Projects 1941 Studebaker Champion Sedan Gasser Resurrection

Commercial carpenters may recognize the CRC, cold rolled channel (red arrow). I really like that material for adding strength. It’s 1.5” wide by .5” tall and made from 16 gauge. It’s normally used to strengthen metal stud walls. The blue arrows point to the duct tape that was used to transfer the required notches.

 

There’s a gap between my garage floor and the concrete apron outside. I might have slipped this chunk of steel in there and added some bend to this patch panel. I definitely used self tapping sheet metal screws to hold it in place, even though I own Clecos.

 

I’m planning to add another chunk of CRC across the top, inline with the factory trunk bulkhead braces. That will stiffen the floor and give me something to attach the future bulkhead to. The lapped spot welded seams will get brush painted with Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Capillary action will draw the primer into the seams. Topped off with seam sealer, it will outlast me for sure. The entire floor will be getting some type of bed liner paint. That’s the plan for now anyways.

 

Looking good Chucky.

 

I like the duct tape trick.
Where do get the CRC? I had some that I used to strengthen the floor in my Austin but I got it from a friend when he cleaned out his garage. I had no idea where to get more.

 

@bchctybob , found this
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-1-2-i...auge-Cold-Rolled-Channel-112CRC1610/202318178

 

Thanks! The pieces I got from my neighbor weren’t galvanized but that doesn’t matter. It’s probably better to just clean the areas to be welded and the rest will be protected.
Home D shows it out of stock but I’ll check back. Thanks again.

 

@bchctybob - I got my CRC from Tamarack Materials, which is a commercial carpenter supplier that sells to the public. I’m sure if you call around, you will find it. I paid $24 for 30 feet (10 footers). I ended up using a bunch in the trunk to make it strong enough for things like the gas tank and the battery.

 

More tape (blue this time) to transfer patterns. Drill drill drill…and then drill some more.

 

I ran out of welding gas, but swapped the bottle yesterday. It’s not welded in this photo, but it will be soon. Bead roller? We don’t need no stinkin’ bead roller! It’s gonna look great once painted and some sort of texture applied.

 

I gotta ask... When you said "We don't need no stinkin' bead roller", were you wearing a sombrero and using a Mexican accent? LOL!

 

@TRAVLR - Si señor!

Check out this cool old ad…Is the price legit? $700 in 1941 is about $15,000 today. Either they were selling them too cheap, or we are getting screwed when buying cars today. It’s the latter, I’m sure.

 

Arriba!
I'll take 4 if the price in the ad still stands! (2) 2 door sedans and (2) coupes please.

 

Nice build so far.. if you need hood let me know

 

This build is sick!!! I love it.

 

Hey, Chuckie;
Thanks for the tip on CRC.
Now I gotta see what else the sneaky commercial-building folks utilize that we can cannibalize... .
Marcus...

 

Thanks for the comments and ‘likes’ everyone! The trunk is fully welded and I framed in the front section. I don’t need a hood, but I am missing 2 pieces of trim. Hopefully, French Lake auto parts will fix me up.

 

Is anyone else tired of floor repair progress photo’s? Yeah, me too…but I think this one is kinda cool.

 

My son and I did some repairs and mods to our 2014 Rubicon, and the whole family spent a week in California, so the Studebaker was put on the back burner. But, I did make some progress today. Unfortunately, now I need to go buy more sheet metal as my remaining chunks aren’t large enough to finish the floor.

 

In an attempt to save time, and because I don’t own a pipe bender, I ordered some Speedway seat mounting frames. I think they have a vintage race car look and they were rather inexpensive. The length was perfect, but they did require narrowing. I took 2.5” out of them.

 

The “fake” A100 seats are actually forklift seats from Northern Tool and Equipment. They come with the adjustable slide mechanism. Not vintage 60’s, but they look the part and don’t break the bank. On a side note - that’s not the shifter handle I’m using.

 

After tossing on some return springs, I very roughly hung the pedal assembly off an existing hole. It’s going to need significant tweaking, but it will work great. There’s the perfect amount of space for 3 pedals. In about 6 weeks, I’ll be putting our pontoon in the lake and progress will slow dramatically. Happy Easter!

 

I pried the old 2 bbl iron manifold off my mock-up engine tonight and tossed it in the trash. Yes, mice had set up camp in there a while ago. The floor replacement, which is still in process, is rewarding, but also a bit of a steep hill to climb. Sometimes, if you can’t see the light at the end of a tunnel, you need to take a step back and remind yourself of why you do this crazy shit. I ran the Chevrolet script valve covers on the ‘37 Plymouth and then the aluminum Corvette covers on “the Grinch”. There was really only one choice remaining. I grabbed these from a fellow HAMBER and couldn’t be happier with how they look. Thanks @lcfman ! We both have been members here since 2009.

 

Perfect!

 

Looks like good progress. Keep swinging the axe and the tree will fall.