Any old truck experts?

I have an opportunity to buy this old girl, but I’m not sure what it’s worth. It starts and drives. Don’t know a whole lot
More about it right now









Looks like a nice old truck to take momma to get ice cream in

Depends on how fussy you are and if you can fix it yourself.

Those vehicles normally need mechanical knowledge to improvise when something goes wrong because its not close to stock for parts and fit.

I got a tool box and welder. 😂

Search a Studebaker forum site on the web and ask them and see what parts options are available still. If they made it someone is collecting it you can bet on that.

Is there a fan mounted to the front of the radiator? I don't see one behind it, or is it a ...gotta keep'r moving?

Looks like someone's custom slice and dice custom job. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the person who built that is intimately familiar with it, and you're not. Have a good long conversation with whoever built it before you buy it.

Make sure you do a compression test of all the cylinders hopefully they installed hardened seats and guides in the heads .
Premium no lead without ethanol is a must if you buy it which I'm sure you're already aware of then adding some marvels mystery oil to each tank full doesn't hurt either to lubricate the top end a bit more.

That thing is seriously cool! I hope you can get it for the right price.

You will need to know what all the donor vehicles were. For sure the motor and front suspension aren't Studebaker. I would assume that none of the rest of the running gear is either.

That would be a rat rod in these parts. Interesting cooling system for sure. $2-3000 would be a starting point.

EXACTLY
There is no easy way to replace/repair parts if you don't know what they are. That is a Frankenstein, much like my early rat rods were. For the right guy, like an earlier version of me, that would be a lot of fun.

If you cannot figure it out parts wise do what works for you, it’s that simple it’s all about your imagination and capabilities is what it boils down to.

It’s a guy that work with getting rid of it. I know all the donors. And I can ask any and all questions I have. So far only one guy has given out a price of what it worth?

It more about how bad you want it then the going value with old trucks sure you want it as cheap as possible but it boils down to how much your willing to pay after looking it over and what value you come to.

I'm not good at pricing things like that, too many variables.

Looks to be mid/late 90's camaro engine and suspension but pictures don't show how good of a job the whole thing was done.

It’s a camero engine on a mid 90s Ford frame. I get you really can’t put value to these but I hate starting a project already upside down. Like you say why over pay if you don’t have to. I thought it was a neat old truck

Like Hippie says; too many variables.

What is it?

• Late 40's post war 1/2 ton?
• engine, transmission, rear end?
• suspension?
• brakes?
• special features?

It is a neat truck, no doubt!

I'm taking a wild, wild guess.....to start from scratch, just the truck would run ya a grand or two in that shape. Now ya have to figure the parts and how well they were Insta!led.
Another grands worth probably from a junk yard.
Now his labor...here's where it can vary alot. Done right?? Would it hold up on a long trip??

Wild guess .. 3-5 k figuring some more work but operational as is.

What rears in it?

Is the keg full?

If you bought a part for it today and walked out of the speed shop that part will lose the majority of its value the same day, most sellers take the loss some want what they paid, postage and interest back out of it. LOL The guy knows what he has into it and a idea what he wants out of it you can only start there.

buy it, if you can't find parts to make a street worthy vehicle , make it a rat rod, looks like a small block v-8 most probably a chevy, manual or auto trans? easy to work on without being electronics dependent!

Is that a Chevy ram jet motor in there ?

• Decent 40's Studebaker body $1500
• Camero engine $500
• 90's Ford Chassis $500
• nuts, bolts, this and that $800

$2800-$3300 fair to high opening offer, if you can't get the owner to ask a price.

46 Studebaker m5

94 Camaro 5.7 liter LT1 with 4l60e trans
Ford nine inch rear axle

Has the 94 camaro front suspension
Mid 90s half ton leaf springs with cal trac traction bars

I like $2800, as a starting offer. Maybe it has extra features that would make it worth more. Maybe Granddaddy had one just like it that would make it worth more to you. Maybe the craftsmanship would make it worth more or less.

I'd start or work up to $2800 from what I've seen. I ain't no expert, or even current on prices, but, that's my feeling.

Keep us up to date on the bids and purchase. Ok?

$2500

What's he asking? The rat rod scene is crazy. That looks to be a pretty solid body from the start. I could see that body on the original chasis being $3000 to $4000. If it's not a cobble job I'd see it being in the $7000 to $8000 range. I see many "rat rods" that shouldn't be on the road. Not saying this is one of them...

The biggest problem with a project like this one the steering geometry. One needs to be skilled in setting this up correctly, as well as being able to measure and adjust what the original owner has had done.
I wouldn't spend more than $2500 just in case I would have to adjust/remove/replace the chassis parts.

I have no idea what it might be worth or what it would take to make it parade ready but man, if I had one like that I'd be pullin floats all the time. Cool find

I knew an old man with a '40 ford PU with a heater that ran off the carb, either on or off, and mileage sucked in the winter.

It certainly has that cool factor in it

Well he told me today he would let me have it for 7,000. I’m not sure its worth it.

He’s thinking he will get every dime out of it he has into it, we all would like it to work like that.

Buy it for 7 and put a 20,000 dollar paint job on it and it will be worth $20,000. Still need an interior done.

You might be right. But only if he got a good deal on the body.

Like I said earlier these style rods are hot right now. My honest opinion he is right in the ball park at $7000. If your wanting something like this and worried about not getting a good deal then my advice is to build your own and see what it takes to build that $7000 rod. It may surprise you.

What makes you want to buy this?

negatives= its a rad rod style and not a very good one. Done on the cheap. If you decide to resell it you will probably loose money unless you find someone like yourself to buy it.

positives= not a lot of money

What makes me want to buy is cause it looks cool, I guess it just catches my eye. I curious as to why you think it’s such a bad build. I don’t have any experience in restoring old cars so I am genuinely curious as to why you say that.

I used to be a member of MSRA, (Minnesota Street Rod Association). Back then they had a monthly bulletin including classifieds for cars and parts.

I believe they run that online these days. Check it out. See what $7000 will get you. My impression, being out of the loop for 20 years, is a lot more that what I've seen here.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Stude. I'm just not too sure the price is in order.

PS: I just did a little search. Yes, they still publish the LineChaser, but, It isn't available online, at least if you aren't a member. I'd bet you could still poke around on the net and get some idea of what rods are going for, though.

Send that Fast and Loud guy Richard Rawlins to buy it for ya. He will get the guy down to 2500 and then sell it to you for 12k. Oh and you'll be on TV

You don't buy it just because it looks cool to you. You need to justify if its worth 7 grand which is what you asked us to do. Read T-Rex post above. Then reread what I said above.

Think about what you've said.

Here you have a really cool project. But, the initial cost is high; and you have no idea what you might run into. A lot of things are not readily apparent, like:

• weld integrity
• steering alignment
• drive line alignment
• A lot more

I still remember some of my design errors, and sloppy craftsmanship as a beginner.

It's a lot of fun, but be prepared to spend a bit of time and money while you get up to speed.

I stopped by to see the BIL over the weekend.

He has a project rat rod in the barn. 40 International on Ford frame, small block Chev, traction bar front, air bag rear. blah, blah blah. Not running yet, due to health issues, but, fairly complete.

I told him about the Stude. He, who is more current than me, says the price ain't far off. Just know what you are getting into.

Did ya buy or pass Blackdogs?

Studebaker anything is hard to find in functional condition. If he ever comes down in price I'd jump on it.

Well I haven’t bought it or passed yet. Last weekend was family time. He’s not
In a hurry to sell and I’m. It in a hurry to buy. We agreed to sit down and really go over things and take it from there.



Thanks for keeping me in mind!

Good thing to do, Interesting truck for sure.

Funny......I priced it at $7000-8000 before the owner ever gave a price. Lol. He is fair with his price for sure