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Mid '70s Chevy rescue van Round 2


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Those 'New' Snow tires look like the "Gates Commandos" included in the original issue of this Rescue van.

As well as the 72 Blazer kit from Model King. (And the Original annuals from before!!)

I have a few of them, and a GMC Jimmy with them!

For Snow tires, I would rather have the MPC Suburbanite's!!They would be closer in size

to the Stock tires in the kit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just posted a full review of the kit contents of Round 2's reissue of this 1971 Chevy G30 "Rescue Van", along with a comparison to the original 1971 "T516" issue of the kit. 28 photos and commentary at the link (you may want to use the "roll" feature view the pictures and text as one continuous presentation).

Thanks for looking...TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/amts-chevy-rescue-v/

DSC_0293-vi.jpg

Edited by tim boyd
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But, Back then Even Cargo vans had windows in the rear doors!!!

I remember reading about owners getting tickets for them being covered,

or blocked by contents IN the van!!

In the one-to-one world, glass, other than the front doors and windshield was optional on all the manufacturer's cargo vans. In our area, most customers preferred them without any glass for security reasons. A lot of the vans I sold were that way.

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Thanks for the excellent review , Tim :) .

I first built one of the 70's-issues of this kit back in late 1977 when I was 7 years old . I don't remember what the box art portrayed , but am sure that it was a customised version .

I still vividly recall the day that I bought it ; it was the day that Elvis died . I got it at the GEMCO in Downey (Calif) on a rainy late afternoon . When I got home , I went to my bedroom , turned-on the television , and tuned-in to the Spiderman cartoon programme .

Unfortunately , I had a devil of a time with assembling the wheel / tyre assemblies to the "kingpins" ... God only knows what happened to that kit ; it was boxed-up and forgotten about .

In 1984 , I tried for a requiem ! A local sporting goods store sold kits . Many of their kits were very highly-priced , so they sat for decades on the shelves (!!) . Many of the boxes were even Sun-bleached ! Well , on their shelf was the same 1970-something Chevy Van that I'd had 7 years prior . I figured that , at age 14 , I would be able to tackle building this kit again !

I was right ! Came out quite nice ... then the 1987 earthquake destroyed it (GRrrUMpH !)

Anyhow ...

I believe that the A-TEAM issue / retool from c.1982 did the most *damage* to the tooling , IMO . The only reason I used to buy the A-TEAM kit was for its tyres and plain steel wheels for use on other builds .

Other *subtle* changes to the tooling vs. the newer versions :

- The "plate" on the interior platform which used to occupy the space behind the seats . I believe that that "plate" was introduced when the wild 454 engine option came about for 1972 or 1973.

- The custom wheels --American Racing type--- have been unchanged since at least 1977 . Even the A-TEAM version had them !

The last time I built one of these vans was back in 2003 ; the RC2 A-TEAM reissue . I opened the hood , as I wanted the engine to be seen . However , the compartment looked so bland that the opening hood effort was wasted .

I mention this only because I wanted to quell your concerns about making the hood operational . The cowl area is reasonably thick , perhaps as an artifact of the issues with the original 1971 version's weak point.

So , cut away !

Thank God the correct , stock seats have returned !!!!

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But, Back then Even Cargo vans had windows in the rear doors!!!

I remember reading about owners getting tickets for them being covered,

or blocked by contents IN the van!!

IIRC, most if not all cargo vans still can be had with or without windows in the back doors, I've also seen several current Chevy and GMC cargo vans that have smaller than factory and most likely aftermarket back windows installed in those doors...........and look like garbage that way too!

BTW, how were those tickets written? IIRC here in Illinois, all vehicles have to have at least 2 useable mirrors, so long as those vans had mirrors on both front doors, they should be legal.

I may be wrong but all ambulance and rescue vans have windows in the back???

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I've just posted a full review of the kit contents of Round 2's reissue of this 1971 Chevy G30 "Rescue Van", along with a comparison to the original 1971 "T516" issue of the kit. 28 photos and commentary at the link (you may want to use the "roll" feature view the pictures and text as one continuous presentation).

Thanks for the pics and review comments, Tim. I am REALLY liking the roll feature, too. Hopefully Photobucket copies that feature from fotki. :unsure:

The smooth roof on all of these issues (except the GMC-branded A-TEAM version IIRC) is the biggest disappointment for me. It would've been great to see the roof ribs engraved in the tooling, but I can understand why Round 2 wouldn't want to do that.

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I'm going to buy a couple of these, if just for the neat decal sheet.

With the above in mind, I will probably NOT build mine in the police or fire version, so if someone wants the decals from my kit, send me a PM and I am sure we can work something out.

I really like this kit, gonna have to find some time to build it!

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With the above in mind, I will probably NOT build mine in the police or fire version, so if someone wants the decals from my kit, send me a PM and I am sure we can work something out.

I really like this kit, gonna have to find some time to build it!

I'm doing one as a basic cargo van with National Car Rental graphics... but I am KEEPING that decal sheet, thank you! B)

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Thanks for the pics and review comments, Tim. I am REALLY liking the roll feature, too. Hopefully Photobucket copies that feature from fotki. :unsure:

The smooth roof on all of these issues (except the GMC-branded A-TEAM version IIRC) is the biggest disappointment for me. It would've been great to see the roof ribs engraved in the tooling, but I can understand why Round 2 wouldn't want to do that.

Thanks Casey!

I'm not an expert on 3rd gen Chevy vans, but I know that at some point (around 1977 IIRC) a bodyside strengthening rib was added to the metal stampings for the van bodysides. It runs about a foot or so above the separately engraved bodyside rub stripes on early 3rd gen Chevy vans. I wonder if the roof rib engraving you mention was added as well at that time, or was it a feature of all 3rd Gen Chevy minivans?

TIM

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As far as I can recall , it was only the A-TEAM version whose roof was ribbed . It also had an obligatory sunroof opening , in addition to 4 semi-eliptical openings for the roof mounted lights .

The 1970's version(s) were sans ribs , to the best of my recollection ; and further , their sides were moulded-in , albeit with round cutouts for the "bubble" sidelights . I believe that the rear doors' backlights were cutout , too .

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I wonder if the roof rib engraving you mention was added as well at that time, or was it a feature of all 3rd Gen Chevy minivans?

The raised roof ribs were present on the real G-vans since '71, but looking back it doesn't appear the original issue of the AMT kit had the ribs.

I noticed the front door window "glass" panes are slightly different between the two issues, with the current issue having a clearly defined vent window pane, while the original issue's window is all one, flat piece. I never noticed the vent window support/divider was molded as part of the window "glass" until just now:

DSC_0326-vi.jpg

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The big block was mentioned...

The engine block appears to be oversized for a small block- so I would think that using some big block heads, intake, and front cover would go a long way into converting the kit engine into a big block, though to be fair, the thing is pretty much impossible once the van is built either way.

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Trying to remember.. Didn't somebody sell a "fiberglass" ambulance roof extension, with side lights and such?

Cargostar made some resin ambulance tops for the Chevy vans....I have one there very nice wish I would have gotten another set from him....try contacting him about them you wont be disappointed.

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