The right side is done.
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| Done. |
First thing--see that little brownish-colored line near the top of the caliper (that's the piece that looks like a clamp around the top of disk)? That's where the inside of my wheel rubs. I was expecting this--I thought the wheels were the originals, which I knew wouldn't fit over the disk brakes, but thought I'd take a chance that they'd been updated with something a bit more modern over the years. I have lots of options for wheels here--early 90's ford ranger, late 80's Crown Vic, 74 Dodge pick-up, late 70's Dodge cop cars. . .lots of choices for steel replacement wheels. . .
Of course, I could buy some nice aftermarket wheels. Some classic
American Racing (AR) mags?
That's not the worst thing that happened today, of course. The bracket for the left side doesn't quite fit--back in the day when they were building Studebakers they didn't have computer controlled milling machines, so minor variances weren't unusual. So I'll have to do some minor modifications to make the part fit. Should be as simple as enlarging one of the 4 holes that are used in the spindle flange and grinding/filing away a little bit of relief at the top of one of the brackets.
AR Mags on a Studebaker?! We would have laughed at you in the early 60s when those wheels were being put on GTOs and the like. To see them on your grandpa's mid-life crisis-mobile might have seemed like someone was really trying.
ReplyDeleteNow, my opinion of your car (as being the very most beautiful American car of the early 50s) allows me to excuse your thoughts of putting ARs on that baby, but I hope you don't. (Me and John Lennon are just 'Jealous Guys'.