My ‘55 E7 pickup

[mbstude]

Earlier this year I did a complete rebuild of a ‘55 E7 that spent its life on a ranch in Montana. I left the Scruffy exterior alone, aside from replacing the bed with a nicer one. There was no rust to fix, and I just couldn’t bring myself to repaint it.

The 224 and 4 speed was well worn so I rebuilt and installed a full flow 289 punched .060 over, overdrive, new springs, brakes from an 8E7 Champ, 3.54 Twin Trac rear, NOS gauges, new glass and rubber, NOS steering box and rebuilt front end, air conditioning, all wiring from Lark Works, 2” Silvertone duals.. It’s a long list.

Tentatively planning to submit it to Bring A Trailer later this month for a No Reserve auction.

[studegary]

That is quite a pickup! Good luck with the auction. To me, it seems like something that is in tune with the times and should do well on the auction. Has BaT agreed to take it on? Your timing is just a bit off to have Bob A. bring it north in his trailer.

[55coupe]

I was wondering what became of your truck. You do wonderful things with your cars and trucks good luck with your sale.

[PackardV8]

That's as about as nice a driver as Studebaker parts will allow and to my eye, the best looking of all Studebaker trucks.

While mine is not for sale, I'll watch with interest on the market for '55s.

Please furnish us a link when the auction begins.

jack vines

[jackb]

I've got a similar (red/mix) desert blanket seat cover on my 53' truck...... just looks great for the era.....and green tree air fresheners too !

[blackhawk61]

Good job Matt !

[mbstude]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

It is a cool truck, and it was a fun 6 months worth of spare time putting it together. I bought it as a basket case last December and had it finished in June.

I have yet to submit it to BAT, but it shouldn’t be a problem getting it listed.

A 55 E5 went for $20K a few months ago. It had a Champion six and was “farm fresh” under the hood. It didn’t look like any restoration work had been on the chassis at all. But it had a slick red paint job. It’ll be interesting to see how the same truck, though in totally opposite condition (strong mechanicals, no slick paint job) will do in comparison.

It will answer a question I’ve had for a while; is curb appeal or drivability worth more to the buying public?

This one is turn-key, ready to go. The engine pulls like a freight train. There isn’t a Studebaker truck out there that’s more solid, period. And it’s ugly enough that it can still be used like a work horse.. I’m anxious to see how it plays out.

[studegary]

I think that the answer to your question varies with the vehicle in question.

[Dwight FitzSimons]

In the late '60's I had a '64 Avanti with a near-new R3 engine in it. The interior was excellent as were the mechanicals, but the paint was badly faded. A guy approached me and expressed interest in buying it, saying that he was looking for a "cheap Avanti." It appeared to me that, in his eyes, the poor paint, all by itself, put the car in the "cheap car" category. That was just one example; I hope your experience is different.

The only Studebaker pickup I would prefer over a '55 would be a '56 with a '55 hood on it.
--Dwight

[jclary]

In the late '60's I had a '64 Avanti with a near-new R3 engine in it. The interior was excellent as were the mechanicals, but the paint was badly faded. A guy approached me and expressed interest in buying it, saying that he was looking for a "cheap Avanti." It appeared to me that, in his eyes, the poor paint, all by itself, put the car in the "cheap car" category. That was just one example; I hope your experience is different.

The only Studebaker pickup I would prefer over a '55 would be a '56 with a '55 hood on it.
--Dwight

Or...a '55 with a '56 Grille with its built-in turn signals and (maybe) converted to 12V.

[junior]

I absolutely love it...just the way I would do it!! Must admit though, your cojones are somewhat larger than mine. If I spent the time/effort/cash on this baby I would be experiencing cardiac arrest putting it on BaT with no reserve. Good Luck! Oh, just one question...is that sweet steering wheel factory stock? Cheers, junior

[Bob Andrews]

Your timing is just a bit off to have Bob A. bring it north in his trailer.

Not at all, Gary, I will not even be in FL until the 20th! Buy it and I'll deliver it for CASO cheap.

[Jeff_H]

Matt,

Love your truck...

'53-'55 car steering wheel? Are those fender top lights those type of blinkers that have the arrow pointers in them?

[mbstude]

The only real difference between a 55 and 56 Stude truck is the electrical system. I used all OEM 1956 12V electrical parts in the build. Lark Works harnesses, dash gauges, wiper motor, starter, generator, overdrive system.. It’s all factory 1956 parts.

The steering wheel is from a ‘56 Hawk. The upper column shifter bracket is for a ‘50 Champion; it’s the same diameter as the Hawk wheel. The setup almost looks factory.

The “arrow” fender top lights aren’t original but they are functional as turn signals.

My goal with this truck was to have a solid, dependable pickup that could be driven anywhere, without the hassle of maintaining a nice paint job. It was built to be worked hard and abused. Now that it’s done, I’m bored and ready to build something else.. Like my 4 speed equipped Wagonaire project.

Yesterday evening I took 104 pictures of the truck and made a couple of videos of it driving around. A guy gets real busy trying to hold the camera, steer the wheel, and shift the transmission, all while trying to shove the gas pedal through the floor. This was my very first engine rebuild.. The damn thing runs nice.

Bring A Trailer has accepted the truck and it will be listed with No Reserve.

[mbstude]

Hoping this posts a video link.