A while back I posted some pics of how my C-cab looked when I bought it in Sept. 2011. Well I have gotten it on the road and it is down to a hand full of things to get it where I want it. I promised some update pics and build update, so here it is. I have completely rebuilt the motor. The crank, line bore, pistons, cylinder bore, and about everything else checked out well inside spec, so I honed the cylinders, polished the crank, all new bearing, and rings and an Iskendarian special grind cam. it is an ST5 grind that they have in their program with 0.460 total lift and 288 duration {I forgot the overlap *} but on a little Stude 289 that has small ports, that is a great cam. I had the heads gone thru and a fresh grind and hardened Ex seats. I portsed the heads a little bit myself, mostly smoothening out stuff. All of this ended up causing some spring bind on the valves so I went with a racing spring set I got from famous Stude racer Ted Harbit {of ChickenHawk and Stude Tomato fame} which REALLY uped the spring pressure and fixed the bind issue. For now I am running the stock 2bbl Stromberg WW carb but it is very snappy and responsive. I went thru all of the brakes and rebuilt everything, new hoses, steel lines, rebuilt wheel cylinders, shoes, turned drums, new springs, and a 7" dual diaphram power brake booster with a Corvette dual pot MC and a custom built mount bracket and rods to connect to the stock pedal under the cab. All new wheel bearing frt and rr and seal. A custom fit Pro COOL radiator that is a cross flow unit, but looks fine and works great. I have completely rewired the entire truck and converted it to 12V. I used a ProComp universal wiring harness kit. I replace all bulb sockets and everything that was not in good shape. I used a GM single wire alternator that I made all my own brackets for. I wanted a Gennie, but I drive this truck everyday and other than a street bike, it is my only transportation so I wanted it as reliable and safe as possible. I custom made all of my own throttle linkage because there was no bolt on linkage for a V8 swap into this truck I could find. I am still working on getting the OD trans kick down switch hooked up. I installed a Moon aluminum gas pedal because the old one was wobbly and flimsy and cause the idle to hang once in a while. I custom made my shift knob, more of a handle, from an original 1963 Schwinn bicycle grip. My build concept was a 16 yr old kid in 1963 gets his license, works at the local gas station/garage and Grandpa gives him his old ranch truck as his first vehicle, he wants a hot rod and is trying to build this old beat ranch truck into a cool hot rod. That is the theme. I had the seat rebuilt and upholstered. I built my own exhaust system, a friend has an old tubing bender so I got some galv 1-1/2" tubing and 2 glasspacks, 2"x20" and started bending and welding...it is not perfect, but it workss great and sounds really good. Not too loud, I drive it all the time and did not want it too droney or rattley. I built the bed myself out of 4"x6" pressure treated stringers cut to fit the arch of the frame and bolted down to the top of the rails, and 2"x6" PT slats for the floor with an extra 2"x6" stringer down the middle. I did it cross ways to be a bit different and it left me a pocket down the center to slip in 2 custom made ramps that will run full length and slide in and out for loading motorcycles or other stuff since I use the truck for my side bike building business. Kinda on hold while I heal from a surgery. I wanted drop center tubless rims, but the truck is a 3/4 ton with a 6 on 7.25" bolt pattern and nobody had or made old wheels for it so I had 2 fronts custom made in WI by a race wheel builder. I will make 2 more bigger ones for the rear soon but I may try to use the old Budds and add a DC tubless outer rim. The rears will be 30x10x16 recaps with WWW and a dirt track Ascot tread cut. The front tires are BFG 5.90x15 WWW. I just liked them. I have, as you can see in the pics, covered the entire inside with RattleTrap Xtreme sound and heat deadener. That was the best thing I did. It was SO rattly and loud and hot inside and now it is very driveable. I have a custom cut and sewn carpet kit already on its way and will get an OE headliner kit to cover all of the aluminum mat. I also cut 12" out of the front frame rails and made a cross member to stiffen the front of the chassis and tucked the bumper up under the front end. I also bought a new gas tank on ebay for a '69 Mustang and made my own cross members and angle iron supports for the tank and ran all new fuel lines and gauge sending unit. I am still using the OE aircraft style lever arm shock absorbers and they actually work decent...not great. I have a few things left to do, I want to lower the front at least 2 more inches, but for now the tie rod alreadyy hits the oil pan so I need to bend up something else before I lower it. The rear I will look at after I get the front where I want it. I need to finish cutting and welding some 2"x3"x3/16" angle iron frame around the bed and stake pockets. Make the slide out ramps. Finish hooking up the OD, a hidden stereo, a trailer hitch cause it is a working TRUCK, and I may do a logo signage on the door that I will weather to look old. What do you guys think? Any ideas? http://s834.photobucket.com/albums/zz263/kellymac530/Oscar/
Verry nice work. Studebaker '49-64 C-cab pickups are the prettiest ever. Wish I'd known you needed a throttle linkage, as I just took one off when I installed the Packard V8 in my '55. Don't be afraid of the two-piece Budd wheels. I've been running them with Michelin 215/85-16" radials and tubes for thirty years now with zero problems. All you need to finish it off is a radiator shroud, a 4-bbl intake and a McCulloch/Paxton supercharger. jack vines
Thanks guys, I appreciate the props. I forgot to mention the rear fenders....I am going to use some trailer fenders, but I might have to split them and widen them. Jack, Thanks for the thought on the linkage, but anything I would have used would have needed serious mods anyway. The old motor was fit in with a bad mix of parts and the motor sits way too far forward, but it all works and making linkage was alot easier than trying to move the motor and trans back and shorten the drive shaft, change the clutch linkage set up.....tons of stuff, so I just built my own...no problem. Thanks though for the thought. Thanks also for all of the help over on the other site. You were always a person I waited to hear from on motor stuff before I jumped on something. As for the Budds, I am not afraid of them at all. I tore them apart and painted them, new rim bands, new tubes and mounted my own tires, mounted the rings and aired them up all by myself, like a big boy...lol. They just are not wide enough for the tires I want to run and the fronts were too big for the look I wanted...kinda screwed on both ends, cause I like the Budds. But I am trying to figure out a fix for the problem and I may still be able to run the centers on the rears if I do it right...we will see.
The Jalopy Journal
