I am currently doing a treatise on Econoline Vans/PickUps c. 1961 - 1966. I have a Standard Catalog of Light duty Trucks that gives the production figures for 1961 as follows: PickUp, 11893/3000 (standard/deluxe); Vans, 28932/2228; and Station Buses, 8511/6571.

I was always under the assumption that the pickup had the lowest sales numbers of the three throughout its production. Are these figures correct?

Bob Nicholson

 

sounds about right to me, the pickups were nabbed up by lots of companies for in town runnig around. also used by the military in all branches. vans were mostly ma bell and trades companies.

jim

 

The trucks were our first light duty trucks. They were used a lot to courier stuff in the city's til the 70's when the 1/4 ton trucks took over.
My Dad back in the 60's worked at a dry cleaners and those vans were used to do the delivery's. Use to have two hanging racks mounted in the ceiling and the clothes would hang on them. He would just reach back and nab the next stops clothes.
Grocery stores too used them for delivering to the seniors and flourists too. Light weight and practical. easy to load and get in and out off.
Down side is if in an accident with them built with no seat belts. You met the windsheild. Even if you put a lap belt in them, you still could get hurt in a bad front end accident. Passenger seats were optional. Not you do not seat those uncomfortable fold down crate seats they use to have.

 

Vans out sold the pickups and Station bus's by large margin. Bell Telephone was a major contract for the vans and even had ford make a new model called the display van. This van had the windows from the station bus on the drivers side and the van stamping on the pass. side.
I own a 63 van from Bell telephone in Sanhose CA.
Dan