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Car of the Day: January 31, 2016; Hot Wheels '76 Chevrolet P30 Step Van
Topic Started: Jan 31 2016, 04:40 AM (556 Views)
Dean-o-mite
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Muscle Car

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Today's car of the day is from corvairjim's collection, and is Hot Wheels' 1976 Chevrolet P30 Step Van (Letter Getter).


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ToolTrucks.com
 
P30 was Chevrolet's model name for its 14' - 16' - 18' step van line, and was the tool business standard truck until the early 1990s. The 16' P30 is an all-around good performer - not too big, not too small, reasonably good handling, has a decent weight capacity, adequate room inside, and it is cost effective. It's not considered a medium or heavy-duty truck, so most parts are available at your local Chevrolet dealer, at least through the 1999 model year. GM got out of the medium-duty truck business in 2009. Sometime in 1998 - 1999, the Chevrolet step van chassis manufacturing factory was purchased by Workhorse Chassis Corporation, disassembled, and literally moved from Michigan to Indiana and put back together. P30's are still being manufactured, with continuous upgrades, and beginning with the 2000 model year, sold as a Workhorse P30042 model. With it's purchase by International in 2007, the Workhorse step van will one day be introduced as the International step van.



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For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: ToolTrucks.com: Chevrolet P30


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ToolTrucks.com
 
There have been several power plant and GVW models of the P30 available over the years. Early 16' P30 tool trucks – from 1976 through the early 1980's - were sold in a 10,000 lbs. GVW version with 7.50" x 16" tires (GVW is Gross Vehicle Weight, which is the total weight capacity of a truck, including the cargo. In this case, a truck weighing 10,000 lbs would be acceptable, 10,001 would be over-weight). The engine was Chevy's reliable gas 350V8 (5.7L), with the Turbo 400 transmission. Around 1985 the chassis was upgraded to 14,000 lbs GVW with the addition of heavier springs and other components, and later upgraded again to 16,000 lbs. GVW, now riding on 19.5" tires. Most of the 1980's and mid 1990's tool trucks were powered by either a 350 V8 or 454 V8 (sorry, not the same one in the 1969 SS Nova, this is the truck version). Beginning in 1982, Chevrolet experimented with diesel power, starting with a 6.2L V8, then settled on a 6.5L V8 diesel, available from 1994 on. One main benefit of diesel power was the ability to install engine-driven AC units, which eliminated the generator and AC units it powered. Generators of the time required extra maintenance so switching to diesel power reduced a driver's headaches. Today 90% of tool step vans are diesel; the diesel engine in use is the 6.6L Duramax, with a 350 Vortec V8 gas version is still available. When Workhorse took over, there was no diesel option, but WH/International is rumored to be offering a diesel version of it's step van in the near future.



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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
:coffee: Mail Call! A great old issue from Hot Wheels - the casting has had many variations but I think the mail van version is my favorite. So I wonder how many boxes of little cars are in the back waiting to be delivered to Dean? :woot:
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zzziippyyy
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Drive it like you stole it!
I was just looking at this one in Tomarts Guide earlier this morning, nice to see it pop up here.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
Amazing how long this one has been around and continues to be in the mainline and other issues now and then. A very good "basic" casting that can be used for so many things and so many color schemes. The play value must be way at the top over many other castings.
Good selection, Dean.
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diomakr
Station Wagon
COOL- that one brings back some memories... I don't think any of my originals survived. (lousy little brother)
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Dean-o-mite
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Muscle Car
Ivan, although I have one of these, as well, the credit for thinking of it as a COTD selection goes to corvairjim, who took the above pictures and submitted them to me for use as COTD.


Here's a picture I just took of mine:

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The rare one to look out for, is one with a metal base, and redline tires; it was part of a work truck giftset, before the Letter Getter was introduced as a single with the plastic base.

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cody6268
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Minivan
So, that's what it's supposed to be. I've always called it by whatever generic name HW released it under--in this case Letter Getter, and for most recent releases in the past two or three decades--Combat Medic. I have noted three casting variations--metal chassis and opening doors, plastic chassis and opening doors, and plastic chassis with sealed rear doors (this is the newest, which started last year I think).


I've got about half a dozen of this casting in my collection, including a beat up metal chassis US Mail Letter Getter with blackwalls--which is my favorite and is on the shelf with my other USPS diecast models. It has long been one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
cody6268
Feb 1 2016, 09:51 AM
So, that's what it's supposed to be. I've always called it by whatever generic name HW released it under--in this case Letter Getter, and for most recent releases in the past two or three decades--Combat Medic. I have noted three casting variations--metal chassis and opening doors, plastic chassis and opening doors, and plastic chassis with sealed rear doors (this is the newest, which started last year I think).


I've got about half a dozen of this casting in my collection, including a beat up metal chassis US Mail Letter Getter with blackwalls--which is my favorite and is on the shelf with my other USPS diecast models. It has long been one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
That is one of the "bonus" features of COTD for me - Dean and others identify what the actual vehicles are.
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poorvanner
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*In Memory Of*
Dean-o-mite
Feb 1 2016, 03:17 AM
The rare one to look out for, is one with a metal base, and redline tires; it was part of a work truck giftset, before the Letter Getter was introduced as a single with the plastic base.

And one that I am still hunting for, after many many years of looking.
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poorvanner
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*In Memory Of*
cody6268
Feb 1 2016, 09:51 AM
So, that's what it's supposed to be. I've always called it by whatever generic name HW released it under--in this case Letter Getter, and for most recent releases in the past two or three decades--Combat Medic. I have noted three casting variations--metal chassis and opening doors, plastic chassis and opening doors, and plastic chassis with sealed rear doors (this is the newest, which started last year I think).


I've got about half a dozen of this casting in my collection, including a beat up metal chassis US Mail Letter Getter with blackwalls--which is my favorite and is on the shelf with my other USPS diecast models. It has long been one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
They first called in Combat Medic with the camouflaged medical units versions back in 1986. The sixth basic variation, out of about 45 total.
Sealed rears doors? I have not seen one of those. What did I miss?
Brian
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Harvestman
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Captain Slow
Hot Wheels has gotten a TON of mileage out of this casting.

Out of curiosity, does this share the same baseplate as the Good Humor ice cream truck?
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cody6268
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Minivan
poorvanner
Feb 1 2016, 12:14 PM
cody6268
Feb 1 2016, 09:51 AM
So, that's what it's supposed to be. I've always called it by whatever generic name HW released it under--in this case Letter Getter, and for most recent releases in the past two or three decades--Combat Medic. I have noted three casting variations--metal chassis and opening doors, plastic chassis and opening doors, and plastic chassis with sealed rear doors (this is the newest, which started last year I think).


I've got about half a dozen of this casting in my collection, including a beat up metal chassis US Mail Letter Getter with blackwalls--which is my favorite and is on the shelf with my other USPS diecast models. It has long been one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
They first called in Combat Medic with the camouflaged medical units versions back in 1986. The sixth basic variation, out of about 45 total.
Sealed rears doors? I have not seen one of those. What did I miss?
Brian
This was the metallic green one with OH5 wheels from last year. The doors were a part of the gray interior.
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poorvanner
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*In Memory Of*
cody6268
Feb 1 2016, 12:49 PM
poorvanner
Feb 1 2016, 12:14 PM
cody6268
Feb 1 2016, 09:51 AM
So, that's what it's supposed to be. I've always called it by whatever generic name HW released it under--in this case Letter Getter, and for most recent releases in the past two or three decades--Combat Medic. I have noted three casting variations--metal chassis and opening doors, plastic chassis and opening doors, and plastic chassis with sealed rear doors (this is the newest, which started last year I think).


I've got about half a dozen of this casting in my collection, including a beat up metal chassis US Mail Letter Getter with blackwalls--which is my favorite and is on the shelf with my other USPS diecast models. It has long been one of my favorite Hot Wheels.
They first called in Combat Medic with the camouflaged medical units versions back in 1986. The sixth basic variation, out of about 45 total.
Sealed rears doors? I have not seen one of those. What did I miss?
Brian
This was the metallic green one with OH5 wheels from last year. The doors were a part of the gray interior.
Thanks. I don't open the doors up, so I never noticed that.
I also found the doors the same on the SWAT version, and the plain gray one I got from one of those Paint Your Own sets early last year.
Now I wonder if there were any crossover pieces, with the opening doors, especially on the SWAT version. Hmm...
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poorvanner
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*In Memory Of*
Harvestman
Feb 1 2016, 12:23 PM
Hot Wheels has gotten a TON of mileage out of this casting.

Out of curiosity, does this share the same baseplate as the Good Humor ice cream truck?
They don't. But, from the looks of it, they probably could have. Without measuring, or pulling one of each apart, it looks the same.
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Harvestman
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Captain Slow
poorvanner
Feb 1 2016, 01:22 PM
Harvestman
Feb 1 2016, 12:23 PM
Hot Wheels has gotten a TON of mileage out of this casting.

Out of curiosity, does this share the same baseplate as the Good Humor ice cream truck?
They don't. But, from the looks of it, they probably could have. Without measuring, or pulling one of each apart, it looks the same.
They already did it once with the Super Van/Rig Wrecker/Rescue Ranger - same exact base for all three models.
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corvairjim
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Fullsize
Dean, as a Postal Worker with nearly 30 years of seniority, I'd love to get my hands on one as nice as yours. The one I submitted is the better of the two I have. I recently obtained (via two RAOKs) a pair of Matchbox LLV's, and a minty Letter Getter would look great in a diorama with those two... or more if I can find them.
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