i.ve noticed the malibu has the right cubic space needed.over the impala or ford focus… the impala & focus are still designed with the column shifter and the e-brake on the lower left…perfect… however, the malibu has the 4 cyl and workable cabin & less blind spots… will i be able to swap steering co…

It would have been pretty difficult in the days before airbags and with airbags it will be close to impossible. You’re going to have to find a car that comes with the configuration you need. Are you looking at new or used cars? In what price range?

How about a right-hand drive Subaru? Of course, it does have a floor shift, but there must be a good reason why it is the vehicle of choice for so many rural mail delivery people.

The guy that delivers our mail uses a 4-cylinder Ford Ranger. Other local carriers use a Ford Focus, and another uses an old Chevy truck.

Anything is possible but I think you’re going to open up a real can of worms by attempting a conversion like this. You better be very mechanically inclined to even consider it. What are you going to do about attempting to flip the rack and pinion along with all of the little assorted headaches that…

I AM AN EX-RURAL CARRIER. I USED A HARD TOP CHEVY TRACKER. GREAT MILAGE. MY GAS ALLOWANCE MADE THE PAYMENTS. I INSTALLED A HYDRILIC PLUNGER TO MY BRAKE AND PUT A BRAKE PEDAL ON THE RIGHT SIDE. VEHICLE WAS SMALL ENOUGH TO REACH STEERING WHEEL FROM PASSENGER SEAT. WORKED GREAT AND INEXPENSIVE TO…

I am a rural carrier. First off you want something reliable and fairly cheap. Using a really good, newer vehicle on a route is not too smart. This job trashes cars. Try to find something with a column shifter and flat front seat…it will make your life much easier. Mercury sables are good as well as …

“The plymouth voyager is essentially the same vehicle as the quest” No. Actually, it is the discontinued Mercury Villager that is essentially the same vehicle as the old Nissan Quest.

The constant stop and go, and low-speed operation of a rural mail route would be ideal for a hybrid, but you probably don’t have the budget for that. I don’t think it’s practical to turn a left-hand-drive car into a right-hand-drive – the whole steering business will have to be replaced, and then th…

well, a Prius has that center mounted speedo and such, so converting it shouldn’t be too hard.

Designing a postal delivery car for rural mail routes

Maintenance/Repairs

jtsanders July 6, 2008, 7:42pm 5

Talk to the local dealers about what you want to do. Maybe the auto companies have a solution already for you. And what about USPS? Maybe they have some suggestions. Unless you live in Canada. But then, you’d ask about the heater, not the steering column.

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Designing a postal delivery car for rural mail routes

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