Please help ID this truck

[asesolen]

Hello, Trying to determine the history of this cab...



It sure looks like it could be the cab off of this truck...


It has R/HC written on the firewall...


There is no serial number tag, but this is intact...


And it came from Chuck Naugle's place... the same place that had kept "The Whistler" hidden for so many years!


It's sitting on a half-ton frame so doesn't look nearly as majestic as the prototype photo above, but can't imagine there were too many R.H.C. cabs built and the flares on those fenders wouldn't have worked unless they were on a much larger frame with a much larger drivetrain.

Please let me know your thoughts and/or any other historical information you may have regarding this. Your help is a appreciated.

[warrlaw1]

So cool. The Stude-Packard merger dates it to the mid-fifties.

[Mark57]

3E series trucks are 1957/58 production year models, so the cab dates from that time. Clearly the grill is modified as it is a 2R grill (49-53).

[StudeRich]

Engineering prototype, a ONE of a kind!

[Skip Lackie]

I think Rich hit the nail on the head. I suspect it's the cab from the protooype for the 3E48 RHD, 4x4 trucks built for the Indian Army. I believe this same truck started out as a 2R28 and was built in December 1953, and then was subsequently modified (at least twice) to serve as prototypes for the 3R48, 2E46, and 3E48. See chapter 12 and especially footnote 19 of the Stude truck history on the main SDC web site.

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/StudebakerTruckHistory.asp

[Peanut]

Boy, oh boy, I sure hope this beauty gets a proper chassis!

[studeclunker]

I agree with Rich and Skip. This truck appears to be the prototype. If one looks closely at the prototype photo it's obvious the grille is of an older type than the hood. In fact, they seem to perfectly match what is sitting on that 1/2-ton frame. However in the photo, the hood didn't look quite so... buck-toothed. That is to say it fitted in properly. Could be it isn't attached to the hinges anymore? Then again, not much seems to be properly attached on that truck.

Hmmm... I have a motorhome frame that cab would look pretty cool on.

[Mrs K Corbin]

You could grab the big truck in the auction in MN (Cheapo) and make a pretty good match....

[8E45E]

I would look and see what other parts of it might be laying around that yard; perhaps the original grill and the bumper, and maybe even the frame.

Craig

[Skip Lackie]

Have a 3R48 parts book. It clearly shows the trucks having a 2R style grill and (RHC) 2R instrument panel. But it also shows the 2R style hood and hood trim, not the Transtar type shown here. My guess is prototype, but later, corresponding to the 1957 date on the Engineering photo.

All the RHD 4x4 trucks (2R28, 3R48, 2E46, 3E48) built for India used the 2R grille to simplify the parts supply chain. The latter two did, however use the taller hood with the Studebaker insert, as shown in the photo above.

[Skip Lackie]

As I previously stated, according to the parts book, the 3R48 also used the older style hood. Curious as to why you would have skipped over that model. I was under the impression that was the big production run.

My mistake -- typo. 2R48 should have read 3R48. There was no 2R48.

[asesolen]

[QUOTE=Skip Lackie;877898]I think Rich hit the nail on the head. I suspect it's the cab from the protooype for the 3E48 RHD, 4x4 trucks built for the Indian Army. I believe this same truck started out as a 2R28 and was built in December 1953, and then was subsequently modified to serve as prototypes for the 3R48, 2E46, and 3E48. See chapter 12 and especially footnote 19 of the Stude truck history on the main SDC web site.


Skip, thanks for the great information, it is very helpful!

And looks like John Kroulik is the proud owner of another unique piece of Studebaker history.

[8E45E]

Another place to look on the bigger trucks is on the underside of the hood. My truck had the paint color, 'Deisel' (sic) and 'BBC' written on it. I posted photos of those markings here: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...rewall+marking

Craig

[studejohn]

Thank you Mike for posting that. And you all for your input on this truck. This truck may have not made this long if it was not for some great foresight on previous owners It was told to me that it came out of the proving ground before Studebaker shut down. Just the cab and fenders. Whole vehicles could not be slipped out in large lunch boxes so I'm told. Just think how bad it would look if it didn't get saved from the Studebaker grave yard . It's in pretty good shape as far as rust goes not much there Would love to come up a nice drive train for it. More to come in the future.

[Skip Lackie]

Thank you Mike for posting that. And you all for your input on this truck. This truck may have not made this long if it was not for some great foresight on previous owners It was told to me that it came out of the proving ground before Studebaker shut down. Just the cab and fenders. Whole vehicles could not be slipped out in large lunch boxes so I'm told. Just think how bad it would look if it didn't get saved from the Studebaker grave yard . It's in pretty good shape as far as rust goes not much there Would love to come up a nice drive train for it. More to come in the future.

FYI, the 3-ton trucks built for the Indian Army came on a (what was apparently a unique) 161-inch wheelbase. So if one wanted to re-create a 3E48, a 155-inch WB would probably be the closest one could come. This was a fairly common WB for Stude 1.5 and 2-ton trucks from the 3R series to the end. See the table of models referenced in the truck history.

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/StudebakerTruckData.asp