130
Units found
October 2023
130
Units found
October 2023
THE HOW MANY VANS CHALLENGE !
| So far 130 Units found October 2023 |
|
So far 130 Units found October 2023 |
Please send photos and VIN # to VA7DVR at Gmail.
The story as I have heard from a Grumman employee is that there was 500 of these vans built in one shape or another between 1983 and 1985. The record shows that there is at least 4 or 5 versions plus the KurbWatt which started out life in the early 80's when they built 10 units.
There Seems to be three models that I know of :
The model 70, mostly kurbwatts, with a short box.
The model 100 probably the raised floor version.
The model 120 possibly the low floor version.
There was originally a "Fiesta Electric" built in 1979 the Kurbwatt followed this and was built on the VW running gear.
They built the first 30 Kubvans and or Kurbwatts (model 70) for the post office in 1983. Between 1984 & 1985 the Kubvan Model 100 was built this was clearly the production leader. Some where along the way came a model 120 not described or covered in my owners manual.
There were a few units built with Ford engines installed in a modified body/chassis this may have been as a result of congress not being happy with the foreign content engine and running gear. Clearly the LLV followed being built on a Chevy chassis, the rest is history.
The KubVan recall notice may give a hint to the actual number of units built at 530, this would confirm the story above that I received from a Grumman employee years ago..
So after 26 years of collecting information, photographs and communicating with people all over the country including employees from Grumman, I am counting significantly less than two hundred units at this point (July 2021). I have only recently seen serial numbers over 400 in the 120 series. Certainly it's clear that a few did not have serial numbers and some were operated under special permits. To be honest though the numbers do not add up. If you said half of them were wrecked, scrapped or still in service then that would leave 250 on the road or in garages in private hands. 14 units just found a scrap yard wow.
It also occurs to me that they may have not built sequential serial numbers but rounded numbers up at each production cycle or model run.
Mfg dates might help determine this, but at this time we simply need more serial numbers to paint the picture or someone from Grumman that was invloved in management.
It would be great to nail down how many were actually built and how many still exist and consequently how collectable these are not to mention how lonmg living they have been, coming up on 40 YEARS !!! for the early ones.
You folks can help, check out the new Bulletin Board forum here register if your an owner and log your serial number. If your not an owner but an ex employee or know of some vans or just seen one, register anyway and let us know what you know.
Thanks Everyone.