http://s817.photobucket.com/albums/zz99 ... %20Pickup/
My dad bought this truck back in '89 while I was away at school. We used it in our landscaping business & my brother drove it a lot, too. The background we got from the PO is that it was originally a military vehicle (where we're from in NJ wasn't far from Fort Dix - and I've found some olive drab showing through in places) and it looks to have been a straight 6 / 3 on the tree combo. When we got it it'd been swapped to the 302/c4 combo in the ad. Funny thing is that the clutch pedal is still there, but the column/box has been swapped out for an auto unit, then later (I guess) the column shifter disconnected and a cheapo shifter was put on the floor. It loved to jump into/out of gear which made the truck fun to drive, especially with the bump-steer of the straight axle & Mickey Thompsons!
Eventually, we did some body work, painted it blue over the former red repaint, and swapped out the mud tires for some radials (blackwalls out) that handles a lot better. Then we drove it for years. This pic is before the tire swap - the guy in the white T-shirt, Derek, gave me the tires that are still on it today!
I think it got "parked" 5 years later, and has pretty much been sitting ever since. Of course it came with us when the family moved to FL, and since the building business is slow now (that's my day job www.SchaeferHomesLLC.com) I'm enjoying some hobby time & getting dirty, reliving the fun wrench-turning years of my youth.
I started in the rear - because it was the cheaper end & also, in my mind, a safer place to learn to weld! I got a set of drop mono leafs & went to town. Pulled the bed, puled the rear, swapped the springs & reinstalled for a test fit. Yup - I needed c-notches so pulled it apart, became one with the wire wheeler, cleaned it all, boxed the frame, cut & welded in the notches & bump stops, then prepped it for POR15 & chassis black. Threw it all together, then spun her around to get to work on the nose.
Then while looking for parts & pieces last year, absolutely convinced I was going with a fatman m2 front end, I came across this site (& the other - fte) and have literally stumbled into a treasure trove of info! I've learned so much & thank you all!
I know you won't all agree with me or the choices I'm making, but here it goes. After much reading & research, I've decided to go with a Crown Vic swap. I got my donor last night. 2004 CV Police Interceptor. Rear ended pretty hard, but it starts & drives fine. I plan to harvest the front suspension, rear end (I know it's too wide but since I've got a rusty flare side, I figure I can easily widen it!), radiator, most of the AC, engine, trans, driveshaft, ecu/harness, booster & master cylinder, and hopefully even the anti-lock brakes. I hope to part out the carcass - front clip, doors, possibly the interior - to help offset my expenses & then scrap the hulk at the end.
If you're curious, the 41 Studebaker Commander is Pop's - he was out of town so I took delivery of it here for him... the day before my CV got dropped off. Needless to say, my wife, and deed-restricted-community neighbors are loving me right now!
Now I've got to come up with a plan of attack to disassemble the parts car & get rid of the carcass in roughly 30 days... Wish me luck!
