US Post Office "Zip Vans" By Studebaker (1960-S)

Here's a nice trip back into yesteryear. Anyone remember these mid-1960s "Zip Vans" the US Post Office used (in the days before they were known as the US Postal Service)?



I never realized before that they were made by Studebaker, though.

http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/u...er-zip-vans/

Yup, one of my friends back in high school owned one of those after it got retired by the Post Office. It was painted bright orange.

Believe this answers why my mother often asked me when I was a young teen in the 60s, "where are you zipping off to?".

That's a Nebraska license plate. Nice!

Yes, I do as I used to drive one for the USPO department in Yakima, Wa.

I posted a lot of info on these in this thread here on SCF a few months ago.

https://goscf.com/t/33764&whichpage=2

don

51studebaker: I must have missed those postings ... thanks for providing the link.

Not exactly a luxury vehicle, but functional, I suppose. The front view the driver had looking out that oversized window looks incredible compared to vehicles of today.

Note the paper label used on the dash board, I guess cost savings were paramount. Very few have survived with the paper labels still intact. I have driven one of these and it was about as I expected (I have had many Studes with this six cylinder; they used the same block from 1950 thru 1963).

Unfortunately the ZIP vans do NOT make a particularly good vehicle to restore. They are too big to haul to car shows and travel with (not to mention that we are the Studebaker DRIVERS Club); the original gearing makes the little 6 cylinder really wind out at interstate speeds. If I ever get one of my own I would swap out with a gear set to make traveling around a bit less stressing.
don

Great photos of poatal vans at
https://www.google.com/search?q=pos...1405&bih=625