about 3500.

You currently have a Ford 9 inch in the back. I am assuming that it is fully assembled, including axle shafts, which would mean the bolt spread for the rear wheels has been established. Do you know that bolt spread is? I'm thinking Ford front discs to compliment that bolt spread.

They're available. its 5 on 5.5". Front is 5 on 5".

After searching for a disc brake solution to the front axle fruitlessly for about two months today I broke down and ordered a fat man hub to hub subframe with stainless a arms, 12" chevy rotors and big calipers, power rack and pinion steering and the optional sway bar. I think I am back to using the mb diesel engine today too.;)

I'm voting for the Benz, particularly since my next project is a 56 Dodge pickup with turbo Benz.
Bob

It turns out there exists already at least two Studebaker trucks with MB diesel power out there. One of them is a 3/4 ton.

Tom, I have been giving your project some consideration. You have a temporary bad shoulder. Age is slowley advancing and a replacement knee installed.

We have to find someone to approach the producers of the overhauling show with a real sob story. I assume you get the show in your region and are familiar with it?

To me this may be the best way to get around any issue with those wheel covers. Let Chip Foose deal with it. Even if he demands to restore the trucks body to perfection and install custom wheels. Sacrifice your ideals and let him go. We all have to make sacrifices sometimes remember.

Part of this is only in jest.. The lines on that hudson vehicle would enable him to really put together a spectacular resulting episode.. That more than anything is the best selling point. He has been doing too many semi boring cars and trucks the last while on the show in my opinion.

Something like this project has been messed up as a story line and overhauling is going to fix it. The fix it shows are the most powerful recent approachs on the televison medium anyways. That approach could increase their ratings further is another angle. After all the show is what counts and your truck is just incidental to the process but somewhat still a unique design. Your ancestor or ancestors having working for the Studebaker corporation would obviously help as well. Doing an orphan like your vehicle to me would have real appeal to them.


Your vehicle could give that show a real boost. Just do not lose your voice as you have to scream out that you have been overhauled at the end remember. I assume you would be willing to trailor the car to them and home later. Although they have the bucks to arrange it and probably would.

I wonder if we have a member in California that could do the legwork and appearances required? If nothing else it would produce quite the thread even if it did not jell. He will need pictures of a factory original to attempt to sell them. I feel an active member may live close enough to help.

The only problem I can forsee is if we could still relate to Tom the televison star. Gotta go build something before Tom gets his hands on me.:D

Dang it Barry..Its a Studebaker!

I have never seen Foose's show. I am game for about anything though. Any idea how to contact them so I can give my sob spiel.

.I knew it was a studebaker but needed something in there to make sure you were drawn out.;) I am somewhat suprised their show may not be carried in your region. It is quite popular. Maybe you could have a look on the net for overhauling episode information. The show I believe has been running for two years.

Basically the story line is they totally reconstruct a vehicle in seven days with the best of everything for some deserving soul. The public buy it of course. He is not supposed to know this is occuring. Takes about fifty people involved at least in my opinion. Manufactures donate a lot of things for brand exposure and send their staff in for some installations.

Foose executes the design and has all the say would be a general contractural condition. Still he asks the people that propose them doing the vehicle what they feel the owner would like. That the vehicle is being done is kept a secret from the actual owner. Or actually any approach would be indicated as coming from your wife and daughter or daughters.

It did occur to me that your situation was strong enough in my opinion to have some chance. We would still require some middleman site member hopefully living near their operation in California. If found we could prepare a complete package of information for him to present. .Your being somewhat of a car nut goes a long way with them as well.

I worked for the canadian broadcasting system in Canada for five years early in my life. Otherwise I would not have caught the potential you and your vehicle have for that show. Also being a non California car and owner would help reduce the regionalization of the cars and people that are done on the show since that program goes national. I realised that there where just too many good selling points including yourself that it could stand a chance.

We do need a middleman in that geographical area initially to represent your wife and daughter/daughters.. Or fly your wife or daughter or all out to do that portion. Or we could use some of our general mercedes shop members as people that propose this happens for you. This I would actually personally preffer as I do not really like deception. In my opinion you are deserving of this anyways.

They would check your background for any criminal record etc but that should be about it if they went for it. If a member would pm me from the general area the show is produced in I would help prepare a package with the salient information for him to present.

it sounds wonderful, but will he build it with a 617 turbo?

Oh heck, a later model CRD would be ok too.;)

How about a nice Cummins diesel from a Dodge Ram 2500?

I love the cummins but I doubt the vehicle is big and robust enough to handle all that weight and torque. Remember its a vehicle with approximately the same weight and overall dimensions of a 126 300
SD. A nice compact Mercedes diesel would be ideal.

A personalized marketing campaign is being directed toward your Studebaker ;).

The latest developments are a kit for converting the ford 9" rear to disc brakes. I bought a kit with the wrong bolt pattern (because the only kit offered with the right bolt pattern was too much money and too much brakes). The disc rotor in the kit will not fit over the 7" axle flange so I found one that will. I had my favorite machinist turn them down a bit to fit the calipers in the kit and with some modifications to the mount brackets we should be able to make it work.

The latest plan is to use the 617 turbo motor, the five speed trans, and the complete pedal cluster including the hydraulic master, slave and the mc and booster.

Today we put the new rotor and the calipers together and found that the two mount holes in the caliper mount bracket need filled and redrilled a half inch further away from the center of the axle and we'll use a 3/4" wheel spacer to get the necessary clearance.

Now we're waiting for the fatman front crossmember and sundry related parts to arrive.