New purchase

enjenjo · March 29, 2012, 07:12:58 PM

In 1970 I bought a 60 Studebaker Champ pickup, in Phoenix when I was living there, a T model. It had a flathead six in it, I got It running, and drove it all over. While I was out there, I bought new sheetmetal out of the salvage yards out there, the old stuff was not rusty, just badly beat up, but the stuff I bought was pristine. Fortunately Lark fenders and doors fit it., so it was no problem finding parts.

Shortly before I left AZ, I threw a rod out of it running 80 on I17. So I put a tow bar on it, and brought it back to Ohio. When I got back here, I put a 200 Ford six, and a Top Loader in it, and drove it a couple years.

About 73, I tore it down to put a 327 and a Mucie in it. Before it was on the road, my Wife blew the engine in her Chevelle, so I pulled it back out and put it in her car. I rebuilt the 396 out of her car, rebuilt it, with another Muncie, and stuck that in it. For that I had to recess the firewall, and I bought a glass tilt front end for it. Before it was done again, money got really tight, so I sold the engine and trans out of it to a guy for his drag car. It then sat for several years.

By that time I was drag racing Buick engines, so I took a bunch of parts I had laying around, and built a 455 Buick with a 400 Turbo, and put that in the Stude, along with a Volare front end as seen in Hot Rod Mechanix. Shortly after that, I blew up the 455 Olds W30 that was in my Ford F250 4x4, so the 455 went into that. It was about 1984. A few months later my brother came over, and talked me into selling it to him. He put a 440/727 in it, drove if until he blew it up, then it set in his shop for several years. He then put it in a storage unit, where it has sat for the last 15 years.

Last week he offered it back to me, at the same price he paid, so I bought it back. So I am a Stude owner again. The frame is pretty cut up, so I am thinking a Dakota frame, Ford 8.8 rear, and the 455 Stage I I have been sitting on for the last few years. Maybe with a TKO. I still have the pristine sheet metal I bought in 1970.

WZ JUNK · March 29, 2012, 07:46:47 PM

My kind of guy. Never throw anything away. Always retain either use of the item sold, or the right to repurchase the unit at some time in the future.

Last fall I saw one of these trucks made into a gasser. Straight axle and all. It was nicely done and looked good. I will look for a picture.

John

57larry · March 29, 2012, 07:53:45 PM

seems like you've had some bad luck blowing engines in your family. how many engines have you blown in your life?

kb426 · March 29, 2012, 07:59:00 PM

I'm excited for your project.

enjenjo · March 29, 2012, 08:04:38 PM

Quote from: "57larry"seems like you've had some bad luck blowing engines in your family. how many engines have you blown in your life?

Just off hand I can think of 18, but I am sure there were more.

enjenjo · March 29, 2012, 08:08:54 PM

The 396 that I sold, I bought back a few years later as a bare block, and built a 402 out of it. I put it in the 75 GMC I had, sold the truck in the 90s, bought it back in 2005, scraped it in 2009, and sold the engine again.

phat46 · March 30, 2012, 08:49:50 AM

Where's the pictures???

Is that one of the ones that used the Dodge beds that didn't fit quite right?

Uncle Bob · March 30, 2012, 08:51:20 AM

Neat story, looking forward to pics and run down of the refurb. Pretty homely looking truck, but can't beat the history of this particular one in your life.

enjenjo · March 30, 2012, 02:14:45 PM

I found an old picture of it, just before we came back to Ohio, sometime in 71

Crosley.In.AZ · March 30, 2012, 05:09:08 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"I found an old picture of it, just before we came back to Ohio, sometime in 71

looks like a Rambler wagon in the back ground?

Over the years I've bought back 2 cars I had sold ... a 1968 SS396 Chevelle and a 1959 BMW Isetta. I had both of them in high school senior year 1971 - 72.

I know where the Isetta went, not sure about the Chevelle.

enjenjo · March 30, 2012, 07:24:12 PM

This was my other car at the time. I towed the Stude back to Ohio with it. 325 hp 327 4 speed. I totaled it in 1973, that was the engine I put into the Stude. I still have the rear wheels off the 66, they are 54 Chevy wheels widened to 7". I have another 66 convertible in storage, the same color. One of these days. It was the car my wife loved the most out of all we have had.

phat46 · March 31, 2012, 08:25:55 AM

Quote from: "enjenjo"This was my other car at the time. I towed the Stude back to Ohio with it. 325 hp 327 4 speed. I totaled it in 1973, that was the engine I put into the Stude. I still have the rear wheels off the 66, they are 54 Chevy wheels widened to 7". I have another 66 convertible in storage, the same color. One of these days. It was the car my wife loved the most out of all we have had.

That looks exactly like the one my older brother tried to buy here back about 1970. It was a BB SS though, same color blue convertable 66. He's a die hard Ford guy but that car was to nice to resist. He put money down on it at a used car lot and went to get the rest of the money. When he got back an hour or so lter the crook had sold the car! That car might have converted my brother to a Chevy guy! (Not really, he got a "67 Mustang that probably would have smoked that Impala)

Arnold · April 04, 2012, 11:28:09 AM

Great story! Thanks for sharing. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that I am not alone when I hear about engines being run hard and busting up!