My Wife's Birthday Present

My wife has wanted an old station wagon for many years now. Originally she wanted a Falcon until she saw a Studebaker Wagonaire with the sliding roof. She knew at some point the right one would come along and tonight it happened. I stopped by a good friend hot rod shop on my way home from work to drop off a part. As we were chatting he asked when I was going to start on my VW project. I said I'm over it because I'm having way to much fun with the American stuff and my wife really wanted a Studebaker wagon. He had heard of one in college town in the back of an apartment complex. So we took a drive in and out of a few different complexes until we found it. 1963 Wagonaire with original paint. The owner happened to be walking by so we stopped and asked if it was for sale. So the deal was struck, I got some cash and we came back with a trailer and away we went with my wife in tears of joy. It starts, drives and stops and it turns out that we are the second owners and the car has the original ***le and black and yellow California plates.







and the birthday girl


Once the rain stops for a day or two we will start to clean it out/up and make it safe and drivable. I think she is already making a list of resto parts.

 

That is one ugly car....

I like it!

Glad you finally found "the one"

 

Is it a 6 or an 8? I always kinnda-sorta liked those things. The slide roof would make it a total party machine

 

Nice!

And a significant other that wants a project car, you have all the luck.

 

Can somebody post some pictures of one of these showing the sliding roof?
I've never seen one.

 

It's a V8. We will get some more pictures up soon showing the sliding roof.
I think I need to find some performance parts for it.

 

I always wanted one of those too. However, I heard that the roof would leak whenever you braked real hard and the water would run down your back. Not much of an issue in sunny CA I'm sure. Looks like fun. Happy for your wife.

 

Cool car and a cool wife too. Great finds, both!

 

very cool

 

I'm with Salty for it being an ugly car and with Smokin' Joe for you havin a super-cool wife.
But the car is not really "ugly".... it's just in need of a personality transfusion. Sounds like it will get one.
Second owner? Way cool!
I hope she enjoys it thoroughly.
You sir are one lucky guy to have a gal who shares your interest.

 

very cool , now fill it with curtain climbers!

 

A very nice find. In '62 (when I was 13) I went to the New York International Auto Show with my dad, in the Studebaker display area they had a wagon like that next to an Avanti. I remember telling my dad that the wagon would be really cool to have. Unfortunately he wasn't a big Studebaker fan... Check out the Studebaker Drivers Club for parts, etc. Have fun with it.

 

We'll get her cleaned up(the car that is) and lowered down just a bit and she'll be good to go.

 

traded one to a buddy a few months back...cool little cars...the roof on mine opened and closed very good...so ugly that it was cool...fun and funky

 

Cute. (the wagon isn't so bad, either )

What are her plans? I think it'd look cool with a low stance, astro's, pinner whites and some candy paint (I mean, there isn't much you can change on it that will hurt how it looks, right?)

 

hell yeah, love them stude wagons

 

A woman who likes Station Wagons ??? Cool !

 

Those sliding roofs are kick ***.

Nice score.

 

wish my wife would cruise an old wagon... nice find man congrats and happy birthday wifey!!

 

Lowered, maybe bagged. Girly interior(leopard print and metallic vinyl) and off white paint, Black steelies with stock hub caps, beauty rings with wide whites. She will probably change her mind a couple of times

 

no offense but it reminds me of the Griswold's wagon. But I do admit that sliding roof is kick ***.

 

We need to come up with a new car word or fraze that includs the words Ugly and Cool!

 

Cool wagon and a much cooler wife! (hey, psst... she got a sister )

 

first time ive seen one of those i like it

 

very cool

 

Now you can buy her a new fridge and transport it with the roof slid open.

 

The word is "nerds"... Soo un-cool that it's actually cool.

That car is nerds, man... I like it!

 

Nice score (on both counts). This probably shouldn't be of any concern to you in sunny California, but I would think that the sliding roof would leak like a sieve when it rained. Anybody have any real world experience with one of these?

 

Like anything they will leak if not sealed properly. I used some weatherstripping in mine and it doesnt leak very much