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Customs Opinons wanted Yay or Nay?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Toymont, Nov 27, 2016.

?
  1. yay

    92 vote(s)
    69.7%
  2. nay

    40 vote(s)
    30.3%
  1. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    I did, but I'm not feelin' it...:D I will admit, I had to read it four times...
     
  2. Great, you'll make up for 3 guys who won't read it.
     
    falcongeorge likes this.
  3. To the OP-
    So, at the moment, the cab isn't on a frame yet? Can we see some pix of what you actually have, as it sits? Get some sawhorses and blocks so you can mock it up. Move the bed around in relation to the cab for some real perspective. Some Stude collector has a frame the cab would actually fit. JMO.
     
  4. Toymont
    Joined: Jan 4, 2005
    Posts: 1,381

    Toymont
    Member
    from Montana

    I have the cab and front sheet metal, and a very rusted out bed, the body work on the cab is done and in primer. these are in a storage unit near my house. The Dakota chassis is at my brothers 50 miles away. The Champ box is also there still as a trailer full of scrap iron. This thread stated when my brother told me I could have the Champ box as I way to explore the idea.
    As I said in the original post it is a low budget very long term build.
    I bought the cab and front sheet metal off of E bay delivered for $400
    These were sitting on a weird frame that turned out to be a Marmon Herington 4wd chassis that I sold for $1500.00
    I found a fairly low mileage 318 and tranny out of a 70's Cuda for $300
    I purchased another truck for $150 for the bed, but it was a real POS and I scrapped most of it.
    Partially because I lost my job of 35 years, my house and went bankrupt and had no place to put it all.
    We did the body work on the cab at The Strangedays shop between other projects when I had a little money put away.
    I picked up the 95 Dakota for $300 and stripped it to the chassis selling a bunch of parts for about what I paid for it. The Dakota chassis is the exact same dimensions as The Studebaker truck with modern running gear and disk front brakes. These swaps have been done before with good results and look better than S10 or other swaps.
    And now a friend of my brother has given me the Champ box.
    This is so low budget that if you add everything up including the $300 or so for body work materials and subtract it from what I sold the Marmon Herrington chassis for, I still have not put anything into it but labor.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  5. Toymont
    Joined: Jan 4, 2005
    Posts: 1,381

    Toymont
    Member
    from Montana

    Here is what I bought in 05

    upload_2016-12-4_8-13-33.png

    Here is the way the cab is now

    upload_2016-12-4_8-14-22.png

    upload_2016-12-4_8-14-54.png
     
  6. Phillips
    Joined: Oct 26, 2010
    Posts: 1,496

    Phillips
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There's a very critical measurement that you need to obtain, and "31Vicky with a hemi" is trying to point out - the overall width of the front fenders. Get that number, then take a walk on @31Vicky with a hemi 's staircase, and you'll see the importance.
     
    falcongeorge likes this.
  7. Toymont
    Joined: Jan 4, 2005
    Posts: 1,381

    Toymont
    Member
    from Montana

    I see the point, also my front fenders look wider since they are big truck fenders and I need to find 1/2 ton fenders. The original box minus the fenders is 4ft 9 inches.
    Physically mocking it up will be the final tell. The Stude cabs do taper from the front to the back and the track width is the same as the cab width, so I may have to wait till spring when I can get all of the parts in one location and look at it.
    This has been an interesting exercise in perspective though, and I appreciate everyone's suggestions and opinions.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  8. When I heard the question, I thought "no," but when I see the pix, it looks pretty good due to the box smoothness which doesn't contrast with the smooth lines of the Stude.
     
  9. jroberts
    Joined: Oct 14, 2008
    Posts: 1,658

    jroberts
    Member

    As you can see from my avitar I have a Champ with the narrow bend and fenders. The wide box is indeed from Dodge, but is wider than the cab. To me that just doesn't look as good as the more traditional unit that you see on my truck. I used to own a '50 Studebaker truck and I love the stock bed on those early trucks. If there is any way you could come up with a stock box I would go for that. You can go to the Studebaker Drivers Club forum and ask about a stock bed. Somebody there will probably know about such things. Good luck with your truck no matter what path you choose. Oh, and it is your truck so do what you think is best.
     
  10. gene-koning
    Joined: Oct 28, 2016
    Posts: 4,041

    gene-koning
    Member

    I remember those old Stude trucks with the Dodge boxes, they looked goofy to me why back then, and they still look goofy. Stude needed boxes, and Dodge sold them a bunch of boxes. Stude just bolted them on.

    That said, the boxes are basic floor braces and floors, with sides, a box front, a tailgate, and some fenders, or inner fenders/fender combination. You can move the sides in or out s need be, and modify the fenders accordingly, because the box sides usually mount on the box floors, and the fenders attach to the box sides. The front panel and the tailgate just complete the box form.

    Your options are, I suppose you could just bolt on the Dodge box, but likely you would want to narrow the fleetside Dodge box to match up with the Stude cab. Or if you have usable/saveable rear fenders, make some step side box sides, attach the box sides to the floor and hang the fenders. If a guy has a front panel and a tailgate, it would be pretty smart to build the box to a width those two pieces could be used untouched. Nearly any box floor can be adapted to fit the requirements. If you still had a Dakota box there, that steel floor already matches the frame, and a small amount of steel would fill in whatever was too narrow. Gene
     
  11. Chavezk21
    Joined: Jan 3, 2013
    Posts: 767

    Chavezk21
    Member

    If it looks anything close to that rendering moos did, it will look badasss!
     
  12. Toymont
    Joined: Jan 4, 2005
    Posts: 1,381

    Toymont
    Member
    from Montana

     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2017
  13. Toymont
    Joined: Jan 4, 2005
    Posts: 1,381

    Toymont
    Member
    from Montana

    I know I will have to narrow the box. I figure I will pull it apart and shorten the cross braces and front panel. I hope to find an original 50's style tailgate and adapt that and possibly do a wood floor.
     
  14. Go with your gut feeling its ride its all about what you like!!!
     
  15. dan31
    Joined: Jul 3, 2011
    Posts: 1,097

    dan31
    Member

    It just doesn't have "flow"imo ,easy for me to say because I'm not the one tasked to find a original or build a custom stake body.
     
  16. young'n'poor
    Joined: Jan 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,281

    young'n'poor
    Member
    from Anoka. MN

    the photoshop does look good, and several people made good points about it looking similar to the Cameo trucks that were so fancy back in the day. All that being said, I still voted nay. There is a whole world of possibilites out there that would match the styling of the cab and front fenders better than the later box. 55 chevy truck fenders on 53-56 F100's look amazing, maybe take a look at some beds and fenders you like, and combine them to see what would fit the flow of your stude?
     
  17. Long as YOU like it..... I BUILT IT FOR MY APPROVAL....jpg
     
  18. DOCTOR SATAN
    Joined: Mar 21, 2014
    Posts: 710

    DOCTOR SATAN
    Member
    from okc

    Start slicing and dicing....heavy chop too
     

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