Pictures from the old days?

[rod]

From my early Days in the mid 80's. I believe the small one is a P-300 that I drove as a split driver in a rural area, and the old
P-600 tank on one of Jerseys wonderful winter days duting peakView attachment 361633View attachment 361634

Delivered a million packages out of a P-600.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

I started off in a P-400. It wasn't really bad. It was originally built to be a bread truck, but When UPS got rights in Texas in '71, they bought them out from under the bread company. When my 400 broke down, they would give you one of those wooden door, wooden shelf monstrosities with a square cut out of your first shelf so the spare tire could stick up thru it.

 

[TheDick]

Back in the day we could get raincoats and sweaters
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Them damn rubber jackets how I hated them. Just turned into a sauna in 20min. I wish i had bought a commando sweater!

 

[PASinterference]

I started off in a high step p1000, but I was usually sent back out to make late pickups. We had a '69 Ford p400 with a 302 (5.0 for you youngins) and a 4 speed that was a damn beast. No idea what the top speed was, but it would haul ass. These new ones with the LS wouldn't come close to keeping up. Glad I grew up and slowed down.

 

[UnionStrong]

Them damn rubber jackets how I hated them. Just turned into a sauna in 20min. I wish i had bought a commando sweater!

I was wetter under the jacket in the rain.

 

[oldngray]

I was wetter under the jacket in the rain.

I only wore those if it was a really pouring rain.

 

[UnionStrong]

I only wore those if it was a really pouring rain.

Me too. Lol

 

[rod]

I only wore those if it was a really pouring rain.

I hid in my truck if it was really coming down. Mama didn't raise no fool.

 

[UnionStrong]

I hid in my truck if it was really coming down. Mama didn't raise no fool.

Only works for so long.

 

[I have been lurking]

I started off in a high step p1000, but I was usually sent back out to make late pickups. We had a '69 Ford p400 with a 302 (5.0 for you youngins) and a 4 speed that was a damn beast. No idea what the top speed was, but it would haul ass. These new ones with the LS wouldn't come close to keeping up. Glad I grew up and slowed down.

Muncie rock crusher?

 

[PASinterference]

Muncie rock crusher?

Nope. The rock Crusher was a gm transmission.

 

[scratch]

The old package cars had a top loader transmission, the shifter went straight into the top of the transmission with no linkage. I know, because mine popped out one day and I had to figure out how to put it back in. I also broke a shifter in half right at its middle once. I drove a P400, then a new '86 GM P1000, and I drove an antique cabover Ford straight truck. I went residential in a P-600, downsized to a P-500 that I loved, and I retired driving P-700s.

 

[freeloader]

anyone remember the TP-60 horse trailers? do they still use those? i know drivers had to hate them. working in the hub, I know i hated them. loading and unloading was miserable because the door was tiny. moving them around was miserable because you needed a forklift with a trailer hitch on it. every once in a while one would runaway across the yard and roll into something.

we also had a oversize mercedes-benz box truck that they used for bulk stops. even had a nickname: bertha.

 

[satellitedriver]

Early in my career (1988) I actually drove one of those. It was a 1957 model p-400. It didnt even have reverse lights, and if you so much as touched the brake pedal on wet pavement or snow, the left rear tire would lock up. There was no fiberglass roof in the package compartment to let light in, just a pair of tiny glass "porthole" windows in the roof covered with screens. It didnt have a light in the back either, so if it was dark out you had to use a flashlight to see the packages. Low backed bench seat; lap belt only; high step; manual steering; 4 speed manual with a granny low 1st gear and an underpowered I-6 carbuerated engine; plywood shelves and BH door. You could not design a worse vehicle to deliver packages out of if you tried.

We called that car the brown coffin for good reason.
Drove one for 2 years 250+ miles a day.
Even on a dry washboard country road it wanted to swap ends.
Touch the brakes you never knew where the rear end would swing.
Learned to duck to keep from being scalped when entering the back of the car.
The brake pedal to the master cylinder was hinged with a grade 2 bolt, basically a shear pin and I had to find that out the hard way. It broke on a curve and there was a dirt path in front of me and I took it.
I replaced it with a grade 8 bolt on route.
Backing to the dock at UPS after a 280 mile day, I felt something wrong.
The rear axle holding bolts broke on the right side. when I was backing up.
The axle was cockeyed, by 10 inches.
If that would have happened on the highway?
Good/bad old days, glad we both survived them.

 

[satellitedriver]

The old package cars had a top loader transmission, the shifter went straight into the top of the transmission with no linkage. I know, because mine popped out one day and I had to figure out how to put it back in. I also broke a shifter in half right at its middle once. I drove a P400, then a new '86 GM P1000, and I drove an antique cabover Ford straight truck. I went residential in a P-600, downsized to a P-500 that I loved, and I retired driving P-700s.

That shifter lever you broke was about 2 1/2 ft long, happened to me, but it broke at the base.
Used a long handled screwdriver to change gears until I could find a pay phone to call the center.
Pay phones, shift levers?
I guess I really am an old fart.

 

[UnionStrong]

That shifter lever you broke was about 2 1/2 ft long, happened to me, but it broke at the base.
Used a long handled screwdriver to change gears until I could find a pay phone to call the center.
Pay phones, shift levers?
I guess I really am an old fart.

I started in 90, covered for 7 years, drove everything, 400s, 5s, 6s. The first route I drove for any length of time was a p800. I really liked the 800s. Seemed like the best size and the power was good. The 500s were treacherous on snow and ice. None were great but the 500s were the terrible. Got stuck in the snow one peak delivering to 3 houses in the middle of nowhere and dark was coming fast. Helper was freaking out, I told him to look for a shovel in one yard while I looked in the others. Dug out and carried on. Had to make do, no phones. Lol. I ended in a p1000.

 

[NAHimGOOD]

Thread reeks of vinegar cleaning solution...

And

Aloe vera gel.

 

[UnionStrong]

Thread reeks of vinegar cleaning solution...

And

Aloe vera gel.

Acid flash back?

 

[NAHimGOOD]

Acid flash back?

Battery?

 

[UnionStrong]

Battery?

Window pane