1964 studebaker champ trailer hitch?

[Zactw]

Hello everyone I am a 17 year old who has recently purchased a 1964 studebaker champ 8e7 with 259 4 speed manual. I was wondering if there was any way to get a hitch for it so I could pull a little 12 foot aluminium boat with it. Do they have NOS hitches or will I have to have one costum fabricated. I would even buy a used one if anyone know where I could find one

[jts359]

I got one from a friend about a year ago , Put a wanted ad on the Stude swap page Good Luck with the truck , My wife has a 64 Champ , we drive it all over , Ed

[old fart]

Might be hard to find don't know of any such thing as a factory hitch . Custom made should give you some confidence as it is made for your truck only . Enjoy your truck .

Old fart

[studeclunker]

The same kit used for a 1974 Caddie will work on a '62 Champ. I know because that is what is on my '62. As to the boat mentioned, chances are if you have a step bumper well secured to your truck, that will suffice. Boat and trailer shouldn't weigh even six hundred pounds, so a bumper hitch, in this case, should work quite well.

[StudeNewby]

The bumper hitch on my 8E7 pulls a loaded 16-foot trailer with ease. Is yours a step bumper with a hole for a hitch?
BTW, welcome aboard!

[ndynis]

Welcome to Stude land and the Forum. You will find all kinds of help here and the Studebaker Swap page is a great place to find parts you need in addition to the hundreds of vendors listed on the Studebaker Drivers Club website.
Have fun!
Nick

[62champ]

I believe the hardware of the day, unless it was something pretty special, was simply a step-type bumper with a hole in a plate. I know all the farm equipment on my grandfather's farm had simple drop in pins for everything that needed to be pulled.

This is an example of a bumper that was available from Studebaker that was their "step" bumper. You can just see the pin hole in the photo.



Most truck owners probably got a bumper locally and had similar arangements. This is the bumper on my 7E Champ:

[thunderations]

Pretty simple to fabricate a receiver type hitch if that's what you are looking for. Might be able to modify one from a Ford Ranger or Chevy S10.
I made one from an El Camino hitch I bought on Craigslist for $30 for my 63 Daytona and since selling that car, (stupid thing to do), I installed it on my 66 Daytona.
It's not rocket surgery or brain science.
Take some measurements and hit a few wrecking yards. Bet you find something that will work.
You can also buy a simple receiver hitch that bolts onto the bottom of a step bumper. Think Harbor Freight sells them.

[Zactw]

Thank you everyone for all the help. I am new to the studebaker world being only 17. My truck doesn’t have a back bumper currently, it was modified with some sheet metal and looks really nice. My parts truck has a bumper but doesn’t look like any of those pictures. I think I am going to go the route of customising another receiver.

[62champ]

Sounds like you have a plan - please let us know how it turns out.

Don't forget to put both your truck's information on the forum's Champ registries.
Link to the 8E/1964 Champs: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...forum-registry

[studeclunker]

Zactw, posting a picture of both your parts truck and your driver would be helpful. It gives us a better idea of what you are talking about. For instance, this is what the rear bumper and reciever hitch on my '62 look like:

[Ron Dame]

Zactw, posting a picture of both your parts truck and your driver would be helpful. It gives us a better idea of what you are talking about. For instance, this is what the rear bumper and reciever hitch on my '62 look like:

Hey Clunker, your bumper is the first I've seen like mine. It allows the tail gate to drop straight down and avoid bending it loading or unloading. Mine has an "S" welded on the back side, and the truck came from Fremont, CA. What do you know about yours?

[studeclunker]

Ron, on the right of the bumper center panel is a tag saying who the maker is. I actually had two Champs that both originally came from Capitol Studebaker (along with three Larks) and both had the same bumper. All three of my Champs were originally sold to farmers in California's great central valley. The one in the pic was purchased new by a walnut farmer in the Red Bluff area. When I got it the truck had sat under an oak tree for twenty years. the bed was full to the brim with leaves and small trees were growing in the detritus. The truck is seventy-five miles from where I'm sitting and I don't intend to visit Fawn Lodge for another week. Should my leaky memory allow me to remember, I'll check then for you.