70's superior stretch chevy van

John Kline

PCS Member
GREETINGS everyone, I'am looking for some info or photos of the up front cab area when superior would stretch the old chevy vans 14 inches wider. I have plenty of shots of the rear , just need too know what the dash and door panels would have looked like, and was the front windshield a solid one or split down the middle with a gasket. THANKS in advance.....JOHN
 
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This is what I have .I guess it is a Superior?
 

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The dash and seats remained in their original places. The extra interior width was "added" between the seat and the door(s), as in you're not gonna rest your arm out the window without some serious stretching.

The windshield question is answered by the photo(s) posted above.

Yes, the photo(s) show a Superior.
 
There was a near mint Fat Albert in a local used car lot about 10 years ago for only $2,000. I still hate myself for not buying it. The guy that did get it used it to haul raceing go carts and used the shelves for parts. It went down hill bad and the last I knew it was sitting in the salvage yard. :( I always wondered how did those handle on curves at highway speeds? With the way the body overhangs the wheels wouldnt it be a little strange feeling?
 
The Superior Chevrolet wide bodies were very squirrely on curves and on ice. We used them in inner city Minneapolis and out in the suburbs and beat the crap out of them. Felt a little odd when you first got in to drive as seats were in the normal positions for a van but the doors were extended out. There were wide arm rests. It made for unnatural maneuvering in tight parking lots and ER entrances. So there were frequent parking lot mishaps for new drivers.

The transition was from M-M Cadillacs to Road Rescue Type I modulars on single rear wheels, (not tandems) to these wide body Superior Chevrolets, finally to Type III's on Ford cut-away chassis from several different builders like Braun, Modulance, American Coach, and Road Rescue that were a lot better.

The wide body Superior Chevrolet ambulances had 350 engines and were very noisy. Over time, lots of air leakage around the engine doghouse so very cold in the Minnesota winter. They were rattletraps. I have no fond memories of them like I do for the Cadillacs.
 

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If somebody were holding a gun to my head and forcing me to give a one word description of them it would have to be....................


JUNK
 
Unfortunately Russell unless we can stop the onslaught of ghostbuster wannabees,or the rat rods,we may well be looking at the next generation of pro cars.Not exactly sure when, but if the hippies come back for another go round we may not even find the van models,and a box truck just isn't appealing to me....
 
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