What do I have?

[Joe P]

Bought a Chevy frame out of the woods, no body. It's in amazingly good shape for a northeast find with only a little rust, probably too good to use for parts. It is supposed to be a 1963 Chevy Panel Van, described to me as bread truck, probably P20 series. It has a 133 inch wheelbase, 8 lug 17.5 inch wheels, and Eaton HO52 Diff marked PL1212 which I traced to a posi 5.14 ratio. The number on the frame horn near the steering box is T113607. I have the decoder chart but can't seem to figure out what it started life as. Can anyone help decode? Any suggestions on what to do with it?

[roll_the_dice]

Is it a dually or SRW? I have a 64 GMC 133" WB that is a 1 tone...but it is a dually. Mine has the HO72 Eaton rear end. If yours is a SRW it still could be a 1 ton I believe...I am sure someone more knowledgeable will help soon. Free bump for you though.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

Is it a dually or SRW? I have a 64 GMC 133" WB that is a 1 tone...but it is a dually. Mine has the HO72 Eaton rear end. If yours is a SRW it still could be a 1 ton I believe...I am sure someone more knowledgeable will help soon. Free bump for you though.

Thanks for your input. It has the single rear wheel and the wider differential housing than the dually, and also the smaller rear brakes than the dually. It also has shock absorbers in the rear. The spare dually diff I have in the garage has no shock tabs. I think the one tons did not have shocks, but not sure. I was just trying to figure out what it was and what to do with it. I see Chevy made step side pickups with the 133 inch wheelbase. Must be around a nine foot bed I would think. That's way too long. It might be easy enough to shorten the frame and make a six foot bed C20. Or install a Packard or Buick straight 8 and a T bucket and drive it around like that.

[Warrens69GMC]

post a picture

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by Joe P

Thanks for your input. It has the single rear wheel and the wider differential housing than the dually, and also the smaller rear brakes than the dually. It also has shock absorbers in the rear. The spare dually diff I have in the garage has no shock tabs. I think the one tons did not have shocks, but not sure. I was just trying to figure out what it was and what to do with it. I see Chevy made step side pickups with the 133 inch wheelbase. Must be around a nine foot bed I would think. That's way too long. It might be easy enough to shorten the frame and make a six foot bed C20. Or install a Packard or Buick straight 8 and a T bucket and drive it around like that.

My 1 ton does not have shocks...just leaf springs, but it is a GMC and I "think" they had more leaf springs than shocks. I have a 9 foot bed, which was for the 1 ton 133" WB, but I am thinking of using on my 1 ton, but not sure since I would have to widen it...I may build a flatbed instead.

[Joe P]

Photos hopefully rotated correctly...

[The Rocknrod]

Tarrytown, NY
Was it located here?

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

Tarrytown, NY
Was it located here?

Yes, the number is impression stamped into the topside of the frame rail near the steering box.

[Chevy Fleetside]

looks like you have a GMC frame there. Leaf springs for one and in the middle where the drive shaft goes past in not enclosed. Don't really know what year. Dose it have drum or disc up front?

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

looks like you have a GMC frame there. Leaf springs for one and in the middle where the drive shaft goes past in not enclosed. Don't really know what year. Dose it have drum or disc up front?

It has drum brakes up front. Seller said it was a Chevy Panel Van, like a Bread Truck, last used by a plumber, but also said it's been sitting at least 10 years. He's a guy out in the woods, barely on the grid and surrounded with stuff like this, so perhaps it is a GMC as you said. Hard to tell what's correct as the numbers are cryptic.

[350TacoZilla]

If I bought that my guess would have been 1 ton SRW stepside, but I've never seen the bread truck style frame alone. It looks alot like my 3\4T GMC frame except I have Dana 60 rear. RTD's truck is a cab chassis DRW 1 ton so that might be difference there.

Were they called step vans then? I know some people call them panel trucks VS the panel trucks that are like a closed in suburban.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

If I bought that my guess would have been 1 ton SRW stepside, but I've never seen the bread truck style frame alone. It looks alot like my 3\4T GMC frame except I have Dana 60 rear. RTD's truck is a cab chassis DRW 1 ton so that might be difference there.

Were they called step vans then? I know some people call them panel trucks VS the panel trucks that are like a closed in suburban.

Yes I think you are correct, Step Van is a more appropriate term for for the P series Bread Truck body. The Chevy book also refers to them as Step Panel. No matter how you slice it, it looks just like a giant toaster, not like a Suburban Panel.

[mongocanfly]

if it was one of those panel vans , wouldnt the steering box be pointed nearly straight up...just curious , cause i dont know

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

if it was one of those panel vans , wouldnt the steering box be pointed nearly straight up...just curious , cause i dont know

Here's a photo of the steering box. It's a cute little thing that doesn't look strong enough for a truck like this. Anyway it's not pointed straight up like you would think but if it was, the pitman arm would hit the frame. I will look at the Chevy books I have and see if there's an illustration of the Step Van Steering Column. Thanks for all the help from everyone. I am beginning to think that this was a 3/4 Ton GMC or Chevy pickup with a nine foot bed. Perhaps we will never know for sure but still investigating...

[mongocanfly]

in my mind . i picture it as being vertical and the pitman arm being 180deg from where it is...swing side2side..

[mongocanfly]

like this ...pic i grabbed off net

[Rolland]

Probably a Chevy since GMC normally did not stamp anything on the the frame rail as shown.

[cwcarpenter98]

Look at the body mount right behind the front spring hangers for the rear axle. Makes me think either a suburban/panel or the step van

I pulled a 9 foot stepside bed off a 65 Chevy a couple months ago. That frame had the same mounts as a regular, 8 foot bed truck

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by gmc jr van

I think 350TacoZilla is right. It looks like a Chevy 1 ton 3604 stepside. The rear shock was optional equipment. It’s not a step van. The 60-68 ¾ and 1 ton step vans had an I-beam front axle. The steering gear box and steering column and shaft are one piece on the step vans. It was built at Tarrytown and the serial number is 113607.

Found this photo on the internet. Supposing it would look something like this...

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

like this ...pic i grabbed off net

Illustration from my parts book. The G series vans has the one piece steering box pointed straight up. It appears that the P series Step Vans have a couple universal joints in the steering column.

[MJN]

Did you ever measure the wheelbase on it? The 1-ton panel trucks were 133" and so were the 1 ton pickups with 9ft step side bed. 1 tons should have 8 leafs in the spring pack as well. C-20's were coil spring. Looks to be 1963 or newer since the front suspension is coil spring and not torsion bar.
If you can get the stamped code off the top of the rear axle third member that will help narrow down the year and maybe the application.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by MJN

Did you ever measure the wheelbase on it? The 1-ton panel trucks were 133" and so were the 1 ton pickups with 9ft step side bed. 1 tons should have 8 leafs in the spring pack as well. C-20's were coil spring. Looks to be 1963 or newer since the front suspension is coil spring and not torsion bar.
If you can get the stamped code off the top of the rear axle third member that will help narrow down the year and maybe the application.

It has a 133 inch wheelbase, 8 lug 17.5 inch wheels, leaf springs and the Eaton HO52 Diff marked PL1212 which should be a Detroit Locker No Spin 5.14 ratio. For sure it's a No Spin, I took off the cover and now that the brakes are freed up I get the clicking typical to the locker.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by gmc jr van

That Illustration is for the step-van 7 (P10). If you look at Illustration 6-1 that is what they used for the P20, P30 thru 1967. The picture is from a 65 brochure.

So even more confused now. The P10 Step Van in your brochure shows a Universal Joint in the Steering Column but the P20-30 is upwards pointing Steering Column that is apparently part of the Steering Box. Also the vans in your brochure have an I Beam Front Suspension with Leaf Springs. This frame is IFS with Coils up front and Leaf Springs in the rear, and Eight Lug Hubs/Wheels! Your evidence supports the argument that this frame was from a 63 to 66 C20 Pickup with a Nine Foot Bed.

[MJN]

Originally Posted by Joe P

It has a 133 inch wheelbase, 8 lug 17.5 inch wheels, leaf springs and the Eaton HO52 Diff marked PL1212 which should be a Detroit Locker No Spin 5.14 ratio. For sure it's a No Spin, I took off the cover and now that the brakes are freed up I get the clicking typical to the locker.

That helps, the PL code was used in 1962, 63 and 64 C30 applications. 5.14 ratio positraction. 1212 is the month and day it was built, Dec 12.