New-to-Me 1958 3E7 Transtar 1/2 ton long bed

[capwombat]

Hello & Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone on the Forum. Many of you will likely be familiar with this truck as it's come up for sale on several occasions over the last 18 months or so. But last weekend I finally pulled the trigger and bought it, and could not be more delighted with the truck. All photo credits (as well as credit for the quality of the restoration) go to the former owner -- these photos are all from one of his ads. I hope to add a few of my own in the near future, after I get the rear bumper mounted and install the Turner disc brakes and Vintage Air system. The red '59 Silver Hawk will now have something to keep it company in the garage. I am looking forward to taking both vehicles to local shows, with my son (who rode with me across Route 66 in the Silver Hawk in 2011) driving the truck!

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[capwombat]

Here's some more photos.

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[capwombat]

And the final five:

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[63t-cab]

Wow John, super nice looking Truck "I just love the long beds" speaking of beds, did this one survive in such nice straight un dented "floor". or was it re done with C.E. panels ?

[capwombat]

Joe, according to the previous owner (who did the cosmetic restoration of the pristine "patina'ed" original), it has just never really been used as a work truck. It was a suburban vehicle its whole life, and the bed metal is original. I have the photos he took from when he bought it (estate sale) -- it's just a clean, under 75,000 mile original truck. I got lucky!

[63t-cab]

Lucky for sure John, You'll get much satisfaction with this one !

[kmul221]

I am assuming it has O/D , that is the icing on the cake.Very nice looking truck by thr way.

[capwombat]

No overdrive, unfortunately. I am looking into a modern 5-speed conversion w/floor shift.

[tsenecal]

I agree , beautiful truck! Looks like the restoration was done with attention to detail. You should have a lot of fun driving it.

[63t-cab]

Now that would make driving 5 times more fun

No overdrive, unfortunately. I am looking into a modern 5-speed conversion w/floor shift.

[capwombat]

Got the rear bumper installed today. It's from a Ford Ranger. Fits like it was designed for this truck.
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[62champ]

That looks really good - what did you do for brackets? Photos of said brackets and mounting?

[capwombat]

Here are some photos from today -- got the new Vintique "smoothie" wheels and radial tires mounted. If anyone wants the old/original wheels & tires (including the spare), as shown in the photos, send me a PM. I also have the original front hubs & brake drums available (it now has a Turner disk brake kit up front).
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[Skip Lackie]

I might be interested in the wheels/tires. Are they 15" or 16"?

[capwombat]

That looks really good - what did you do for brackets? Photos of said brackets and mounting?

Regarding brackets, I used the Ford Ranger ones that came with the bumper kit, plus a piece of angle iron, and welded it into onto the frame. Apologies for the quality of the photos -- I do not have a lift in my garage, so I am laying on my back on a creeper, and can't get a full photo of the entire installation (can't get the iPhone camera far enough away to see everything in the viewfinder). Hopefully this gives you an idea (and yes, I am aware I am not going to win any awards for artistic welding). I need to complete all the welds, cut off the excess angle iron "L" bracket on either side of the frame, and then cover the welds and the bare angle iron up with some Rustoleum or POR15. I'll do that after I decide if I am going to try to add a Class III hitch to the bottom. Right now, I just have a 2" ball mounted to the bumper.

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- - - Updated - - -

The old wheels are 16" in diameter, and narrow.

[capwombat]

Based on a PM I received earlier today, the wheels and tires MAY be sold (if they do not sell, I will post an update). Brake parts & hubs are still available, if anyone wants them.

[capwombat]

Just dropped the spare from under the truck (see photos). The wheel was clearly repainted sometime in the last 5 years or so by the previous owner, but as opposed to the larger and much newer old-style (but Made in Mexico) bias ply/tube-type tires that were on the truck before I installed the Vintique wheels and Michelin radials yesterday, the tire on the spare is a much older, made in Indianapolis 5:00 x 16 tire. I cannot believe it is the 1958 original (the rubber seems to be in too good shape/not enough sidewall cracking), but it definitely appears to be a period ('60s, maybe?) tire.

Anyone w/more expertise than me able to hazard a guess? The markings shown in the photos are the same on both sides of the tire.

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[70Avanti2]

Just go ahead and put a class 3 hitch on the truck.

It's better to have one and never use it. Then to need one and not have it.

Those Ranger bumper brackets are easy to bend downwards. I've done it.

[Skip Lackie]

Just dropped the spare from under the truck (see photos). The wheel was clearly repainted sometime in the last 5 years or so by the previous owner, but as opposed to the larger and much newer old-style (but Made in Mexico) bias ply/tube-type tires that were on the truck before I installed the Vintique wheels and Michelin radials yesterday, the tire on the spare is a much older, made in Indianapolis 5:00 x 16 tire. I cannot believe it is the 1958 original (the rubber seems to be in too good shape/not enough sidewall cracking), but it definitely appears to be a period ('60s, maybe?) tire.

Anyone w/more expertise than me able to hazard a guess? The markings shown in the photos are the same on both sides of the tire.

That is probably one of the original wheels for your truck, but the OEM tires would have been from a company like Goodyear or Firestone. That is almost certainly a replacement tire, likely from the 60s or 70s. If it has spent most of its life as a spare, there might not be any sidewall cracking. I have two 1960s-era tires that spent their lives as a spare hanging under a C-cab truck and they look fine. And I recently discarded two tires that GM installed on my 37 LaSalle 81 years ago. They were a dried out, but still held air. As stated, would be interested in any of the OEM wheels for your truck. What brake parts do you have surplus?

[capwombat]

Skip, thanks much for the info and insights re the spare tire. That tire has spent its life as a spare (it doesn't appear to have ever been on the road), so I'd guess the original owner must have installed it in the '60s or '70s. [I am the 3rd owner of the truck, apparently]. The brake parts I still have available are the two original front hubs and drums, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, et al, along with the single-chamber original master cylinder (I replaced it with a dual-reservoir one from Turner Brake). So everything that came off the truck after installing the Turner front disk brake system is available, if anyone wants those items. NOTE however that one wheel stud is broken off on one of the drums/hubs, so will need to be repaired.

Regarding the wheels and tires themselves, I've already received (via PM) and have accepted an offer from another Forum member. If I've not received payment by mid-Feb, I'll offer the wheels and tires here again.

[Skip Lackie]

Thanks -- lemme know if they become available. FYI, the drums/hubs and the brake shoe cores are worth saving. The wheel cylinders might be if easily rebuildable. The master cylinders are readily available, and the cores are not worth saving.

[capwombat]

Got the Vintage Air system installed last week. It works beautifully. Photos shown below. I now just need a sheet metal cover to fcover the wires in front of the instrument cluster, and also fill the space where the old Climatizer used to be. IMG_0615.jpgIMG_0616.jpgIMG_0617.jpgIMG_0618.jpgIMG_0619.jpgIMG_0620.jpg

[62champ]

Looks like a good set up - it might be so cold in there you might have to keep a window halfway down...