Front Axle / Front Suspension: 1953 stude truck retrofit

[cabforward]

I am looking for advice on what works best for my front end upgrade on my 2r truck. I am wondering which of the 3, is 1)best ride, 2) easier to install 3) least costly
I have read where a speedway mustang 2 style front end works well, also heard of s10 frame swap , heard that full size chev truck works well also.
Just wondering if anyone has any experience in this process. I want to upgrade to 12 volt system as I have many 6 volt parts to replace if I stay original. I also have wheel cylinders that must be replaced. I want to upgrade instead of install nos brakes and electrical.

[gordr]

I have seen some very nice custom 2R trucks with the S10 frame swap. I would regard it as the winner on all three criteria.

[thom]

I believe the full size frame swap is NOT a good choice. I have seen it done a couple of times and it did not turn out well at all. The wheels don't center in the openings, the truck sits too high without suspension mods, and the chassis is too wide. My '55 is on a '87 Dodge Dakota and it worked out great. The S10 should work out similar to the Dakota. I like the Dakota because of the rack & pinion steering. 87-90 2wd Dakotas have 5 on 4 1/2 wheel bolt pattern like Ford cars so the choice of wheels is as good as it gets. I have been told that 90+ 2wd Dakotas can be swapped to the earlier 5 lug pattern by swapping rotors and rear axles & drums. I have not tried it though. I have used Mustang II ifs under other vehicles by using the complete crossmember from the Mustang. There not pretty like an aftermarket one but work well under certain frames. My '40 Chevy sedan has covered many miles with one under it. I adapted S10/mid size GM brake rotors & calipers to it and used manual r&p steering. I love it. If the frame on the 2R truck measures 34" or very close to it, outside to outside a Mustang ,crossmember and all, might work for it.

[cabforward]

Thanks guys for the help. If I did use a s10 what is the wheel base on the s10. I think my truck is 109.75?? ( Hard to measure by myself.
Any idea on the wire harness to use and gage set?

[Alan]

I was looking at a 1989 Toyota truck frame to fit under my 63 T-cab. A lot of parts front torsion bar suspension included looked like they would work if you wanted to piece meal things. But I never pulled the trigger.

[gordr]

I think the S10 extended-cab chassis is the one to use. Pretty easy to shorten a pickup frame; making longer is more work. Wire harness and gauge set? Depends upon what you want the finished product to look like. There ought to be NOS 12-volt Studebaker gauges available, but what's compatible depends upon the year of the S10, if it uses an onboard computer or not.

[bensherb]

With all you need to replace, I'd find a mid size pickup, be it the Dodge, Ford or Chevy, drive it home and swap the body. Wheel base is easy to change, track width is not, so find something narrow enough to fit under the fenders. My '54 Chevy station wagon sits on a '75 Ford truck chassis. I cut 4 1/2" out of the middle of it to fit the wagon, it was 6" wider but that was overcome with a set of big backspace GMC wheels from an '06 Envoy, drilling a new pattern in the hubs and brakes, long studs and appropriate thickness spacers to correctly locate the wheels. A lot of extra work. My '46 Chevy pickup has a Mustang II front suspension cut from a '75 Mustang; it works great, but did require a fair amount of fitting (40 years ago). There are companys that make bolt in or weld in crossmembers for most vehicles now. Most accept stock Mustang components, and several larger brake hits are available too.

[Skip Lackie]

The wheelbase of your truck is 112". There are kits around to fit the Ford Aerostar front suspension to the existing Stude truck frame. The track width is nearly identical. Lots of people have upgraded these trucks to 12 volts. The 56-64 Stude truck dash clusters are a bolt-in. And many people have used a truck glove box door as the basis for aftermarket gauges.

[sweetolbob]

Local fellow put a 52 Studebaker pickup on an S-10 chassis, added a 455 Buick engine and drove it for a number of years. It was a local show winner and a gorgeous truck. I talked to him several times at shows and other spots and he said if he was to do it over again he would probably use a Dakota chassis as the front suspension was a bit wider between the front wheels.

The S-10 setup works well because there it a straight section in the chassis that can "easily"be used to change the wheel base.

He sold the truck a few years back for fairly serious cash through a big name car broker.

This, I believe is a cached copy of Bob's Truck for sale ad a while back before it sold.

S10 chassis - 455 Buick

https://www.smartmotorguide.com/L48234810

[t walgamuth]

We did a mustang 2 style front end from the fatman with anti sway. power rack and pinion and 12" vented rotors on my CE. I did not do the coil overs or air bags but now wish I had so I could adjust front ride height easily. I spent around 2500 on it with the stock style coil springs five years ago. The truck drives and tracks very well.

[studegary]

I have owned two Studebaker pickups without full frame changes, but rather, front subframe changes. These were Camaro and Trans Am sub frames. Use the rear out of the same vehicle. This gives you the more modern suspension, steering, brakes, engine, transmission, etc. I found that they drove like a long wheelbase Camaro.

[50Champ]

You need to get some input from Joe Hall who is a regular contributor on this site. I bought my '49 2R5 from his brother Bob last summer and they made a number of upgrades to it including converting it to 12 volt, adding a 289-2V from a '62 Hawk, an upgraded 3 speed manual with overdrive, Ford 9" rear end, Caddy front disc brakes, A/C, CD player, Reese hitch, fog lamps, new steering box, etc. while still using the original frame. Good luck with your project....