1963 Studebaker Champ

1963 Studebaker Champ Description

1963 Studebaker Champ 8E-T4, 289 V8 engine (runs perfect), manual transmission on the floor, starts and runs great every time, originally equipt with air conditioning (compressor is missing), sliding rear glass, all original emblems and badging, original over sized bed, custom paint job, very solid survivor truck.Call or text me with any questions479-966-0450
Designed at a time when Studebaker's truck line had not seen major upgrading in over 10 years, the company, which had endured years of declining sales, was forced to use a number of existing components. An entirely new cab was out of the question because of cost considerations, but the newLarkcompact car's body proved to be just the right size and shape to suit the purpose. The engineering staff took a four-door sedan, cut it in half behind the front doors and modified the front half slightly to fit the truck chassis. The only new sheetmetal stamping that was required was the back wall of the new cab.
The Lark's front end sheetmetal was retained as well, but funds were allocated to give the Champ a new horizontal-bar grille that delivered a "tougher" look.
1961's 6E series saw the addition of a full-width cargo box, the Spaceside, for which Studebaker had purchased the tooling from Dodge. It didn't help sales.
Few changes were made to the Champ in 1962 (7E series) or 1963 (8E series), and the few 1964 models built actually continued the 8E series started for the '63 models. The only new feature introduced for the 8E trucks was air conditioning.
By December 1963, Studebaker's board of directors announced the closure of itsSouth Bend, Indianafactory, and the trucks were among the casualties.