539HP 383 On Pump Gas
September 24, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Rad Revolution
Crafted with precision and expertise, this cutting-edge column is set to revolutionize your driving experience. Rad Rides engineers focused on maximizing space, ensuring comfort during entry and exit, and offering customizable steering wheel positioning. Compact yet powerful, the Tilt Steering Column boasts a total unit length of just 5 1/8 inches. With five different tilt positions and approximately 40 degrees of total tilt, you’ll find the perfect angle for your comfort and convenience.
Remembering When
When Ricardo Lopez began building this 1955 Chevy he had some help, as well as a plan. In the beginning, this little Chevy pickup was to provide an excellent chance for Ricardo to spend some time with his son, Ricky, and to be able to show the boy some of the tricks that he had learned over the many years he had worked as a customizer, bodyman and painter. As owner of Paint By Lopez in Compton, California, Ricardo had hopes of his boy taking over for him in the years to come, maybe even calling the shop Paint By Lopez & Son. Unfortunately, Ricky was taken from Ricardo and his wife, Monica, in a freak accident. At first Ricardo was going to sell the truck, as the sight of it was almost too much to bear. But upon reflection he changed his mind. Ricardo thought that finishing the project was not only a perfect way to work through his grief, but it would also give him a chance to feel connected to the son he had lost. When the Chevy was completed, it would be a way to honor Ricky’s memory.
DYNAMIC 88
While most of us equate the term “bubbletop” with early-’60s Chevys, other GM brands had their own versions of these sleek sport coupes, including Oldsmobile. Although these cars shared the same slim roof design, along with its highly celebrated rear window, other unique changes left no doubt about the special nature of these individualistic and stylish machines.
Spotlighter
Caddy Stu
This ’53 Studebaker Sports a 500-Inch Cadillac Powerplant
Author
Bob Carpenter
Story And Photography
Richard Larson and his wife, Jane, have owned a number of custom cars and trucks in their time, but they never really thought they would have so much fun building and owning a custom 53 Studebaker pickup.
There was no plan to find a Studebaker; the truck simply found him. I lived across the street from a friend who owned a repair shop in town, Larson told us. Over some time, he had collected six or seven cars and trucks that he hoped to restore some day. One weekend morning, his wife informed him that she planned to plant an orchard in the area where the vehicles were being stored…and in one week. He had to get rid of his collection. I asked about the Studebaker pickup and he said if he could get $200 for it, it was gone. Well, it was gone.
Over the next two years (about 2,000 hours of work), and after spending many more dollars, Larson finally had his Caddy Stu on the road. Yes, he calls it a Caddy Stu because of the 500ci engine mounted on the boxed framerails. Larson did a complete frame-off restoration of the truck, sandblasting all the parts along the way. He spent a lot of time collecting the parts and planning the build. He figured out how to mount the ’75 Cadillac engine, made the mounts for the four-link rear suspension and then found a welder to attach it all for him.
The front suspension is a Fat Man Fabrications Mustang II setup with airbags and shocks from Air Ride Technologies. Wilwood four-piston disc brakes help slow the beast when it gets up to speed. An ididit steering column and Grant banjo steering wheel provide the driver with precise control. The rear suspension is a four-link with airbags and coilover shocks. A Ford 9-inch Posi rearend was shortened 2 inches and has 3.30:1 gears in it.
Larson repaired the ripped fenders (with help from Jose at Cruisers in Bakersfield), shaved the door handles, louvered the hood, crafted an LED third brake light, built a 2×8-inch-square tube bumper and added a toolbox. After all the bodywork was done, Phil in Lone Pine, California, applied the ’67 Cadillac gunmetal-gray enamel.
Inside the cab, Larson turned to Dee Norris in Bodfish, California. Norris used gray cloth and bird’s-eye maple to create a unique look. Bird’s-eye was used for the dash, the dash extension, the overhead console, the door panels and more. Classic Instruments Gold gauges are perfect for this truck.
The engine, of course, is a focal point of this truck. The 500ci engine (built by Cram-McCall in Ridgecrest, California) uses an Edelbrock high-rise intake manifold and Sanderson headers. A 750 Q-Jet carburetor is topped with a Flying Nun air cleaner housing. Larson added one-off CaddyStu valve covers and lots of other chromed and polished parts.
While the Larsons weren’t planning to build a Studebaker truck, they certainly have embraced this one and have given it their all. They have been rewarded with accolades from show judges and friends alike. That’s what this hobby is about anyway, so they obviously made the right decision that fateful weekend when a truck suddenly became available for $200.
You don't often find a hot-rodded '53 Studebaker truck, especially not one that looks this good. Richard Larson spent 2,000 hours working on this truck.
Louvers on the hood help keep air flowing through the engine compartment and ensure that the big-inch Caddy engine runs cool.
The 500ci Cadillac engine provides plenty of power for the '53 pickup.
The interior is luxurious with gray cloth and a Grant banjo steering wheel. Notice the event plaques on the bird's-eye maple dash. This truck is driven all over the place for shows and runs.
With the tonneau open, the red-stained white-maple bed floor is revealed. Larson added polished diamond-plate siding on the bedsides.
