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37-517: The B-series was constructed as a cowled-chassis design; also known as an incomplete vehicle, all bodywork aft of the firewall was produced by a second-stage manufacturer . While primarily used for school bus applications, General Motors offered the chassis for multiple commercial and specialty uses. Following 2003 production, the B-series was discontinued as GM concentrated on bus production derived from cutaway cabs. Until its 2009 discontinuation,

74-618: A family-owned company, with son Charles Ward handling operations. During the 1970s, Ward would become one of the largest school bus body manufacturers in the United States, with the company holding a 25% market share in 1973. In 1970, the Austin plant was replaced by an all-new facility in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania . To expand into small buses, Ward purchased Texas-based manufacturer Coachette in 1973, moving their production into

111-402: A manufacturer usually takes an incomplete structure from a first-stage manufacturer, and installs additional equipment to render it suitable for delivery to a buyer for use. Neither their product, nor the first stage portion, called an incomplete motor vehicle , are fully compliant with all of the requirements for a complete motor vehicle without the other . Cutaway van chassis are one of

148-629: A separate facility in Conway. Additionally, the assembly line at the main Conway facility was upgraded and connected to an IBM 370 mainframe, as the company explored computer-based manufacturing. Coinciding with the new assembly line was the redesigned full-size conventional bus body, dubbed the Ward Volunteer . Aside from a redesigned windshield and the change in chassis suppliers, the Ward Volunteer shares many components with that of

185-419: A series of updates that would modernize manufacturing and production. To catalog the various state and local regulations affecting school bus specifications, in 1964, company owner Charles Ward set up a computer mainframe (using IBM 360s ). In the same year, Ward performed the first independent rollover test on a school bus, discovering issues related to structural integrity. During 1967, the assembly line in

222-549: The Blue Bird Vision , marking the first cowled-chassis school bus to use a proprietary chassis (not shared with a medium-duty truck). While used nearly exclusively for school bus use, the B-series chassis was adapted for a wide variety of uses by body manufacturers, ranging from bookmobiles to police buses. In the school bus industry, the General Motors chassis was popular for its wide range of engines. During

259-570: The C/K series trucks (and the Task Force trucks before them). Although using a stronger frame and suspension, much of the bodywork was shared. With the exception of divisionally-produced engines, the Chevrolet and GMC medium-duty trucks were largely identical to one another. Consequently, the conventional-type school bus chassis used for both divisions were largely the same. For 1966, GMC ended

296-552: The Thomas Vista , another bus that would use a GM B-series chassis during its production. (naturally aspirated, turbocharged) For 1990, General Motors introduced its GMT530 medium-duty truck platform under the Chevrolet Kodiak/GMC TopKick branding. The GMT530 chassis consolidated multiple product lines; along with the 1980-1989 Kodiak/TopKick, the model line replaced the medium-duty C/K (along with

333-528: The "Old Look" bus originally designed by Yellow Coach. GM ended bus production in 1987 after selling its bus division and assets to Motor Coach Industries , which continued production of the New Look-derived Classic and RTS. Second stage manufacturer A second stage manufacturer , known in the industry as "bodybuilder," builds such products as bus and truck bodies, ambulances , motor homes , and other specialized vehicles. Such

370-468: The 1980s and 1990s, its continued use of gasoline engines remained popular, as the powerplants were sometimes used as the basis for conversion to alternative fuels, including LPG (propane) and CNG (compressed natural gas). Following the chassis and supply agreement between General Motors and Blue Bird in 1992, the B series was bodied exclusively by that company, nearly exclusively as a school bus. GM acquired Yellow Coach in 1943 and continued production of

407-603: The 8.2L Detroit Diesel "Fuel Pincher" V8. In 1990, the 8.2L engine was discontinued. In 1985, General Motors developed a modified version of the B series for Ward Body Works as a chassis for the Ward Patriot school bus. To allow for a shortened hood (to improve driver visibility), the front chassis of the C/K conventional was shortened for a configuration similar to that of the smaller Chevrolet/GMC P-chassis. The "semi-forward control" design would be developed further by GM with

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444-655: The Blue Bird CV200. Under the agreement, the GM B-7 (external code name for the GMT530-based bus chassis) became standard equipment for all Blue Bird Conventionals, although International and Ford (later, Freightliner ) chassis were allowed as options. The 1992 supply agreement was among a series of 1990s mergers and acquisitions between body manufacturers and chassis suppliers of school buses. Coinciding with its declining share of medium-duty truck production,

481-401: The C/K chassis together in 1971, GM would continue the production of the 1967-generation chassis for another decade. After 16 years as a Chevrolet and 12 years of production as a GMC, the first-generation C/K bus chassis was retired after 1983. In 1967, Chevrolet moved the medium-duty C/K to a dedicated chassis, taking the school bus chassis with it. As with the previous generation, the design

518-428: The Conway facility was upgraded to a moving assembly line, a first in the bus industry. In 1969, the recommendations from the crash test were published, finding that an inconsistent number of fasteners among manufacturers could lead to poor joint strength. The findings would be used in part to government recommendations for school bus joint strength. Following the 1968 retirement of Dave Ward, Ward Body Works remained

555-581: The GMT530 trucks as the C5500-8500 series (dropping the external Kodiak/TopKick nameplates). The low-profile hood offered on medium-duty trucks was not offered on the B-series, retaining the higher-profile standard/severe-service hood. For 2003, the GMT530 platform was replaced by the GMT560 medium-duty architecture, ending production of the third-generation B-series by the end of 2003. For bus applications,

592-405: The GMT530 was also offered with options to use CNG (compressed natural gas). Prior to 1992, the General Motors cowled bus chassis was available for use to any bus body manufacturer. That year, GM entered a supply and marketing agreement with body manufacturer Blue Bird ; for the next 10 years, Blue Bird became the exclusive manufacturer to body the then-new GMT530 cowled chassis, naming the result

629-405: The GMT560 chassis was developed for use as a cutaway-cab vehicle; while some were bodied as school buses, most examples saw use in commercial applications. In line with its predecessor, the third-generation B-series was offered with a range of gasoline and diesel engines. The 7.0L V8 was discontinued, leaving the 6.0L V8 as the sole gasoline engine. As part of the 1997 GMT530 revision, the 6.0L V8

666-535: The IC Bus CE-Series produced today. In 1976, Ward produced a prototype for the first full-size school bus with front-wheel drive, but the company was forced to abandon the project before producing the vehicle. Along with other school bus manufacturers, the late 1970s would prove to be a rough time for Ward, which had been renamed Ward School Bus Manufacturing, Inc. In 1975, the Pennsylvania plant

703-408: The United States, a second facility was opened in Austin, Texas in 1951. Despite expanding to 100,000 square feet, the original Ward factory in Conway was too small to keep up with demand; the company built an even larger factory outside of the city in 1954; at any given time, 45 bus bodies could be on the 1,500-foot-long assembly line, producing up to 100 complete buses weekly. Later in the 1950s,

740-414: The agreement would cripple the market share of GM as a supplier of full-size cowled bus chassis. After failing to renew its supply agreement with Blue Bird in 2002, General Motors was effectively shut out of full-size chassis production, as both body manufacturers competing with Blue Bird were wholly owned by the largest competitors of GM in the medium-duty segment. For 2004 production, Blue Bird introduced

777-700: The all new H6500 heavy truck. A forerunner of both the GMC Brigadier and GMC General , the H-series trucks featured an all-steel front fascia with a center-hinged "butterfly" hood for engine access. Alongside GMC V6 and V8 gasoline engines, GMC school bus chassis were available with Detroit Diesel 6V53 V6 two-stroke diesels. In 1969, GMC transitioned its medium-duty trucks to the Chevrolet-based C/K medium-duty chassis introduced in 1967. The heavy-duty GMC school bus chassis remained in use by

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814-555: The company moved beyond its school bus roots, adding mass-transit and sightseeing buses to its product lineup. Due to importation issues, the Ward factory in Mexico was closed in 1954. In 1956, Ward became both a body manufacturer and an industry supplier, as the company created a subsidiary, C.S. Sash Company, which became a major aluminum window frame manufacturer for school buses. In the 1960s, Ward School Bus Manufacturing, Inc. began

851-626: The company opened a 10,000 square-foot factory in Conway, Arkansas. During World War II, along with supplying buses for the military, Ward built over 1000 different bodies of various types for the GMC CCKW cargo truck. Following the war, the company became one of the first bus manufacturers to expand outside of the United States, opening a facility in Mexico City in 1947; bus bodies from Conway would be shipped to Mexico to be placed on chassis for use internationally. To expand capacity inside

888-403: The division for 1970, before both divisions consolidated designs for 1971. While General Motors redesigned its entire light and medium-duty C/K truck line for 1973, Chevrolet and GMC retained the previous-generation cowled bus chassis for nearly another decade. For 1984, a second generation was introduced, consolidating conventional trucks and cowled bus chassis for the first time. Codenamed B6,

925-419: The heavy-duty GMC Brigadier). After producing the second-generation B-series chassis through 1991, GM skipped the 1992 model year entirely, with the first GMT530 bus chassis marked as 1993 production. While fitted with a lower hoodline than its predecessor, the chassis was fitted with a much larger grille; only divisional badging differentiated Chevrolet and GMC versions from each other. For 1997, GM rebranded

962-403: The medium-duty GMT560 chassis was used for bus applications (only in a cutaway configuration). As of current production, General Motors provides bus chassis for both school bus and commercial bus applications, deriving all production from the light-duty GMT610 (Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana) cutaway van . Prior to 1966, all medium- and heavy-duty trucks of General Motors were derived heavily from

999-559: The more popular incomplete motor vehicles for second stage manufacturers to use as a platform for their products. A large portion of small school buses , minibuses , and recreational vehicles are based upon cutaway van chassis. This article about an industrial corporation or company is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This vehicle-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ward Body Works Ward Body Works (also known as Ward Industries and Ward School Bus Manufacturing, Inc. )

1036-481: The redesign was again shared by both Chevrolet and GMC, differing only in grille design. From the drivers' compartment, the B6 chassis shared the steering column with its predecessor (with nearly the same instrument panel). In a major design change, the rear-hinged hood was replaced by a standard front-hinged tilting hood, allowing improved engine access. The 6.0L (366) and 7.0L (427) V8 engines made their return, along with

1073-572: The roof of a wooden bus for Mr. Carl Brady of the Southside Schools ". Southside Schools were located about 15 miles north of Conway. A blacksmith by trade, Ward grew his business primarily on body repair of bus bodies in the area. In 1936, he built his first complete school bus body. One of the first manufacturers of the time to use all-metal construction, the first school bus made by Ward Body Works featured removable safety-glass windows and perimeter and center-mounted seating. In 1939,

1110-554: The standard gasoline V8, the GMT530 was offered with multiple diesel engine offerings as an option. Initially offered with the Caterpillar 3116 inline-6, the Caterpillar 3126 inline-6 became an option in 1997. The GMT530 chassis was offered with 5 or 6-speed manual transmissions, along with multiple Allison automatic transmissions. The model line was also offered with multiple options for alternative-fuel configurations. Alongside conversions of gasoline engines to use LPG (propane),

1147-450: The use of a shared conventional bus chassis as it debuted its own version derived from its H-series heavy truck line; Chevrolet debuted its own design in 1967, derived from the C/K medium-duty line. For 1971, both divisions consolidated conventional bus production solely to the C/K chassis. For 1973, General Motors redesigned the entire C/K truck line, ranging from half-ton pickups to medium-duty trucks. As Chevrolet and GMC had only adopted

Chevrolet/GMC B series - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-470: Was a rear-hinged "alligator"-design hood. The division offered its conventional school bus chassis with Chevrolet-produced engines, including the 250 inline-6 (replaced by the 292 inline-6), 366 V8, and 427 V8. In both Chevrolet and GMC school buses, the Allison AT475 3-speed automatic transmission became an option in 1971 with single or two-speed rear axles. In 1974, the powertrain lineup

1221-485: Was an American bus manufacturer . Headquartered in Conway, Arkansas , Ward specialized in yellow school buses , alongside buses for other uses. Founded in 1933 by D.H. "Dave" Ward, the company was family-owned for nearly its entire existence. Among several innovations, Ward was the first manufacturer to perform a rollover test on a school bus, leading to changes in school bus body design. In another industry first, Ward

1258-486: Was forced to close. As Ward faced declining demand for school buses, the company was over $ 20 million in debt; in July 1980, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In August 1980, an investment group assisted by the then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton purchased the assets of Ward Industries; the only interests that the Ward family would keep in the new company would be in vehicle distribution. Though producing buses in

1295-463: Was modified, as all GMC-built engines were dropped (alongside all diesel engines). In 1980, a diesel engine made its return as Detroit Diesel introduced an 8.2L V8. Dubbed the "Fuel Pincher", it was the first four-stroke engine produced by the company; the engine was available in naturally-aspirated and turbocharged forms. In 1966, the GMC division moved its school bus chassis from the medium-duty C/K to

1332-465: Was replaced by the Vortec 7.4L V8; in 2001, an all-new 8.1L V8 (one of the largest gasoline engines ever used in a school bus) became the gasoline engine. As gasoline engines fell out of favor in large school buses during the 1990s, GM would become the final manufacturer to offer a full-size bus chassis with a gasoline-fuel engine, with the 8.1L V8 serving as the final example from 2003 to 2016. Alongside

1369-589: Was the first manufacturer to assemble buses on an assembly line. In 1980, Ward filed for bankruptcy and was reorganized as American Transportation Corporation ( AmTran ), keeping the Ward brand name in use on school buses. In 1991, AmTran was acquired by Navistar International , leading to the retirement of the Ward brand name during 1992. The company currently exists as the IC Bus subsidiary of Navistar (the successor of AmTran). D. H. "Dave" Ward founded Ward Body Works in Conway, Arkansas , in 1933 when he "lowered

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