1945 Studebaker US 6 With ST-6 Armorer’s box bed

This is an amazing barn find indeed!! We were fortunate enough to meet a collector who had gathered an immense amount of materials to restore a number of WWII trucks and jeeps. I was able to strike a deal, and brought home two of these SUPER rare Studebaker US6. This one featured in this page is not only totally complete, but also 100% rust free from the cab to the nose tin. The second truck was very rough, and was sold shortly after to a group in Poland that is restoring it there.

The bed we had with this truck at purchase was complete with a NOS set of troop seating, but as of December 2020, I have located and brought home the bed that will be applied to this chassis.

It is the Small Arms Repair Box, or armorers repair box-

This image in green above depicts one in Russian service in WWII, with the lend lease program.

We will be depicting this vehicle in US unit markings, but this drawing taken from a1:72 scale model from Belarus shows the final results of our efforts, once the restoration is completed.

As of December 10, 2020, the restoration process on this box is going to begin with a good cleaning before hundreds of rivets are ground off. As this page updates, it will show up at the bottom with new photos and progress reports as we get closer to this being a fully functional and restored piece of equipment.

This is how the truck was when I found it originally.

We started the restoration process on this beauty in February of 2017, and so far, things have been going very well.

Here are some photos of it in new paint.

We gave it 4 coats of GCI Olive Drab, and when it all goes back together, we will give it one final heavy coat.

Before-

After-

Once we finish putting the truck back together, everything will get a final sanding and fresh coat of paint to ensure the finish is best.

We removed the engine and gearbox, and these will be divorced and rebuilt. A new clutch and associated bits will also be installed.

This is the new bed that we will restore, as of December 10, 2020

This is an example of this same box mounted on a GMC chassis

This is a really rough starting point when you look at the outside of it, and inside, it is not a heck of a lot better. This will be restored by starting off with the interior- Gutting out the wood shelving, and seeing what is original and to be set aside, and what is added on later in life, therefore, deemed to be reduced in the burn pile. The sheetmetal inside will be removed where needed, and temporary bracing will be put in place.

One of the really super things about this specific item, is the fact that a few of the original roll up window coverings remain in place, although we will need to source, or fabricate 9 others.

This is the inside of the rear door, with the retractable window covering being housed in the top tube.

Side view of the retractable covering case

Next will come the outer skins, and the grinding of hundreds of pressed rivet heads. Once it is stripped of all of the outer panels, templates will be used and new panels will be made.

In the process of it’s original construction, there were not as many heavy tools around, so it seems, after closer inspection, that the method of putting holes in the hull of this box was done by walking a drill bit around the outline of the hole needed. Please see the odd pattern in the holes for the ventilation (the round hole by the roofline), and the square hole behind the formed door, which is clearly an original item when compared to other photos.