1959 Studebaker - Astute Stude

For those of you that don't already know it, the nostalgia movement has evolved from what many thought was a fad to a full-on revolution. Going for an old-school look has become just as popular as building a resto-custom or high-end billet cruiser, and, in many cases, adds elements of character and personalization that might otherwise look out of place.

One of the arguments against building a traditional-looking truck is that some people overlook the many updates that are available for steering, brakes, and suspension just for the sake of being true to the style. While vehicles of this sort do exist (we've all seen 'em at the shows--wondering if they got there under their own power), the majority of the trucks we come across, not to mention all of the trucks we feature, have had the necessary updates. In some cases, what appears to be a clean traditional truck turns out to have enough performance and handling mods to outrun the local Camaro or Mustang.

Take this '59 Studebaker belonging to Greg Porter, for instance. As if a mirror-black, old-school Stude isn't impressive enough, it has the underpinnings and powerplant to give any high-tech truck a run for its money. Greg hails from Greenville, South Carolina, where he runs the aptly named Greg Porter Body Shop. He found the truck sitting in another shop with decent sheetmetal but no engine. He liked the roundness of the cab and fenders and thought it would lend itself well to an old-school project. A deal was struck, and the little truck was immediately torn down to the bare frame.

With the help of Ronnie Rule, major surgery was performed on the stock Stude frame to bring it up to par. Up front, the entire front clip from a '68 Nova was grafted on while out back, a new rear clip was constructed from 2x3 steel. New leafs were hung to locate the 9-inch Ford rearend. Greg then stepped up to the extreme and added both Wilwood disc brakes and Carrera coilover shocks to each corner. For the ultimate nostalgia look, a set of Astro Supremes was mated to Coker wide white radials in the front and Diamondback Classics cheater slicks in the back.

Greg wanted a potent mouse lurking under his hood, so he left a small-block in the capable hands of Clif O'Brien. The balanced and blueprinted 383 was filled with a Scat crank, Crower rods, Ross pistons, and a Schneider cam. The Bow Tie heads were filled with another mix of parts from Isky, Crane, and Manley. The stout long-block was topped with a B&M blower and Holley carb, ensuring it would perform as well as it looks and sounds. The engine is backed with a Stegall's-built Turbo 350.

Getting the body in shape was all Greg's department, and he wasted no time either. The cab and bed were channeled down over the frame, and the firewall was smoothed and recessed. The tailgate was welded up and smoothed, and a custom-built roll pan was molded in place. Greg also smoothed over the bedrail ends and filled them with '39 Ford taillights. Finally, for a new-school touch that looks right at home on the Stude, a Dodge Viper hood scoop, was grafted into the hood. Greg shot the truck with Dupont black and laid down a flame pattern on the hood in copper pearl with a white pinstripe. The Studebaker logo on the tailgate was finished to match. The truck was reassembled with a '58 Rambler grille insert, a '49 Plymouth front bumper, Adjure headlights, and a bed floor hand-built from teakwood.

The old-school flavor was really brought to life inside the Stude's cab. Greg custom-built the dash and gave it, as well as the ididit steering column, the copper treatment. The dash was filled with white-faced Classic Instrument gauges and a white Cal Custom steering wheel tops the column. Finally, Jack Mahaffey wired up the truck before Jimmy Rickard of 3 R's Trim Shop recovered the '62 Impala buckets in gray and white metalflake vinyl and finished the door and kick panels to match.

Greg and his wife Kelly have enjoyed running the truck around on the weekends for more than a year now. The very first show attended was the 2002 Goodguys Charlotte, where the Stude took home the Cool Commercial award. One thing is for sure--you don't even need to see the blown small-block, Wilwoods, or coilovers to know that this truck was built right, but if you do, you'll know it performs as good as it looks.

Check out the metalflake vinyl...        read full caption Check out the metalflake vinyl upholstery on the '62 Impala buckets; that and the Astro Supremes scream early-'60s custom.

A unique feature of the Stude...        read full caption A unique feature of the Stude is this bed floor made completely of teakwood. This is a trick we wouldn't mind seeing more of.

The B&M-blown 383 is pretty...        read full caption The B&M-blown 383 is pretty high-tech, but the old-school Speedway valve covers and custom-painted '56 Cad air cleaner add the right old-school touch.

Greg grafted the scoop from...        read full caption Greg grafted the scoop from a Dodge Viper into the Stude hood and used it to build the copper pearl flames off of.