Studebakerin' in the Key of G

Heading into this weekend, I wondered if I'd be able to get any Studebaker time in at all. Friday morning started out with a crack and a bang, literally, as the diverter valve in my shower exploded in a more spectacular fashion than I expected; a bit of the valve itself flying out an leaving a bruise on my shoulder where it first struck before clattering to the floor.

But luck indeed changed and between the rebuilding of the shower and the typical weekend chores of early spring, I did find time to work on the Studebaker. The weather was wonderful, so I pushed it out of the garage and set forth with my random-orbital sander loaded with 60-grit paper to bring the floor of the trunk and cabin down to bare metal.

That took longer than you'd think. There were plenty of little corners and even though I'd previously removed the vast majority of the asphalt coating off there was still enough remaining to quickly clog up the sandpaper. But after about 4 to 5 hours of sanding I got it done. Once finished, I cleaned up the area and brushed on a layer of a bare metal primer that contains a rust converter. 

Stage 1 complete

One thing I noticed when working in the car that it resonated at a particular pitch--and would continue to ring on for several seconds after the sander was shut down. Musicians (and physicists) will recognize this effect as the natural resonant frequency. In its current state it hums at a G.

I wonder if this is how they came up with the identifier for the Champion Coupe on the body tag? (G). I know that doesn't explain how they came up with the name for the V-8 version (the Commander, which is designated by an H) but I like it anyway so what do you say? Let's start a new internet rumor about it right here!