Traction Masters--- The real deal - Photo added

[Flashback]

I posted some pictures a while back on some traction
bars I started, and I have seem some other pictures.
Here are some of the "real deal" Traction Master brand
installed on the 55 coupe I just bought. These were put
on in the early 60's in Montgomery, Al. I will follow
up on this later, with better pictures, and the progress
I am making on the homemade ones.[:I] Photo added-update-
here is an old Traction Master advertisement, from a 1955
magazine



First picture, front mount.


Second picture, rear mount, taken from front.


Third picture, rear mount, taken from rear of car.


Tex E. Grier

[bams50]

I much prefer the set I just got:



You can read about 'em here if you haven't:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...TOPIC_ID=18593

Robert (Bob) Andrews- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys)
Parish, central NY 13131

GOD BLESS AMERICA

[N8N]

Bob, IIRC the "Gib-Trac" bars were designed for 58-66 cars Those of us with '55 coupes are watching this thread for updates (or I'll just have to peel my floor up to install the factory bars)

I suppose I could always do a GT Hawk frame swap, but that seems a little extreme.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[sbca96]

Looks like its very much like the Radius Rods used on later Studes.
They just went under the axle instead. There are many ways to skin
a cat, if you are happy with the end result, thats whats important.

Tom

'63 Avanti, zinc plated drilled & slotted 03 Mustang Cobra 13" front disc/98 GT rear brakes, 03 Cobra 17" wheels, GM alt, 97 Z28 leather seats, soon: TKO 5-spd, Ported heads w/SST full flow valves, 'R3' 276 cam, Edelbrock AFB Carb, GM HEI distributor, 8.8mm plug wires

[Flashback]

I wasn't implying that these were "better" or "worse"
than any other ones. Just simply these were the real
"Traction Master" brand sold, and used, by so many of
us old timers, back in the day. However, they do work
good. I am building an old school driver street rod,
from the early sixties, and these were "the thing" then.
I wanted something correct for the period.


Tex E. Grier

[bams50]

quote:Originally posted by N8N

Bob, IIRC the "Gib-Trac" bars were designed for 58-66 cars Those of us with '55 coupes are watching this thread for updates (or I'll just have to peel my floor up to install the factory bars)

I suppose I could always do a GT Hawk frame swap, but that seems a little extreme.

I remember that. I wonder how hard it would be to modify the design for your car...?

Robert (Bob) Andrews- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys)
Parish, central NY 13131

GOD BLESS AMERICA

[bams50]

quote:Originally posted by Flashback

I wasn't implying that these were "better" or "worse"
than any other ones. Just simply these were the real
"Traction Master" brand sold, and used, by so many of
us old timers, back in the day.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they're uncool[8D]

Robert (Bob) Andrews- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys)
Parish, central NY 13131

GOD BLESS AMERICA

[junior]

Flashback: now that you have real traction masters are you going to abandon your home-brewed ones you were making, or did you finish them? Can you provide a photo showing the front mount of the real traction masters from the front view as I don't quite get how they are fastened to the front spring plate on the frame. Thanks, Junior



54 Champ C5 Hamilton car. In my family since 1958.

[Flashback]

No, I am not going to abandon my home brew ones. I am now
going to be working on two cars. I may leave the ones on
the 55, don't know yet. I am going to do a complete picture
tech on these as soon as the weather clears, when ever that
is. I will try to post some more pictures soon.

Tex E. Grier

[benaslopoke]

BOY !! Those Traction Masters really did the job on my old 55 Pontiac (389 c.i.d.).. First the clutches, then the trannie (48 Cad 3 spd. fixed that).. Then had two axles break off inside the 3rd member.. I had had enough already !! Those bars did not give any slack at all..

Ben

[junior]

Ya, tell me about the weather, in my neck of the woods the saying goes that we have 2 seasons, winter and July. My garage is unheated so sometimes it's hard to get motivated to go out and do anything other than look at the Stude and dream! Not too bad today, right now it's -10C, still it's a drag to wrench with gloves on. Want to trade climates for a while? Cheers, Junior.



54 Champ C5 Hamilton car. In my family since 1958.

[Karl]

pictures instal of Gib-trac's on Twin.the mods to install on earier car would be easy. just changing of the length of the lower bar.

[winchesterhawk]

How do you set the pre-load on any of these? I can see the pinion angle adjustment but no pre-load.

[N8N]

just as a follow up to this thread...

I drove up to York today and the NOS traction-masters that I passed on last year were still there, so I bought 'em.

Someone asked me what it was that I bought, so I did a web search to try to find a picture. Here someone is using the T-M name and producing new bars that look very similar to the old ones (looks like the ends are the same castings.)

If there is any interest, I will take detailed measurements of the ones that I just bought in case anyone wants to feed them to the T-M people to have a Studebaker set added to their list. Looks like they ought to be buildable, as the only difference from all their other products would be the length of the bars and the type of spring plate provided. The weld on tab for the front looks to be pretty standard. (they'll be going on my '55 coupe as soon as I get my butt in gear.)

They look a HECK of a lot easier to install than the "stock" traction bars, as there's only one tab to weld on and that's on the bottom of the frame - no scary welding on axle tubes or cutting holes in floors.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
http://members.cox.net/njnagel