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WATCH OUT! Hell's gonna be freezing over any time now- I've been tinkering on my '46 M5 Studebaker. Really, no joke.
BUT OF COURSE..... its a HUGE change from what I'd always talked about & envisioned.
Basics:
'69 F350 dually chassis
Gonna be shortened 14" to end up w/ a 120" wheelbase, which was the M15's WB (M5s were 112")
300-6 & a ZF 5 speed trans
M5 bed will be stretched 6-8" between cab & rear fenders
Gonna find a pair of M16 2" fender spacers for the front fenders to cover the front tires
Somehow I will widen the rear fenders 6" to cover the duals- either splice another set of fenders together w/ my stockers, or widen the originals w/ sheet metal (not sure yet)
For those of you unfamiliar w/ these trucks, they were never offered in a 1 ton dually style w/ a stepside bed. The M15s were offered w/ a long stepside bed, but not w/ dual rear wheels (at least that seems to be the case). So I should have on unique truck when I'm done. Not a street rod & not a restored stocker, but a truck capable of turning heads & working hard while having modern conveniences like AC, front discs, & safe highway speed capabilities.
I'll post up some pics & let them do some talkin'.............
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I'll also either be enlarging the wheel openings on the stock fenders, or locating some M15/M16 ones (which had bigger openings in their stock form). The way they are now, the tires don't have any where near enuff clearance- esp since the front tires on it now are 225/75/16s, & I'll be running the 265/75/16s that are off of my old '81 dually up there.
Keep in mind, the chassis in the pics is in its raw form after removing the Ford cab & welding bed. It'll be cleaned up & all the extra junk (like the Ford cab mounts & the rear trailer hitch, etc) will be smoothed off.
I'm hoping to lop the 14" out of the frame on the 4th of July. Then maybe it'll be easier to see my vision in these pics. Anybody wanna photochop that 2nd to last pic & put the bed close to the cab?
Well, the rain ruined my work today, so I decided to spend the extra time in the garage & shorten up the frame to the 120" wheelbase. Wasn't too bad a chore at all, & it really helps show me what the finished truck will sorta look like. By the rough measurements, I'll be adding 8-9" to the bed in order to fill the gap to the rear of the cab.
I really dig the way its looking. And being the LoneStar-drinking, cowboy hat-wearing Texan that I am, I feel the ol' Stude is gonna match my personality to a T.
I really am hoping to have it drivable by the end of next winter. I'm not going to obsess w/ bodywork- I'm gonna treat the rust, prime it, & slap on a flat topcoat. One thing I've come to realize.... rust & old paint hide a multitude of bent sheetmetal. I don't think theres a straight panel on this ol' M5. It had a rough life, & theres more rust than I originally thought.
No matter- I will build it & drive the crap out of it. Its an old Studebaker truck- it was built to work! Gonna put a gooseneck hitch in the bed, since the wheelbase is so short. I figure a g/n trailer will pull much better behind it than a bumper pull will.
As for a project update-
I've done a ton of wire-wheeling on it. Knocked the rust off for the most part on certain areas, then treated it w/ Ospho followed by a coat of primer. I have the inner fender peices painted, & plan on disassembling the front sheetmetal & getting the inside(underside- whatever) cleaned, treated, & painted. The exterior of the cab is ready for primer.
I think I may have a pair of M16 style fenders. A gentelman from down near Brownsville offered me a pair at a great price, so hopefully I'll have them soon. I'm thinking I might run them on the rear, & just open up the stock M5 ones a little for the front end. Time will tell. I also have a line on some real nice ones up near Waco, but they almost sound too nice for this truck!
My build....really! 
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