Chevrolet Stepvan
The Chevrolet Stepvan (also called Chevrolet Forward Control Chassis) is a step-van made by Chevrolet from 1941 to 1978.
| Chevrolet Stepvan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet (General Motors) |
| Also called |
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| Production | 1941-1979 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Parcel van |
| Body style | 2-door parcel van |
| Platform | GM A platform |
| Related | Chevrolet C/K |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | General Motors Step Van |
History
The Chevrolet Step-van was a parcel van made in the chassis of a Chevrolet truck however from 1973 they were built in a unibody chassis instead of a truck one.
First Generation
The first generation was a parcel van version of the AK Series truck built from 1941 to 1949, it was a tougher version than the normal pickup truck it was based on and could haul more things than it's pickup counterpart.
Despite the Chevrolet Advance Design being released in 1947/1948, the AK Series parcel van continued production until 1949. The parcel vans can be confused with the Cab-Over Chevrolet trucks and vans. The reason the parcel vans continued production until 1949 is because of their popularity as it could haul more things than the normal pickup truck counterpart it was based on.
Second Generation
From 1950 to 1953 Chevrolet started continuing the parcel vans versions of their pickup trucks billed as stronger and more capable versions of their pickup trucks, the parcel van was usually made in the chassis of a 3800 version of the Advance-Design.
Chevrolet didn't make many versions of the Advance-Design parcel van. as the parcel van body was very tall and caused aerodynamic failures. The parcel van used the same engine as it's pickup truck counterpart, unlike the AK Series parcel van.
Third Generation
The third generation was made in the chassis of the Volkswagen Type 1 van with the grille and body that was reminiscent of the Chevrolet Task Force series, the back doors were almost the same as the previous but the aerodynamic issues were fixed.
The third generation improved the sales of the Chevrolet Step van. It was somewhat shorter than the previous generations but had more cargo space in it's back than the AK Series and Advance Design parcel vans. This generation introduced a cab-over style to the parcel van style.
Fourth Generation
The fourth-generation was almost just a facelifted version of the third generation with some upgraded components and this time it was made in a unibody chassis than a previous used one, that generation was not as long as the previous ones but was taller.
It also featured a somewhat redesigned style and grille, the back doors remained the same for the most part, the headlights remained the same. It was not a cab-over truck and featured a somewhat longer bonnet than the previous generation.
Fifth Generation
That was the last generation Chevrolet step-van made in a unibody chassis like the previous generation, that generation was also made in some European countries, unlike the previous generations.
That generation started production from 1968 to 1973 and as of today, there are no more generations of the step-van, at least as for now. The stop of the production of the step-van could be because of the popularity of box vans, as they became more popular than step-vans.