Got my Stude truck today. This thing is a 50 something stude, but the thing is sitting on a 30 something Ford? I think. four wheek drive chassis. It has banjo front and rear diff's the rear is transverse sprung with a wishbone. has 16 inch artillery wheels.There were also three caps in the seat. I opened the passenger door and had a fucking bowling ball roll out and barely miss my foot. Anyway can someone pinpoint the yr and correct make of this chassis? Also is there a web site you can input I. D. numbers to find out what yr cab it might be? I could not get the pics small enough to post so I made an online album you can go to . here http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPGuestLogin?username=toymont&password=39612362
I'm pretty sure it's a Marmon Herrington 4X4 Ford conversion. Ford didn't make a 4X4. Marmon Herrington converted them. I think they were all 3/4 ton...(helper springs on the rear axle) They did them for trucks and some woodies in the late 30's-40's for the military. Google Marmon Herrington. That should help. I've never studied one up close. I don't know what the demand is for those parts but I'd bet they are pretty rare. I believe Ford went to dual leaf springs on the rear in 1942 on their commercial trucks. It's very possible someone pulled a woodie body like this one off to put on a standard 2WD frame.
Excellent reply Tommy, thanks for that photo too. Wish I'd had more time Saturday to find you and say hello, the roadster looked great.
I went over and looked at that chassis yesterday.Those wheels are sumpin else....The whole drivetrain is amazing. Some historical collector might want that. A very early mass produced 4 wheel drive ..
Thanks for the info I will look them up. A guy at work thought the same thing. I figured when I get the body off the thing I will take some more pics and maybe put it on ebay, maybe get some money to work on the Stude. Chaz there are some liscense plates patching some holes in the floor from Wyoming, So who knows the history?
marmon harrington,mine is a 41 model 99 snogo blower truck, used in oklahoma it's whole service live, at ENID you can sell that drive train very fast,,, boring little story about the marmon-harrington, company, they were friends of mr, henry ford, and in the early teens a man named livingood brought to him a four wheel drive chassis for the model T , in which henry said he would buy it from livingood but livingood wanted to sell justthe license to build them, lawsuits later livingood never got any money ,ford came out with a deal with marmon harrington, and the resemblence of course is so close ,but that is the way he did business, livingood's grandson has been building the four wheel drive setup for the model t since the 80's, and has a nasty little speedster he will run anyone with, http://www.newvirginia.com/4wheel.html
Wasn't Ford using a Coleman conversion in the early 50s? Also fwiw, Marmon Harrington was still doing conversions in the 70s and may still be for all I know. I do know we had a bunch of them to work on when I was working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. All those were on 2-2 1/2 ton trucks. Also I have seen very similiar running gear under military trucks actually made by Studebaker with the stude flat six engine.
The wheels were 37-9 pattern, the cable brakes were exclusive to '37-8, the caps are '37, wheels were commonly 4" width cars and pickups. The heavier wide 5 pattern trucks had 4.5" wheels, not common if not rare. Somewhere, somebody want's that running gear for their resto. If doing a rod or 4 wheel hot rod truck I would yank the sheetmetal and auction it, get funds for a custom chassis or a modern roller, bronco or something. Wish I had it myself, outta my league but I like old Ford stuff. Don't know if the hubs and such are compatable with the juice brakes as the standard frontends are, cable brakes would be a bitch. Also those old steering knuckles are not user friendly, don't turn short, doubt you'd like using it. Drove old army trucks before, it was work
Yeah, Whens the last time you saw an offset banjo axle up front? This setup would make a twin engine traditional rod a very real and ultimately cool vehicle. Something like an retro Ivo dragster with two flathead fords....
I think this is full time 4 wheel drive .i.e. no hubs just grease fittings on the front centers, also there is only one shift lever with a small rod running parellel to it with a thumb switch. could it have a two speed rearend???
That thumb lever is like a lock-out, I believe it is a 4 speed and to get reverse you had to pull it up to open the gate to put it in. I have one of those trannys, been years since I checked it out but remember that's how it tested out. Too bad it isn't a splitter. Heavy, no synchros, best to change gears without clutching.
Thanks I thought of that, but did not know when they first used lock-outs. I am so amazed at the knowledge the people on the hamb have on odd stuff. Just ask and someone here will know the answer.
I know this is an old post but I wourk with the granddaughter of Livingood who invented the Model T 4x4 units then had it stolen from him by Henry Ford. Very interesting story. Her father still builds these conversion units south of Pittsburgh, PA to this day. http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_0510_1921_ford_model_t_4x4/index.html
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