Engine covers in cabs

[jeffmorris]

Most vans and some trucks have engine covers in cabs because the cabs are moved forwards and the back half of engines are in the cabs. I was watching a video about a man adding turbo charger to his van. He called the engine cover "dog house". Why did he call the engine cover "dog house"? I thought that there are NO room in vans for turbo chargers, intercoolers, and pipes.

[Blue Bowtie]

The very earliest of cabover style vans in north America (not panel vans) actually had the engine entirely within the interior layout, and the front wall of the cab extended around it. The engine was covered with a "box" which doubled as a console/island within the interior. Due to its resemblance, the cover was colloquially called the "dog house." The name stuck even as the engines moved more forward in the 1960s, and the engine cover went from a complete box to simply a panel to cover the rear of the opening.

That applied to Chevy/GMC, Ford, Dodge, Kaiser/Willys, International, Olson, and other manufacturers models.

That's also one of the distinctions between a true van and a "minivan" on a car chassis.

[jeffmorris]

I remember 1960s Chevy/GMC, Dodge, and Ford vans with engines in between front seats. 1968 and later Ford, and 1971 and later Chevy/GMC and Dodge have the engines moved forwards and the cabs moved backwards with the rear half of engines still in the cab. 1975 Ford and 1996 Chevy/GMC vans have the cabs moved backwards and the engine covers became smaller. Dodge and Ford stopped making USA type vans and started making Europe type vans. Chevy/GMC still makes USA type vans.

[fredjacksonsan]

We had a 1973 Dodge, similar to the one in the video. I remember getting that thing back on was a bear.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lMBTih...5naW5lIGNvdmVy