1954 Studebaker 3R5

truck half ton

six

Clear

These are pretty RARE pickups, what with their unique marshmallow body shape, and only 2,700 were ever made in 1954! Up for auction is a unique 1954 Studebaker 1/2 ton studebaker truck. Original .The truck appears to be un-modified with all original running gear and interior. 6 cylinder Studebaker engine, appears to be the proper one for this truck. The chassis looks solid, as does the bed. This is basically one of two recent barn find trucks used by members of the Grateful Dead family in the 1960s. It does have an interesting history in itself… But as just a rarer vintage Studebaker truck, I can tell you this about it. It is complete and un-modified and was running when it was parked about 3 years ago.Its all pretty straight and a very decent complete candidate for a full restoration or just drive it as a barn find survivor pickup.Please see the photos. The cab rust does not look like it extends into the inner cab itself, as shown in the images. The floor of the cab looks solid with no rust on one side a a very small area of an inch or so on the other side of the floor pan, again, please see photos.. There is serious rust in the cowl at the pillars and in the front lip of the hood. Otherwise the chassis and the body seems solid and very restorable or get it running and use in as-found condition. Except for the windshield pillar mounting rust and some some spots of rust on the upper roof seam and hood lip seam, BUT the rest of the truck, including the doors and the bed and fenders all seem free of rust.please email with any questions before the end of the auction. It is registered and has a title that will be signed over to the buyer. There is NO RESERVE on this auction. Now, a little history on this 1954 Studebaker truck and it's big Studebaker 1956 one ton brother, the Owsely Stanley's 1966 Grateful Dead equipment truck that was a barn find a few years ago. Just Google Studebaker Grateful Dead for more info on the Dead's Studebaker connections… Or please see www. gratefuldeadtruck. com for more info on that particular historic and culturally important Rock and Roll art vehicle that is currently available to a serious collector or museum. Please feel to inquire about the Owsely Truck in a separate email. Funny story and minor detail about this particular pickup now on eBay.This truck half ton pickup is the truck that Owesly borrowed from a good friend and used a few times in early 1966 to try and move the early Dead gear when he first got the gig as the Dead's sound man and manager in 1966, according to the owner, Owsley borrowed it until he realized after a few times the he needed a MUCH BIGGER truck to move all the new sound equipment for the Dead and all the gear he would be buying them in the coming months. Which is why he went out and bought much bigger ONE TON red Studebaker truck to use in his work for the Dead. He named his truck, "The Dread" and it became the first of "The Caravan of Six" Grateful Dead vehicles the included the Dead's bus, the Sweet Magnolia. Deadheads, you can find more info on that truck on the net… see a short youtube video under grstefuldeadtruck. While some might wish some of the gigs this truck might have been at includes a few early trips festivals and hanging out in the Haight Asbury area during the Summer of Love, the previous 50 years owner of the blue truck makes it clear in a video interview from a few years ago that the provenance is correct and that this truck led to the other larger truck , aka "The Dread" or "Dred" being sought and bought by Owsley for Owsley's use with the Dead. The video gives the complete history of this truck, info on the other truck, 'The Dread" or "dred" and the owners 50 year ownership of this half ton blue Studebaker truck.. . This blue pickup also comes with an interesting email from a few years ago from Owesly, otherwise known as Bear, stating that the trucks current owner is a very good friend of his from the early days and he is aware of this blue studebaker, the one i am offering, and his friend's long term ownership of said vehicle. The rest of his email discusses The Dread and his five year ownership. It is a unique opportunity, so, if you want to enjoy the truck for it's quirky and brief history participating in the counter culture movement too, I will include copies of the provenance information and video. A proposed model-N car, scheduled for production in 1952, was scrapped after hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent on it, and all-new 1953s were rushed into production with near-disastrous results. Sheetmetal stampings on the coupes and hardtops could not be fit properly and by the time this was worked out in January 1953, public enthusiasm had begun to wane.As a result of management's failures, the new 1954 truck line did not get under way until February. The half-ton pickup models were designated 3R5 for those powered by the Champion six and 3R6 for those with the 245.6-cubic-inch engine.The two most visible design changes were the one-piece curved windshield and the restyled ivory-colored grille featuring four horizontal openings. Headlights were set into the grille with small parking lights positioned below. An oval "Studebaker" nameplate was placed at the back edge of the hood on both sides. Bumpers and wheels were painted ivory, and unadorned moon-shaped chrome hub caps, borrowed from the 1950 Commander passenger car, were used.The instrument panel was all new and featured round gauges. Strangely, some items standard on the earlier 2R series were extra-cost options on the 3R. These included the right-hand sun visor and arm rest, and the door-activated dome light. No significant changes were made in the mechanical components of the truck. Because of the short eight-month production run and general decline in business, sales of the 3R5 and 3R6 dipped to 2,700 and 1,620, respectively, making these among the rarest postwar Studebaker trucks. Use this truck to carry your collection of 45s and lps by the Dead and Jerry Garcia, or better yet haul, that rare Psychedelic Rock poster collection around with it! Please look at the photos of the truck. and please ask any questions you might have. Payment is expect at the close of the auction and the vehicle is expected to be picked up the following week. 1937 STUDEBAKER, 1939 CHAMPION STUDEBAKER, 1939 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, 1950 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, 1951 STUDEBAKER, 1951 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, 1952 STUDEBAKER, 1953 STUDEBAKER, 1953 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, 1953 STUDEBAKER COUPE, 1954 STUDEBAKER, 1955 STUDEBAKER, 1956 STUDEBAKER, 1957 STUDEBAKER, 1959 STUDEBAKER, 51 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, 53 STUDEBAKER, BAY NEW ZEALAND 1956 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION PARTS, STUDEBAKER, STUDEBAKER 1942, STUDEBAKER 1953, STUDEBAKER 1955, STUDEBAKER AUTO PARTS, LSD, Stanley, STUDEBAKER AUTO PARTS AVANTI, STUDEBAKER AVANTI, STUDEBAKER CAR, STUDEBAKER, CAR PARTS, STUDEBAKER CAR PARTS EBAY MOTORS, STUDEBAKER CARS, STUDEBAKER CARS FOR SALE, STUDEBAKER CARS TRUCKS, STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, STUDEBAKER CHAMPION, STUDEBAKER CHAMPION EBAY MOTORS, STUDEBAKER CHAMPION HARDNESS, STUDEBAKER COMMANDER, STUDEBAKER EBAY MOTORS, STUDEBAKER GOLDEN HAWK, STUDEBAKER GRILL, STUDEBAKER HAWK, STUDEBAKER LARK, STUDEBAKER PACKARD, STUDEBAKER PARTS, STUDEBAKER PARTS On Mar-01-14 at 10:28:11 PST, seller added the following information: hello, to answer some general question i have gotten… yes, the the Grateful Dead Truck IS for sale to the highest offer. Please see www. gratefuldeadtruck.com for more info. the buyer of the ebay truck will get a copy of Owsley's email and the film about the history of this ebay truck. the rust in the cowl/pillar area goes thru the cowl metal, it's not just surface rust. will need to be patched, as expected. the rest of the truck appears very solid. yes, available for pickup right after auction ends, if payment is in cash and a non-refundable paypal deposit has been made before picking up. museums may have 7 days to pay by check. yes, lumber rack goes with the truck. yes, it's the original tailgate. glass is all good. please email with any other questions. thanks.