Hello everyone. I'm new to the group. At long last I have finished work on my other antique truck (1959 GMC), and have given it to my son in Pensacola, FL. It was his to begin with. He bought it as a rusted derelict in a horse pasture, but I did most of the work since he went and joined the Navy.
After having been faithful to "original" in my restoration philosophy with that truck, I have now come to the conclusion that if I want this Stude truck of mine to serve as a daily driver, then engineering upgrades are going to become mandatory. The '59 GMC taught me a hard lesson that new stuff is, in many instances, scads better than the old in terms of accuracy, efficiency, power, performance, handling, reliability, and safety.
With this in mind I have now turned my full attention to the '51 Stude truck. I'm looking at a total replacement philosophy, as nothing under the skin is serviceable. My goal is to have the truck appear original from the outside, but with new, upgraded "innards", noticeable only when you pop the hood. I realize this is blasphemy to the purists out there, but I am a realist. Like I said, I intend to drive this truck every day. This isn't going to be one of those fragile trophies you see being hauled in air-conditioned trailers to competitions all over the country. It was originally built to serve on a farm, (it has a granny gear, max speed is 45 mph, and it shakes going that speed), but now it has to perform efficiently and safely on the interstate, which wasn't even thought of back then.
I started work 2 weeks ago. Rust is heavy on the underside, the floor and toe board of the cab, and the inside face of all sheet metal. Complete disassembly was my first chore. Engine, fenders, hood and bed are now removed (most bolts had to be cut off). Gas tank, shocks, muffler exhaust and tailpipe are also off, as are the fuel lines, wiring harness, and vacuum lines. All lines and hoses are gone. Cab is also off, as are both axles and leaf spring sets. I had to build a wooden frame with casters so I can lower the cab onto it. This will give me maximum mobility in my small garage. Nothing is left now but a stripped frame.
Scraping and sandblasting is now being undertaken. There's over half a century of detritus on this beast, from grease, mud dauber domes, wasp nests, bird nests, insect infestations, pine needles, and manure from every describable creature on earth.
Restoration will begin with the chassis. A nice paint job is needed after sandblasting. I was thinking of POR 15 applied by brush on the new, clean metal. Front end will be replaced with independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, front disc brakes with power steering and power brakes. Fatmans Fabrications makes such a front end kit for one price, and they make adaptors to fit Studebaker trucks. Next comes engine/tranny. I need an upgraded power plant to replace the weak and worn-out 170 cu. in. flathead six. I was thinking of a Mercedes diesel power train, front to rear, for uniformity, reliability, fuel efficiency, and biofuel compatibility (used veggie oil). I may have to weld new engine mounts and maybe re-route some frame cross members and struts. I have my eye on a donor vehicle which fits the bill for a reasonable price. It is a 1980 Mercedes 300 CD sedan with automatic tranny and 135,000 miles. It's in a salvage yard near me. The interior and body are horribly trashed, but the power plant/drive train is good. I test drove it. Those engines go 500,000 miles on average, and get about 30 mpg. I won't be breaking any land speed records with this, but hot-rodding the truck was never my goal. Asking price is $1,450. If I don't use the Mercedes rear end, I'll probably go for an old Ford 8" rear from a junked Maverick or something. All the hot rodders I know seek this rear end for it's reliability and durability. Drive shaft can be sized and fitted with new ends to adapt between manufacturers. New wheels are needed, since the old ones are rusted to the point I can see
After having been faithful to "original" in my restoration philosophy with that truck, I have now come to the conclusion that if I want this Stude truck of mine to serve as a daily driver, then engineering upgrades are going to become mandatory. The '59 GMC taught me a hard lesson that new stuff is, in many instances, scads better than the old in terms of accuracy, efficiency, power, performance, handling, reliability, and safety.
With this in mind I have now turned my full attention to the '51 Stude truck. I'm looking at a total replacement philosophy, as nothing under the skin is serviceable. My goal is to have the truck appear original from the outside, but with new, upgraded "innards", noticeable only when you pop the hood. I realize this is blasphemy to the purists out there, but I am a realist. Like I said, I intend to drive this truck every day. This isn't going to be one of those fragile trophies you see being hauled in air-conditioned trailers to competitions all over the country. It was originally built to serve on a farm, (it has a granny gear, max speed is 45 mph, and it shakes going that speed), but now it has to perform efficiently and safely on the interstate, which wasn't even thought of back then.
I started work 2 weeks ago. Rust is heavy on the underside, the floor and toe board of the cab, and the inside face of all sheet metal. Complete disassembly was my first chore. Engine, fenders, hood and bed are now removed (most bolts had to be cut off). Gas tank, shocks, muffler exhaust and tailpipe are also off, as are the fuel lines, wiring harness, and vacuum lines. All lines and hoses are gone. Cab is also off, as are both axles and leaf spring sets. I had to build a wooden frame with casters so I can lower the cab onto it. This will give me maximum mobility in my small garage. Nothing is left now but a stripped frame.
Scraping and sandblasting is now being undertaken. There's over half a century of detritus on this beast, from grease, mud dauber domes, wasp nests, bird nests, insect infestations, pine needles, and manure from every describable creature on earth.
Restoration will begin with the chassis. A nice paint job is needed after sandblasting. I was thinking of POR 15 applied by brush on the new, clean metal. Front end will be replaced with independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, front disc brakes with power steering and power brakes. Fatmans Fabrications makes such a front end kit for one price, and they make adaptors to fit Studebaker trucks. Next comes engine/tranny. I need an upgraded power plant to replace the weak and worn-out 170 cu. in. flathead six. I was thinking of a Mercedes diesel power train, front to rear, for uniformity, reliability, fuel efficiency, and biofuel compatibility (used veggie oil). I may have to weld new engine mounts and maybe re-route some frame cross members and struts. I have my eye on a donor vehicle which fits the bill for a reasonable price. It is a 1980 Mercedes 300 CD sedan with automatic tranny and 135,000 miles. It's in a salvage yard near me. The interior and body are horribly trashed, but the power plant/drive train is good. I test drove it. Those engines go 500,000 miles on average, and get about 30 mpg. I won't be breaking any land speed records with this, but hot-rodding the truck was never my goal. Asking price is $1,450. If I don't use the Mercedes rear end, I'll probably go for an old Ford 8" rear from a junked Maverick or something. All the hot rodders I know seek this rear end for it's reliability and durability. Drive shaft can be sized and fitted with new ends to adapt between manufacturers. New wheels are needed, since the old ones are rusted to the point I can see
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