Boyertown Merchandiser Body: 1954 Chevrolet Step Van

One of my favorite shows of all time that I will never get sick of is Seinfeld. The amount of times I related to that show is both admirable and disturbing, and the concept of a show about nothing was and still is a brilliant concept. The best part of the show, however, was Newman (played by Wayne Knight) and his USPS Chevrolet P30 step van. My dad owned the exact version of his truck and used his truck to haul his tools around for his contracting business. A little bit older but still a step van is this 1954 Chevrolet Boyertown Merchandiser body, a rare sight in any condition today. Find it here on Craigslist in Richboro, Pennsylvania, with an asking price of $800.

Introduced in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the step van (also known as the multi-stop truck) was used for local deliveries for anything from bread to mail. Chevrolet introduced its Step Van beginning in 1935, and in the 1950s mildly updated its Step Van mechanically and visually. This Step Van is a 1954 Boyertown Merchandiser step van, and if you may or may not have guessed, were produced in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Appearing to have been originally dark green and used by a pool company and some sort of delivery company before that, there is a bit of rust on the body, including on the bottom of the rear doors, the passenger-side sliding side door, the bottom of the side of the body, the passenger side fender, and the bottom of the grille. Said to have been sitting since 1975 and featuring a 10,000 pound GVW rating, the windshield glass is also missing, so hopefully the seller still has them. The steel wheels and caps with knobby tires are cool, and I love the slanted front end. There is a full walk-around video on YouTube highlighting the entire truck, and the seller is willing to deliver the truck. I would repaint the truck in its original green and re-letter it in its original lettering.

I'm not entirely positive what version of this Chevrolet straight-six is, but I think it is the 235 six. In light-duty pickup trucks in 1954, the 235 six produced 112 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque, so power figures in this Step Van's engine should be similar. Backed by a three-speed manual transmission, the engine is currently not running, but it should not take much to get the truck running again. If not, I think a swap to a LL8 DOHC I6 from a Trailblazer and a five-speed manual should be warranted. I would also upgrade the brakes and steering to modern power systems.

Before any further inspection and work is done to the interior, I recommend a good sweeping and running of a Shop Vac. Inside, the interior of this truck is bare-bones, but looks to be fairly solid. The seats are a bit tattered and will need redoing, but everything else appears to be there. I dig the giant three-spoke steering wheel and the gauge pod behind it. I would repaint all of the metal in silver or gray, redo the seats, and rock the stock interior, albeit with a bit more bolstering in the seats. Though a bit rough from sitting for a long time, this Chevrolet Step Van deserves to be saved, especially for the price. I would either restore or lightly restomod and use it as a mobile shop truck. What are your thoughts on this Boyertown Merchandiser Body Step Van?