Junkyard Find: 1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van
The third-generation GM G-Series van was introduced as a 1971 model, and it stayed in production in essentially the same form through 1996. Early examples of this long-lived design are tough to find these days, so I was happy to find this '76 in a North Carolina self-service yard a couple of months back.
Not many Detroit vehicles stayed more or less the same for as long as this generation of Chevrolet/GMC van and its quarter-century of production. Chrysler beats GM with its B-Series Dodge/ Plymouth vans, though, built for the 1971 through 1997 model years (its chassis was unchanged through 2003, but the body was redesigned for 1998).
Much of my childhood was spent in a red-and-white 1973 Chevrolet Sportvan Beauville, shown here in Minneapolis around the time of the Apollo 17 moon landing and just hours prior to the family's move to California. I was six years old at the time and it stayed in the family long enough for me to crash it as a teenager.
That van had a Chevrolet 350 small-block under its engine doghouse, and this one's VIN says it also had 350 power when new. Who knows, maybe this Quadrajet-and- HEI-equipped small-block is the original one… though it's likely that at least a couple of swaps have taken place.
While my family's '73 was equipped with the optional three-speed automatic transmission, this '76 has the base three-speed column-shift manual.
Yes, a factory V8 with manual gearbox!
The 350 is one of the few options I could find on this van, which has a dash full of block-off plates for extra-cost features and no air conditioning. The base engine on the ¾-ton G20 Chevrolet van for 1976 was the 292-cubic-inch straight-six. A 400-cubic-inch V8 was available as well.
The 1971-1996 G-Series cargo vans were called Chevy Vans (Chevrolet) or Vanduras (GMC), while the passenger versions were Sportvans (Chevrolet) and Rallys (GMC).
The cargo vans were preferred by customizers, because the lack of rear side glass made room for aftermarket windows and/or murals.
This one appears to have received a sliding door swap from a Sportvan or Rally, because it has a window.
It has a very mild conversion, including an aftermarket sunroof and map lights.
I'm pretty sure the diamond-quilted door panels were not installed at Lordstown, where this van was assembled.
It appears that this van has spent all or most of its life in North Carolina. Here's a 1980-1981 University of North Carolina Charlotte parking sticker.
It had 76,950 miles on the odometer in the fall of 1985.
Now it shows 44,748 miles. This might represent 144,748 or 544,748 actual final miles.
The North Carolina DMV inspection sticker has a 2006 expiration date.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
1976 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van in North Carolina wrecking yard.
[Images: The Author]
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Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
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A pack (box?) of Zig-Zags is in some hidden crevice of that van.
I want to put flowers on this van. It could be my grandpa's van from when I was little and he would take my cousin and I to the lake in it.