The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Would a early chevy/gmc van be considered a stovebolt??

I need a van and was considering a early 64-70 chevy van.I thought it could be cool, as I like older stuff. Any way wondering if ther were any van guys here, and if any one could give any advise on what to look for when buying one of these old vans. any special spots to look for bad hidden structual rust? Not easy finding one up here in New England, so I'm thinking the were all eaten up by rust. Thanks

I worked on commercial vans for many years. The places to look for rust are about the same as any other vehicle. The frame & cab supports. These were bad about the side panels & side doors. You are right, it will be hard to find a good one there in the rustbelt. You will need to go south & or west to find one. The 71 up are better. They had beefier front ends with disk brakes. A v-8 is better then a six. The auto trans is better because the standard shift linkage gets sloppy. Technically these would not be considered stovebolts but this website is open to 72 on back GM. trucks.

I just like the 64-70 style snub nose.

In my opinion any straight six chevy from the antique era could be considered a stovebolt. The early vans are cool. They have more than enough power with the six, their manual drum brakes are more than capable, and they are a blast to drive. Column manual shift is fine as long as they linkage is not completely worn out. They rot structurally where steering box mounts and where leaf springs mount. There are patch panels available for other exterior areas where they tend to rot.

Although technically "stovebolt" would only refer to the straight sixes, I think I read somewhere that here on Stovebolt, any chevy truck '67 or earlier is honorarily given that title.

I know, for instance, that my '60 has a 283 in it, and I've never been told to leave.

B

Well if any one knows of one around new england, please give me a shout. My plan would be to either keep the straight 6 or put in a built 4.3, either way running a 700r4 overdrive. Dosen't take much to move them any way. I don't think I find one close to here unless I luck out.

The actual language says pre '73 and though this is really a truck site, I've seen guys with cars accepted and treated well--they just don't find a lot of help on anything except drive train issues.

Moderator's note: Craiglist item deleted. Not allowed in General Truck Talk