Should be the perfect time for working on a Studebaker, right?
Well, almost. Except the grass grows faster than I can mow it. Then there's all the other chores that come with the season.
I haven't been completely idle on the car front: I ordered a set of 4 heavy duty jackstands; although I already have four, they're mismatched and I simply don't trust them at anything higher than the lowest setting. So I'm getting some professional grade models that will allow me to raise the car to a comfortable level to work underneath. They were supposed to arrive a week ago, but after calling the vendor to check today found that the shipment was delayed--they're currently on a boat somewhere in the pacific, scheduled to arrive mid-July.
I also called Bill Cathcart today, and got mixed news--the next batch of finned heads are being cast now--they'll still require some finishing afterwards but I'm glad to hear that. Intake manifolds are an unknown--the foundry needs enough numbers to make a casting worthwhile. I'll be checking back in a month: fingers crossed everyone. It will happen eventually. I'm just hoping it will happen soon.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Everyone likes a pretty engine
The results are in: 9 readers chose the dual carb / finned head version vs. the 2 readers who chose the turbo version.
Interestingly enough, nobody chose to keep it stock--the path of least resistance. And, thankfully, nobody chose the ubiquitous small block chevy (I have nothing against the SBC--it is a great, proven piece of well-designed machinery--it is simply not the direction I want to take with this project.)
I hope to return to working on the Studebaker soon--the work on the bass guitar is wrapping up nicely. There will soon be evidence of real, Studebaker-centric work here soon.
Thanks to all for voting!
Interestingly enough, nobody chose to keep it stock--the path of least resistance. And, thankfully, nobody chose the ubiquitous small block chevy (I have nothing against the SBC--it is a great, proven piece of well-designed machinery--it is simply not the direction I want to take with this project.)
I hope to return to working on the Studebaker soon--the work on the bass guitar is wrapping up nicely. There will soon be evidence of real, Studebaker-centric work here soon.
Thanks to all for voting!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Deciding on a direction
While I'm finishing up another project--an electric bass guitar for a friend--I've had to delay working on the Stude for a while. . .but that doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about it. . .
Earlier this week I called Cathcart's Studebaker to order the performance parts for the flathead 6 cylinder engine in my car--a high(er) compression aluminum finned head, dual carb manifold with carbs and linkage and a split exhaust manifold. Unfortunately, Bill Cathcart had just gotten out of the hospital and was recovering; I didn't keep him on the phone but simply told him that I'd give him a call back in a few weeks after he was back on his feet.
But this got me thinking--is this the way to go? I'll show you a pic of what I hope the end product would look like:
I would be proud to open my hood to show off my motor if it looked half-again as killer as the one in Shuggie's car. And performance would be ok--I don't know what all Shuggie has done to the car, but I'm expecting a 40% increase in power--so the 85hp boat anchor in the front of the car would turn into a bit more respectable 120hp or so. And ye gods, that is gorgeous as well. Here's a vid:
While 120hp and a change of rear end gearing would make the car a pleasant driver, there is another way. Welcome to the dark side:
Seems like quite a few people have been throwing a turbo charger on the ol' flathead and really warming them up. In some cases more than doubling the power (I've heard rumors of more than 200hp, which isn't shabby). From the research I've done, I've found that the rotating assemblies of these engines are incredibly strong and can handle quite a bit of boost. (For those who are interested in the fine details about turbocharging this engine, you can download a PDF about the process here.)
And, of course, there is nothing to stop someone from doing a combination of the two--say, a turbo charger with a single carb, like Sal's above, with a finned head and fancy parts like Shuggie's.
There is a catch, of course. The twin carb and finned head setup is a bolt-on affair--it is somewhat simple to do and provides a decent amount of power for the work involved. A turbo set-up like Sal's is something that I can't just order and have shipped to my door--I would have to manufacture many of the parts myself--and then get them to run properly. If the boost gets too high, I could destroy the engine, which is original to the car.
But it would be unique, and once everything was configured properly, would be dependable, fairly economical and, in a car as light as the Studebaker, a lot of fun.
Earlier this week I called Cathcart's Studebaker to order the performance parts for the flathead 6 cylinder engine in my car--a high(er) compression aluminum finned head, dual carb manifold with carbs and linkage and a split exhaust manifold. Unfortunately, Bill Cathcart had just gotten out of the hospital and was recovering; I didn't keep him on the phone but simply told him that I'd give him a call back in a few weeks after he was back on his feet.
But this got me thinking--is this the way to go? I'll show you a pic of what I hope the end product would look like:
 |
| This is a work of art--the engine is in a '53 Champion owned by a man called Shuggie. Thanks to Da Tinman for the pic! |
While 120hp and a change of rear end gearing would make the car a pleasant driver, there is another way. Welcome to the dark side:
 |
| This proof of concept turbocharged Champion 6 put together by Sal from Sacramento powered his 54 Coupe to over 110mph. |
Seems like quite a few people have been throwing a turbo charger on the ol' flathead and really warming them up. In some cases more than doubling the power (I've heard rumors of more than 200hp, which isn't shabby). From the research I've done, I've found that the rotating assemblies of these engines are incredibly strong and can handle quite a bit of boost. (For those who are interested in the fine details about turbocharging this engine, you can download a PDF about the process here.)
And, of course, there is nothing to stop someone from doing a combination of the two--say, a turbo charger with a single carb, like Sal's above, with a finned head and fancy parts like Shuggie's.
There is a catch, of course. The twin carb and finned head setup is a bolt-on affair--it is somewhat simple to do and provides a decent amount of power for the work involved. A turbo set-up like Sal's is something that I can't just order and have shipped to my door--I would have to manufacture many of the parts myself--and then get them to run properly. If the boost gets too high, I could destroy the engine, which is original to the car.
But it would be unique, and once everything was configured properly, would be dependable, fairly economical and, in a car as light as the Studebaker, a lot of fun.
Friday, May 13, 2011
One more pic. . .
. . .of that "lovely" cloth upholstery under the sky blue vinyl:
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| If you take out the red stripe, I had a couch covered with this when I was in college... |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
If your car is so great, why isn't Studebaker still in business?
Good question.
By the time my car was built (in 1953) the Studebaker corporation was 101 years old, having started out manufacturing horse-drawn vehicles such as the Conestoga wagon used in the wagon trains. They managed to survive two world wars and the great depression, but couldn't make it through the 60's. By 1964, for all practical purposes, Studebaker no longer manufactured automobiles in the US (The only plant remaining open was in Hamilton, Ontario, and made a few cars for the next couple of years, but with Chevrolet engines it just wasn't quite the same.)
Like most large American manufacturers, World War II was good for Studebaker. The company made 2-1/2 ton (6x6) trucks and B-17 engines amongst other things, and by the end of the war they were in excellent financial standing. But whereas other manufacturers invested back into their business by modernizing their plants, Studebaker did not.
In 1953, when the new Coupes came out, winning design awards and accolades (such as being selected by the New York Museum of Modern Art as one of the World's 10 Most Beautiful Cars) Studebaker management underestimated the appeal such a car would have to car buyers, and instead manufactured many more sedans. By the time orders started pouring in they were not in a position to be able to keep up with demand, and quality control slipped and the marques' reputation was damaged. And management outfitted the cars with shoddy door latches, dull grey and brown interiors--here they had a design that could take them to a new level and their cheapness caught them.
Another factor was simply the competition--GM and Ford could, due to economy of scale, manufacture cars of equal or better quality at a lower price. Studebaker had some excellent, exciting designs post-war that attracted people to the showrooms, but it was hard for them to compete. Had their management been visionary enough in those early post-war years, I think Studebaker could've easily survived for at least another decade, when their economical cars and trucks, the Larks and Champs, could have been in great demand in a world stung by the Oil Embargo.
One of Studebaker's early post-war advertising mottos was "Unchanged in a Changing World." Unfortunately, that unwillingness to change [at least until the very end, but that's another story] was their great downfall.
[in case you're wondering, I'm taking a break from working on the Stude for a couple of weeks so I can finish making a bass guitar for musician friend who I hope will be able to take it with him for a summer tour. Once that's finished, I'll be back to it, working on getting those brakes operational and the Champion back on the road.]
By the time my car was built (in 1953) the Studebaker corporation was 101 years old, having started out manufacturing horse-drawn vehicles such as the Conestoga wagon used in the wagon trains. They managed to survive two world wars and the great depression, but couldn't make it through the 60's. By 1964, for all practical purposes, Studebaker no longer manufactured automobiles in the US (The only plant remaining open was in Hamilton, Ontario, and made a few cars for the next couple of years, but with Chevrolet engines it just wasn't quite the same.)
Like most large American manufacturers, World War II was good for Studebaker. The company made 2-1/2 ton (6x6) trucks and B-17 engines amongst other things, and by the end of the war they were in excellent financial standing. But whereas other manufacturers invested back into their business by modernizing their plants, Studebaker did not.
 |
| Studebaker's Post-War Marketing Campaign--a Portent of Doom? |
In 1953, when the new Coupes came out, winning design awards and accolades (such as being selected by the New York Museum of Modern Art as one of the World's 10 Most Beautiful Cars) Studebaker management underestimated the appeal such a car would have to car buyers, and instead manufactured many more sedans. By the time orders started pouring in they were not in a position to be able to keep up with demand, and quality control slipped and the marques' reputation was damaged. And management outfitted the cars with shoddy door latches, dull grey and brown interiors--here they had a design that could take them to a new level and their cheapness caught them.
Another factor was simply the competition--GM and Ford could, due to economy of scale, manufacture cars of equal or better quality at a lower price. Studebaker had some excellent, exciting designs post-war that attracted people to the showrooms, but it was hard for them to compete. Had their management been visionary enough in those early post-war years, I think Studebaker could've easily survived for at least another decade, when their economical cars and trucks, the Larks and Champs, could have been in great demand in a world stung by the Oil Embargo.
One of Studebaker's early post-war advertising mottos was "Unchanged in a Changing World." Unfortunately, that unwillingness to change [at least until the very end, but that's another story] was their great downfall.
[in case you're wondering, I'm taking a break from working on the Stude for a couple of weeks so I can finish making a bass guitar for musician friend who I hope will be able to take it with him for a summer tour. Once that's finished, I'll be back to it, working on getting those brakes operational and the Champion back on the road.]
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunnin'
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| Finally--a nice, sunny day. |
I also wanted to fire her up and let her get to operating temperature again since it had been a few weeks--so she's sitting on the flat part of the driveway with the wheels chocked idling away in neutral while I clean out the garage.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
A good day in Stude-land
I took the day off from work today so I could run errands--our everyday car, a Honda Fit, had a recall for a potentially faulty headlight switch, and the little wrench on the dash lit up telling me it needed an oil change and I wanted to return the wheels on a day when the salvage yard wouldn't be busy. So after dropping off the car (and discovering it needed a 30,000 mile service to the tune of $320) I headed back to the Pick-A-Part in Albany to see if I could have any better luck finding some wheels that fit.
But first, I need to back up a couple of days--my buddy Jon, who happened to have a Ford Ranger pickup, loaned me his spare to see if it was any different from the Ford Ranger wheels that didn't fit. Lo and behold, his wheel fit--it was 1/2-inch thinner in width, but the biggest different was the back spacing. Jon's spare had a 3.75" back space, where the 1988 Ford Ranger wheels I had before had a 5" back space. So I now had some measurements of a wheel that worked. Now back to the Pick-A-Part. . .
I was loaded with information this time: I had my printed list of wheels that might fit, the knowledge I gained from borrowing Jon's spare and a straight edge and tape measure to measure that critical distance between the back of the bolting circle and the inner edge of the wheel rim.
The folks at the Pick-A-Part were extremely helpful, going through my list of cars until we had a hit--a recent addition to their lot: A 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis. The wheels were still on the car (in fact, so were the hubcaps, which required a special tool to remove. Fortunately, this was in the glove box still) and, with the able assistance of one of their staff, we soon had the wheels off and measured--a hair over a 4" back space. I'm thinking these should fit. They even pulled the rotten old tires off for me, then steam cleaned the rims.
I return home with my goodies in my old Ford pickup, bolt up a rim and give it a test spin. Plenty of clearance. I then grab the side of the wheel and twist it to turn the steering lock-to-lock--no interference from any of the suspension components. A quick trip down to the tire store, and the tires from my old rims are now on the new ones.
Now we're (the car and me--she gets as much out of this as I do, I think) moving in the right direction, ready to tackle the next problem that arises. Up next: finish up the brake work.
But first, I need to back up a couple of days--my buddy Jon, who happened to have a Ford Ranger pickup, loaned me his spare to see if it was any different from the Ford Ranger wheels that didn't fit. Lo and behold, his wheel fit--it was 1/2-inch thinner in width, but the biggest different was the back spacing. Jon's spare had a 3.75" back space, where the 1988 Ford Ranger wheels I had before had a 5" back space. So I now had some measurements of a wheel that worked. Now back to the Pick-A-Part. . .
I was loaded with information this time: I had my printed list of wheels that might fit, the knowledge I gained from borrowing Jon's spare and a straight edge and tape measure to measure that critical distance between the back of the bolting circle and the inner edge of the wheel rim.
The folks at the Pick-A-Part were extremely helpful, going through my list of cars until we had a hit--a recent addition to their lot: A 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis. The wheels were still on the car (in fact, so were the hubcaps, which required a special tool to remove. Fortunately, this was in the glove box still) and, with the able assistance of one of their staff, we soon had the wheels off and measured--a hair over a 4" back space. I'm thinking these should fit. They even pulled the rotten old tires off for me, then steam cleaned the rims.
I return home with my goodies in my old Ford pickup, bolt up a rim and give it a test spin. Plenty of clearance. I then grab the side of the wheel and twist it to turn the steering lock-to-lock--no interference from any of the suspension components. A quick trip down to the tire store, and the tires from my old rims are now on the new ones.
 |
| one quest now complete |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
It has to fit--they said so on the internet!
Today's work on the Studebaker was more of a quest--a search for wheels. You'll recall from reading about my disk brake installation that the old wheels don't quite fit. So after much research, largely on sites that I trust for this sort of information (I won't name names here) I went forth to find a set of wheels.
I live about a half mile from the local salvage yard (which is a bit on the pricey side, being the only game in town, and largely filled with newer cars of the metric variety, but it is at least a starting place) so this morning I headed there, with handy list in hand of wheels that I trusted would fit. After seeing me pull the list out of my hip pocket, the man behind the counter told me to roam about the yard and see if I could find any.
I was incredibly methodical during my search--but unfortunately was thwarted by things beyond my control--namely the price of scrap metal, which resulted in a lot of blank areas in the lot and semi-trailers full of crushed cars strapped down and out of reach. I had one moment of excitement, where I thought I had found three wheels from a mid-80's Ford Ranger, but upon closer inspection I realized they were 14-inch wheels--I needed 15-inch.
I soon picked over every square, uh, meter, of that yard to no avail--I found 15 inch wheels at random, but with no identifying marks on them to determine if they would fit. After an hour and a half, I admitted defeat and headed home.
A search of craigslist found an incredible thing--a set of four aluminum Centerline wheels in the right lug spacing that were only 5.5-inches wide. Perfect! I call, arrange a visit and discover (after meeting a very nice dog of unknown breed) that they were, indeed 9-inches wide.
Back at home, I start looking for other salvage yards within a quick drive--and discovered the Pick-A-Part over in Albany--a 20 minute drive. I give them a call and find they have a set of 4, 1988 Ford Ranger rims. I head over, compare the number on my little Internet cheat sheet with the number embossed on the rim, and Eureka! My search has ended.
I get home and put one on--it barely touches the top of the king pin! Argh!
So I ponder a bit--it is too late to return them and it is a very nice day and my dogs need a walk--so I go for a hike in the woods instead.
Then, while eating dinner, I thought--it is really close, how about a spacer? I jump in the car, head to the parts store, and grab a pair off the shelf--they're a bit thicker than I'd feel comfortable using in the long run, but for only $12 it is worth seeing if I could get it to clear.
Nope. The wheel spins freely until it hits a balance weight, then stops. The offset--the distance from the hub mounting to the center line of the wheel--is too positive. It needs to be at or close to the center.
Now I could buy a set of machined hub extenders to counter that offset, but the cost would not be worth it.
I'll be headed back to the Pick-A-Part soon to, hopefully, exchange my wheels for something that fits.
I live about a half mile from the local salvage yard (which is a bit on the pricey side, being the only game in town, and largely filled with newer cars of the metric variety, but it is at least a starting place) so this morning I headed there, with handy list in hand of wheels that I trusted would fit. After seeing me pull the list out of my hip pocket, the man behind the counter told me to roam about the yard and see if I could find any.
I was incredibly methodical during my search--but unfortunately was thwarted by things beyond my control--namely the price of scrap metal, which resulted in a lot of blank areas in the lot and semi-trailers full of crushed cars strapped down and out of reach. I had one moment of excitement, where I thought I had found three wheels from a mid-80's Ford Ranger, but upon closer inspection I realized they were 14-inch wheels--I needed 15-inch.
I soon picked over every square, uh, meter, of that yard to no avail--I found 15 inch wheels at random, but with no identifying marks on them to determine if they would fit. After an hour and a half, I admitted defeat and headed home.
A search of craigslist found an incredible thing--a set of four aluminum Centerline wheels in the right lug spacing that were only 5.5-inches wide. Perfect! I call, arrange a visit and discover (after meeting a very nice dog of unknown breed) that they were, indeed 9-inches wide.
Back at home, I start looking for other salvage yards within a quick drive--and discovered the Pick-A-Part over in Albany--a 20 minute drive. I give them a call and find they have a set of 4, 1988 Ford Ranger rims. I head over, compare the number on my little Internet cheat sheet with the number embossed on the rim, and Eureka! My search has ended.
 |
| They fit, but. . . |
I get home and put one on--it barely touches the top of the king pin! Argh!
So I ponder a bit--it is too late to return them and it is a very nice day and my dogs need a walk--so I go for a hike in the woods instead.
Then, while eating dinner, I thought--it is really close, how about a spacer? I jump in the car, head to the parts store, and grab a pair off the shelf--they're a bit thicker than I'd feel comfortable using in the long run, but for only $12 it is worth seeing if I could get it to clear.
Nope. The wheel spins freely until it hits a balance weight, then stops. The offset--the distance from the hub mounting to the center line of the wheel--is too positive. It needs to be at or close to the center.
Now I could buy a set of machined hub extenders to counter that offset, but the cost would not be worth it.
I'll be headed back to the Pick-A-Part soon to, hopefully, exchange my wheels for something that fits.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Paint color survey results
Here's the result of the survey:
Original colors (Maui Blue over Ivory Mist): 0 votes
Original colors flipped (Ivory Mist over Maui Blue): 6 votes
Velvet Black with Red Interior: 2 vote
Ivory Mist over Chippewa Green: 1 vote
Other original color: 3 votes
Other non-original color: 0 votes
Suggestions for other original colors include:
2 votes for Coral Red over Ivory Mist
1 vote for either Tahoe Green or Coral Red (hey, how 'bout combining the two? My Studebaker could put the X in Xmas!)
No promises. When I first thought about colors, long before owning a Studebaker, I would've went with Ivory Mist over Chippewa Green. At the moment, I'm torn between two different schemes--the Velvet Black with a Red Interior and the most popular Ivory Mist over Maui Blue. You'll just have to wait and see.
Original colors (Maui Blue over Ivory Mist): 0 votes
Original colors flipped (Ivory Mist over Maui Blue): 6 votes
Velvet Black with Red Interior: 2 vote
Ivory Mist over Chippewa Green: 1 vote
Other original color: 3 votes
Other non-original color: 0 votes
Suggestions for other original colors include:
2 votes for Coral Red over Ivory Mist
1 vote for either Tahoe Green or Coral Red (hey, how 'bout combining the two? My Studebaker could put the X in Xmas!)
No promises. When I first thought about colors, long before owning a Studebaker, I would've went with Ivory Mist over Chippewa Green. At the moment, I'm torn between two different schemes--the Velvet Black with a Red Interior and the most popular Ivory Mist over Maui Blue. You'll just have to wait and see.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
High Performance Studebakering
In my last post, I mentioned the possibility of getting a set of American Racing Mags to put on my car since the original wheels no longer fit. This led to a comment from my good buddy Jon about how my car, although beautiful, was my "grandfather's middle-age crisis car" and that AR Mags belonged on cars such as a GTO.
Such a comment demands a response.
Although my car came with a simple 6 cylinder, a 120-hp, 232 cubic inch overhead valve V-8 was available. But for a little extra kick in the pants, Bill Frick, a New York car dealer, offered the 53 with a 210 horsepower Cadillac engine. The car, known as a Studillac, was available for $1,500 over dealer invoice. Better brakes and a one-piece drive shaft were welcome additions, and the car car was no slouch, with 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 120mph.
And, after a slight cosmetic remodel (with the additional of fiberglass fins and a new hood and grill), the 53 Studebaker coupes turned into the Hawk. The top of the line '56 Golden Hawk had a Packard 352 cubic inch V-8 (Studebaker and Packard had merged that year) with a top speed of 130mph and 0-60 times of about 8 seconds. That's pretty good performance for 1956. The Packard V-8 was a heavy lump of an engine (725 lbs) so the next year it was swapped out with a supercharged Studebaker 289 cubic inch V-8, yielding the same performance as the larger engine but with considerable weight savings.
But it wasn't just the Studebaker factory producing hot rods based off of that sleek old coupe body. Hot rodders recognized the streamlined body as a true racer, and off to the Bonneville Salt Flats it went--and still races at speeds well in excess of 200mph. I quote from Bridges' Studebaker's Finest:
"Over the entire history of the Bonneville Speed Trials, no other car body has accumulated as many records in production car classes as the '53-54 Studebaker coupe. (Not even close.)"
Hmm, Jon. I'm thinking maybe the GTO better think about if it is the one worthy of wearing those AR shoes.
Such a comment demands a response.
Although my car came with a simple 6 cylinder, a 120-hp, 232 cubic inch overhead valve V-8 was available. But for a little extra kick in the pants, Bill Frick, a New York car dealer, offered the 53 with a 210 horsepower Cadillac engine. The car, known as a Studillac, was available for $1,500 over dealer invoice. Better brakes and a one-piece drive shaft were welcome additions, and the car car was no slouch, with 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 120mph.
And, after a slight cosmetic remodel (with the additional of fiberglass fins and a new hood and grill), the 53 Studebaker coupes turned into the Hawk. The top of the line '56 Golden Hawk had a Packard 352 cubic inch V-8 (Studebaker and Packard had merged that year) with a top speed of 130mph and 0-60 times of about 8 seconds. That's pretty good performance for 1956. The Packard V-8 was a heavy lump of an engine (725 lbs) so the next year it was swapped out with a supercharged Studebaker 289 cubic inch V-8, yielding the same performance as the larger engine but with considerable weight savings.
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| Not your Grandfather's mid-life crisis supercharged engine! |
"Over the entire history of the Bonneville Speed Trials, no other car body has accumulated as many records in production car classes as the '53-54 Studebaker coupe. (Not even close.)"
 |
| Read all about this Studebaker here. |
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