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Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:42 pm

I wanted to start a thread on this bus for several reasons. First, and foremost it is a swivel seat, secondly, due to its history with the worlds largest delivery company and third because I always liked signwritten commercial VW's.

This bus is not mine. It is owned by El Roacho out in Oregon. I'm sure he will chime in on the topic.

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Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:44 pm

Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:46 pm

From another thread. Posted by the owner:

I'm the owner of the UPS bus you are all referring to here! It is a 1960 swivel seat walk thru, and YES it is real!!! UPS has run the vehicle numbers on the doors etc, and verified that it was indeed their bus back in the '60's. It was used in Nor Cal as a transport vehicle, then ended it's career at UPS as a service repair vehicle. I even have the original UPS round brass keychain with "Volks" and the UPS vehicle number stamped into it. UPS drivers still use these same keychains on their vehicles today! Besides UPS I am the 4th owner. It sat for many in years in Redding California until I put it on the road back in, I think, '96 if my memory serves me correctly. I've had it for 12 years or so now and have had a lot of dealings with UPS over this bus. Yes, they are very protective of their logos, color, etc, and the reason behind me switch the logo around a little to get them off my back. The color is even trademarked/copywritten. I run the "U" and "United" magnets at shows to keep it as real as possible. It runs "SPS" and "Speedy Parcel Service" logo's for the rest of the time, and they don't even like that. Trademark infringement and all. I have recieved many letters from their lawyers, cease and dissists, had UPS people come and talk to me at both my work and home, as well as detectives and police contacting me when it first debued with the logo's back in '98 in Chico California, as well as many phone conversations with UPS officials and lawyers. The paint on it currently is the original UPS paint from the '60's, just buffed out. I have actually talked to the old guy years ago who worked for UPS and drove this bus, and got this bus out of there when he retired. Very cool to talk to him for sure. They paint or crush all of their old vehicles and this one got out with out either one happening thank god! This is the only one known to exist. That French Kombi I believe is a fake, unless it is a currently used UPS vehicle, which it may be, but I seriously doubt it. When I got it you could see all of the old faded logos where the old UPS guy had sanded them off. I just documented them all and re-did the logos with a sign guy. All original UPS logo's the first time, and that's when it took UPS about a week to start contaction me about it. I ended up changing the logo's to what they are now about 8-9 years ago and they need to be re-done again badly as they are very sun faded. Thinking about going back to UPS logo's now that they have changed to a newer style logo, but think they would still make me change it though. It was my daily driver for about 5 years, and then I blew a tranny and had as few other issues, and let it sit for about 6 years up until last September when I put it back on the road. The Woodburn show last Saturday was it's first show in over 8 years! I tried to make Yakima last year but blew a main seal on my way and had to turn back. Sacramento Bug-O-Rama's were it's last VW outing for all of you that have seen it there years ago in '99. I lived in Chico at the time, the same place were the old UPS guy lived as well. It's been in Portland now for the last 7 years, most of the time hiding behind my garage. It was at Burnside skatepark in Portland a bunch of times while I was skateboarding. That was probably back in 2000-2001. Oh yeah, I still skate too, almost everyday! You never get to old for that! It's just now making it's self know again, and you will probably see a lot more of it now. I don't take it very far from Portland, but it will be at the Rose City Bug In, in Portland at PIR on July 29th, as well as other local shows and cruise-ins, if you want to see it for yourselves. Probably won't make it to the NW Nationals in Seattle though, we'll see! I've got lot's of pictures of it as well, but can't figure out how to post them on the forum yet(I know, DUH) as this is my first time trying to post any on here. I have some from it's hiatus behind my garage on blocks I was going to post to show how well the paint buffs out, as it was severly oxidized for a lot of years. There's a lot more to the story too, but at least that takes care of the questions of it being real or fake. I can assure you, ...IT'S REAL!!!

Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:48 pm

Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:50 pm

I thought it was interesting that the dash is dove blue & not Pullman Brown. Also that there is no eveidence of shelves for packages:

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:00 pm

my work is usually serviced by a UPS van normally unless we get big shipments, That van doesnt have shelves, its all just kind of crammed in there. Probably was the same with that bus.

In an area that small shelves would probably hurt more than they helped since the packages would always vary in size.

Ups has a route already done for the driver so he would know when he got to 1225 willow rd or whatnot, somewhere in the back is a package.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:03 pm

I saw that bus at Woodburn on Saturday and didn't really give it a second look because I assumed it was a fake, especially with the little magnet on the logo. Now I wish I had checked it out better.

Cool bus and story.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:05 pm

EL DUB wrote: my work is usually serviced by a UPS van normally unless we get big shipments, That van doesnt have shelves, its all just kind of crammed in there. Probably was the same with that bus.

In an area that small shelves would probably hurt more than they helped since the packages would always vary in size.

Ups has a route already done for the driver so he would know when he got to 1225 willow rd or whatnot, somewhere in the back is a package.

The majority of the vans have fold up/down shelves. These vans are freightliner sprinters(I think) and run on rural high mileage routes where fuel economy is critical. But they also have bigger box trucks for large shipments. Very helpful in picking up UPS store packages during peak season. Ask me how I know. I was a 5 year UPSer and leaving "Big Brown" was the best decision I've ever made. Good money, good experience, long hours and terrible work-life balance.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:45 pm

mpribanic, thanks again for posting pics for me, hopefully I can figure it out soon and I will try and ad more as well. Now you can all see the cheesy "SPS", and "Speedy" Parcel Service logo's i've had to run on it too! The old OG UPS Paint buffs out pretty nice huh? I did it all by hand too, because I don't have a buffer. I need a factory swivel seat if anyone out there has one, or knows of one please let me know. It's been a hard part for me to find being a 2 year only option, and not many were made even then. Thanks!

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:50 pm

Major Woody wrote: I saw that bus at Woodburn on Saturday and didn't really give it a second look because I assumed it was a fake, especially with the little magnet on the logo. Now I wish I had checked it out better.

Cool bus and story.

x2

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:50 pm

Oh yeah, in case there is any confusion, it obviously doen't have the swivel seat in it in the above pictures. I am just running Poly Buggy seats in it. It actually never even came with a passengers seat factory, as most swivels didn't, no holes, no rails, nothing, just the drivers swivel!

Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:56 pm

El Roacho,
Do you know if the bus was first used in Norcal, Washington or Oregon?

UPS was founded in Seattle, Washington 1907. Now the Global Office is in Atlanta. There is an old Model A or T Ford in the lobby of the entrance way.

They should buy your panel and put it in the lobby in place of the Ford 8)

For an insane amount of money of course.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:00 pm

I remember seeing that bus @ the rama a while back, I figured it was a fake.

I saw a swivel set at the 'rama, trying to remember who was selling it - maybe Lou?

Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:38 pm

cool story, too bad the seat was missing. if it were my bus i would run the og ups logos anyway, it's not like anyone would believe ups was really delivering packages now with a 50 year old bus. if you were running a delivery service or something and using there logos i could see that being a problem. hell it's free advertising for them! sounds alot like vw

Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:46 pm

I actually dont think that they can go after you for the logos, if its OG.

They let the bus go that way. Its not your responsibility to take the logos off its thiers.

Thats why most fleet vehicles are stripped by the company prior to sales. Look at enterprise{for thier fleet vans} Uhaul lots, USPS Lots. ANything like that they strip them because they dont want you around with thier name.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:47 pm

I'm Dave and I remember meeting you (Nate?) through Bryan Houston. I looked at the bus when you had it parked by Eighth St. in Chico, near Metric Auto, a long time ago, and it had the UPS logo that you had had painted on it. It needed some body work and a seat but it was real cool looking.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:52 pm

I was used in a few different places all in Nor Cal from what I know, from the info I have gathered over the years I have had it talking with various people connected to it, previous owners, and most notably the guy who worked for UPS who got it originally and drove it while he worked there. It was between San Fransisco and up to Dunsmuir/Mt. Shasta Ca. Spent a lot of it's life in the Chico and Sacramento area as well. They put a ton of miles on this thing and went through a few engines in it's time. Not exactly sure, when it was decomissioned though. Boy would I love to get in touch with that guy again. I'll have to see if I can look him up if he's still alive as I still remember his name. I would like to get some more info on it and ask a lot more question of him this time. He really wasn't to excited to talk about it though when I talked with him years ago, and said UPS would be all over me if I tried to run it as a UPS bus, and he was right!

Funny you say that about their head offices, and them needing to buy it. In one of my conversations with one of the, "cooler", of the UPS lawyers, he said the same thing. That they should buy it, restore it, and dsplay it in their head office. They weren't really interested in doing so even at a bargain price of $10K that I offered it up to them back in '99 or so. They didn't want to pay that much and though it wasn't worth it. THANK GOD!!! I'm REALLY glad they weren't interested back then, as I would have been kicking myself now if I gotten rid of it back then for so little, especially with how crazy bus stuff is now. Don't really think I will ever get rid of it really. Unless a deal comes along that I just can't refuse...calling all Barndoor owners!!! hint, hint! Even then I don't know if I could bring myself to part with it. I really love this bus!

Mon Jun 04, 2007 4:06 pm

The issue with the logos is that they were sanded off, and I documented them all and put them back on myself because I could still make them out, barely, but I could see all of them. It wasn't easy though, I really had to look to see some of them. I went to a sign guy and had more made, so I don't know the technicallity there with it. I figured they would be all for it to when I originally did it. Their response was pretty suprising, even though lots of people said they would come after me.

And yeah I used to live on E. 7th Street in Chico, by Bryan Houston and we are super good friends still now. Houston is awesome, he hooked me up huge when I lived there. Let me live with his family for a while and put me to work in his VW shop! Bryan's a rad guy, I met him because he was working at a 7-up distributor at the time, and they had a 7-up logo'd bay window that was all lowered that was totally cool.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 4:11 pm

To me, the fact that you put them back on is what makes the difference.

But I am not a trademark lawyer so don't take my worthless advice.

Mon Jun 04, 2007 4:35 pm

el roacho wrote: The issue with the logos is that they were sanded off, and I documented them all and put them back on myself because I could still make them out, barely, but I could see all of them. It wasn't easy though, I really had to look to see some of them. I went to a sign guy and had more made, so I don't know the technicallity there with it. I figured they would be all for it to when I originally did it. Their response was pretty suprising, even though lots of people said they would come after me.

umm, no you didnt, they were original shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :idea: