Step Van Fans?
 

Any FORD chassis Step Van Fans here? Am interested in vintage Grumman, Olson (& P-10 style) riveted aluminum body step vans. Specifically the shorter lighter models, w/straight 6 or small V8 & single rear.

Anyone put in time driving a FORD 300 straight 6 Grumman step van?

I used to have a Grumman van with the 300 six and 3spd trans. If I remember correctly, it was a 65. I used to haul my dirt bikes and my drag bike. It was a good old rig and it drove great. I had fun with it.

A Step Van is Chevrolet's version of Ford's: P Series Parcel Delivery, made 1953/77. Once there was the P100, P350, P400 & P500. The P100 was later dropped.

The rolling chassis was also used for Class A motorhomes, manufactured by Condor, for example.

Ford sold an incomplete vehicle (rolling chassis, front sheet metal, dash, steering column and etc), then purchasers installed the body of their choice.

UPS used the P Series thru 1975, then began using the E350 chassis.

So many P Series were sold to bakery's, they have been known for decades as "bread trucks."

We know GM had one specifically named Step Van but it's still a general term. Eventually I'll get one. Like a Kurbmaster.

Was your Grumman a Kurb-Side or Kurb-Master? Was it a longer, heavy duty, dualie model? Can you comment on how it behaved at interstate speed & how bad the MPG was?

Considering making a camper out of a '53 Kurb-Side, if I can ever find the unique green glass.

As Jax Rapsody posted, when appealing to "FORD chassis Step Van Fans" I'm using the term "Step Van" generically. Have a sales brochure titled: '78 Chevy Walk-In Vans, that calls their P10, P20 & P30 "Step-Van". Those riveted aluminum bodies were made by Union City.

FORD made chassis for Grumman & Olson body step vans. The post war Grumman factory & 70's Olson factory were near were I grew up. FORD sold running chassis, that lacked any "front sheet metal, dash" all of which were fabricated by Grumman & Olson. Clearly recall them being driven from RR to factory, driver sitting on temporary/transport wood box set on frame.

The so called 'cutaways' used for delivery trucks, that utilize "front sheet metal, dash, steering column and etc" or complete cabs from Econoline or F-Series, don't interest me.

Vintage Step Van Fans might enjoy this. Please feel free to post links to other Step Van Gems.

vintage step van post - THE H.A.M.B.

Ford made the P Series for others besides Grumman and Olson, there were myriad different body makers.

The rolling chassis was used for Class A Motorhomes, Condor was the largest buyer of these.

The Econoline Cut-Away was introduced in 1969, but thru 1974, the only available engines were 240/300 I-6's and the 302 2V. All these Econolines (and 1961/67's) were unit bodies.

The new Econoline introduced in 1975 had a separate frame (like all others since). Engine choices initially were the 300 I-6, 351W 2V & 460 4V. UPS began using this rolling chassis, as did others.

Cut-Away's were used to install box bodies, for Class C Motorhomes and etc.

NumberDummy, Thanks for the genral info on FORD chassis. Was well aware that there have been many body manufacturers using FORD chassis. Some of these companies, like Grumman & Olson, also used both FORD & Chevy chassis. The '61 Chevy Step-Van brochure lists Boyertown, De Kalb, Dayton, General, Olson, Southern, Alf-Herman, Universal Montpelier & Union City under "Here are a few of the many special delivery bodies made for Cherolet Series P" chassis.

My current interest is in step vans w/riveted aluminum bodies. Was surprised to learn Chevy offered both aluminum & steel Union City bodies. This is an alternative to restoring my '53 Grumman Kurbside, which I can't find blue green glass for after exhaustive search. A trickle of advice keeps saying some unknown company either bends or makes windshields, but HMN & Google don't seem to know about it, not even a custom windshield guy Boyd Coddington uses.

Did you look over the 'Vintage Step Van Post'?

Boyd is as dead as Julius Caesar. His shop in La Habra CA was 15 minutes away from where I live.

This same type of blue/green glass was used in older yachts. I remember seeing all sorts of this glass at a glass shop that specialized in boats when I owned a 1966 37' Chris-Craft.

Some older yachts had wrap around windshields and rear windows, curved side windows made from this glass. Considering where you live, there should be 100's of glass shops that specialize in boats.

There's an ancient Chevy Step Van located at a Los Angeles truck dismantlers yard. It's been there for decades and is used to store seats. Next time I go there, I'll take a magnet along.

Yeh, heard Boyd died young. Was he like 60?

Funny but "I remember seeing all sorts of this...same type blue/green glass" way back when I was in the Olson Body factory.

Why? "should be 100's of glass shops that specialize in boats"? When I needed a boat windshield there was no "shop that specialized in boats" to be found in north FL. You either went for boat parts, to an automotive glass shop, or switched to plastic.

Searching unknown &/or "older yachts" hoping to find a windshield match sounds more daunting than possibility of cutting down Vintage Step Van glass. Am often at St. A boat recycler, but don't recall ever seeing any of the "same type blue/green glass" among their large & ever changing offerings. But these guys should know who to ask to find the specialty windshield makers. It's worth talking to a couple of boat builders too.

I'd think "an ancient Chevy Step Van" made of steel would show some rust even in LA.

Jacksonville area Merita Bakery used a fleet of Grumman Kurbsides & 1 was still running just a couple of years ago in Gainesville. Met the guy that had been in charge of their maintenance, who amassed big collection of retired 'Roundbacks'.

Maybe somebody in the Pacific NW will pipe in & say the climate there is easy on old Grumman green glass & identify a "truck dismantlers yard" that has an excellent used windshield for early 50' Kurbside, Or somebody in the heartland stumbled on a stock of NOS Grumman windshield glass languishing in storage.

Best hope of glass replacement so far combines; the offer of cutting down another windshield to attain the curve pieces, w/the fact that several other step vans lacked A-pillars & have similar glass 'wrap around' corners resolving to flat front & sides.

Can anyone confirm that later Kurbsides had 2 piece windshields & that these would fit the older 6 piece openings?

Can anyone post links to any other webpages that discuss Vintage Step Vans & their descendants?

Kurb-sides are the ones witout the driver door ain't they?

Guess you didn't see the Kurb-Sides on the Vintage Step Van Post link. Every Grumman/Olson Kurb-Side that I've ever seen has had both driver & passenger doors.

J.B.E. Olson Corp's '52 price list, under Standard Equipment says; "Extra Wide Side Doors with Roll Windows" & shows both doors. However Olson was well known to build modified models so there's a good chance some were "witout the driver door".

1954 Grumman Olson
 

Hi,
I have a '54 P350 that I plan to put back on the road. It's been on light duty the past 30 or so years serving as parts storage, such is the case with many of these it would seem. I really never paid much attention to that van even to the point that I had no idea it was even that old. It really didn't look that old, after all, the quarters, floors, looked good, no rust anywhere really. Not at all like everything else in the yard.
So for this project I humbly ask for and welcome any and all of your input. My intention is to use the truck as a camper van so modern gear ratio's and modern systems would be my preference. I am interested in the possibility of using donor vehicles for parts or doing a complete body swap which I have to think would be a lot of custom fabrication which may or may not be feasible. I have a 1997 Ford F-150 Ext Cab Short Bed 4x4, 4.7, and I also have a 1994 Dodge 2500 Ram Van Conversion. I have older stuff too, but those chassis would be my first choice, one or the other. And it is a Ford Grumman, and I also have a 1.5 or 2 ton Dana Dually rear out of a 70's Dodge box truck. I will measure the wheelbase tomorrow, to attempt to body swap or not, that is the question, what's the best way to set these up to get modern performance, economy, and brakes, coil over front suspension, gas or diesel, etc, etc...?

Not a Step Van. However I recently stumbled across a website/forum devoted to mid 60's Falcon based Econolines. If you'd "actually like to find her a new loving home" you'd do better posting pics there.

ClubWagon,
I don't know a lot about step vans, but I bought one a while back. I originally bought it for work, but things change and come up, so I never got around to really using it. It is a straight six, but the body is unique. It is all aluminum and it is a little shorter and not as long as the Chevy P30. Also, the front has a sloped two piece windshield. The frontend has a square nose with square headlights. The front nose has a molded fiberglass hood and fenders. Interior is about 13.5 feet cargo area with a 6 foot ceiling height. If I could get a pic I'll post it. Haven't seen any with this body type. 1985 Ford 3500 Suspension and Manual Transmission.