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Hard Top year & Spring Ride Seat Year

Bob H

Well-known member
3,143
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Location
Huron National Forest, Michigan USA
What was the first year for the hard top and
what was the first year for the spring ride driver seat?

I have a 69 that I am painting Vietnam era colors and am wondering if those two items were around then.

If not, anyone want to work out a trade, a correct soft top for a hard top?
 

NDT

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Camp Wood/LC, TX
The "hard top" also known as Arctic Enclosure came out with the first Reo deuces in 1951. Up until the 1980's, the enclosures were only issued to units in very cold climates. For some reason they became commonplace in the 1980's. Few deuces/5 tons/10 tons I have seen pictures of during the Viet Nam era had enclosures.
I think that the spring ride seat came out in 1970, but I stand to be corrected on that one.
 

Ridgerunner

New member
791
6
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Location
Holland, Mi
I don't know about the springer seat history, so I can't help you there. But if you don't end up using the springer seat, I'd be more than happy to do some sort of trading for my box seat.
 

DDoyle

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
1,825
80
48
Location
West Tennessee
Studebaker (surprisingly, not Reo) was designated the design control agency for the hard top on 20 August 1952.

The spring ride seat, as I recall, was originally developed by Kaiser-Jeep for the M809 series trucks, and was also applied to the G-742 series shortly thereafter.

Best wishes,
David Doyle
 
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