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 Commanderanger- from the Man w/ the a/c 3R5 truck
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53k
Commander Member

USA
2347 Posts

Posted - 04/26/2010 :  6:30:16 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Reply with Quote
Under the skin of this stock appearing '48 Commander lies the complete running gear of a Ford Ranger. The owner, Paul Thrush of Catlett, Virginia, is about the cleverest man I know. Several years ago he prepared his 3R5 pickup for our Potomac Chapter Route 66 Trip by putting a 10hp Briggs electric start engine, an a/c compressor and a condensor in a box in the bed of his truck so he could be air conditioned on the long trip (worked beautifully- we knew when he turned on the a/c as we drove from the puff of smoke form the Briggs).
About two years ago he decided to build a Studebaker car to his personal taste- not for show, just for his comfort. He found a solid '48 Commander with a bad engine so he just put the whole body right on a Ford Ranger chassis he had. He wanted the 40s look, but with power steering, a/c, cruise, etc, but wasn't interested in doing rod stuff. He completed the car last year, but was very seriously ill through the fall and winter (lung removed, pneunomia- intensive care for several months). A couple weeks ago he called me and said that he and Dorothy would come see us off at our Spring Tour starting point. Of course were delighted that he was well enough to make it out and he did. When he got to the meeting point I asked him if he would like to tour with us to our lunch stop, about 70 miles away, and he accepted. It turned out this trip was really his first time away from home since his helath episode. It did him all of us a lot of good to see him back.


Notice the neat job he did in moving the gas door from the rear of the left rear fender to the front of it.









Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. '64 Daytona Wagonaire, '64 Daytona convertible, '53 Commander Starliner, Museum R-4 engine, '62 Gravely Model L, '72 Gravely Model 430