Barn Find 53 Stude Kustom!!!

WOW. finaly i get to post one of these threads about a neat old kustom thats been tucked away and forgotten about in some dusty old barn since the 50s. thats just where this 53 Stude has been for the past 40 or 50 years. nobody knows for sure and the original builder is long deceased. what i know is that the builder was from the Hastings (Michigan) area. don't have a name or even an exact idea of when the car was built (it was never finished beyond this point as far as anyone knows). i have only seen the pics but my buddy Dan is getting this thing in trade and wanted my opinion as to it's potential value. i told him i did'nt have a clue how much money it might fetch but that i thought he was probably getting the better end of the deal or at the very least he sure would'nt lose any money on it.
Dan tells me that all the body work (other than a couple small spots on the rear lower corners) is done in lead and appears to have been done quite well. this makes him think it was definately a 50s build. the shape of the louvers also leads him to that conclusion. the body is in very good condition and all the floors are extremely solid. the suspension is all stock 53 Stude and Dan says it is in VERY good condition, as if the car never had very many miles on it. no motor or trans though.

anyways, we were just wondering what some of your opinions were on the car and it's potential value. here is one of those rare times when i'm asking for opinions and you don't have to worry about me telling you to blow it out your ass just cause i don't agree with you . so take advantage. LOL

also. if anyone knows anything about the car or it's builder that info would be appreciated aswell.

 

Interesting old(?)custom Mike.The dual Stude front pans(narrowed)and the canted quad headlights definitely date it early as do the 55 Lincoln taillights.What puzzles me about the car is it looks like the rear window glass is from a later model Camaro or Firebird.That trick on Studes wasn't started until fairly recently(within the past 12-15 years).It doesn't look like any Stude I've ever seen either in person or in books.Hope you find out some info on it.
Ray

 

Put it back in the barn

 

you crack me up.

 

$850.00

 

I think I just threw up in my mouth...yuck


Back in the mid 80's, I think that we were close to finding that car...My dad was looking for a 53 Stude. We found a rusty POS in a corn crib near Hastings. I seem to remember the owner of that car saying something about a custom stude in the area. He got all pissy though when we didn't buy his car after he pulled it out of the corn crib and we saw how bad it was.
We ended up buying a solid 53 from a guy n-west of Jackson...that one's still in Dad's garage, unfinished.

 

SERIOUSLY?? ...ok, ok, i did say i was'nt gonna tell anyone to blow it out there ass.


by the way Ray. the rear window is plexiglas.

 

LMAO!! thats funny!! personaly there are things about it i like and things about it i don't. the hood and chop=COOL. the rear=not bad. the headlights and front in general=not so much.


if you want to let that 53 Stude you have go i know Dan is lookin for one that he can do up more "Hot Rod" style.

 

if you want to let that 53 Stude you have go i know Dan is lookin for one that he can do up more "Hot Rod" style.[/quote]

I know Dad's thought about getting rid of it....but it won't get past me. It's already been subframed, Hemi'd, painted, wired and partially reassembled.

 

I like the nose, but the fins leave me cold. It has a pretty nice stance as well.

 

it makes me think of that sectioned 50 Ford Bleed had for some reason. not that it looks anything like it but it has that same feeling or the same vibe. maybe it's just me.

i wonder what ole Bobby will think of this one. it sure would be fun to drop an early Olds mill in there (or something) and go doin donuts and burnies like Bob did in the 50.

 

it is worth alittle more then you can sell the tail lights for

 

It's a neat looking car, but I'd have to agree with Choprod's price quote on this one. Maybe a grand, but not much more than that. I think the customizing on it is pretty neat but it's going to take a dedicated guy to rebuild it and to finish what was started on the car.

If it had some history to go along with it it'd be worth a lot more.

 

HMMM. tough crowd.

 

Ha! Ha! Ha! Spewed snot on that one.

 

It probably would make some crazy kustom in a George Barris / Bill Hines kinda way. It first off has to be laid on the ground with wide whites and full skirted, change the back window out for a smaller unit and maybe do a full scalloped paint job on it......I see potential.

 

I agree with shortdog!! Maybe a little Okie-Rake draggin the backend! Might be cool to do some Bellflower tips also??

 

FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kidding aside, with all the work, it's NOT a good looking car. I wouldn't fix it

 

Man I do like studes, but that is like a moped,,,,or a fat girl,,,,,
everyone here really wants to ride in it but dont want to be seen in it>>>>>>>>>put it back in the barn

 

I don't know. The taillight treatment is neat and the chopped top looks good. If it's really rust free, I think it'd be worth doing.

My version would involve swapping that whole front clip off for a stock one and starting over on the front end. Undoing the front end treatment and building this car would probably be easier than fixing a way rusted out one.

But still, even if this car came up for sale and found just the right guy to bring it back, it's not going to bring big cash unless it's got some real solid history to go with it. If it was in a magazine back in the day or won an award at a big show, it might be a different situation.

 

That thing is AWESOME!! I'd love to have it. Clean it up and lay it on the ground........... "OOMACK" What's the deal on it? HE knows everything about EVERY Kustom ever built!!!

 

Volvo p-180 esque?

 

I like it, looks just like stuff I seen in the late 50's magazines. I can totally see it in a pearl blue, white interior, chrome tube nerf bars on the front and rear. That glass looks like it would be a serious bitch... the rear might be stock sized though. I'd love to have it!

 

That was my first thought also, my wife wants me to do something with our P-1800, the only car that is out in the yard.

 

I'm building a 53 stude, and the more I stare at it the more I feel like leaving it alone for the most part. Just lower it and toss some of the trim. It was the only new car design to ever receive an award from the museum of modern art, and the more I study mine the more I understand why, so it's very hard to improve upon that design, and this guy sure didn't. But since it's done, lets just forget about the 53 stude part and just judge it for what it is, a C(K?)ustom. Now you gotta decide if it's what you would have done, cause it's gonna cost a lot of $ to finish, and are you gonna end up with your dream car, or his? In other words, if you had a fresh 53 stude, what would you do with it, I know I wouldn't do that.

 

would I buy a stock stude and build this car? heck no.

would it look bad assed painted shiney lime green with a light flake in the roof and a pearl white interior? fuck yes it would... add in a 6 carb nailhead and a shitload of chrome, slam that bad daddy to the pavement with some astro's or chromies and spider caps.

all you naysayers have no imagination whatsoever.

 

Awesome find! I love it.

 

Imagination is one thing, mind altering drugs is another ..... but then I never have been a fan of the heavy handed customizing of the 50's & 60's. Those cars were pretty damn sleek right out of the box. I do like the nailhead and astro's though.....that would be the tits!

 

My buddy owned this car and was sitting in the corner of his shop in Richland, Mi. for close to 10 yrs if i remember right. I think he knows the history on the car.

 

soory mate it is cool, but dam its ugly I tried to slam it on paint and it just looks like some poor bugger was trying to make a ferrari and changed his mind toa caddy with fins half way through- mate this hurts my lungs. sorry if hurt your feelings.