Ok so my next build is going to be a stude truck. any where from 1950- 55. But i found a 62 truck that im gonna go see this week for like 150 bucks, I guess everything is there , new tires and i think its a v8. I dont think jesus could make a 62 stude look kool or am i just not thinking out of the box ,..I think they are uGHHlee . So i was planning on getting it and stripping it for when i get my 50-55 truck i can uses some stuff off the 62 . So here my question is the motor v8 , in 62 stude a good motor? and what stuff should i strip and what stuff should i just not waste my time with , dont know much about studes, so help a brother out . i just wanna build a slammed down stude , good driver , nothing crazy .
What, exactly, is ugly about a 62 Stude P/U? They're no uglier than a Lark, which I think is a pretty nice looking car. Drop the front end, loose the Dodge bed and put on an earlier Stude bed, some nice wheels and drive it. The Stude V-8 has some minor, correctable oiling issues, it weighs a ton, but is a pretty bullet proof mill
I always wanted a stude pickup. I currently have alot of 56 ford trucks. I have a 63 R2 avanti(real studebaker) and the 289 is a good motor. I think 289s are in the 60s pickups as well....just not supercharged. I always thought it to be cool to pull the avanti with a studebaker truck.....Bill
Check out the forum at the Studebaker Drivers Club, and Stude Truck Talk. Stude motors are dependable and easy to find parts for. Good luck, and have a good time in your Champ truck!
HR-L never ceases to amaze me...build it...it's different than all the early ones seen out there...that Stude motor was the first small block in 1951...be different-be a stud.....ebaker dude...
Once you learn to live with all the jokes and "What year Ford is that",you'll learn to appreciate your Stude. It could be worse,you could have a Dodge or gasp,an International! Now,that's ugly right there! (tongue in cheek)
Champs can look very nice, The larger ex-Dodge box doesnt fit the cab lines but you can swap in an earlier bed or a Ford Ranger step side bed looks really good too.
Yep, what year Ford & what year Dodge are 2 of the most common questions I get. $150 for a Stude V8 alone is a great deal, much less a whole truck. I'd buy that '62 & either make enuff profit or make a trade to get the Stude you really want.
I have a '61 Studebaker Champ. It looks the same as yours. If it has the wide ex-Dodge bed that other have spoken of, you can replace it with either the narrower bed that is much better looking, in my opinion. or the Ranger step side bed. My truck has a narrow bed, but it is the long bed. The Ranger will work on the short bed, but not the long bed trucks. As far as the engine goes, the Stude V-8 is a good strong engine. There are some speed parts available, dress up parts as well. Most Champ trucks came with 259 V-8's, still an great engine. I have an R1 289 V-8 in mine. That is the Avanti base engine. You can make a 259 into an R1 clone with parts that are readily available. The Stude engine in your Stude truck could be as cool as anything else you could put in it. As far as transmissions go, does yours have an overdrive ******? If so that is a plus. Should be a t85 or t86. I have a t86 from a car in mine for better gearing, since I don't tow or carry heavy loads with it. There are adaptors to put a T-5 or any GM automatic behind the Stude V-8. Then, of course, there is the Studebaker version of the T10 four speed. Those are harder to come by, but they are out there. Parts of all kinds are not hard to find. Check in with the Studebaker truck forum as was mentioned earlier and the Studebaker Drivers Club forum as well. (StudebakerDriversClub.com) These folks are always glad to help. Also check out the Studebaker Webring ( http://k.webring.com/hub?ring=studebaker&list&page=0) for sources of parts and lots of info. Hey, I love the older C-cab trucks too, but my Champ is much more comfortable to ride in and is actually less well known, thus DIFFERENT! For the pitance that is wanted for the Champ you are looking at you can't go wrong. Good Luck!
VERY STOUT UNBREAKABLE ENGINE. You can do a lot with the 259 Stude engine. You can shock the BrandX crowd, you can beat them to death (the engines!) for decades without breaking, you can buy them for pennies. I am still using the same 700R4 Corvette automatic four speed I put on the truck when I made the very first automatic Stude/Chevy adapter back in the 80's. The extra gears really help it a lot. 4 wheel disc brakes, HEI electronic ignition, Corvette ******, oversize Chevy valves in the heads, Chevy valves, big ports, homemade manifold, and some m***aging..... NO blower, and no Geritol (NOS) of any kind. They can hold up to anything if you like to experiment.
go to my albums i just finished a 50 stude truck. it sits on a late model gmc dually frame. i built it to tow my vendor trailer to swap meets. hold out for for your original plan.
Jake, Climb on Stude Truck Talk forum,lots of great people on there with good info. Best advice I can give you? Good luck with your project! P.S.The pages there load from the bottom.
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