i like it......and it can always be changed later if you don't like it or get tired of it. if it is in good shape it will be easy to sell.
Starts looking too much like a modern SSR. Go with a short flat bed with no diamond plate on the sides.
The newer bed looks good on it, but narrow it if needed. For the body line difference mentioned, you might want an accent pinstripe running from the front fender top to the tail light to make it look more like part of the original design. Regardless, it will look just fine as long as the body and the bed are the same width.
What skirt? And back on subject: I think the truck looks great in photoshop. If you can manage to achieve in metal what The Moose did in pixels, I think it will look great!
What about trading your trailer for the one with the right bed? Either way, I'm sure that whatever you make happen will end up a sweet little truck!
That is another option I am considering if he would go for it, This guy is a Studebaker collector and I have not seen any Champs in his yard
I think that first bed with a slight rework on the wheelwell lip is the way to go. I looks so close already
The red photo shop is cool as hell, but I don't think you can build it from the parts you have. Optical illusions To get the bed sides flat and match the cab the rear tire track width needs to be too narrower than the front. Either that or the truck would have an hour gl*** shape the top view.
I was going to suggest narrowing the box, but you beat me to it. I really like that first photoshop pic. Of course it's not a bolt-on job, but I think it would be worth the effort to make it happen. I really like the clean lines of the later bed with the earlier cab. As someone else mentioned above, think of how "DeLuxe" the Cameo pickup was compared with the stepside version. Day and night. Go for it, or you'll always wish you had. You'll have the only one like it on your block! And please keep us in the loop with a build thread.
Your truck, your build, your rules.... but it does sound like you have some doubts about it?? A small suggestion : wait for a week or two, then look(with a tape measure? LOL!) to see how much it take(& how difficult?) to get the proportions "right" to suit YOU(!!) &, if it "feels good", just "go for it" & tell the rest of the world to "Just Kiss My ......", 'cause it's YOUR truck, NOT theirs!!
I think I will see when I get the bed and mock it up by the cab and see how it looks and what mods would have to be made. May not be till spring though. Depends on when my brother gets all the s**** out to the recycler.
Tough call. I don't like the original box on these that much either. If I did the later box, I would think about '63 corvair tail-lights, or something similar? I HATE the smoothed off tailgate with no chains, good god, whats next, pastel peach monochrome paint and grey tweed?? But the original tailgate looks too "sixties" imo, kinda jars with the whole thing. Someone mentioned you "have the skills", how about taking the earlier tailgate panel with the 6 character lines, and welding that into the later gate? A lot of work, but that would go some ways to pulling it all together, IMO. And it would sure blow the minds of those who "get it".
On the tailgate chains. For that late fifties/early sixties custom touch, toss the ugly black rubber covers, and take some of whatever material you use for the interior, and s***ch some up out of that.
I was at first against it, but after looking at it more, I kind of like it. Although you would need to modify it so it doesn't stick out from the sides of the cab. But if you could get it to blend smoothly, I think it would make one nice custom.