1962 7E5 Champ

[62champ]

Second anniversary - July 17, 2019. At the current pace, a driving photo of the truck will probably happen prior to 2025...

Day of arrival



One year down



Two years down

[62champ]

Fuel tank as a instrument to stop a vehicle is never a very good idea... I think this may be the reason this truck was parked after 8 years - someone must have hit something hard enough that it split open the bottom of the tank making it impossible to hold anything fluid.

Got the fuel tank brackets and tank out of the truck today and go some photos of the tank in the light.

This is the rear bracket when it was still in the frame.



This is the front bracket - the brackets themselves are not bent - the are pretty heavy duty - it looks to be the flange areas of the tank gave when the ramming occurred.



The bottom edge of the tank took a pretty good smack.



The tank was pushed back far enough that the top rear portion of the tank was shoved into the cross member that goes across the bottom of the rear of the cab. Filler tube was partial broken loose as well.



I have a couple used tanks to work with - one of which was sealed some time ago - will cross my fingers that they can be used. Guess the old tank will slowly go back to its natural state within nature - rust in pease.

[62champ]

Progress is getting slow - but brakes are getting done...

A local Studebaker legend took some time to open up his place on Friday for two reasons - one: sell shop supplies during the "127 Yard Sale", and two: turn the rear drums on the truck.

He knew the former owner of this shop just south of I64 in Frankfort, and when he found out the guy wanted to retire, he asked if he could buy the brake lathe. One thing lead to another and he ended up buying the whole place. He said the day he walked in the first time it looked like the staff had set down their tools the day before and left - the owner took nothing with him.

This is Herb working on one of the drums - he wanted to make sure any kind of imperfections were gone, so it took a good five hours to get both drums done.



The surface where the brake shoes do their work looks like brand new. Was not too worried about taking off too much metal - the "new" shoes are thicker than original - they have to be pushed in some to even get the drums to slide on...





Life is going to get in the way pretty quick now and there will be the inevitable hiatus once school is going full bore, so who knows what will get done next.

[tsenecal]

Enjoyed the updates, and you are making progress. Hopefully you will be able to squeeze some work into a busy schedule. For me, it helps to spend some time in the shop, and forget about the rat race for a while. Good luck, and keep the updates coming!

[52-fan]

Thanks for the report. This kind of thing is always encouraging to those of us who like to work on our vehicles.

[62champ]

Got the last piece of the puzzle today to put together the drums to the rear on the truck. I ended up with only one of the emergency brake clips that holds the housing to the inside of the drum - making it secure. Studebaker vender asked for a quick photo and was able to get them in the mail in short order - thanks Bo!

Quite a difference between the old and the "new."



Things continue to slow - have not been able to get any brake lines done because of the weather. Twenty five steps from the house to the garage and you are already sweating when you get there...

[ChampCouple]

Thanks for showing the process on your Champ. We just bought a '61 Champ, that my dad actually owned over 40 years ago. Its in bad shape, but we later got a '62 frame that we'd like to do what you have done with yours, then put the '61 cab and box on it. Yours will be a great step by step starting place for us.

Oh, how about much POR15 to do the frame, axles..... etc.?

[62champ]

Thanks for showing the process on your Champ. We just bought a '61 Champ, that my dad actually owned over 40 years ago. Its in bad shape, but we later got a '62 frame that we'd like to do what you have done with yours, then put the '61 cab and box on it. Yours will be a great step by step starting place for us.

Oh, how about much POR15 to do the frame, axles..... etc.?

I read about your find and really am amazed that you were able to return the truck to the family. If you feel inclined, start your own thread here so everyone can see how things progress.

POR15 wise, from what I can tell, I think a quart would easily be able to do a frame front to back, and possibly be able to do the majority of the running gear. I think it is better to stick to the quart so there is less of a chance of it sitting for a long period of time and hardening up. I had about a 1/3 of a quart and was able to do almost the entire underside of the bed.

One thing also to consider is the possibility of adding your information to the online Champ registry. I started them back in 2014 to get some idea about how many Champs might still be out there. This is the page for the 6Es: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub....forum-registry

Thanks and good luck - my family has owned lots of Studebakers - would love to find one that was sold and have the chance to get it back.

[ChampCouple]

POR15 wise, from what I can tell, I think a quart would easily be able to do a frame front to back, and possibly be able to do the majority of the running gear. I think it is better to stick to the quart so there is less of a chance of it sitting for a long period of time and hardening up. I had about a 1/3 of a quart and was able to do almost the entire underside of the bed.

One thing also to consider is the possibility of adding your information to the online Champ registry. I started them back in 2014 to get some idea about how many Champs might still be out there. This is the page for the 6Es: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub....forum-registry.

Thank you for the information on POR15. And I will add our pickup to the Champ registry.

Thanks again for the informative thread.

[62champ]

This kind of thing is always encouraging to those of us who like to work on our vehicles.

Thanks - cannot imagine not working on stuff like this. Part of the fun for me is seeing how things work and keeping them that way.

[Commander Eddie]

Mike (ChampCouple), in what part of Oregon do you live? There are 5 or 6 SDC local chapters in Oregon and I recommend you join the closest one. You will find a wealth of information there and many of the chapters have at least one parts guru. Our Northwest Chapter has one that knows more about studebakers and parts than anyone I have ever met. He can often get us a better deal on parts because he is a licensed wholesaler.

[ChampCouple]

Mike (ChampCouple), in what part of Oregon do you live? There are 5 or 6 SDC local chapters in Oregon and I recommend you join the closest one. You will find a wealth of information there and many of the chapters have at least one parts guru. Our Northwest Chapter has one that knows more about studebakers and parts than anyone I have ever met. He can often get us a better deal on parts because he is a licensed wholesaler.

Sorry for the delay, just now saw this post. We live in Oakridge, as you probably know, about 35 miles southeast of Eugene. A quick search, looks like the Willamette club out of Corvallis might be our closest club. I will check into that. A parts guru would certainly be a big help.

Thanks for the pose and suggestion!

[62champ]

So finally got enough stuff together to get all the rear brakes back together and the drums back on. Want to thank Studebaker International for the NOS brake springs, Dave Theibault for the wheel cylinders, and Bo Markham for the E-brake clips. This kind of project would be impossible without our Studebaker parts vendors.

Did not notice the bicycle box slogan until I was looking at the picture when I downloaded them - like it.





With everything zipped up and back on, it was time to put the monster truck tires on and set it back on the ground. With all the new bushing and suspension being unweighted for so long, there is little to no give. Will see how much that changes once the bed is back in place.

[ChampCouple]

I like the bike slogan too! Pickup is looking good. I'm sure I'll be using your info and photos for future reference.

[62champ]

School back in swing always slows things down. Wanted to get this done all the way across the rear axle, but it is still pretty hot and I know there will still be time before it is too cold to do anything sets in. Short line from distribution block to left side is done - will need to wait until they are juiced to see if they were done correctly...