A look at Studebaker’s last trucks, 1960-’64

As the decade of the 1960s opened up, Studebaker-Packard appeared for once to be in pretty good shape. After losing money steadily since 1954, the company recorded its largest profit ever in 1959, some $28.5 million, while boasting calendar-year production of 153,823 cars and 7,737 trucks. This surprising success was the result of introducing its new Lark compact. So, heading into 1960, Studebaker seemed to have the right momentum.

The company’s passenger-car range was limited to just the Lark series and the aging Hawk coupe. The truck model lineup also was not extensive, but for 1960 it offered plenty that was new. Studebaker’s basic truck cab had been in production since the 1949 model year and was looking rather dated by 1960. To correct this problem, the company introduced more modern-looking ½- and ¾-ton models with a new cab derived from the Lark passenger car sheetmetal. The new Champ 5E series featured a simpler, more rugged-looking four-bar grille and a brawnier front bumper. It was mounted on a truck chassis and was a quite an attractive pickup. The base price of the bottom-line Champ ½-ton was $1,875, a bit of a hike from the prior year’s stripped-down Scotsman pickup, which had been tagged at $1,791. However, the Champ was a better-finished product and looked a lot more expensive. The Scotsman had been not much more than a drab price leader.

This 1960 Champ has a chrome grille, fender moldings, and headlamp rings not seen on the base-price trucks.

The new Champs rode the same wheelbases as the prior-year light trucks: 112 inches and 122 inches. They carried over the same pickup box as used in prior years, too, a flare-fender design that was becoming slightly old-fashioned. The 1-ton and larger Studebaker trucks, called the Transtar models, continued to use the old C-cab, with its aggressive-looking grille/headlamp fascia. For some reason, the Transtar name had been dropped in 1959, but it reappeared in 1960 on 1-, 1.5-, and 2-ton models. Four-wheel-drive models were offered as well, but only in the heavy-duty C-cab Transtar models, not in the Champ series.

The basic Champ 5E5 pickups were powered by Studebaker’s trusty L-head six-cylinder engine, with 169.6 cu.in. and 90 horsepower. The higher-priced 5E6 ½-ton trucks, along with the 5E11 ¾-ton jobs, got a larger 245.6-cu.in. L-head six, good for 118 hp. The top-line 5E7 and 5E12 models were equipped with Studebaker’s excellent 259-cu.in. V-8, which developed 180 hp in standard two-barrel form, or 195 hp with the optional four-barrel carb. These two models could also be ordered with the optional 289-cu.in. V-8, good for 210 hp with a two-barrel or 225 hp with four-barrel carburetion.

The U.S. military bought a number of Champs, including this unit assigned to the Air Force.

The standard transmission was a three-speed manual with a steering-column-mounted shifter, and synchromesh on second and third gears. A four-speed transmission with floor shifter was optional, as was overdrive. Only the 5E7 and 5E12 models offered the optional Flight-O-Matic transmission. Other optional equipment included the usual truck extras of that era: painted rear bumper, Twin-Traction rear axle, power brakes, dual horns, radio, clock, heater/defroster, right-hand taillamp, side-mounted spare tire, heavy-duty springs and shocks, heavy-duty clutch, Deluxe Cab trim, and so on.

All in all, the new Champs were very competitive trucks that would certainly have sold better if only the company had been able to get them into production earlier. As it was, a combination of problems at the plant, along with a steel strike, delayed production until the spring of 1960. According to Andy Beckman of the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana, production of Studebaker’s 5E5-5E12 trucks came to 5,602 units. Considering the amount of effort put into freshening the truck line, that had to be a major disappointment for Studebaker management.

This 1962 Champ is a basic truck with a painted grille, headlamp rings, and front bumper. Even the side mirror is painted rather than chromed.

The 1961 Studebaker trucks were known as the 6E series. The big news for the Studebaker truck line that year was the introduction of a "new" overhead-valve six-cylinder engine, actually an upgrade of the old 169.6-cu.in. L-head mill. Now producing 110 hp, it was a significant and well-overdue improvement shared with the passenger car line-up. With the OHV six introduction, the company dropped its aging 169.6- and 245-cu.in. L-head sixes from the line. The number of models in the light-truck (½-¾-ton) lineup shrank to six, down two from the prior year.

Also new for 1961 was a "Spaceside" slab-sided pickup box, the tooling for which was bought from Dodge. It was single-wall construction when double-wall was becoming the norm, but it gave Studebaker something new and modern-looking. The new box was wider than the carryover box and stuck out noticeably on the sides. The truck business improved, with production of the 6E5-6E12 models climbing to 6,592 units for 1961.

New Champ pickups coming off the final assembly line at South Bend, Indiana, in 1963.

Beginning with the 1962 models, dubbed the 7E series and introduced in June of 1961, a Detroit Diesel engine was available in 1½- and 2-ton models, and air brakes could be had on the 2-ton units. A 96BBC truck (meaning 96 inches from bumper to back of cab) was available in both gasoline and diesel-powered models, also beginning in 1962. Engineers achieved the short cab length by deleting the fiberglass grille, flattening the front of the hood, and applying a distinctive flat-nose grille below the hood. This model was produced in response to motor vehicle laws in certain states that restricted the overall length of tractor trailers; these Studebaker modifications permitted the use of longer trailers. Also, for 1962, the Champ six-cylinder trucks could be ordered with the optional automatic transmission.

The 1962 7E5-7E12 model production rose to 7,325 trucks, Studebaker’s highest level in years. The company had worked hard to modernize the truck line and also offered the lowest-priced pickup on the market, but it was plain that Studebaker’s dealers weren’t expending enough effort selling them; considering the size of the dealer network, the totals should have been much higher. The fact that Studebaker’s union went on strike again that year certainly didn’t help. It deprived dealers and the company of needed product and caused buyers to lose confidence in Studebaker.

Modern camper shells were offered by the factory beginning in 1963. Called the Conestoga, they were attractive units that appealed to families and sportsmen.

For the 1963 model year the 8E series boasted a host of improvements and upgrades. The steering geometry was all-new and a new type of constant-ratio steering gear was adopted. Front shock absorbers were now mounted in "sea-leg" fashion, for better cornering, and brake and clutch pedals were now the suspended type. The brake master cylinder was moved to the firewall; it had been frame mounted previously. Improved front springs were featured, as were full-flow oil filters, now as standard equipment. Six-cylinder engines got an improved carburetor. The old fender-style pickup box was discontinued. Air conditioning was now available, along with a new "Conestoga" camper shell. Production fell to 5,861 trucks.

The 8E series carried over for 1964. New Service Champ models were available, equipped with fiberglass utility bodies for plumbers, electricians, and the like. Studebaker had one other new truck model for 1964: the Zip Van, a compact stand/drive model on an 85-inch wheelbase, sold only to the U.S. Post Office for delivery service. Studebaker won a contract to produce 4,238 of these sturdy little right-hand-steering units under a $9 million contract, which was big by Studebaker standards. The Zip Van utilized the Champ’s six-cylinder engine hooked up to a three-speed automatic transmission, and was fitted with a Champ radiator, front axle and springs, brakes, and wheels. Bodies were produced by Met-Pro, Inc. of Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

The compact Zip Van was produced under contract for the U.S Post Office. These were handy, economical units that were a lot more comfortable than the three-wheeled Westcoaster Mailster also used by the Post Office.

Due to the December 1963 shutdown of South Bend production, only 2,509 model 8E5-8E12 models were built.

Studebaker also produced a line of 2½- and 5-ton trucks for the U.S. Army. After South Bend closed, the company transferred the military truck contract to Kaiser Jeep Corporation, which also bought the Mishawaka, Indiana plant they were assembled in. That unit formed the nucleus for what would later become AM General Corporation, which today is the world’s largest producer of tactical wheeled vehicles. There’s justice in that.

Among the last trucks manufactured by Studebaker were the Champ Utility models, which boasted a stylish utility body made of fiberglass. These were sold to plumbers, electricians, and other tradespeople.