So my wife told me that she wanted me to do whatever I want to the Studebaker Conestoga. I am thinking of mildly customizing the stude... Not to extreme, 55 tail lights, grill bar delete leaving the grill area with the surround trim and maybe custom turn signals. Does anyone have any other ideas? Maybe some pictures of what you mean also. I think un-chopped since its a wagon, and also I would like the option of putting it back to stock. Not sure of headlight ring modification but would like some ideas.
Ya it must be a drag having a car just like all the other 54 Studebaker wagons you see all over the place. (Ha ha just kidding)
I know I mean there are so many 54 Studebaker champion Conestoga wagons! I just think it can be cleaned up a bit and so many coupes were customized but no wagons... I think the wagons would be almost as cool as the other customs out there.
I think your wagon is cool just the way it is. Why not dress it up the way a proud suburban daddy would have in 1955? Whitewalls, curb feelers, plaid seat covers anyone?
Hey thats a great car, I wouldn't mind having it myself. I've got a 53 coupe. I'd keep the grille bars, I haven't seen too much thats been an improvement on them. I'd also keep the headlight bezels and paint them body color to visually lenghten the fenders. A few years back there was one in some mag. They put a coupe front end on it, and tilted the rear D pillars etc forward like a Nomad, removed the C pillars completly, was very slick, I think it was painted orange. This might be it? Scroll down. http://billstudepage.homestead.com/files/2005january.htm There's been a high dollar one on ebay for a while, black, you might get some ideas there too Good luck. If you get tired of it PM me.
I waant to be able to put it all the way back to stock so chopping it is out. I was thinking of the the hawk with its lack of grill bars, but your ideas are pretty good.
Post some photos of your car to the "The Photoshop Thread to End All Photoshop Threads." Mention what changes you'd like and we'll take a crack at helping you visualize your custom. The pics should be large and clear with front and side views, at least. Or we can find pics on the 'net of the same model to use. I dig Studes - so I'll definitely take a shot.
Its really hard to customize a car, and be able to put it back to stock. If your just changing out the grille and taillights, I guess that its possible. But if you smooth it, like removing chrome and door handles, it's not that easy to go back. drilling a hole back where you have mig. welded one shut is hard, the weld is harder than the sheet metal. If you add lake pipes and lower it, with wide while walls for a starter. Than think about it! Good Luck Studes are cool even if they are not MoPars!!!!!
Posted some pics and what I would like done to it on the The Photoshop Thread to End All Photoshop Threads so if anyone wants a crack at it, go for it! If you wanna just have fun with it and do what you want to it go right ahead, I am looking for ideas.
Personally, I believe this is one car that looks pretty darn good the way it is which make reversible mods kind of tuff. Shave the bumper guards and hood ornament, maybe 53 grille bars, lower just a tad, and thats about it.
Thats what I was thinking, the only removal I want to do it take off the bird from the hood because 1.It looks odd there, and 2.Mine is broke. I was thinking lowering it a bit and maybe the 53 grill or do a hawk: no grill just surround.I am thinking of lowering it a bit, and custom wheels or nice set of hub caps, keep it from the 50's style custom.
You can do a lot with paint. A stock style 2 tone in the right colors, or a scallop or panel job like Watson did in the fifties. Please no flames, they are pretty hacky by now.
Flames on a wagon would not look right in my opinion. Almost like an olive colored fridge... or a donk with plexiglass wheels (well a donk in general in my opinion).
I was thinking this green with white around the window area, the interior treatment similar to the ute custom.
A Hawk front end, or it's components, will not fit sedan and wagons. For as much as they look alike, they are not. For one thing, the sedan/wagon fenders are taller at the cowl and, I believe, shorter in length. The hood, grille panel and the grille perimeter frames are all a different dimension between sedan/wagon and any of the coupes. With significant modifications those part might be adaptable, but we're talking lots of work because any one part requires modification of at least one other an usually several other adjacent pieces. I have had a strong attraction for the Conestoga Wagon for 50 years, and while I have owned several coupes over that period, including one I have now, I have yet to own a wagon. I guess it is a "bucket list" item for me! Ray
I mean use the fenders and just delete the grill leaving the surrounding trim, like a hawk, thats all, no changing sheet metal to hawk componets. I have worked on cars for 20 years, but I want a simple customization, like a custom shop shop driver, thats why the 55 stude tail lights, hood bird delete, and grill delete leaving stock turn signals in "pods" in the stock location, just leaving it with an open grill, similar to a hawk
I like the black wagon, but I am not that talented... It is so clean, If I had enough money, I'd get that and do a stocker and the mild custom, but right now I wanna go for mild custom.
I'm partial to two tone blues or two tone greens, similar to your avatar. The ute you pictured is great! It is actually my first choice being seriously considering with emerald green around the windows. Depending on my mood at paint time the exact colors will then be determined. And using this green with a complementary dark green is another being considered:
So far rot has gotten me this... With the green like the ute Studebaker, I think it will look pretty good! What do you think?
I personally think 55 chevy taillights, frenching the headlights, and some shaving of trim, lowering and nice wheels or hubcaps. Keep paint conservative to a mid-late 50's and a simple/clean interior would be awesome. Thats what I am doing to my studebaker. My trophy case has a trophy case!
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