This van is owned by Michael of Berck's Detail A Go Go. He uses it in his detailing business. Along with me is Jose (66BeachCruiser) lending his VCVanning expertise to the discussion.
Not to mention expert at; video editing, sophisticated machine trainer, solid Vintage Chevy Vanner and much more. Thank you for the kind words to my trusted partner in this YT channel and many other VCV endeavors!
Those vans came from the factory with a variety of 6 or 8 bangers. Rumor has it you could special order a 4 cyl Iron Duke engine. (Why?) The key to cooling is that belly pan with louvers to push the air up to the radiator. It also needs a rubber flap at the end (hanging from the crossmember?) so the air is trapped and not just flowing out the rear under the engine. Those limiting straps for the rear doors were also used on the G series vans till the end of production. IOW, through 1995. At one time I had a box of them from my fleet and used them for various other things. The pin that pulled out always got lost but the straps are almost always on vans in the scrap yard. BTW, Chevy never changed the steering shaft spline so basically any steering wheel from any vintage will fit. The hard part is finding the horn parts to look right with the wheel of your choice. I'm still scouting my parts for a 64 Corvan to match the OEM wheel. (found the wheel on-line)
That sounds like a sweet ride. I’ve heard stories like this many times. Some owners even end up buying their vans back. One member has owned the same van 3 times! (Ira). Thank you for commenting.
There was a 4 cylinder option for these vans. I believe it was for those that wanted the greatest possible fuel economy. Unfortunately they were underpowered and many were removed and discarded. These belly pans were described as “deflectors” by the factory and seem to be designed to deflect road spray by the way the louvers were oriented. I’ve ran these vans with and without belly pans on hot days just to see if there was any difference in the engine temperature and, at least in my experience, there was none. Cooling these vans on hot days remains an unresolved issue IMHO. You’re right about parts issues. So many of the small parts are hard to find. For horn parts, many C10 parts will interchange. Thank you for your comments!
Hi. Great van drove one at speed shop. Get a pertronix. Point eliminator and switch might have c10. Or. Nova. Interchange Side markers direct bolt on for 886. Up. Newer. Van for. Smooth look
Thanks to Mark at vintage Chevy van parts, I’m about to install that new steering gearbox with the machined worm block. Had my old box rebuilt, one and a half times, with not much change in the result. Looking forward to having a no nonsense no play steering wheel!
