Featured Projects Project Zelda: 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe

I always wanted one, and had been keeping tabs on this one for a year, so I finally put on my big boy pants and bought it. Originally from Colorado, so just surface rust underneath and (so, so much) dirt in every nook and cranny. Sold overall with soft front L&R front floorpans and some obvious previous repair work (guessing pre-burgundy repaint), it should work for what I have planned...which is to get it running, stopping, and safely driving for now.

Will it be ready to drive to Cheaterama in just less than one month? I guess we will see.









Interior had an active ant nest, as well as plenty or poop and pine cones from previous residents, since evicted:

 

First step was to tear into the brakes, and inspect everything...so far so good. Looks like the shoes are barely worn, drums are useable and decent, and the wheel cylinders can be cleaned up and reused. A new brake master cylinder and wheel cylinder rebuild kits are already here, so hopefully by the end of the weekend the brake system will be operational again.






Also, underseat heater is present. and accounted for...we will see of the core is plugged soon. Good view of the soft floor areas, too.



The first thing I did was rip the rubber floor mat and padding out, as well as both seat backs and bases. There is really no upholstery remaining, other than the door cards, and those are barely hanging on.

 

I really like these too, I'll follow along here.

If you had one of these things in 1950, it must have really felt like the future. That panoramic rear window and the bullet nose front end styling is very jet-age aircraft inspired stuff.

I'm really surprised these aren't more popular than they are. I know it was a fad for a brief while to turn them into pro-street easter egg painted cars but that's about it.

 

Back in the 60's I ran a '56 Chevy in K Stock and had lots of fun and never broke anything.
Always thought if I could find a Starlight coupe with a V8 it could be pretty compe***ive..
good luck on your goal Pink
PS Nice Find

 

Really surprised that it has only four lug nuts per wheel, never would have guessed.

 

Back in the ’50s my Dad had a clean blue ‘51 Starlight coupe with a V8. I was probably 7-9 years old. He loved it, it ran great and he kept it beautiful. I don’t think my Mom shared his enthusiasm for it though. To a little kid it seemed like the dashboard was a long, long way away from me when I was sitting back like I was supposed to. Eventually he sold it a got a ‘56 Plymouth Fury, pink, white and black. My Mom liked that one. lol.
Yours looks great, good luck getting it back on the road.

 

Gotta love dry state survivors...congratulations on the new wild thing from Studebaker...

 

I hope the Stude acquisition doesn't slow the progress on the Rambler wagon too much.
Nice ride!

 

When you do the brakes make sure to replace the 3 rubber hoses, no matter how good they look.

 

Nice find! I've always admired those too, but other stuff always jumped ahead in the line.
Stupid question, what are the extra bits on that front shoe? It appears to be a spring loaded adjuster that is tightened by the eccentric around the retaining pin. Haven't seen that before!

 

BTW, the underseat heater is known as a Climatizer. The one in my '49 Champion sedan worked great.

 

Hmmm.... is that an overdrive handle I see? Nice to have! There was one of these Studes around the corner from the used car lot I worked at for a while in the late '80's.... but Virginia's climate had claimed the lower 6 inches of the body.

 

I had one pre high school we drove in the desert. It should have a hill-holder on the master cylinder.
Bob

 

Another great car pick, can’t wait to see what you do.

 

My oldest brother had a Starlight coupe in the early 60's. Just a great car and the rear seat armrests were hinged as a lid. I was told each side would hold a short case.....

 

Best FYI I've seen in a long time!

 

Ha! Not as good but pretty unique were the snow tires that were in the trunk. They had sawdust mixed in the rubber compound for added grip!

 

The1952 I had in 1957 had the hill holder. Great.

Ben

 

Back around 1966 there was a guy in my neighborhood that had one. He had a propeller on the nose and fake machine guns on the hood. He also had a white star on the door. It was nicely done and I thought it was pretty funny.

 

Pretty sure the propeller was a Studebaker option!

 

My 1936 Studebaker Dictator coupe had the hill holder. Those are really nice when stopped at a light while headed up hill.

 

I have one in the shed, I love this one, although it is not a Starlight, it is a coupe - put forward by Speedhunters. Sponsored by a bar, bowling alley and body shop! Mine also has 4 bolt wheels.

 

Definitely one of my favorite model and year of Studebaker!
Bravo, great score indeed, something to keep the rambler wagon company no doubt!

​

 

^^^
Business coupe(s). No backseat, & trunk long enough to sleep in. .
Marcus...

 

Perfect ‘50s taildragger.

 

And Crosleys.....

 

Boy, the memories that can just come out of the blue from reading HAMB threads!
I had a summer job (high school) delivering furniture, there was a salesman there that had a Studebaker that had a small propeller on it.

 

Studebakers always turn my head. They always have. They came with a style already that other cars tried to achieve with radical customizing. Stance? Sweet like it is. Wheel wells? Already tailored looking. Chop? Not needed or suggested.

 

Those were a**** the first parts I ordered, as the rear hose had some severe chafing, bad enough to have worn though the outer rubber layer...not good. Tonight I discovered the rear hose is a few inches too short, so I need to find a slightly longer hose.

The brake cylinders were all on good shape, so after stripping them down and degreasing everything, they took an overnight bath in Evaporust, and emerged looking like this:



I honed them out, then re***embled with new parts (save for the pistons) and reinstalled them on the backing plates.

I wondered that, too, so here are the relevant sections from the service manual:

 

well,for what little it is worth-still less 'klunky;' than the ones on my 53 dodge 3/4 ton!-kind of a peek into the future!