59 Sedan Delivery

[Wiz]

I need alead on general info for the 59 Sedan Delivery (features, price, production numbers, drive trains). Anyone have any suggestions?

[Aanderson44]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I need alead on general info for the 59 Sedan Delivery (features, price, production numbers, drive trains). Anyone have any suggestions? </div></div>

Features? Bare bones actually. The front seat area trim is that of a Biscayne, in silver/charcoal, standard was a driver's seat (looks sort of like a bucket seat, but very plain, almost crude) and a jump seat (for a passenger) was optional, having both a folding back and hinged mounts to the floor allowing this seat to be completely folded up against the dash.

The cargo deck was plywood, covered in grey "battleship linoleum, the interior panels behind the B-post were tempered masonite, painted metallic silver.

Power train options were very limited: The only two RPO engines were the 235cid Blue Flame 6, and the base-level 283cid V8 with 2bbl carburetor as the only option. Any other engine would have been a COPO (Corporate Office Production Order). Transmissions were limited to 3spd manual with column shift (overdrive was optional with this gearbox) or Powerglide. I believe (due to the stop-start, short-haul service most Sedan Deliveries were put to) that most were built with 4:11 rear end gearing, but the longer-legged 3:56 gearing was probably available as well. The rear axle would have been a Chevrolet 12-bolt unit.

In other words, it was a Biscayne Brookwood 2dr wagon, with no quarter windows, and no interior appointments behind the driver's area. As for production numbers, I believe that Chevrolet quit splitting out Sedel production figures as separate stats from their base level 2-dr wagons beginning in 1958 (I owned and restored a '58 Delray Sedan Delivery about 10 years ago, BTW). However, by 1958-60, Chevrolet Sedan Delivery production was pretty small--given that the US Government's General Services Administration (the agency charged with the responsibility of providing civilian vehicles to all Federal Government agencies) RFQ specified full windows in sedan deliveries to be purchased by the government starting in 1958. Ford was able to fulfill this, but for whatever reason, Chevrolet did not--hence, for example, the US Post Office Department, the largest fleet purchaser of sedan deliveries, bought only Ford Couriers in 58-59, with full glass windows "for safety".

Hope this helps you a little bit.

Art Anderson

[Guest Oracle]

A Full Width Seat was optional, and assuming that '59 was the same, even a 348 was available as a '60 348 Police accident response vehicle is known. There was no Canadian Pontiac Sedan Delivery available in 1959..1958 was the last year, but Chevrolet SDs were built in Canada.