Projects "Saving" a Studebaker

After slugging away @ the brakes I decided that it would not be a simple "flush & bleed" operation. The area where the Lark was parked is small and my ol' bones were having a hard time getting into and around the tight spaces to do the work. So today I moved the car to the shop where the work area is more conducive to actually getting something done.

In the mean time the cut front cross-member needed to to come out. (As stated earlier, to make room for a later O.D. auto trans, the center of the front cross-member had previously been hacked out) Easier said than done as the bolt head(s) were all scnetzelled and a wrench wouldn't work for their removal. Enter a cut off wheel and some patience. Ah the sound of success when the metal hit the floor!

The replacement cross-member had seen better days. After some heat and a hammer & anvil session followed by a wire wheel on a grinder and some satin black, it's ready to be installed.

After the revived cross-member is in place I can get back to the issue of brakes. Since the car is in a better work space, I can think seriously about what's to be done there. There may be a possibility of adding discs to the front and I'll get into that later on. I'm thinking that a swing pedal set up would be advantageous, so that will be persued as well.

 

I just tried to find the listing in Facebook marketplace, only found a 63 in Marysville Wa for $1000 (?). I bought my red 63 Daytona (pictures in a previous post on this thread) from a gentleman in Arlington Wa off of Ebay about 15 years ago. If it is the same guy he was very honest about the condition of the car and very easy to work with. He and his Dad (if I remember correctly) had a lot of Studebaker parts and cars, the Daytona I bought had no engine but did have the transmission and everything else and the price was very reasonable. Good experience!

 

Hey, Jack;
Nice batwing. Save those ends for the midwest & eastcoast guys.
For those that don't know, the batwing not only supports the trans, the outer ends support the cowl. When they rot, everything attached to the cowl goes wonky. & the ends rot out fairly fast. Doesn't take much to destroy the integrity of the ends, either... Those look like real good patch material.
Marcus...

 

This is one of my favorite threads. Good to see it in a place where you can focus on the work rather than getting to the work.

When my son & I did his '54 Conestoga we blasted the frame. It surprised me how flimsy the frame rails were and how it gained rigidity with each added piece, including the body. It's kind of an early bolt together unibody. I forget what year the thickness of the metal used was increased but I'm pretty sure yours has it. It is also amazing how similar frames from around '52 on are. There were some different lengths for coupes, Hawks, GTs...... but very similar. They work pretty well.

 

Correct-e-mundo! I already have a guy in the local Studebaker club who's got dibs on 'em.

 

So much for optimism... The "dribble" of brake fluid, witnessed when I opened the bleeders, was due to (as I suspected) from the wheel cylinders being clogged with the dreaded "corn bread" that occurs when brake fluid, air and time get together for a party! No biggy, me fix!

 

The rear drums on a Dana can be a bear to remove... after all else failed, I put a little heat on the hub and they popped off. 2nd pic is the dreaded "cornbread previously described. New wheel cylinders are in and tomorrow I'll try the flush & bleed that has so successfully eluded me.

 

I knew a woman in NY that had a brand new Studebaker Champ. Her father owned a Studebaker dealership and when it went out of business the truck was not sold so they put it in their home garage and left it there.

 

The Lark has a white 1/4 panel... Further inspection explains why ... it also has "SOLD" sprayed on the roof.

 

Looks like a good tight seal on that quarter panel in the wheel well. At least it appears to be a nice quarter.

Oh, and I plan to go pick up the 59 Lark that I mentioned in my GMC thread soon so am continuing to follow along on your build for inspiration.

 

You shouldn't have showed us that. Now some will expect you to fix it.

 

Yeah I saw that "Ga-doosh" and put it on the refinement list. When I was cleaning out the interior I found the replacement for that accordioned piece there on the back seat floor, but didn't know what it was at first. Glad I didn't toss it!

 

I'll fix it, but it's a bit lower on the priority list.

 

Old repairs a amazing. Recently I was helping a buddy customize a 1958 Packard 2dr coupe. We were removing the extra trim piece that hides the seem between the added on 2nd fin and the original body. The driver's side came right off revealing the seam. The passenger side was a bit different, we got the trim off and there were flat head screw holding the seam together. After looking at the car closer we determined that the right rear quarter and add on fin had been replaced. I'm guessing sometime in the early 60's or so. The screws that held it in place were flat head screws.
There were a few spots that we had to repair but overall it wasn't too bad.

Since we removed that trim piece we went ahead and leaded in the seam to make the body smooth.
Here's a pic after it came out of paint. The trim and seam was between the fin and the trunk opening

 

As stated earlier, I've been tossin' ideas around in my noggin as to what this build is going to produce. I've got the brakes working, have been doing more cleaning and making a list of what's to be done as I contemplate the build's direction. Always looking for inspiration with a blurry vision in my imagination, I was sloggin' through the inter-web and came upon an image that is intriguing...
I like the black steel wheels, cut-outs, slicks, blower... not a fan of the scoop or spaghetti in the engine compartment, but that can all be cleaned up... never the less this thing has the look.

 

I attended a meeting @ a car museum near Phoenix today and ran into a fellow that had something I needed... so now I can begin the fitting of the engine.

 

How about a Champ pickup grille in place of the stocker? Give it a tougher look.

 

I have seriously considered that...

 

If I ever build my '59 Lark that is exactly the style I'd go for. I was offered 2 more Studebakers last week just to haul them away. I haven't seen them yet. One is said to be a Lark the other a Conestoga station wagon. Maybe I'll get a peak at them today.

 

envious of the conestoga-they are cute/cool

 

I couldn't see it today but the property is bigger than I thought.

 

If it’s a ‘53-54 Conestoga, what a score….

 

Looking forward to pics... Hope they're decent.

 

I'll try to get back down there soon. I don't know if the guy knows what he is talking about. I'll get pictures of what ever is there. There are two Conestogas in my yard now. One '54 & one '55.

 

Re brakes uprate: I have a dim and distant memory that the disks used by Studebaker were basically the same as on early 60s Jags (XKE, Mk. II etc.). If so, there is a kit to uprate those to aluminum calipers, see a link below.
Kit 2: Billet aluminium non-vented front kit | cooper (coopercraft.co.uk)
and
JAGUAR | cooper (coopercraft.co.uk)

 

Thanks, I'll look into those when the time comes...

 

I recently scored a set of engine mount brackets from a guy outside of Phoenix... These were used on Studebakers built in Canada, as they came with Chevy V-8 engines. While pretty crusty, they cleaned up nicely and will help with the next phase of the rescue.

 

Installing the engine mounts was interesting... With the mounting holes waaaayy up inside the front cross-member, it was a blind place to try & shove bolts through. The "access holes" are too small to get my big clunky mits into as well. So I figured out that if I removed the grille and crawled half way into the engine compartment, I could maneuver a long extension with a swivel socket (with a wrap of electrical tape around it to hold it from floppin') through the lower control arm, up into the cavity and poke around until I saw the threads of the bolt and sneak it into the hole. Whew! That was interesting...
So with the hood now removed, I'm waiting for my engine mounts to come. Then I can begin the trial fit of the engine & trans.

 

Have you figured out your clutch linkage yet?