Finding Mentors and Parts

[studeclunker]

Thanks everyone for all the help! I've been researching the truck and looking for mentors for the past month, and I think I finally found one after going to the Good Guys Car show in Des Moines. Luckily, my grandfather was very good at finding parts for the truck, and from the looks of it I need some gaskets, but other than that I haven't found much I need. From what I understand though, the truck is fairly rare since it's also an automatic with factory air. Hopefully, I can get it running for a show next year (not looking for any awards). From the looks of it, the only nightmare is going to be the electrical system as I recently learned from RadioRoy that there is no fuse box, so I'm unable to follow the wires. The one picture attached is when we were bringing the truck back up from Texas and we broke down because of a loose wire.

The Simplicity of a Studebaker is on your side Kiddo. Electrical Nightmare? Not really. Studebakers were quite simple right up to the end. Yours will have a bit more complication due to the AC. However, that is a system unto itself, so not a big deal there. Here's a hint: If you've the cash to spend, don't fix, replace. The proper wiring harness for your truck is available. Just get a new one and be done with the old, fragile, deteriorating wires. It's a pain in the wazoo to replace in the dash, however well worth the effort (whilst you are cussing and bleeding all around under the dash, it's a good time to replace all those tiny lightbulbs too)! Everywhere else in the truck the wiring should be rather easily accessible. Things get a little tight for the tail lights, but nothing a little bit of hanger wire can't get done.

Would have loved to see a pic. of your old man, but it didn't come through. Here's a shot of my old man Ed (also a '62):

[StudeNewby]

Automatic AND factory a/c? Holy moley, Sayre, you've got a Champ unicorn! Paint me jealous!
Seriously, that's a cool piece of machinery. Post pics!

[studeclunker]

Unicorn... yeah and he has rainbows coming out his exhaust pipe!!

[53commander]

-do not take the truck apart. It's the thing that everyone seems to think of, BUT... It is one hundred time easier to take something apart than it is to put it back together. Leave the ground up restorations to the pros with the tools, knowledge and money to complete the task.

-Whenever you do disassemble something, do it with the idea in mind that you have to put it back together again. If you disassemble something, lay the parts out in the order they came off. Then, put them back on in the same order. That alone will save you lots of grief.

Two very excellent points. I bought my '53 when I was 15 and immediately took it all apart including the body off the frame. Then life happened and now here I am at 47 trying to put it all back together. Lucky for me I tagged every part, nut and bolt. Back then there were no cheap cameras to take lots of pictures with. In hindsight I should have just got it running, driving, and stopping then at least I could have enjoyed it through the years and did a full restoration later on.