Junkyard Gem: 1958 Studebaker 3E Transtar

The first Studebakers built in North America were wagons made by German immigrant Peter Stutenbecker in the British Province of Maryland in 1740, and the first Studebaker trucks were 1914 models. Studebaker became a mighty truck powerhouse during World War II, when close to 200,000 Studebaker US6s were shipped to the Red Army to help them crush the Axis. After the war, Studebaker continued building pickups; we saw a used-up 1962 Champ last winter, and now today's Junkyard Gem is an example of the Champ's predecessor, found in a Wyoming self-service yard recently.

The 1955-1960 Studebaker E-Series pickup wasn't much changed from its late-1940s 2R ancestors, but it did get a one-piece windshield and a secondary grille mounted in the hood.

Studebaker began putting its overhead-valve V8 into U.S.-market trucks for the 1954 model year, and buyers of the 1958 3E could get a Studebaker 259-cubic-inch (4.2-liter) V8 rated at 170 horsepower and 250 pound-feet … but that's not the engine in this truck now. This appears to be an early member of the Buick small-block V8 family, probably swapped in to replace a Studebaker flathead straight-six.

The rusty block indicates that it's not an aluminum 215, so my guess (going by the valve covers and four-barrel intake) is that it's a "Wildcat 355" 300-cubic-incher from the middle 1960s, rated at 250 horsepower for the 1964 model year.

The transmission is a column-shift three-speed manual. Aftermarket swap adapters for a vast assortment of engine/transmission combinations were available during the 1960s and 1970s, though this truck may have received a matched Buick Special drivetrain combination.

It had an electrically-actuated overdrive at some point. Those Dymo embossed labels were very popular for car dashes a half-century ago.

In the bed, we find a flathead straight-six engine and other vintage components.

Studebaker made an extra-cheap version of this truck called the Scotsman, but this truck had the nicer grille (you can see the mounting holes around the headlight openings) and was therefore higher up on the 3E food chain. Prices for the half-ton 3E for 1958 ranged from $1,595 to $1,936 (about $17,048 to $20,693 in 2023 dollars).

It's too far gone to be worth restoring, though it still has some useful parts to contribute to other trucks.

For the 1960 model year, the E-Series chassis received a cab based on the front body of the Studebaker Lark sedan, giving Studebaker a not-so-dated-looking pickup to compete with Detroit's sleeker offerings. The last year for Studebaker pickups was 1964, after which Studebaker car production limped on for two more years in Canada (humiliatingly, with Chevrolet engines).

Why would you buy any other truck?