Looking at this Lazy Daze Class C RV posted by So Cal Metro, it suddenly occurred to me: why didn’t all the full size vans have full tilt front ends, like on this Chevy Van G30 HD chassis?
I understand that this is something of an oddball, a G30 HD chassis with its considerably extended nose. I assume the engine might well have been moved forward in this chassis, although I’m not quite sure if or why. But in any case, that tilt down hood must make servicing much easier than through the mail slot sized hoods on the vans. The one on my ’77 Dodge Chinook was a colossal pain. Replacing the water pump was more like brain surgery.
Is there any good reason the whole front end on the regular vans couldn’t have tilted?
There were some jobs that the tilt nose probably made much easier, but it also made easy jobs like checking the oil or adding windshield washer fluid into tests of physical strength and dexterity.
Good question.
I’m not sure that that the example water-pump replacement would be any easier than with a tilt hood. Obviously some service work would be easier.
The ‘daily’ fluid checks would probably be more difficult with a tilt hood.
Probably comes down to cost… the slam bam of sheet metal production probably beats ‘glass hood costs by a mile. Too, a tilt hood requires hardware which may cost more than what’s saved by not using the alligator hood.
The pictured G truck changes things a bit with the tilt front. Some trucks were virtually identical with tilt or fixed front – GM C and H series, IH Loadstar…
That was a nice chassis for motorhomes and delivery vans. The G-3500HD was a hybrid, basically a G series cut-away cab on a P-30 step-van chassis. That chassis featured straight ‘truck style’ C-channel frame rails, an I-beam front axle with leaf springs, 19.5″ wheels, and as I remember the GVW was around 14,500 lbs., considerably heavier than the regular G-30 cut-away. All the motorhome variants I saw had the fuel injected 454 in them, some of the commercial versions had the 6.2/6.5 diesels. The tilt hood/fenders was a nice feature, my guess is the engine location and front suspension of the P series chassis necessitated it. Funny most of the motorhomes I saw built on the G-3500HD chassis were Lazy-Dayz. There is a very nicely preserved example in my neighborhood I see occasionally.
Yes, I was going to suggest that the longer snout was due to the leaf springs and heavier duty radiator. The next generation cutaway van cab 4500/5500 kept this tilt nose concept.
And of course Kodiak/TopKick used well disguised G cabs with tilt fronts.
These vans were fairly rare, only worked on a few of them.
The original Kodiak/TopKick used a pickup cab. The later model using the G body was a vast improvement in head room.
The tilt hood was the preferred set up by almost any mechanic. Laying over the top of the radiator with that hood latch constantly poking you wasn’t very nice. Working thru the side was better.
It was minimal work to pull the hood, radiator as an assembly. You had to remove 4 bolts, unplug wiring harness, a couple of hoses, clip a few nylon ties. Overhead hoist and its out of the way. If the unit had air conditioning that made it a little more complicated. Pop the front tires off and drop the front axle down on some 6 or 8 inch blocks and now its all there for you to work on.
We would pull the front clip on the sheet metal front ends for certain work, head gaskets on 8.2L diesels, another have baked GM engine design.
Jim, having owned a 1995 Kodiak, I can assure it shared a cab with the 1/2 ton c/k1500
Correct, but that changed around 2002 when the cab became based on the G cowl.
Great idea.
One of the big downsides of the old domestic full-size vans was serviceability. You either had to work through the mail-slot sized hood, as you pointed out or remove the “doghouse” cover between the front seats in the passenger compartment to access the engine.
Neither are ideal, and both require a great deal of contortion.
The HD version was built on a modified P30HD frame so my thought is that the nose needed the extension to cover the frame and it was cheaper/easier to make a one piece fiberglass unit than do new sheet metal.
I don’t know if it will really have any better access. At least the bumper is short so you can get in between it and the tire without cranking it to full lock to reach things near the middle.
I believe that is at least one Bugeye Sprite’s worth of rear overhang.
I found one of these G30s last year at the junkyard, first time I ever noticed one of these peculiar things, I might have posted them to cohort.
I couldn’t resist opening the tilt hood to see the 454, I could pretend it was the 55 Chevy in two lane blacktop, but I was quite surprised how nestled back the big block was in it
Tilted
slightly better access?
Thanks for posting that, I’ve never seen one with the hood tilted. Definitely not done to improve access for servicing. Well at least until you just take the hood completely off. That is not that uncommon when doing certain procedures on tilt nose trucks and not that hard on many brands.
I’ve had these pics in my phone since June 2019, I’m glad I could finally share them! Yeah, the only thing that looks convenient to access on the engine with the hood tilted is the fuel pump… which that one doesn’t have since it’s EFI lol
The hood was pretty light though, so taking it completely off shouldn’t be that much of a chore
Hi. Would you be willing to get some parts from that truck? Two easy parts..the oil dipstick and the headlight harness which you can unplug behind the steering column. If you are contacting me and we can work out the cost.
I think the tilt front is well explained. The fender skirts are a whole other matter. But Lazy Daze seems to be rather fond of them, along with its (ahem) distinctive paint schemes.
While we’re asking RV questions, why are Class C larger than Class B? It makes sense that Class A are the largest, but did Class C come along even after Class B as a form of “upsizing” … just as domestic intermediates came along after our compacts?
I’m glad you asked that — that question has long puzzled me.
Class A are motorhomes with integrated driver’s compartment.
Class C has a cab from the chassis manufacturer (cut away) with a new unique body behind it, and typically a bunk over the cab.
Class B are van conversions, retaining the body of the van but with a raised roof and full RV accommodations, but still most of the elements of the original body intact.
There is also a Class B+, which splits the difference between Bs and Cs, meaning a new body in back, typically fiberglass and wider, but specifically no over cab bunk and generally not longer than a van. The Dodge Chinook I had was a pioneer B+ motorhome. They’ve become increasingly popular; perfect for a couple.
Tilt hoods mount the hinges on the front of the frame rails. Since most domestic vans used unibody construction, the radiator bulkhead formed part of the front structure and would block access even with a tilt hood.
They certainly could have designed the front to use a tilt hood, without a radiator bulkhead, but I’m guessing it would have increased costs…
Pulling an engine on any van was a huge headache.
What you need to see today is the pain the vehicles are to work on.
There are some trucks that require removing the cab to do some engine repairs!
Ford pickups with diesel engines, 6.0 & 6.4L, fuel pump craps out, pull cab.
I’m sure glad I’m retired. I would definitely stick to working on the big stuff.
Of course you need a lift, but taking the cab off is pretty quick and easy. There are a number of things that you can do with the cab on but cab off is quicker and easier.
Scoutdude – it’s the heart attack the owner has when he sees his truck, in his eyes thoroughly disemboweled.
It’s probably for the best that Ford quit putting diesels in the E-Series after the 6.0.
I wonder if the rarity of tilt hoods on vans is due to the prohibition on putting headlights (and taillights, for that matter) on movable bodywork, and that requirement only being lifted once a vehicle hits a certain weight class.
The second generation BMW Mini dealt with this rule by having fixed headlights that poked through holes in the clamshell hood, like this.
I didn’t even know the G30 HD existed until I was doing some research this past spring. Such a long hood with the axle still intruding on cab space reminds me of the last Scania conventional semi tractors.
In my experience, any tilt nose is easier to work on than any conventional clamshell hood. The ability to remove the nose was a marvelous option, and with the front wheels off, things got really good. I never worked on any van with conventional hood and doghouse arrangement that was in any way pleasant to deal with. The best of the lot were the earlier models with in-line 6’s (I spent a fair amount of time maintaining a ’75 G10 for a local bus contractor with a 250 six that was at least not awful to work on.) Everyone offered a 6 in those days, which seemed adequate to me in normal applications. You couldn’t have paid me to own a van with a V type engine back then, or now, for that matter. As far as removing a cab to do repairs, the engineers and execs who ok’d that travesty should be condemned to work on their wonderful creations for the rest of their lives. That whole idea is an abomination. Did they not remember that some applications require a truck
body that extends over the cab to some extent? Remove cab and body to replace a few gaskets? Criminal!!
I have a 1994 G30 tilt nose van I have been converting from a damaged motorhome to a toy hauler and am having a lot of problems sourcing parts for tilt hood components and radiator support components and front bumper anyone have any ideas where to buy parts for these oddballs ts would be a big help thanks