Body / Glass: 61-62 Champ rear cab corners

[landriopa]

I recently bought a 61 Champ that was sold as a 62 that lived in PA and NY with the expected rust problems. I already know that I can get fiberglass fenders from Studebaker Int'l and replacement rockers. Is there any source for replacement metal for the bottom rear cab corners?

The drivers side has a one inch by five inch gap, the passenger side is gone. About a dozen years ago some shop around Pittsburgh did a bondo and paint job but did not solve to water issues causing the corrosion. The result is that the bondo is popping out and I plan on correcting back to the original Apache Red paint when I am done. I am looking to do repairs that will last longer.

My second question is what you you recommend as weatherstripping, and/or other things to minimize the water and corrosion issues on a Champ truck?

[Warren Webb]

I don't know of anyone making the cab corners on a T-cab. As far as weather-stripping goes I believe Studebaker International offers a kit. What makes a difference is if your truck is a T-4 (standard cab) or a T-6 (deluxe cab with sliding rear window, amongst other things.

[Kurt]

Nobody makes a reproduction that I know of. On my Champ the driver side cab corner needs attention. The rust is all down low like yours. My idea is to take a piece of rocker panel and make a patch. The contour us the same. The issue will be the fact that the cab corner has a curve to it.

[62champ]

If your truck is a 6E, someone has replaced the front fenders at some point - the chrome trim looks to be 7E or 8E (62-64). There is a Champ registry here on the forum - please enter your vitals and add to the totals.

[62champ]

Here is the difference between the '61 front fender chrome and earlier/later chrome:

6E - 1961:


5E/7E/8E - 1960, 62, 63, & 64: (shown is a 5E)


This is the link to the 6E - 1961 - Champ registry : http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...forum-registry

[landriopa]

Is it a 61 or a 62 Champ?

I took the VIN off of the plate on the cab door frame and ordered the production order for vehicle E5-130876. I was told that it is a 1962, though the Champ Truck guide shows this VIN to be a 1961 production truck. Yet it does have 62 moldings!

What I received back from the Museum further confused me, as the Production Order did not match 100%, is that normal? The VIN Plate clearly states that it is a 122 wheelbase, and it does have an 8 foot bed. The Production Order says that it is a 112 wheelbase! At this point, I thought the last digit of the VIN was wrong and that it might be a 5, so I took the paint off the VIN and it does read 130876.

Additionally the engine numbers do not match. The vehicle has, (if I am reading it correctly), a 1E-26194; while the Production Order states that it has a 1E-21398. Photos attached. Was it not delivered from the factory for a while? What does BN in the Date to Ship mean? Could the original engine failed early in life and replaced in about a year?

[Skip Lackie]

E5-130876 is a 1961 Champ. That fact is verified by the 6E5 model number. The PO you bought is a copy, typed up by the Museum staff. Typing mistakes by them are far more likely than a mistake on the serial plate. The truck has a 122" WB, and the serial plate agrees. You might want to contact the museum and ask them to check the original and send you a new copy if they discover a mistake on the WB.

The engine has probably been replaced some time in the past by one from a junk yard. A one-digit mistake on the PO might make sense, but 1E-26194 is from a 1962 truck. It's possible that your front fenders were replaced with ones from a later truck, along with the later mouldings.

[Dwain G.]

Possibly this truck was made out of parts from a second truck based on the difference in wheelbase specified on serial plate and P.O. No wonder there are so many discrepancies. Have you found any evidence of red paint under the beige?

[landriopa]

This truck was stripped, bondo repaired and repainted probably 15 years ago. But they only over-painted in the engine compartment. There you see the cream color flaking away with Apache Red showing through. There is also red under the truck bed. Also note the light blue color up by the wiper pivot. This truck has been repainted at least twice, my goal is to bring it back to the original red.

[Mrs K Corbin]

Doesn't Classic Enterprises make Cab Corners for Champs as well as the C-Cabs?

[Skip Lackie]

Just checked and it doesn't look like it.

[Jessie J.]

It is very common to find T-cabs that have received extensive parts swapping over the years, particularly any that have ever been exposed to salted winter roads. And I can't remember a time when it wasn't far cheaper and easier to simply replace a worn Studebaker engine with one less worn, rather than rebuild the original. See the thread "Cost to Rebuild a 259 V-8 These Days" the current price of a recommended 'right' rebuild of -just- the engine, according to the most respected Studebaker engine builders now topping $4,000 to $7,000!!! (post #41)
As you see, the original '61 fenders had ummm ...'unique' trim, a one year only 'change for the sake of change' that went over somewhat like the proverbial lead balloon. When rust ate 'em, most owners given the choice opted to replace them with the much better received '60,'62,'63,'64 parts. Heck, when changing just a few parts would transform your 'odd' looking '61 into a '64 lookalike, Why not? And most folks saw it as an improvement. Going back to the '61 scheme would actually devalue it in my book. But to each his own.

[Jeff T.]

When I made cab corners for my champ project a few years ago I first made cardboard templates, made steel patches from the templates and bent the sheet steel around a big fence post and worked the steel to the shape I wanted via bending and hammering.