Barn Find 53 Stude Kustom!!!

thats my feeling. i'd rather change the front end than fix rusted out rockers and floor boards any day.
the photochopped lower job is definately a big improvement. i'm liking it more and more. it's definatley a late 50s early 60s styled ride and they tended to be pretty radical and out there.

i don't see why it would'nt be worth a minimum of $3K and the right buyer might even be willing to go a bit higher.

it certainly needs some wild paint with flake and chrome to realy set it off. Astros would be cool for sure on this one and even chrome smoothies would'nt look bad with bullet centers.

 

Maybe I'm way off base here but I'm thinking that the plexy puts it out of the '50s or at least that part of the build does.

I'm going to guess its most likely a '60s car but that is just pure guess.

I wouldn't fathom a guess as to value but if you were selling it to me it wouldn't bring much the way it is. I'm going to hang with kenny on this one 850 would be fair and a grand on the high end.

now if you had distinct history on it the price could obvoiusly change.

 

Kustom -

I like it - REALLY like it.

It's not all that far off of the Packard Hawk - and I think that's what the builder was aiming for when he fabbed it up. I'm thinkin' late 50's - maybe even 1960.

Two things:

1) I'm pretty sure the rear window is actually framed for a P/U windshield laid down. That's not a Camaro-esque opening, and someone dropped plastic in there 'cuz they couldn't find the gl*** they needed.

2) Prob with the '53's is the frame steel is thin; they make for flexy cars. That bein' said - body steel looks rock-solid, and that's hard to find on this vintage Stude.

Price? Somewhere between 2 and 3 grand. It's a gennie period kustom; I've seen barn stude Kustoms (more complete, granted) go for several times this price.

 

Hey Mike Maybe 10-15 years ago in the kazoo nats swap meet there was a chopped stude just like this. Skinny lanky fella had it for sale for around 2k. I remember the completed metal work was very nice and most of the mouldings were allready cut. I had the I wants bad but had too many projects allready. It was mostly bare metal then.. maybe the same car? I say $900............oh thats right this isn't an auction is it. Steve

 

kustombuilder, congrats to your find !
Me, I like it, but then I guess its because I like the stock model as a start. Then I found this one for sale "you know where" (!??) and maybe this treatment is whats enough for this body style...or not....can't decide.....anyway here's two pics. Please keep us posted and good luck.
/ primerkid

 

What Kinda headlights are those? Mini Cooper?

 

pretty cool. not sure on the VW(?) headlights. i like the angle but the bezels are a little too bulky i think.

 

My thought's exactly,

CBB

 

Yepp, VW...the ad says Porsche, but thats the same
Primerkid
[quote
_ Porsche laidback headlights
_ 4 in chop
_ Windshield has been laid back /quote]

 

It makes me want to....Ralf!!! No, LOL, J/K, I always wanted a four eyed catfish (..) (..) Geez, what a conversation piece, just imagine it with color changing purple/gold/green paint? Everyone would be talking about "that car".

 

all it needs is Batman and Robin!!!!!!!!!!!

lol

 

Screw the Stude, what's the story on the 47-50 Chevy truck next to it?

 

Hey,

I'm seein' Radiers for wheels, heavy flake over white base, medium
green "Watson-style" scallops all over, maybe an early Corvette
grille. I say run with it!
You ****ers kill me, ya all wanna stay in your safe little box, keep
buildin' Sam's look 'till it becomes a cliche.....Boring!

S****ey Devils C.C.

 

Absolutely awesome find.If everybody who chopped a top today paid that kind of attention to their window trim,there wouldnt be so many real guys making fun of the scenesters.

 

I like most of it. Some good ideas floatin in this post too. I'd shave the fins off. The Vette grille is a good idea, not overloaded with teeth either. I'd add some 63-67 Vette style bumpers front and rear. They'd need to be hand fabbed to flow with those distinctive Stude lines. I absolutely needs Caddy power too. I work with a guy from Hastings and he's a hot rod guy. Helps put on the MIS car show. I'm thinkin I'll pick his brain to see what he knows. If I find anything out I'll be certain to post it up. Value? Not as much as any of us would think since there's no history. And there's no history cuz it never got finished. Some nice stuff to work with though. Someone needs to finish it and get it a pedigree.

Figures Danimal would get all geeked about the AD in the background...I did

 

Only a trained eye will notice ADs everywhere they go. I've got ADD myself. Advanced Design Disorder. I had ADHD (Advance Design Heavy Duty) but I sold it and bought another 1/2 ton.

 

When you put it back in the barn make sure to set the barn on fire !

 

Paul Kelly has a huge magazine collection and his memory served him well when he saw this Studebaker. He knew he had seen it before... in a magazine... but where....

Finally he found it in the May 61 issue of Car Craft, and the photo's where taken at the Louisville Rod & Custom show.

 

Never underestimate the power of the HAMB! It looks a lot better in that picture.

 

Now that it has a history, WHY is it worth more? I think that it was worth the 2K to 3K without the history. How much would it cost to do that kind of kustom work today? I am not saying that it has to be your taste, but look at it objectively.

I could totally see it done just like the pics that Rickster posted. (before the pics were posted)

Oh well, I guess I didn't have anything real important to add. I just think it is a cool car that should be saved!

Mike

 

I agree totally.

BB

 

I bet Rikster's pictures will change a lot of minds. I liked it before I saw the vintage mag pics. Stance makes all the difference. Looks like a 4 x 4 currently.

With the do***ented history, I'd say it is clearly worth 2 grand. Maybe more to the right buyer.

 

Awesome ride! Love old kustoms with fins, like the Bill Hines winged shoebox Ford

 

It's kinda sad that you guys hate it so much. I thought it was cool right off the bat. $850

But I still speculate that it was never finished. I don't see shiny paint, and it looks like something is being used to hide the fact there is no interior. Stance is everything, and the car in Rikster's pics is cool as hell...

 

Y'all are crazy - that thing has A LOT of potential. I'd buy it ... it has a very sporty/italianesque feel for me - maybe on a nice low european suspension with some rediculous motor in it ... am I the only one who's seeing anything cool about that car?

 

Restore it back to former glory of the sixties with angelhear and the works....cooool find congrats !

 

It's utterly fantastic and that's even before I saw the mag picture, now that it's got history everything changes, but I loved it the second I saw it.

I would be all over that car, it's my dream to find an original kustom or hot rod. Restore her to her 60s glory days. It's a truly special car.

 

I totaly agree on this one, I love that car, restore it to the photo, now you know the builder he may still be around to contact

 

I agree about the rear window as it looks allot bigger then the stock one (I tried to attach a picture of a stock '53 Study but it wouldn't let me!).
The headlight openings look like they are molded in '58 Lincoln.
Maybe a $1000.00 bucks!

 

I think Rikster's picture just doubled the car's value. It's still not necessarily "famous", but at least we know the original builder and the build date, plus we know what motor it had in it and what it looked like at it's most finished state.

Do***ented history is everything to an old custom. Hirohata would be just another chopped Merc if we didn't know the story behind it.