Divco milk truck ?

 

Yes it was the C series is the correct answer, see I told you it was all that hard. The first truck was built in 1957, the last in 1990.


1990 and 1957 Ford C-Series truck

Mack and a few other companies used the same design for a few years. These weren't made by Ford and sold to these companies, these companies actually made them:

[img]http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/fgruin/a/fg_all_states15b.jpg[/imng]

BTW, I wrote to the Schrader valve company to get some clarification the Schrader valve. Here is their reply:
The way I read it, the materials have changed but the basic design hasn't so they still could be used from an early 1900's car to a moder vehicle.

 

my wifes hometown and a stop on my route has got a real nice c series ford firetruck for sale and a 71 ford fire truck if any of ya's like that kinda thing ... LOL !!!!!!!!!! were all just big kids and want one !!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are both beautiful and well maintained , just no cash as usual as far as me ..................

 

Come on Kevin, if you bought a firetruck you'd just sit in your driveway blowing the siren, annoying your neighbors.

 

NOT ME BOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Julie may have this one. Was the milk truck called the 'Divco?' Or ...... could it be the long run of delivery trucks used by UPS or ....... maybe the US Postal service 'zip vans?' What make are the UPS trucks?

Oops! I did not see some of the later posts. The question has been answered. I would not have guessed that the C series continued through to 1990. Function tops form this time.

 

Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company

Divco Club of America - Home
Divco History

Trucks built by the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company and its successors, were once as much a part of the American way of life as baseball and mom's apple pie. Chances are your milkman drove a DIVCO. So did the laundry man, the baker, and even the paper boy's route man. From 1926, until 1986, Divco produced multi-stop delivery trucks unlike any others. Only the VW Beetle stayed in production with the same basic model for a longer period of time. Today many people consider Divco as the icon for the multi-stop delivery era.




UPS trucks are their own design. The distinctive shape of their nose is even trademarked and patented. You never see them in any other use.

For years and years, Ford had a contract to supply their chassis and their engine of choice was the 300-6. But apparantly about 20 or so years ago, UPS asked them to redesign the steering gear to allow a tighter turn radius. Ford declined, insisting they use whatever was in standard production at the time and they lost their contract to GM. I heard this story straight from a UPS guy when we commented on the shiny new truck he drove up in one day, delivering parts to our shop. I always thought it was interesting. I don't know if they are still furnishing the chassis today.

 

My dad bought a '51 Ford at a UPS auction in the mid '70s. At the auction I remember seeing a line of Divco UPS trucks. They had the distinctive Divco front end. My dad's truck didn't look like any other Ford truck, it must have been a UPS design. There were a bunch of Divcos and Fords, just like the one my dad bought, at that auction. His truck had a all aluminum body except for the side rub bars, grill and bumpers.

This isn't his but his was exactly like this:

 

Wow UPS must have some good designers! If all the UPS folks where you live drive anything like the crazed fools that drive those things here, those trucks have to be bullet proof (or disposable)!

 

DIVCO was founded in 1922. The DIVCO milk truck design that everyone is familiar with, was introduced in 1937, built thru 1985. The company went bankrupt in 1986.

C Series Tilt Cab: 1957/90 = 34 years.

DIVCO milk truck: 1937/85 = 48 years.