Front end difference?

[Aussie Hawk]

What are the differences between a '50 and '51 front end? And, can they be swapped over?

Matt
Brisbane
Australia

[mbstude]

Everything is different.

Matthew Burnette
Hazlehurst, GA

[studegary]

They are different and can not be easily swaped over (as Matthew implied).

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[JGK 940]

"Front end" meaning sheet metal or suspension/steering?

Trim changed from big chrome spinner, side gills and deep under-bullet intakes grills in '50 to smaller plastic spinner, no gills and flush-mounted intake grilles in '51, and gap between bumper and sheet metal was filled with a horizontal pan in '51.

Suspension setup changed radically between the two years.

Front clip sheet metal for '50 Commander and Land Cruiser:

is unique to that year.

Front clip sheet metal for '50 Champion:

can be modified to go onto a '51 of any series with liberal applications of heat, hammers and sweat.

Front fenders (wings) and hood (bonnet) from any '51:

can be modified to go onto a '50 Champion, but not without work.

After all's said and done, I like Matthew's answer better.

Keoni Dibelka / HiloFoto
In Hawai'i; on Hawai'i; on the Windward Side
If da salt air never chew 'em up bumbye da lava will...

(pics added; all taken from eBay listings)

[buddymander]

Will a 51-64 hawk frame go under a 49-52 very easily?

[rockne10]

1949 wheelbases: 112, 119, 123
1950 wheelbases: 113, 120, 124
1951 & 52 wheelbases: 115, 119
1953 & up wheelbases: 116 1/2, 120 1/2
until you get to 1959
There were no Hawks until 1956.
C/K models were introduced in 1953.

[buddymander]

Will the body mounts line up or does anybody know or have tried it? A half inch or so in wheelbase is probably the spring pad mount.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Keoni's post should be a sticky. Best explanation of the diff's between the often confused 50's and 51's I have seen.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[Aussie Hawk]

Sorry guys, I meant the front end suspension / axel assembly. Here is an example of the slight differences in our 'English'. Down here, if you say 'Front End', people assume you mean the front end assembly, as opposed to the front 'clip'. I guess what I'm asking is what 'front ends' can be bolted to a '50 chassis? I'm investigating a LHD to RHD conversion.

Matt
Brisbane
Australia

[JGK 940]

No worries, Matt. Sheet metal and gauge clusters are the major changes between "First by Far With a Postwar Car" and the first of the BulletNoses we all know and love, but '50/'51 is The Great Divide in Studebaker suspensions. To modify a '50, look for earlier-model parts cars instead of later: parts from a '47, '48 or '49 of the same series (Champion-to-Champion; Commander-to-Commander) should bolt in, no sweat. Just be aware they won't interchange between senior and junior cars.





Keoni Dibelka / HiloFoto
In Hawai'i; on Hawai'i; on the Windward Side
If da salt air never chew 'em up bumbye da lava will...

[buddymander]

Has anybody tried (or succeeded) in bolting a pre 51 body onto a post 50 frame?

[jcstude]

I think if you check wheel base specs you'll find differences. Additionally, as Keoni points out, the '50 is a 'one-off' for front suspension. It was the year of transition from transverse leaf 'planar' to coil springs with upper and lower a-arms. Front wheel cylinders are different from 50 to 51 and I believe brake hubs went from 4 lug to 5 lug. If you don't care about staying all Studebaker, the Chevy S-10 (if they exist down under) has been a popular chassis for the 50 body.

Good luck,
Lew in Escondido, CA

[buddymander]

So you mean to tell me that nobody on this forum has switched a <50 body onto a >51 frame? Small differences in wheelbase can be corrected by rearend springpad placement. Or just redrilling the alignment hole in the springpad.

[Michidan]

The wheelbase difference is all up front. Moving the rearend around won't help anything. Unless you also move the entire body rear/forward. That's a lot of body mounts to redo...

I have not tried the swap so won't swear by anything. But what is being said is that despite the similar theme on the nose, these are different cars entirely.

https://www.studebakerhardtop.com

[buddymander]

So...the floorpans are that much different?