Technical Stude Pickup Warehouse Find

As if I need another vehicle, I may have an opportunity to buy an interesting truck from my past. Not wanting to jinx it I won’t say too much. It has transplanted front suspension but I’m not sure anyone remembers what it is. It does have torsion bars. I’m thinking ’57-‘62 Plymouth or Dodge. Anyone recognize this A-arm, spindle or backing plate ? These are the only pictures available for now.
Edit: I added new pictures to help with the ID
Edit edit: We figured it out, it’s 1957-58 Dodge/Plymouth


View attachment 5216335

 

Volare was popular at one time.

 

@bchctybob

I think you are on the right track with the ‘57/‘62 Mopar idea. Drum brakes is one telltale. Later Mopar units used transverse torsion bars, not longitudinal. Also the later versions were subframe assemblies. This is appears to be a welded assembly common to the earlier units.

Ray

 

I haven’t been able to see it in person yet so I don’t know how the front end was installed and both the owner and the builder are no longer with us to give us information. After 40 years of storage I’m sure it will need some brake work so I’m hoping to identify it.

 

What was that AMC car that some folks used the front clip from, late 60's Pacer?

 

Pacer is coil springs with a rack. I used one in a '49 Chevy pick up years ago.

Gary

 

Pacers ran from 75 to 80 and had disc brakes.
Gremlins from 70 to 78

That lower A arm looks like a early 60's mopar C body to me.

 

Thanks. I'm trying to get some better pictures but nothing so far. I was told that it does have the 5 on 4.5" bolt pattern - another clue.

 

With Ray - there are some tell tell's - the way the shock mounts and the lower strut ( A- Arm for other makes ) - the strut anchor/nut is to the left - that nut and where it attaches looks like the 57-62 K frame.

 

UPDATE: I was able to buy the truck and I will be bringing it home tomorrow if all goes well. I’ll get some good pictures then but for now a little teaser.
Oh yeah, anyone have a 4 bbl intake for a ‘55-‘60 Pontiac? I’m gonna need one to get the old beast running again.

 

Well , that looks like it has the makings of a neat shop truck for you . ​

 

Studebaker?

 

I'm not sure about any Dodge/Plymouth before '62. '62 thru '70 something had the lower ball joint/steering arm as one unit. And the strut rod went into the lower arm not bolted to the top. Gene.

 

Is that a 58 Pontiac fuel injection sitting on that engine?

 

C'mon Bob..shoot us some pics, your killing us!

 

Studebaker R2?

 

Well we got it to my place safely, quite a task since one tire on opposite corners refused to take or hold air. This is one of three 1950 Studebaker pickups all built at the same time (late ‘50s - early ’60s) by the Pisano Bros.
One was built for Frank Pisano to race as a gasser with a Plymouth 413 and Hilborn injection. It was featured in PHR back then and I watched it run at Lions many times way back when.
The second one was built for Carman Pisano, the owner of Wedge Engineering, makers of scattershields and other performance parts. It had Hudson IFS, an IRS fashioned from a 9” Ford center sections and fabricated axles suspended with VW torsion arms. It had a stroker Pontiac with dual AFBs, 12.5:1 pistons, ported heads and a huge roller cam. The engine was reportedly one of several spares from Mickey Thompson’s Challenger. In the hands of my high school buddy Danny, it left many burnout marks on the street in front of my folks house. It still survives, but has had some serious updates.
The third was built for Tony Pisano, owner of an enameling/powder coating company that served Bell telephone for years as the coater of pay phones and other items. Tony’s truck was the mildest of the bunch. It got the IFS transplant, I think it was Mopar ‘57-‘60(?) this time. It has a ‘55 - ‘64 Chevy positraction rear end. It also received a Pontiac engine but this one appears to be a ‘57 or ‘58 with factory fuel injection and the Jet-a-way transmission it came with. It will take some number research to know for sure.
All three trucks were built by Carman who was energetic, talented and creative with anything mechanical. Carman was a mentor to me as I learned the old fashioned do it yourself kind of hot rodding.
The trucks all got mild custom treatments such as canted quad headlights, filled and molded tailgates, custom tail lights, and interior treatments popular at the time. I have been around these trucks since I got out of high school. Tony’s truck needed a new home after spending forty years holed up in a warehouse next to an array of Pisano Bros race cars and other collectibles. Ordinarily their hot rods stay in the family but time marches on and sometimes there isn’t a place within the family for things to land when they need to move. I was fortunate enough to be able to put my name on the list and I got the call Friday that it was mine if I wanted it. Hell yes. So I’m the proud caretaker of a truck I have lusted after since high school!
in situ…..


Making room at my place….


a face any mother would love….


a custom rear end….

Brand new tires, useless….

 

That looks like some very nice steel. Drool...
Marcus...

 

I like the truck, and congrats on getting it. If you are not using that fuel inj setup there will be a restorer happy to part with cash to get it from you. Not able to help with the front susp swap, but a Mopar 5x4.5 pattern will be different than the Chevy rearend 5x4.75, unless somebody changed to match. Not a real big deal, not the first hot rod swap to have different bolt patterns.

 

Yep 5 on 4.5 front (with bolts?) and 5 on 4.75 in the rear. I have drill jigs for drilling the Chevy pattern so I’ll change the front so they match.
I’ll probably try to get it running with a single 4 bbl but the plan is to restore the FI and reinstall it as soon as I can.
It has been stored in the back of a warehouse for decades so there is no rot that I’ve found so far.

 

Well deserved Bob, nice one!!

 

Hell yeah!

 

Rather than start a new thread I edited the title a little.
O the wife and I are getting acquainted with our new truck, she found the keys on the floor along with a radio.


They say it ain’t yours until you shed some blood working on it. Well it didn’t take long.

 

Here’s what always intrigued me about this truck, the Pontiac engine.
Pictures with the cover in place. As found.

 

And pictures with the cover removed. There’s a lot going on under that cover.
Looking at these pictures makes me think about what a great hobby we enjoy. I think of the ambitious young men who built and drove this thing.

 

Now I know where the General got the idea of TPI in the 80’s from.

 

Yeah, my buddy said the same thing when he saw it. I got another injection unit with the truck and it’s very different. I’ll post pictures of it tomorrow. It looks more like the Corvette unit.
Any Rochester fuel injection experts out there? I’m open to any and all suggestions as to how to proceed with getting this thing running.
That big old cover was chrome, any suggestions for cleaning it up and saving the existing chrome.

 

That Pontiac FI unit is seriously rare - they were used on the 630 Bonneville convertibles built in 1957, and only a couple hundred were sold in 1958.

 

What Stuart said !!

 

Damn, legit Pontiac injection setup, that is a seriously cool thing. The whole truck is neat, and pretty advance for it's time. The early Plymouth/Mopar front suspension is not something easily swapped, I'm impressed with the engineering there. The guy who built this knew his shit.