Customs Opinons wanted Yay or Nay?

I have a long term low budget 50 Studebaker pickup project. I have most of the parts I need for the project except the original bed I have is pretty beat up and rusted through.
I have been given a bed used as a trailer from a 60's Studebaker Champ pickup. Studebaker bought the tooling for the Champ beds from Dodge who used them on some 50's fleetside trucks. Studebaker never made fleetsides until the Champs in the 60's.
I had themoose over on the Photoshop to end all photoshops thread do a rendering of a 50's Stude truck with the Champ fleetside bed. I am kind of on the fence on this. I kind of like it, but love the ones with the fenders.
What do you think?

 

Low buck build and a free bed to kick start the project? Full speed ahead!
IMO, looks very smooth.

* edit - Blackwalls if ya gotta have radials.*

 

If that were the end result, Home run!
KK

 

Square bed on a cab that's has curves everywhere? IMHO, don't do it.

 

I say, "Go for it".. Looks pretty cool...

 

I like the fleet side better then the fenders.

Gary

 

looks fine to me

 

Finally, a cure for the odd fat rear fenders! The back would look cleaner IMO without the chains and maybe a tail light upgrade. Bob

 

I like it.

 

I like the original look with the fenders....

 

I'm a Stude truck owner since 1974....why has no one thought of this before ? Go for it....it looks cool.....

 

I think your photo shop is misleading. The Studes I have seen with the later bed, it sticks out on the sides. It ii to wide for the Stude cab to look good.

 

He also did one with a smooth gate, no chains

 

Good Catch--Come to think of it, the beds were wider than the Champ cabs too if I am remembering correctly.

 

Yeah I already think that I may have to narrow the bed by about six inches

 

I think RichFox is right, I think it's too wide for the later Stude, might be really too wide for the earlier cab.
I built one of these trucks years ago, one of my favorite parts was the bed, I personally dug how it was made. Kinda like a wide bed but narrowed with fenders added, way cooler and more style I feel then the typical narrow bed of the day.

 

I like it....has that ''retro'' look that car manufacturers were trying to accomplish few years ago....from ''this'' picture you posted, it looks nicely done....the bed may need some ''tweaking'' in reality.... A real nice, neat, and tidy setup in my opinion though

 

I like it a lot and you are a member of a small band of craftsmen that do exceptional work,you can pull it off. HRP

 

I think it could look great, but it would take more than just narrowing the bed to look "right".
The body lines still don't line up, rear wheel openings are different than the front, etc.
There might be a decent stock box up here, I can ask around if you want.
I have a '56 Stude PU waiting to get built...

 

^^^^^^^Exactly! If you can 'massage' a fleet side bed to look that good...go for it. But unmodified they fit like a saddle on a sow.

Peronally, I much prefer the original Studebaker bed that came with that cab.

Ray

 

Think about a fleetside box that was narrowed to the width of the back of a 50's cab. The rear wheels are going to stick out, or you'll need a very narrow rearend with skinny wheels.

Do you have original rear fenders? Can you narrow the fleetside box up to cab width and stick the Stude fenders onto it?

It's a shame you're not closer, there's one of those Stude boxes in a junkyard here (made into a trailer like your donor box) that I'm sure could be had really cheap.

 

Ford Ranger boxes have been used and don't look out of place. Just a option. I do like the look of the Champ box

 

I do have some original fenders, I also know a guy that has a trailer made out of the bed I need. I just don't have the cash he wants for it right now. Since I am getting this one for free I thought I would explore the option of using it. Nice thing about photoshop is you can do that.

 

I have also seen the newer model GM stepside boxes used, but don't care for them much

 

nope....it'd be like putting a cardboard box-skirt on a topless Marilyn Monroe..

 

I like the look. But can the real world live up to Photoshop?

 

Build a cool flat bed for it and call it done. I'd love to have something like this.

Hit Home Depot on Saturday morning and the cruise in on Saturday night.

 

First of all, it's YOUR truck. My opinion, HELL YES!

 

All it would take for me to try is someone else saying I might not be able to do it. ("Winking emoji" I can't figure out how to do emojis on iphone, so just imagine one)