The man I am building this 1955 project for was told (by the guy who "fused" a 79 Chrysler 5th ave suspension on to this project) that a 1953 or 54 front cap wouldn't fit on the 1955 Commander (like a Hawk). And I was looking at a right side front fender opening tonight thinking it looked possible that maybe a hood is most of what I would need. Has any body got experience with this . I dented the center piece of the 55 grile and it would be a good time to do this. The owner really likes the 53-54 front end.
The main body is the same up to 62 on the coupes. There are more 55s with 53-54 noses running around than you can imagine. You need the whole front, of course.
Best place to ask would be over on the forum of the Studebaker Drivers Club. They'll help. And not to be a jerk, but the first Hawk wasn't built until '56. Before that they were Commanders and Champions. In '55 they added Speedsters to the mix, but for that year only. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
For any 53-64 C or K body (C=coupe, K=hardtop): (& very little from any sedan/wagon interchanges, sheetmetel-wise). Concerning the 53-55 front-end sheetmetal swap: Doesn't matter iffen it's a Champ, Commander, or President. (other than trim details). What you need is a 53-54 hood, grill inserts + surrounds, maybe the hood latch panel. & if you want it to look right, the bumpers & brackets (f & r). 53-55 fenders - outer & inner, are the same. 55 bumper & brackets will fit, but are thicker & won't look right. Various other sheetmetal swaps: 62 front outer fenders & inners are slightly different, can be easily modified to fit back to 53. In 56, the C/K got a different trunk - which directly swaps. Also, the door swoop was removed, but the doors still swap from 64 - 53, IIRC. Dash assemblies swap from 53-64. 53-55, except speedster, all you need is the gauge cluster & surround/bezel(s), from either Champ or Commander or President. 56-61 only extra gauges needed. Same for 62-64. 56 & 57-61 tailfins bolt on. The list goes on, & on, & on, but that should get you started. Partsdawg can give you the detailed-to-the-last-nut list... . Marcus...
There is "two" 55 bodies (in the C-K lineup). A "flat' windshield and a "curved" windshield. In 53 and 54, there was a "flat" windshield only. So if your 55 is a "flat" windshield car, the 53/54 front end will bolt on like it's supposed to be there..! I've heard of people "grafting on" the 53/54 fenders and hood onto a curved windshield body, but it's a ton of body work.. Mike
The wraparound windshield was used on the sedans only, as a mid-year change. The C/K coupes never got the wraparound windshield. Most important to remember is that the sedan and coupe sheet metal does not interchange.
On 53-54 cars, Grille inserts and surrounds, do not interchange from coupe/hardtop to sedan/wagon. The only trim parts that are the same are headlight bezels, front turn signal lenses, and the door handles. I was told that bumpers are the same, so I guess I was wrong on that.
this is a 2 door coupe, I also was trying to find the tail light bezels, and took some off a 4 door. They didn't seem to want to fit last night. Suspect they are different. Randy
We found the windshield in a 1950 Buick the man's brother stored it in. It is flat (ter) than the curved class we saw in later cars or the 4 door sedan. The owner was relieved to find his own windshield which has paint on a piece of trim that matched the car.
54stude - Incorrect...I have a C model 53 front bumper on my Conestoga (that's a wagon), same as the sedans..! The (53/54) C-K rear bumpers ALSO fit wagons and sedans. The 55 front (only) is a different animal because of the extra bits of chrome bolted to the fenders. AND if you want to get right down to it, if you lay a 53, a 54 and a 55 C-K front fender side by side, even with a tape measure in hand, you will "not" be able to tell which fender came off of which car..! Mike
On '62 to '64 GT Hawks, the openings beside the grill are chrome on Canadian cars, painted on 'murican cars.
What's your take on the swap I am going to try. The owner never really liked the 55 chrome grille and outer plates. He wanted a 53-54 front but was told it wouldnt fit on his fenders. I did find another 55 center whic may be ok,but he wants it powder coated and most powder coating places dont think the coating will stay on.even if dechromed BTW this 55 grill is off a 4 door, any difference? I found a fiberglas outfit that has the 53 hood and grill in fiberglas that sounds like it will work, but the fenders have provisions in 55 for the side plates that may intefere with a clean swap to the 53 stuff. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me...Randy
The grille is the same for both C/K's and sedans.The lamp housings are different. '53-4 fenders are not that difficult to find,'55's are close to the same with the only real difference bring where the grille surrounds attach IIRC.The big difference is in the cost of the hood and grille surrounds.'53-4 spendy,' 55 cheaper. Might want to do a search on a few sites like Studebaker Swap page or talk to a local Studebaker Drivers Club member and get the lowdown on what parts cost.You might find a donor car with the bits you need as well.
Thank you, and in the swap pages I do have a ace in the hole. The owner of this Stude bought a Studebaker V8 that had been "built" by a respected machinist in this area. It's not in his plans and that may give me something someone with 53-54 stuff will want. I just thought of that .
My car is a 55 with a 53/54 front end. It took me 6 years to find all the proper parts, and another 3 to find better parts. I paid 800 for a truckload of parts to get the hood and grille surrounds, 75 for the upper grill valance on a rare good eBay day,300 for the lower valance. And 200 for a decent front bumper. I am a cheap bastard, so I wheeled and dealed some to get access to these parts, or bought them off ebay. I have parts from Minnesota,Chicago, and Northern and Central California. Best bet, if you find the parts,buy them, don't waste too much time trying to haggle the price down. The well is pretty dry for the 53/4 stuff anymore. You may want to consider painting the 55 grille or going fiberglass for the hood. These prices are between 1999 to 2009. I bought and sold about 25 Studies when I was really into them, but only kept the one. As said before, stay away from the sedans,except for above mentioned parts, pretty much a different car.
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