Postwar Studebakers

fintail

Was that really the car you wanted, though? I know your prior car was a fancy hardtop/skytop model rather than a basic sedan. I assume the next old car will be a long term keeper. If so, maybe you should look for the perfect car that won't have you wanting something else. The right car will come along eventually, if anything, now you have more time to save for it

uplanderguy

Original condition in and out, and a good runner is high on my list now. I used to be a snob about sedans and even Canadian Studes with GM engines, but I'm all about originality now. I had one restored, and won't do that again. I'd have been perfectly happy now with that Cruiser...not so much a decade or more ago. A friend said it wasn't so much the car that was so very special, but that car at that price, was. He's right, of course.

The Cruiser interior is special IMHO, particularly in that size of car; that one didn't show the rear seat or pockets. I like those features.

fintail

Maybe find the buyer and offer him more than he paid

The price on that one did seem pretty amazing - that's not a lot of money in these days of decreasing purchasing power.

berri

I wonder how Studebaker will fare as the Boomers age? Maybe in a couple of years some of these older cars will be cheaper?

uplanderguy

I expect the number of Studes for sale to increase in the next several years, for pretty-apparent reasons, LOL.

I sort-of have my mind set now on a '65 or '66 Cruiser, six, no vinyl top, and there's not a real wide swath of those out there.

In fact, I put that out today on the Studebaker Drivers' Club page. Figured it might not help but probably couldn't hurt.

Mr_Shiftright

This Lark would be fun, for about 1/3rd the price he's asking:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/studebaker/lark/1830277.html#&gid=1&pid=1

The car's all wrong but it could be fixed up.

uplanderguy

Wrong exterior colors, wrong interior, even wrong wheelcovers (obviously an easy change). No lettering or model nameplate on the tailgate. Best thing I can say, just at a glance, is that it has the correct "LARK" letters on the front fenders. Usually, when fenders are replaced, those just get left off (new fenders don't have the holes for them; they must be drilled). And amazingly, they're in the right place.

Most beautiful '63 Daytona Wagonaire I ever saw, sold on eBay a couple years back for $28K. It was white with blue interior and a full, correct restoration. The guy who sold it was a regular on the S.D.C. forum.

berri

Besides,that wagon looks like it belonged to a fire department

uplanderguy

A well-known numbers 'stickler' in the national S.D.C. told me that there were only 587 1965 Cruisers built with six and automatic, like that one in Nebraska I wanted to buy. No wonder I can think of having seen only one other one over the years.

fintail

Is there a reason to want a 6 over a V8?

berri

I don't know about newer ones, but Studebaker V8 had a reputation for awhile as an oil user. Don't know how fair or true that rep was though.

Mr_Shiftright

More like an oil leaker.

uplanderguy

Oil leakers, not burners.

I was thinking of the six-cylinder for purchase price reasons mostly.

I have a slight lead on a '66 V8 Cruiser, which is a 283. Not enough to really talk about yet, LOL.

fintail

Would a V8 carry that much of a premium? I can't imagine it doing more than maybe 15%? On a car with a relatively low price, that's not a lot.

uplanderguy

$4,500 was not typical for that Nebraska car. My guess is that on two very nice Cruisers that were the same year and model but one was a six and one was an eight, we're probably talking 2-3 grand.

fintail

2K isn't too bad I suppose. And if you want a 6, it's even a good deal.

uplanderguy

I have someone looking at another one for me Sunday. Fingers crossed.

fintail

1963 hardtop with an Avanti engine and skytop?

uplanderguy

No.

It's a '66. My wife said, "Like our old white one?". I said, "no, the boxier style like our other ones were".

Wife: "Why do you like the boxy ones better than our white one?", LOL.

Part of the reason I'll settle for a later, Canadian one is the easier serviceability; e.g., Chevy engine and also flanged rear axle which among other things doesn't require a hub-puller to remove the drums in back.

My dream Stude would be a '64 GT Hawk or '64 Daytona Hardtop, Avanti power, or a '63 Daytona Hardtop or Cruiser, South Bend-built, but those lean more-expensive than the later ones do.

fintail

Tell her the price difference

A final year car is always interesting. I suppose there aren't a ton of cars on the market of any year.

uplanderguy

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this is a turquoise metallic Cruiser. It's very much like the last Studebaker built that is in the museum in South Bend, but it doesn't have a vinyl top--and I wouldn't want one on an old car. It has 26K miles.

I had a '66 Daytona two-door Sports Sedan with 283 before. I bought it quickly. It was a body-off restoration of a supposedly-rust-free car, and it was very solid. But it had a weak paint job IMHO for a restored car, although the bumpers looked like mirrors--obviously replated, when NOS was available reasonably and good-enough IMHO. The seats and door panels were reupholstered close-to-original, but not close enough for me. Whatever vinyl they used, it sounded like you were sliding across inflated balloons every time I got into the car. Plus, the two-door sedan uses a lighter-gauge frame than the four-door and wagon, and although the Chevy engine is lighter than the Stude, V8 two-door sedan Studes have an issue with cracks around the front spring pockets, because of how the Chevy engine is installed in the frame. I could tell mine was repaired there and it was just...starting...to get another one on one side.

fintail

Nice. I know you don't want to jinx it, but that's a good color, I like light 60s style blues too. Good luck.

uplanderguy

It's supposedly original paint, but the one pic I have of the car so far looks creamier than others I've seen that color, which makes me think the seller thinks it's original paint but might not be. I won't be a nutjob about it, but on the other hand, at 26K miles one of the things I'm buying, in my mind anyway, is originality.

fintail

That's something that really bugs me - a car advertised with low miles and a price to compensate for it, but with "new paint" "new interior" "new chrome" (but of course is "all original"). If I am paying a premium for low mileage, I am paying for original finishes and surfaces, and if I am not receiving them, it is not worth the premium. A 10K mile car with new finishes might as well be a restored car with 110K to me.

uplanderguy

Agreed. Fingers still crossed.

berri

Uplander has the fever - bad!

uplanderguy

I do!

uplanderguy

Well, I bought it.

I probably won't receive it for a few weeks. A friend is picking it up and keeping it inside his outbuilding 'til he's done with his taxes. That's fine with me as it's still snowy/salty up my way.

It's a Timberline Turquoise '66 Cruiser, 283 engine, turquoise brocade interior, automatic, no PS or PB, AM straight-line radio, factory outside mirror and Studebaker wire wheelcovers. First time I've ever seen wire wheelcovers on the production order (build sheet); in my mind, they were usually a Parts Dept. item or put on later by a subsequent owner.

25,900 miles; original paint with some scratches, nicks and patina, but I'm OK with that. Totally rust-free. Friend, a Stude guy, inspected it for me. Both he and the seller think it has the original exhaust even, close to needing replacing.

I think I'll name it "Fay", as that is the wife of the original owning couple's first name, LOL. Built in Nov. '65. Last Stude was made in March '66.

fintail

Yay! Congrats. Can't wait to see pics. Cool that it has old patina, too - like many others, I now prefer that to perfect new paint. Sounds like a lovely color combo, too.

uplanderguy

I have pics which were emailed to me but I've never figured how to post here.

uplanderguy

I changed my pic to the car, although not a great photo.

It's a boxy sedan, but you know me, I like 'under the radar'. Only 1,844 '66 Cruisers built. The interior is beautiful IMHO...turquoise brocade. Tomorrow I'll change my signature pic to the front seat, LOL.

Carpeting is excellent and has the rubber 'heel pad' with the Studebaker "lazy S" on it.

sda

Congrats! I look forward to pics and details of Fay!

imidazol97

Congratulations.

uplanderguy

Thanks!

berri

Nice and a Chevy 283 to boot!

uplanderguy

Yeah, the Chevy engine was a serviceability plus around here in my mind, as is the flanged rear axle that the '66's have.

uplanderguy

Bottom of driver's seat, LOL.

uplanderguy

The car's the same color as the last Studebaker built, which is in the Studebaker National Museum with 19K miles. It was shipped to South Bend and assigned to a Studebaker executive who drove it until 1969--headquarters remained in South Bend and the non-automotive divisions, and the Parts and Service Division, remained open after car production shut down.

Here's the last Studebaker built, along with the last one built on the South Bend line, which has only 28 miles and is Avanti powered, disc brakes, 4-speed, split bench front cloth-and-vinyl seats. That particular car would be my absolute dream Studebaker.

Truth be told, I like the four-headlight front end better than the '66, but this '66 is the perfect car for me I think.

http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/1622507,4327/1966-Studebaker-Cruiser_photo.aspx

One odd thing about '66's, is that they have Hawk bird emblems...it's like "Remember us? We used to build the Hawk!", LOL.

fintail

Was the brocade optional? That type of upholstery seems to have hit the domestics by storm around 1965, and lived on for a few years. I like it in a period correct kind of way.

uplanderguy

On the Cruiser model, it was standard. The friend who looked at the car took a pic of the driver's seat which he felt corroborated the low mileage. I like turquoise too.

The car was sold new in Colorado Springs, CO, at Osborne Motors. Supposedly, it spent 30 years in NW FL before the seller in IN bought it in 2014. I wonder if the original owners retired to FL.

fintail

Good theory, likely true if it was there for so long.

sda

The front end is uncluttered and clean looking. Reminds me a bit of some later Opels and GMC trucks.

With the Chevy 283 what auto trans does it have, the Powerglide?

explorerx4

I saw a Studebaker like the one in the pictures the other day. It was more of a sea foam green and was moving along quite nicely in the left lane of a divided highway.

uplanderguy

sda, it has the same Borg-Warner 3-speed automatic South Bend Studes had--it starts in second gear so you only feel one shift. You can start in low and shift up if you want. The quadrant is still "PNDLR".

I much-prefer the earlier, floorshift automatic used in Larks, Hawks, and Avantis starting in '63, with "PRND21". But floorshifts were out at Studebaker by '65.

sda

I was looking at the Old Car Brochure site and I was surprised to see Studebaker came out with a new Super six during their last year, and had only one V8 in one hp rating. The Cruiser has the same long wheel base as the neat Wagonaire. Was the Cruiser considered to be their top of the line and equivalent to the Daytona? Was the V8 a popular upgrade?

fintail

Second gear start, just like an old MB automatic. The connection is still there

uplanderguy

In '66, the Daytona and Cruiser had the same interior; just that the Daytona was a two-door sedan (109" wheelbase) and had a standard vinyl roof and transistorized ignition, and the Cruiser was a four-door (113" wheelbase). The bigger six was the Chevy 230. On a Cruiser, and a Daytona, anyway, I'm pretty sure V8's were more prevalent. In the Commander (cheaper) series, it was probably a lot closer.

I know that in '63, where I'm more up on the production numbers, there were 75K Larks built, and there were 35K V8 Larks and Hawks--Hawk production being 4,634. So sixes in '63 outnumbered V8's comfortably in Larks.

sda

I thought the specs on the 230 six looked like it could be a Chevy engine. So the only Studebaker engine available for '66 was the small six. Kind of sad in a way.

uplanderguy

Even the small six was the Chevy 194. They promoted it as built by "McKinnon Industries" of Canada, and supposedly there are some small differences...but it's a Chevy engine.

The Canada plant had been built in the forties, but it's been said many times that centralization of production there after Dec. '63 was to avoid dealer lawsuits.

I think the only folks buying '65 and '66-model Studebakers were Studebaker diehards.

The South Bend engine plant ran through summer of '64, producing U.S.-built Studebaker engines for the Canadian '64's which were the only Studebakers built after Dec. '63. A friend of mine will give you ten reasons why he sincerely believes the Studebaker V8 is better than a Chevy V8 in all ways except weight, but I think most would agree the Chevy six was a better engine than the Studebaker six.

Still, I like the size, some unique features (who else offered disc brakes on a car like that, then? Mine doesn't have them though), and the cars are very rare. The condition of the one I'm buying is bowling me over.

The '66 introduced flow-through ventilation. There are extractor vents over the taillights, sort-of like the trunklid louvers on '71 big GM's.

sda

I was cruising around on Utube last night looking at different postings of Cruisers (couldn't pass that pun up, Lol). They appear to be very solid cars. I watched a retired police car run through a slalom course and it had the quickest time! It is interesting to me that some common options did not appear to be available such as PW, PL, yet disc brakes and transistorized ignition was offered. The interior in the Cruiser looks very comfortable. I like the higher seating and good visibility that the boxy styling provides. The flow thru ventilation was a neat feature, somewhat surprised it was introduced during the last year of production. I am excited for you!