We all know what a cube van is, we see them everyday. But...if you are of a certain age, you hopefully remember when cube vans did not exist.
Here is a brief story from The Colonel on the emergence of cube vans.
At one time the cube van market space was occupied with step vans also known as walk in vans. Step Vans were an excellent work tool for the folks that actually required a walk in van (milk/bread home delivery). In colder climates with serious winter conditions not only were step vans cold, they had a propensity to rust and corrode in a brief period of time.
When the first cube vans became a reality in the early 1970's its the step van body builders that were installing the boxes, with the same corrosion issues, in addition to lengthy delivery delays. The cube van customer was not as patient as the step van customer when it came to delivery delays.
If you were in the truck business you endured the corrosion of steel step vans, and wrestled with delivery delays of steel cube vans from the same body builder. Yes...there was the aluminum alternative which worked well with step vans, and not as well for a cube van. As an aside at one point steel step vans were no longer offered to the local market, only aluminum.
The alternative to the cube van was the 1 ton Chassis Cab with an 84 inch CA and a 10,000 lbs GVW that could accommodate a 12 foot box (boxes are transferable on chassis cabs).
At one point the "cut away" became available, you could now order a "cut away" (cube van with no body with a cardboard to block the back of the cut away cab). In addition a chassis cab was easy to move around, cut aways were not pleasant to drive for extended periods with the cardboard flapping in the wind.
At least there was a viable alternative to the 1 ton Chassis Cab that could accommodate a 12 foot box. No one buys just a cut way they new on the market, they need a box, and the customer wants it yesterday. Some things never change.
How do you put cube vans on the market in a major metro area and gain a competitive advantage? Keeping in mind that one customer wants a roll up door, the other barn doors, and another 60 inch doors on the box.
In cooperation with a local body builder, the ordering of cut aways is sequenced with the building of boxes that are bolted to the cut away chassis, the boxes are built without the rears installed to accommodate the various rear door requirements. The first trial run was 5 units, it progressively increased to usually 10 units, keeping in mind that pre built boxes are cumbersome to keep in inventory.
The boxes were painted as per the colors of the cut aways that are ordered (usually white).
For a good period of time this truck dealer had a distinct market advantage in being able to turn a cut away into a cube van, with the correct rear doors in approximately 1 week.
FYI
The 1 ton GMC Chassis cab of the time was a TC31403 with an 84 inch CA, the usual motor was a 350 with a Turbo Hydro 400, 3,500 lbs front suspension, 7,500 lbs rear axle. You could get a 454 as an option.
The 1 ton GMC cut away of the time was a TG31303 that could accomodate a 12 foot box, same drivetrain as the chassis cab, and you could get a 400 small block as an option.
Monday, May 10, 2010 
