My new Truck

[valleyguy]

Just purchased this 1952 Truck, R6 model with the big 6 engine, overdrive trans.
The transmission is out of a car so I'm not sure how that will affect the driving.
Good condition overall, excepting the drivers side quarter/fender which
were destroyed in a recent accident. Forgot to ask the po about the wheels which
are 16 inch. Is this the original size? I'm not familar with trucks but I have sent away
for the manuals. Looking forward to getting this truck back in tip top shape.

Joe D.

[jclary]

Looks like a great truck. Is that car transmission an overdrive? I have a set of 16" wheels. They are 5 lug light truck wheels and your's look to be the same. The six lug heavy-duty wheels are two piece and I don't think they accept hub caps.

The damage to the bed don't look like anything that can't be fixed. Get it done and bring it to the NC tri state meet this fall!

If you are willing to accept the bumpity bump truck suspension and ride of these straight axle trucks... and the raw simple transportation they provide...you are in for a long-term relationship and tons of fun.

[BobGlasscock]

That's one pretty truck. Brings back memories of my uncle's truck and all the rough rides on his ranch.



That's my maternal grandfather on the left and uncle on the right. Spot the Studebaker? duh.

[Skip Lackie]

The 16" wheels are correct. 15" wheels were optional. The original tire size would have been 6.00 x 16". Classic Enterprises makes some body patch panels for the C-cab trucks, but may not be big enough to fix your rear quarter. Fortunately, it's mostly flat steel. Rear fenders come up on ebay now and then, but often have rust. The same rear fenders were used 1949-1964.

The OD trans will make a big difference in making your truck driveable on freeways. It reduces revs by about 27%. The Commander big 6 is a great engine, but doesn't like revving much above about 2500 rpm. Fortunately, most of the parts for the OD are still available, and there's plenty of expert help here. It might be worthwhile to check to see what your rear axle ratio is, as that will also determine your high-speed capability. There should be a tag bolted to the back of the axle giving the number of teeth on each gear. If not, you can calculate it by measuring how many turns the drive shaft makes for each rotation of the rear wheel. Available ratios included 4.09, 4,55, and 4.82/4.89.

By the way, the full model number of your truck is 2R6-12, where 2R is the series, 6 indicates the Commander 6, and the 12 indicates the wheelbase of 112". Good luck with your truck.

[Mark57]

Wheels et al

As others have mentioned, the 16" wheels were standard - I don't think the 15" wheels were the norm until 1959 or '60. I have 16" wheels on my truck and that little bit extra clearance makes it easier to get underneath to service various items... 'course if you have a hoist ! The OD transmission you have with your truck should be a BW T-86 with an R10 OD unit tagged behind. As Skip mentioned parts are fairly easy to get for these units. I have this same set-up in my truck converted to a top shifter in behind a 289 V8, so it should work just fine for you. Have fun!

[studelark]

Hey Joe; Wow, I just punched in your post and immediately clicked on your photos. Clicked on the third one, "Dxxx, that's Massenuttan Mountain!" Looked over and saw your user name and location and realized we're neighbors (close). I live at Lake of the Woods in Orange County, lived the past 43 years in Louisa, VA. In fact, we have a time-share at Massenuttan.

Congratulations on acquiring a Studebaker truck. You may want to check out the site "Studebaker Truck Talk". STT is a bunch of fanatic Studebaker truck owners, most of whom are complete nuts. But, they also know a lot about Studebaker trucks, where to find parts, and how to keep them running. It's an amazing site with a lot of information. Skip Lackie, who shared some info with you, is one of them. Love to have you.

I have been a member of SDC since 1973 and of the Greater Virginia Chapter SDC since 1985. Would love to have you join us. We're headquarted in the Harrisonburg area.

If you would like to post your serial number, I would be glad to decode it for you. Would love to meet you and your truck sometime. Thanks for posting.

Frank Drumheller
Locust Grove, VA
60S-W6
M16-52 Boyer-bodied 1948 fire truck
plus some dead carcasses.

[52-fan]

Nice old truck. You should enjoy it.

[sasquatch]

That's a great looking truck and should be a pretty good driver. Congrats.

Register your 2R truck at http://2rtruck.need-a-geek.com/ It's free!

[valleyguy]

Thanks to all of you for your input; my wife and I are anxious to get started on the truck; it is driveable as it sits. but.
needs to be made safer, given that the right side damage was a result of a broken wheel, so that brake and emergency
brake cable needs to be replaced. The po who is a great guy, gave me extra parts including two brake shoes and a complete
quarter panel/fender, which you can see peeking out of the truck bed. I'm not sure its salvagable though, but in any case, I think I know
where to get a good fender, and I can probably fix the other damage myself. The truck has a car tranmission with overdrive,
i'm not sure what all that implies, guessing it means different ratios - better driving experience? harder on the clutch?
not sure. Mark, where did you get the top shifter for your trans? would it work on this trans? as luck would have it, the
trans shift linkage got stuck this morning, (won't move at all) guess that means getting under the truck for the first time,
might as well change the oil too etc. (and yes that clearance provided by 16" wheels will come in handy.. Frank, yes we
have lived in McGaheysville for 2 years now; Email me off line and let me know
more particulars on joining the Va chapter. My truck serial # is R6-4363; thats the only plate I can find. I'll definitely check
out the truck forum. Cheers,

Joe D

[Tom Bredehoft]

Won't shift? Stuck in gear? Column Shift? Open hood, locate shift linkage beside steering column, inboard. I use a 1/2-9/16 long box end wrench, reach down (with the vehicle on level ground) and pull up on the farther down linkage. It should come up about an inch. This will put you in neutral. Check fore and aft engine mounts, when they collapse from age, the shift linkage suffers.

[Bullet]

If you always get in from the passenger side you will never notice the fender missing on the drivers side. :-)

Mark

[Gary1953]

Neat truck. Enjoy.

[valleyguy]

Good point Mark, I guess I could also use the drivers side - if I keep right eye closed and avoid looking rearward....got the linkage
unstuck, thanks Tom; guess I'll add "check motor mounts" to my growing list....

Joe D.

[JRoberts]

Joe,

I think your truck was mine at one time in its life. If not it sure looks like it. I have sent you an email/pm I would love to talk to you about the truck. If it was mine, I put the tranny in it. It came out of a
'48 Commander. this made it run at highway speeds without trouble.

[studelark]

Thanks, Joe, for the swift response. I'll decypher your model code and serial number as additional information on your truck. Skip had already added some information about the model code.

Model code- 2R6-12-C2

2.....this digit signifies the model line of Studebaker trucks manufactured for model years 1949 through 1953.
R.....this character is code for the series of Studebaker trucks manufactured for model years 1949 through 1954. (1954 trucks were 3R's)
6.....designates a 1/2 ton rated chassis with a standard 245 cubic inch, flat head, side valve, six cylinder engine. No optional engine available.
12...designates the wheelbase of the chassis measured from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle. In this case 112 inches. This size wheelbase allowed a pickup truck box of 6 1/2 feet in length (sometimes referred to as a short wheelbase or shorty pickup).
C.....stands for 'cab'
2.....designates a 'standard cab' from the factory. There were no optional cabs for 2R trucks. That's where the reference 'C cab' comes from.
C cabs were in production for some models all the way through the 1964 model year. Your cab # is located on another tag in the driver's stepwell, but is to the right behind the back facing of the door opening.

Serial number- R6-4363
R.....same as above
6.....same as above
4363....the sequence in which this truck came off the assembly line for this model. This serial number is in the middle of the 1952 model year. The serial number block assigned for 1952 for 2R6 trucks began with unit R6-3355 through unit R6-7423, so there were only a little over 4000 2R6's
built in 1952.

Hope this helps a little in identifying your Studebaker truck. Enjoy.

Frank Drumheller
Locust Grove, VA
60S-W6
M16-52 Boyer-bodied 1948 fire truck