A friends new (to him) truck

[Mike Van Veghten]

I guess this fits here in this section of the Racing site.

A 1950 pickup. Owned MANY years by the Pisano family. The same Pisano family that ran Fuel (Nitromethane) Altered's and then fuel Funny Cars for many, MANY years in the NHRA racing circuit.
Canted head lights, canted tail lights, a factory Fuel injected Pontiac Engine and trans., Corvair seats.
He's still trying to figure out what the front suspension is..!
The truck hasn't run since the mid 1970's.
The engine does rotate by hand, so he's hoping it'll start and run. He'll be using a single four barrel setup until he can get some help figuring out the GM fuel injection, and hopefully get it running again. As they say, yes, it did run with this induction system when parked.

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Mike

[r1lark]

That FI on the Poncho engine is pretty wild looking. I assume it's very close in concept to the Chevy FI setups of the '50s, just looks differrent?

[Mike Van Veghten]

Yes sir. And like Chevy, there is/was two different designs. The other design is a cast manifold that looks much more like a Chevy, but still with long runners.

He hopes to get it all working...one of these days.
Since the truck's been sitting so long, it needs to give everything a freshening, but he wants to be able to drive it any time. Maybe even tow his Austin America to the drag races.

Mike

[PackardV8]

Wild possibilities there, unique pieces and backstory.

The grille may be a '50, but the one-piece windshield and small back glass make the cab a '54.

jack vines

[Mike Van Veghten]

Apparently buy the fact that the windshield is...a replaceable part, and apparently was back in the late 60's.
Also, the paperwork states, 1950.

So, as far as anyone knows, the truck is...a 1950 according to the state.

So that makes three out of four contingencies that say 1950. Past owners, the fact that the windshield is...a replacement and the state. Leaving only the possibility of the back window.

Mike

[PackardV8]

Apparently buy the fact that the windshield is...a replaceable part, and apparently was back in the late 60's.
Also, the paperwork states, 1950.

So, as far as anyone knows, the truck is...a 1950 according to the state.

So that makes three out of four contingencies that say 1950. Past owners, the fact that the windshield is...a replacement and the state. Leaving only the possibility of the back window.

Mike

Mike, I've been told by those who know the '54-up one-piece windshield won't fit in a '40-'53 two-piece cab.

jack vines

[Mike Van Veghten]

Not gonna argue.
All I know is what I was told.
What about the quad headlights, I don't think they are a Studebaker product. Maybe the body work was done at the same time !?
A little bit of metalwork can go a long way.

Mike

[Champion V8]

I get a early 60's Chevy feeling about those headlights, maby early Corvair?
Slanted headlights was a BIG custom thing here in Sweden in the 60's!

[Mike Van Veghten]

I forgot where the tail lights came from. No, not any Corvair, although the seats are !
Someone said Buick. I haven't asked.

Interesting about our Stude to Chevy manifold adapter plates. The Pisano's made up Pontiac to small Chevy adapter plates back in the 60's to adapt the Chevy fuel injector to the Pontiac engine. Although, he doesn't think they were ever used, because they got the Pontiac injector working.
BUT...as it turns out, this is why the truck was parked, the fuel injector developed problems of some sort, they got tired of messing with it, so it got parked. They were doing a lot of racing at the time and didn't have time to mess with it, so it sat.

Mike

[Mike Van Veghten]

Jack -

See post #66. A confirmation of my comment above.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/thr ... 248/page-3

Mike

[Mike Van Veghten]

My friend is still worken on his Pontiac powered Stude pickup.
A month or so back, he and his wife polished and waxed the 20+ year old paint. He said while it's far from perfect, it's plenty good for a "driver".

He removed the Pontiac fuel injection, and replaced it with a tri-power arrangement. He had some trouble with the center carburetors accelerator pump, but he's got that worked out.
He's currently working on getting the paperwork squared away with the government. A DMV guy cam by Friday as a favor to the Pisano family to check the numbers and the paperwork. H's now, just waiting.
His next task is to get it hone to the more upper central California area.

Oh and for Jack...
He said that, before they got to the polishing, he gave the truck a good scrubbing to clean it. He paid special attention to around the windshield to make sure that the old body work held up...with no leaks. No visible leaks around the windshield. He was a bit concerned about that.

Mike

[Champion V8]

Just re-read this post & I meant the headlights, the rear lights are for sure early 50's Buick.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Don't recall about the lights. I'm sure we talked about it all, I just don't remember.

Mike

[Champion V8]

I just read the old earlier conversations that's why I saw it, no worries.