1946 Studebaker

M5 Pickup truck

6 - Cyl.

Manual

M532046

Gasoline

This auction is for my 1946 Studebaker 1/2 ton pickup truck. I had planned to restore it but after doing two vintage trucks in the last two years, I just plain don't have the energy for a third at this time. This truck has a neat story, as told to me by the previous owner. It was originally owned by a farmer in Hector, MN who just used it for "running into town". He sold it to a young 15 year old boy as his first vehicle. He and his dad brought it home, he and his friends promptly dismantled it entirely in the name of "restoration". Off came the box, fenders, hood, grille, all engine accessories, interior, bumper, etc. etc. They sanded some of the paint down to bare metal, spray can primered some spots, left others untouched. The truck went into the grandmother's garage, where it sat in pieces for nearly 40 years until I purchased it. My son-in-law and I spent some hours one Saturday digging through the extremely full garage and picking out all of the pieces we could find. We did fairly well, it's missing very little. Among the things that I know are missing are the wiper assemblies, one dash blank piece (where a radio would go), and any parts of the headliner. I later re-ssembled the body, sprayed some similar color paint over the primered and bare metal areas just to make it more presentable while it waited a restoration, put all of the engine pieces back on, rebuilt the carburetor and fuel pump, put new spark plugs in it, removed a couple of frost plugs and cleaned out the block, pulled the oil pan and cleaned that and the oil pump out, put it all back together, hooked a hose to a small bottle of gas, and it actually started right up. It sounded fine, I didn't let it run long due to the radiator not being hooked up. The transmission and clutch also seemed to work ok. Now it hasn't run for at least a year again, but it shouldn't be too hard to get it running. I don't have a title for it. When this truck went into storage, if I remember correctily, all MN had was an annual registration card, titles came later. Last year I started the titling process but quit midway through when I decided to just store it for awhile myself. The process in MN is slow and cumbersome, so I gave up. Therefore, there is no title. A quick review of the body is as follows: Cab is excellent, very straight, roof and rear panel are great. Doors are probably nearly perfect, no rust or dents. Hood is great. Box is way above average - sides are nice and straight, front panel is useable, floor has surface rust but only very minimal denting so will be just fine with some light sandblasting and body work. Tail gate is ok, has some dings and dents, would probably make sense to buy a reproduction one from Studebaker International as they don't cost all that much. Running boards are straight, no rips or tears, but do have some rust out around the bolt areas. They're readily fixable, but will need work. All four fenders are useable, all need some work. As is typical of an old farm truck, you can see where some dents have been tapped out, a couple of tears welded up, and both rear fenders have a patch on the lower rear that's been welded in. The front bumper is still shiny and straight so would rechrome easily. All glass is still in it, only the driver's side window is cracked. Headliner and door panels have been removed, but they're just cardboard in these. Original seat rear spring is there and a lower seat cushion out of a car has been installed but fits perfectly so they probably were identical anyway, other than the fabric covering. All four wheels appear to be original, matching green paint with original striping. I had the hood center moulding and the grille center moulding professionally straightened and polished, these come with the truck. The last owner believes the low miles are correct and original (it shows 23,590). They could be - the truck needs a good restoration but is so solid and complete that I believe the miles could be actual as well, but who ever really knows unless they're the original owner. I should add that the body parts are just lightly bolted together again, not properly aligned or fastened, just put together so everything is in one piece. Personal inspection is encouraged, just let me know if you want to do this and we can set up a time. The truck is located in Andover, MN.