Friend got a Studebaker

All other trucks not mentioned above.
denis23
Technician 4th Grade
Technician 4th Grade
Posts: 124
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:36 pm
My garage: Dodge WC52

Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by denis23 »

Fabulous truck, and still legend on the 1/6 of the world, known as former Soviet Union.
motto
Technical Sergeant
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Posts: 1037
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:25 am
My garage: Harley Davidson 42WLA, Dodge WC63, Dodge WC57, Chevrolet 1-1/2 ton 4x4. Originally an Earth Borer, Pole Setter. Drilling rig gone and truck now mounts a #7 Set Lifting Frame. i.e.: Light Wrecker.
Location: 70km from Melbourne Australia

Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by motto »

Hi Ken,

It's surprising and a bit disappointing to find out what a 6x6, 2-1/2 tonner will not do. I once had a US6 bogged over a hundred miles from home due to over confidence. We were driving through a flooded area and bogged down about a mile from as close as you could get with a car. A tractor that was brought in to rescue us also bogged down. Six days later we returned with another US6 that I purchased for the occasion. This one had an original winch on the front and a similar one on the rear for logging. We needed both winches to get the three vehicles out of there and spent all day doing it finally getting out of the forest and back on dry land just on dark. This was with dual wheels on the front and chains on front and intermediate axles.

Lesson learned.

David
lowrdrbird
Corporal
Corporal
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 1:34 am
My garage: 1942 US6 Studebaker Phantom
1945 US6 Studebaker Spirits
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by lowrdrbird »

Well its been a while since I posted any thing with Phantom....
So here are some updates.
I did take Phantom to the Findlay Ohio show and had a great time I want to thank everyone who came and saw my truck and all the great help they gave me. Never realized that the rear axle was cocked. But now knowing this really will help me in the drivablity. Also did another event here in Dayton at the VA center on memorial day weekend. It was great and many people had alot of questions on the truck. Even had a Master Sergent Drive Phantom he is in the Ohio Guard in the motorpool. He had a great time driving Grandpas truck.



OK here are some more photos of the work being done on the bed
Let me let Ray do the talking for this
"well, it been a lot of hard work and it took time to find wood floor boards... talked to a lot of companies and know one would cut the size I need... so we found a barn that was coming down and we took the beams from there and we planed them down to the size we needed... the wood looks great... also sand blasted metal parts and primed and painted the medal parts... used 1/8th piano wire for a new hinge pin for the tool box door... took a lot of work to figure out how the rear beam looked since I had nothing left to study... found out it was a 1" too narrow so I had to add an extra board to it... now it fits great... it is starting to look like a bed again "

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Planing the outer boards
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"today was the day to start putting things back together.... bolted the rear beam back in place, then mounted the tail light brackets back on, then mounted the rear panel using 6=1/2" x 6" carriage bolts and 4= 3/8"x2" carriage bolts... the whole package will then hold the rear cargo door once it is installed... before I mount anything else back on... the Studebaker will be here so we can mount the bed on the frame then mount the floors on and rebuild the sides :)"

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1942 Studebaker US6 Phantom
1945 Studebaker US6 Spirit
1942 1 ton Trailer
Keeping the History Alive
Teaching the public what our veterans did during WW2
If you can read this, Thank a teacher
If you are reading this in English, Thank a Vet
lowrdrbird
Corporal
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Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 1:34 am
My garage: 1942 US6 Studebaker Phantom
1945 US6 Studebaker Spirits
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by lowrdrbird »

I took phantom for her longest run yet about 7 hours but she was on the back of my truck on a trailer.
Took her all the way to Racine WI to get her bed put on I know that everyone has been watching the progress of the bed and now it is all coming together.
Here is what Ray said and some photos
"Well, the day has finally come to put the bed back on the Phantom... I mounted the frame when Ken was here dropping off Phantom... I wanted him to at least help with that part... Ken attached the lights and the plug socket and rewired the connections.... This afternoon at 5pm was the day of days... we started laying and drilling the floor boards and the straps to hold everything together... one by one it looked better and better... at midnight we were finished with the floor.... It was so much fun...My friend Katrina and my brother helped out a lot... next is to recreate the end sills and mount the walls on..."

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So after all that was done Ray took Phantom to a reenactment at Trimborn Farm and took some photos of her around the camp. Still have to put the sides on the bed but its looking good.

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Rob in the background wishing he could take her home.
1942 Studebaker US6 Phantom
1945 Studebaker US6 Spirit
1942 1 ton Trailer
Keeping the History Alive
Teaching the public what our veterans did during WW2
If you can read this, Thank a teacher
If you are reading this in English, Thank a Vet
lowrdrbird
Corporal
Corporal
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 1:34 am
My garage: 1942 US6 Studebaker Phantom
1945 US6 Studebaker Spirits
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by lowrdrbird »

More photos of the bed being done and worked on.
Here is Ray thoughts
"Well, it has finally happened... I finally have the complete bed on the Studebaker... I rebuilt the rear wall along the cab due to rot... have it just bolted together enough to be able to move the truck in and out of the barn... now I will spend the next week drilling holes and mounting everything together... I will also mount the mud guards in place on Friday... it has been a long process of finding and cutting wood to bring this bed back to the living... hope you all enjoy the hard work I did :) "

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I am very excited to see her almost done cant wait to get her back in late July

Ken
1942 Studebaker US6 Phantom
1945 Studebaker US6 Spirit
1942 1 ton Trailer
Keeping the History Alive
Teaching the public what our veterans did during WW2
If you can read this, Thank a teacher
If you are reading this in English, Thank a Vet
Lang
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Posts: 135
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Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by Lang »

Ken

You have done a wonderful job on the Studebaker. Any finished photos?

It is a bit like the Ford/GM/Dodge argument but I reckon the GMC is a much nicer truck to drive (I have owned both types). What you have that the GMC blokes do not is the best looking cargo truck built during WW2 and a relatively rare vehicle that contributed hugely to the WW2 victory - ALCAN Highway, Burma Road, Russian Front - and nobody knows!

Excellent save - well done.

Lang
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Gordon_M
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Re: Friend got a Studebaker

Post by Gordon_M »

I'm not down on Studebakers - I've had about half a dozen Weasels - but I've been told time and again that the reason the GMC made 'Standard' and the Studebaker 'Limited Standard' was the additional grunt of the GMC 270 OHV engine, and having run both GMC and Studebaker sixes I know which one I'd want to be using if I was in a hole.

I prefer the look of the Studebaker cab, but then I'm a fan of the metal cargo bed too. There's enough iron out there needing cared for to keep us all busy.
Gordon, in Scotland

( Now officially given up on any form of politics )
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