Dec 2004 / From the Newsgroup ---------------- For a while, I heard rumors that Studebaker produced a few R2 powered Champ Pickups for the Granatellis. I'm pretty sure that someone researched the production records and documented that at least two were made, but pictures of them seem pretty scarce. There's an underhood shot of one of them on page 25 of the latest Avanti Magizine (issue 128). The caption says that it's an R2 Avanti but it isn't. I've seen the shot before and assumed the caption was wrong and it was a Hawk, but on closer inspection, it's definately a T-cab. Seems that the production orders indicated they were white in color ?? The one in the picture is a dark color, possibly red. It's really neat to see that Paxton in a Champ and know that it's a factory installation. ------------- Jack: Studebaker did build and ship two R2-powered Champs. One was white, the other black. The black one survives; that is the darker color you see in the photo if it is still black. The white one was delivered new here at Snider Studebaker in Indianapolis, where I used to hang out as a teen-ager. At age 17, I saw and examined the white one first-hand, brand new, before it was delivered. Believe me, you don't forget something like that! The feature I remembered most was the truck having parallel dual exhausts down the same side of the truck, since the gas tank was on the other side and they couldn't run a second exhaust down that side. When I recalled those parallel duals to our Historian Dick Quinn several years ago, he scrounged around and found a factory engineering photo of the underside of the truck before it was shipped from South Bend. The same-side parallel duals were quite visible. Sadly, I doubt the white one survives. As far as I know, it disappeared into rusty central Indiana and hasn't been seen since. I have lived in the Indianapolis area continuously since 1963 and have always been involved with the Studebaker hobby here: That truck just hasn't surfaced if it is still in the area. BP -------- the Black one is still alive in Arizona ---------- I rode in the black truck here in Tucson. The truck was originally sent to California and was assigned to the Zone area for Studebaker. When Dec 9, 1963 rolled around, the truck lingered on but was sold for $1,500.00 to Jack Erny, in 1965, who then drove it to Tucson. Jack drove the truck for twenty years but during that time replaced the Paxton with an A/C unit. He sold it to someone that was not a member of the local SDC chapter who kept it for a couple of years, then put it up for sale for a couple of years but no one seemed to be interested in it here in Tucson. Lou Fencl went to look at it, took down the serial number then got the production order for it. It contained 4 pages of the order. The owner called Lou up and asked if it he would buy it. Lou said he would have to come take a look at it again, but stopped by the bank to get the cash. The truck originally had a 4:55 rear end in it but it was dry and needed a rebuild. Lou put a 4:09 in it to go with the car 4 speed that came from South Bend. He took me for a ride in it; all I can say is WOW! He shifted into 4 doing about 85 and then backed off. Lou sold the truck to someone named Scott in Scottsdale. Scott in not a member of SDC but did pick up a NOS interior for the truck. Denny Lockman sent me a couple of pictures but I have not had the time lately to get a story together. Someday soon I hope after the holidays I can write a story and take some pictures for TW. Bob Miles Tucson AZ ------------ Were they ordered by Andy and Comapny as has been previously reported? Did one or both have the Power Shift? Would love to see any engineering photos of the trucks. ---------- There's a little about the white one, in JTN #2. It was a long box, 1/2 ton. Serial # was E7 19327, and it was shipped to Indy. Engine # is believed to be JTS 1383. It had an automatic trans with 3.73 TT. In contrast, the black one was short, with 4 speed. State Motor Vehicle Administrations have a surprising, (disturbing), amount of old information. It may be possible to trace the truck via serial or engine #. ------------ The black truck is alive and well in Phoenix. It will be having a full restoration in the near future. It is owned by the same person that has the brown 64 Daytona on eBay. He is now a member of SDC. Denny Lockmon ---- Yes, I would think you'd need to contact Dick. He had engineering photo(s) located at the SNM Archives within the last year or so, but I'm not sure if he made copies and then took the copies home or ??? I just don't know much about the surviving black truck other than what I read here, because it went west from South Bend immediately upon completion...fortunately! I'm sure the Granatellis had something to do with that one, if not both of them. I never knew for sure how the white one happened to wind up here at Snider Studebaker, whether it was ordered or ??? (At age 17, you don't ask that many important questions when it is all you can do to contain the bulge in yours pants when you are looking at a new arrival like that truck!) The Sales Manager at Snider was my friend John Knapp. See Page 30, February 1999 Turning Wheels. When I last spoke with John, he could not remember any details of the white R2 truck. Sadly, he passed away at his retirement home in the west (Arizona?) about two years ago this month. So it will be awhile (I hope) before I speak to him again! As I remember, the white one was an automatic, but I'm not sure if it was PowerShift. 'Seems like it might have been heavy-duty Flightomatic on the column, but don't hold me to that. Memory gets a little fuzzy after 41 years of additional data input! I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to the transmission in the black truck because I never saw it. The production records for those trucks are around here somewhere, so if I run across them, I'll repost the details. BP ----------- Jack, thanks for pointing out that it was a pickup. Some information about the R2 pickups was in past issues of "Jet Thrust News"; including the first page of the black truck's build sheet. A quick look for the "JTN" web site, on Google, produced only a reference on the '56 Golden Hawk site. I found http://www.stude.com/JTN/ somewhere else. It's still up. There was a note in the Fall 2004, #22 issue, that it is the last hard copy distribution. It also says photo copies of back issues are available for $25 for a set of issues #1 to #21. According to the Summer '95, issue #2 JTN, the black truck was shipped from South Bend to Paxton. There's a note on the build sheet to change engine# from 3E-19418, (the R2 was JTS1407). As I read it, the R2, and some of the other special equipment was factory installed, by engineering. The prop shaft, disc brakes, and ps were to be provided by engineering and shipped later. Did the white one go directly to a dealer, from the factory, in finished condition?