made by General Motors from 1940 to 1998.

Dubl-Duti

The first generation of General Motors multi-stop delivery van was called the Dubl-Duti, introduced in 1940. The van was built on the 115-inch (2,921 mm) chassis of the Chevrolet pickup truck, with a body built by Divco Twin.[1] The Dubl-Duti van used the same 216.5-cubic-inch (3.5 L) "Thriftmaster" six-cylinder engine as the pickup and Chevrolet passenger cars, but with a single-barrel updraft Carter carburetor rather than the downdraft Rochester unit used in other Chevrolet trucks.[2][1]

The Dubl-Duti was restyled in 1941 to suit the new Chevrolet AK Series truck body. Despite the "Advance Design" trucks being released in calendar year 1947 as a 1948 model, the AK Series-based Dubl-Duti continued production for another year thereafter.

A new generation of Dubl-Duti was introduced for model year 1949, with two different wheelbases shared with the medium-duty Advance Design pickup trucks: the model 3742 with 125+1⁄4-inch (3,181 mm) wheelbase, and 137-inch (3,480 mm) log model 3942 . The "Thriftmaster" engine was carried over for the 1949 and 1950 model years, and replaced for 1951 by the 235.5-cubic-inch (3.9 L) "Loadmaster" engine.[3] The Dubl-Duti ceased production in 1955.

Step-Van

In 1955, a new series of Chevrolet forward-control chassis launched, similar to the previous Dubl-Duti, available in three sizes:

  • the model 3442, with a 104 in (2,642 mm) wheelbase able to accommodate a body length up to 8 ft (2.4 m),
  • the 3542, with a 125 in (3,175 mm) wheelbase able to accommodate a 10 ft (3.0 m) body, and
  • the 3742, with a 137 in (3,480 mm) wheelbase able to accommodate a 12 ft (3.7 m) body.

All models were available only with the "Loadmaster" six-cylinder engine, which was renamed the "Thriftmaster Special" in 1956. The "Special" moniker was used to distinguish the fact that it still had a downdraft carburetor (as the Dubl-Duti vans before it had) and a

265-cubic-inch (4.3 L) Trademaster V8 engine was available as an option in 1956 and 1957.[5][6]

The standard transmission was a column-shifted three-speed, but a floor-shifted four-speed was added as an option in 1951,[7] and heavier-duty Borg-Warner three-speed and the Hydramatic automatic transmission were also available as options beginning in 1954.[8]

Until 1958, GM only made the rolling forward-control chassis for other coachbuilders such as Boyertown, De Kalb, Dayton T. Brown, Olson, Alf-Herman, Universal, and Montpelier to fit specialized van bodies to. Beginning in 1958, GM began selling its own steel bodies on its forward-control chassis, and called the new vans Step-Van. The bodies were installed by the Union City Body Company, a GM subsidiary based in Union City, Indiana.

The Thriftmaster Special six-cylinder engine was discontinued in 1962 and replaced by the 230-cubic-inch (3.8 L) High Torque 230 engine.[9] The 292-cubic-inch (4.8 L) High Torque 292 was available as an option in P20 and P30 beginning in 1964,[10] and the 250-cubic-inch (4.1 L) High Torque 250 became standard in the P20 and P30 in 1966, replacing the 230.[11] The two-stroke, 159-cubic-inch (2.6 L) Detroit Diesel 3-53N three-cylinder engine was available in 1967; it produced peak power of 82 hp (61 kW) at 2,500 rpm and 193 lb⋅ft (262 N⋅m) of torque at 1,500 rpm.[12]

The first generation Step-Vans became known as the "round-front" after the "square-front" Step-Van King was introduced in 1964.[13] Production of the older body (model codes P2545, P2645, P3545, and P3645) ceased in 1967.

Step-Van 7

A new shortened model called the "Step-Van 7"—also known by the P10-series chassis code—was introduced in 1961, so named for its 7-foot (2.1 m) body on a new 102-inch (2,591 mm) wheelbase.

Step-Van King

1964–1967 20-series Step-Van King

A new series of models with squared-off styling (P2535 and P3535) reminiscent of the Step-Van 7 was introduced in 1964.

The Step-Van King, referred to simply as the Step-Van after the Step-Van 7 ceased production in 1981, remained in production with a choice of either steel or aluminum bodywork until GM sold the Union City plant in 1998.

References

  1. ^ a b "1942 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. pp. 16, 30, 52, 88, 116, 120, 128. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  2. ^ "The Dubl Duti Panel Truck".
  3. ^ "1949 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. pp. 24–26. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  4. ^ "1956 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. pp. 77, 83, 92. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  5. ^ "1956 Chevrolet Truck Brochure" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  6. ^ "1957 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. pp. 109–110. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  7. ^ "1951 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 105. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  8. ^ "1954 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  9. ^ "1963 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 72. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  10. ^ "1964 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 66. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  11. ^ "1966 Chevrolet Trucks—Step-Van and Forward Control Chassis" (PDF). Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Corporation. pp. 8–11. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  12. ^ "1967 Chevrolet Trucks Vehicle Information Kit" (PDF). General Motors Heritage Center. p. 148. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  13. ^ "1967 Chevrolet Truck Engineering Features" (PDF). Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Corporation. pp. 75, 77. Retrieved 2022-04-03.

External links

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