Hello from Pullman Washington. I am the owner and brewer at Paradise Creek Brewery and have always had a fascination with cl***ic cars. Must have started in the early 60s when I was putting together so many model cars. Well, now I have a need for something cool to be a showpiece for my brewery when we go to festivals and I came across a 66 Grumman Olsonette on a Chevy Ch***is. It is interesting that the dash gauges are pre 54 era. I will post pics when it gets back from the shop. It seems to be pretty much original and it runs fairly well but pops out of 2nd gear which is getting fixed now. I got it for half a thousand dollars so have some room to do some restoration and trick it out a bit. I came across this amazing forum and hope to get some help and offer some as well once my project gets further along. What I really need help with first is finding some of the name badges (don't laugh). I need the one that says "Olsonette" that goes above the grill, and other exterior trim pieces. I was introduced to the OldChevyTrucks.com site but was wondering if there are any other major sources for parts, new or used. Also, if anyone else has a 66 if they could share some pictures of the cab portion, I would appreciate it. Other nagging questions: Why did they build a vehicle without a driver side door? Are the windows supposed to operate? thanks for any help. Tom
Cut off date is '64 I believe. That's why I just lurk here most of the time, I have a '66 Lincoln so I come for the wealth of knowledge on these boards. Wish there was a HAMB Ii for later cars. Just noticed your from Pullman though so I thought I'd drop in and say welcome. I'm from Spokane but work on the campus doing construction at WSU a lot.
'64, OK. I just thought it was for those who shared the p***ion. Oh well. Thanks for saying Hi 66slabside. Next time you are in Pullman, stop by the brewery and say hi.
The rule interperation is if it looks the same or real close as a 64 its ok.. Like the 64/65 Buick Riveria.. So you could just change the year to 64... I had a 57 olsen van and it looked like a 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 and so on.. I used mine as a storage shed. sold it several years ago. Welcome and share some of the beer..
Mine is the same way. Identical to early 60's models. Looks like everything should be interchangeable for the most part as far as I know at this point. It will be fun getting into this thing. Brewing a double batch of beer now, 14 barrels or about 434 gallons of IPA. Yum.
Hi i tkink , but not fully sure that your is call a kurb van as been more then a 1/2 ton. the nose of it i think is a give awway from side view here is a side view of mine been an olsonette
Ah Ha, you are correct fellow Grumman Olson owner. Mine does appear to have a longer wheel base and is on a Chev P30 ch***is. I see what you mean about the nose being a little different too. I should rename my post to Kurb Van! Is there any good source for information on these old things? I haven't been able to find too much on the body. I am curious why they made some of them without driver side doors and operating windows.
The Jalopy Journal
