E 5 pickup mystery

[JCB]

Ordered the original build sheet, completed March 4, 1955, E 5 serial number. Truck has one piece windshield and larger rear window. The grill looks like a 1954 and the hood has the smaller narrow Studebaker badge on the front. It is titled a 1956. It is definitely different than the the '56's I find pictures of. I am wondering if sometime in its history it was mistakenly titled 1956. Thoughts?

[r1lark]

Sounds like a '55 pickup that possibly wasn't sold until 1956, so it was titled as a '56.

[JCB]

I kind of wondered about that however, the build sheet shows a sales order number and says it was to be shipped to Pecos TX.

[StudeRich]

But, WHEN was it shipped ? Where it went, does not matter.

[StudeRich]

There is a very easy way to tell, if it's Serial Number Plate says the Model/Year is "E it's a 55, a '54 is a 3R and a '56 is a 2E.

The curved front and rear glass proves the Cab at least is at least a '55 not '54.
The grille panel would not be any easy bolt on to change with those "Arrow" Parking Lights pointing Left and Right but of course all "C" Cab parts interchange.

The Grille designs all look the same to me except the Parking Lights and the '56 redesign to add different parking lights, which also can be turn signals.

A '56 Hood is quite a bit different than a '49 to '55.


This is a '54 3R Big Truck so it has the 232 V8 hence the V8 hood ornament.


Here is a '55 "E"


Lastly a '56 2E

[Skip Lackie]

We all tend to view the past through the lens of today. Nowadays, the model year of a vehicle is important -- but that's mostly because the federal safety and emissions laws (which often changed each year) are keyed to the model year. There are laws and penalties that deter mis-registering a vehicle. Back in the day, vehicles were often registered by local county offices, which had their own rules (and didn't really care about model year anyway). Each year, Studebaker sent out a letter to all DMVs providing the starting serial numbers of the new year's vehicles. But in the 40s and early 50s, Studebaker gave dealers the authority to register leftover but unsold trucks as the next model year until 31 December if they were still on the lot on that date.

As explained by Rich, the 1956 trucks had a different hood and headlight rims, parking lamps built into the grille, and 12-volt electrics. There were other changes, too -- as discussed in the Stude truck history on the main SDC web site. https://studebakerdriversclub.com/wp...ker-Trucks.pdf

[JCB]

Thank you Skip, I read the history link you provided and your input... But in the 40s and early 50s, Studebaker gave dealers the authority to register leftover but unsold trucks as the next model year until 31 December if they were still on the lot on that date. I am about to decide that this may have been the case and would explain it. That's my story and I am sticking to it! Thanks everyone for the help. Jim

[ddub]

"There is a very easy way to tell, if it's Serial Number Plate says the Model/Year is "E it's a 55, a '54 is a 3R and a '56 is a 2E." Quoting Rich in post #4. That will settle which model run it was part of. All kinds of changes may have been done over the lastn70 years.