History Studebaker: Less Than They Promised

Andy Granatelli should have worked with this guy. He only got 370HP in 1952 with his 274 cubic inch, 4 valve DOHC Studebakers running methanol at Indy..

 

Wow... Studebaker people...well I have a 50 Studebaker Champion I have had it for around 8 years ...a friend Stopped by one day told me the old guy up the road had died and his family was cleaning up around the place I remembered some old stuff up around the place so I went for a look first thing I spotted was the Stude sitting next to a barn it was sitting in dirt up to the frame had old tires stacked around and on it hood was part way open ,stuck in position due to rusty hinges, I talked to a guy that was there, one of the sons said his brother had bought the car from original owners but then sold it to his dad and dad parked it were it sat he thought about 20 + years ago I asked how much he said it would be for sale at the estate sale in three weeks we went on talking I ended up hauling in the scrap metal off the place and used that money to buy the car for $800 trailered it home cleaned it out got the hood open engine turned over by hand I drained the fluids changed it to 12 volts after two weeks doing all this the day came to see if it would start dripped a little gas down the carb pulled the choke out turned on the key stepped down on the gas pedal/starter button third crank it fired coughing mouse nests out the tail pipe sputtered a couple times cleared out ran great pushed the choke in it sat there Idols right down smooth no missing great...the day of the sale I drove it up there the family was all standing out front when I pulled up they couldn't believe it I let them take it for a drive ...drove it for the next six years gave it a tune up the third year changed water pump had to take the carb apart the fifth year parked it around two years back started to Hot Rod it new suspension engine all the go fast stuff then got kidney cancer been dealing with that the last couple years ...doing good now so I'm going back to work on the car.....to be continued..

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Cool story.

 

Dang ol Studebaker killed Packard.

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Packard was almost dead. Studebaker merely prolonged the death a few years. Of course - most stuck up Packard lovers can't handle the truth.

 

Yeah the sturgeon nosed Stude Hawk did not help either!

 

I believe you mean the rare and handsome Packard Hawk, don't you?

 

Indeed!

 

A face only a mother would love.....people used to say stuff like that about the bullet nose Studebaker too... in fact when I was a kid there was a bullet Stude that a old man in my neighborhood drove and when I turned 16 I would see his son driving it and with a for sale sign in it I ask my dad if I could buy it and he told me that a car that ugly was not going to sit in his driveway so 30+ years later when I finally bought a bullet Stude, the one that I posted earlier, the first place I went with it was straight to my parents house and pulled into the driveway and laid on the horn.....of course he couldn't remember about telling me no on the first one......

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Rudestude - That's a dream come true! Best looking Studebaker. IMHO.
Forgive me for wanting to make it a gasser.

 

Well your for given... because to be honest that's kind of what I'm doing with it now...... engine is going to be a tunnel rammed 327 with all the go fast parts ,scatter shield,M-22 "Rock Crusher" , Dana 60 w/spool , floaters on parallel leafs, Carrara 50/50 shocks , up front 4" dropped tube axle with coil-over four bar set up , engine will have a 10% set back and rear wheel wells will be opened up and the car will sit low and not the high gasser style I have most all the parts gathered up now I'm working on getting it together now....

Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Amazingly rust free body! With a screamer 327, perfect.
Like like like like

 

Ugh, never seen those before. Nice looking bumper though.

President Egbert...

 

Hahahahaha,, didn't know Packard owners are stuck up.. in that case. Pass the grey poupon and kiss the ring.

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Stainless steel exhaust manifold bolts and cooper washers on the water pump bolts......just saying....
Oh and that little Lark....was the first small car with a V/8 in 1959....

 

Some of those Studebakers are damn ugly?!
< < < <
I swapped my front to rear fenders,running boards side-to-side(then took them off) used an AMC Spirit radiator (it bolted right in)used a 66 Mustang gas tank (bolted right in til I changed to a Moon tank) used various parts from a '61 Lark that bolted right on....recycling is easy using Studebakers.
Can't say that it delivers more than is asked of it? I curse it all the time.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/...-first-year-concours-delegance-at-copshaholm/


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Studebaker’s Hawk line featured in first-year Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I actually got some Avanti parts floating around here. My ol' man always said that Studebaker's demise had to do with styling ahead of its time. The world wasn't ready for a Studebaker type of car for at least another decade after they fell.

 

I've got a 1930 Studebaker in the toy box.(shop)

I know I guy that is a Studebaker nut and has three sheds full of parts that he ended up with when the dealerships closed down. Mostly nos stuff he claims. He also has an Avanti that he hasn't driven since the mid '70's, Studebaker horse wagon, a stude pickup and 2 of the bigger style trucks that I know off and actually seen sitting in the front shed. Actually all of these been sitting since the 70's not just the Avanti. he won't let anybody in the back 2 sheds and I don't think those ever been opened up since the 70's so who knows what really is in those two.

Bad news is I heard he went into a veterans home last summer and not expected to leave on his own 2 feet. I am friends with his nephew and he is keeping me posted on what's happening. he was a nice guy once you got to know him but he had his quirks, he trusted very few.

 

I have a 55 commander, bought it with no engine to build a gasser. I was amazed when I got it home and looked it over real well.
I think the design (visually) was ahead of it's time, but the quality of the build was very poor, cumbersome designs throughout the car. I can't speak for the drive train, may have been great. Styling some great, some ugly, build quality, not impressed at all and I have had lots of weird stuff.
With all that said, still think the vision was ahead of its time, just didnt work out so well. The 55 has a 55 type of roof, but the low body lines look more like early 60's car.