Postwar Studebakers

fintail

That Lark looks to have honest flaws, I wonder where the bidding will end.

I was going through some imcdb material, and saw this shot of maybe the most memorable background scene featuring an early Starliner:

Mr_Shiftright

Very bad door fit, looks like. Lots of shabby work and Mickey Mouse parts. Might be an OK drive-around car if you bid right on it.

ab348

Don't mince words, tell us where you really stand on this one, Shifty...

uplanderguy

I like it much better than that '61, but some of the non-authentic stuff bugs me,when so very much NOS and reproduction was/is available for '63's. And to spell out "Studebaker" wrong on the trunklid is, well, inexcusable.

Has a 1964 instrument panel. Those were available NOS; '63's were not. Lacking the bumper winguards (wraparound section) all Daytonas had. Seat trim off. '62 wheelcovers.

uplanderguy

Bad door fit was standard equipment domestically back then, LOL! And mags at the time said Studebaker was often better than the Big Three on fit-and-finish in this period.

My '66 sedan has door gaps here and there, but the doors close tight with zero effort. Some things are hard to restore-in, compared to a solid original car. I was very lucky to find the car I bought, although it's not as desirable a model (even to me) as a '63 or '64 hardtop or convertible. It was the last new Studebaker the selling dealer sold.

uplanderguy

The convert does remind me of my old '63 Lark Daytona, which I owned 23 years and is being enjoyed in Australia.

http://www.studebakerskytop.com/billpresslerpics3.jpg

omarman

That was your Lark Daytona in the pic? Nice car. Really nice.

uplanderguy

Thanks, I do miss it. It was rusty when I got it and I was referred to a Studebaker restoration shop in SW PA (still open but not limited just to Studebakers anymore) who did a very good job within my budget limitations at the time. I wanted an authentic driver and they did just that, sweating the small details that so many general shops seem to blow off IMHO.

That hardtop had the original INNER rear quarters cut out and NOS welded in....not for the faint of heart, LOL.

It was built with the Avanti R1 engine, A/C, and Twin Traction, as well as the factory "Skytop" sunroof. Did not have disc brakes though.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

Don't mince words, tell us where you really stand on this one, Shifty... ockquote>

Well I could be wrong, certainly, but that car just screams "RAT" to me.

uplanderguy

I about passed out when I received the above photo from the restoration shop.

uplanderguy

This one came later:

uplanderguy

Photo of original owner at Yellowstone Park, Labor Day weekend 1964:

uplanderguy

...same lady, same car, in my front yard, 46 years later:

uplanderguy

The '66 Cruiser I bought last year with 25.7K miles. I've put probably almost 1K on it.


It was built with the wire wheelcovers per the production order, which is very unusual, but they don't have a place for the valve stem to come out, and they are very heavy and I've heard fall off easily.

ab348

The Studebaker seats in yours and in some of the other Larks I've seen offered for sale look very well-cushioned and comfortable.

fintail

I like the brocade cloth. The original owner pic is cool, too.

Mr_Shiftright

Aside from Studebaker, do you remember what other American car company used GM's punched-out 194cid six-cylinder engine from the Chevy II?

uplanderguy

My only guess would be Checker. They also used Studebaker full wheelcovers.

uplanderguy

The cushion-y Lark seats were really only the Daytona and Cruiser models. Most lower-priced Lark-models had pretty plain seating.

omarman

I would guess Jeep for the Chevy II 6. Jeep/Eagle later borrowed the old GM iron duke/tech 4 or whatever they were calling the 2.5L 4 cylinder in the 80s.

omarman

Those before/after pics of your Lark (and owner) are cool.

That first pic of the tear down...wow. I think you had posted earlier "not for the faint of heart." Yep! But turned out great when they finished.

The previous owner pics...the whisk broom before and after! Fun stuff.

omarman

I just remembered that the old pbs show motorweek reviewed a new Eagle SX/4 in the early 80s. When I saw the show it was a real let down when they revealed the GM 2.5 engine under the hood.

A couple years later same let down with the Fiero.

Mr_Shiftright

In the 1960s at any rate, it was Checker who used the ol' Chevy II engine. I think Studebaker used it only in their final year of production.

The Eagle was an interesting car in its own way, but a real dog to drive. It needed more power and more sophistication. I guess Subaru provided that later on.

uplanderguy

The 194 Chevy engine was the standard engine in 1965 and 1966 Studebakers. The 230 six was made optional in late '65 and into '66. The 283 V8 was the only V8 engine available in '65 and '66. There actually are a few differences between a 283 used in a U.S. Chevy and a Studebaker. The South Bend engine plant stayed open to make Studebaker engines for Canadian-built Studebakers through Aug. '64, but all Studebaker-built engines were out for the '65 model year.

sda

Q

uplanderguy said:

The '66 Cruiser I bought last year with 25.7K miles. I've put probably almost 1K on it.


It was built with the wire wheelcovers per the production order, which is very unusual, but they don't have a place for the valve stem to come out, and they are very heavy and I've heard fall off easily.

The interior looks new! Are the seats comfortable? Dad hated the seats in their '63 Olds 88. He said the seatback angle was uncomfortable compared to his '66 Galaxie that he had as a company car.

uplanderguy

Honestly--it's not very comfortable in that seat! I feel like I "bottom out" in the driver's position. OK, I weight about 235 although my friend who's working on it is a little guy, and he said he feels like he's bottoming out there!

sda

uplanderguy said:

Honestly--it's not very comfortable in that seat! I feel like I "bottom out" in the driver's position. OK, I weight about 235 although my friend who's working on it is a little guy, and he said he feels like he's bottoming out there!

Seat comfort has improved tremendously over the past 2 decades. What was once considered comfortable isn't now. Do you think that's part of it? My first car, a tired '62 Galaxie had seats that I thought I bottomed out in and felt the internal hardware. I was only 150 lbs then, not now, alas.

berri

The car looks very nice and kind of unique in today's world. Just don't go letting McGrease soil the interior Oh, and Cola stains don't constitute patina either!

uplanderguy

Thanks. It's definitely an old-folks car, but I like that it's not Big Three and that I remember Studebakers on the road as daily drivers. The original owners were 62 and 61 when they bought this car, and traded in a '53 Studebaker on it, a month after Studebaker stopped production. I have to believe they just wanted one last Studebaker and I'm sure the dealer was dealin'. I joke about the car having been bought new by old folks; then, a friend reminded me that I was 59 when I bought it! LOL

I do like the size, in and out. The car was sized and priced along with Chevy II, Falcon, Valiant, and Rambler models.

uplanderguy

That '63 Lark convertible is bid to $8,100 with two days left. One thing I'm impressed with on that car is that the LARK letters on the front fenders are in EXACTLY the right position. Replacement fenders are not punched with the holes and a lot of people either just leave them off, or guess where they were located, which drives me nuts. Easy to figure out at the front end; almost impossible to correct afterward.

ab348

Yet probably the same guy who did such a good job on those misspelled "STUDEBAKER" on the trunk lid...

omarman

Eh, he was eating a snickers bar.

Mr_Shiftright

The more I look at it, the less I like what i'm seeing---kind of a crappy repaint, chipping out, badly glued truck weatherstipping, (who did that, his kids?) sloppy door jambs, warped door panels, sun damaged carpets, seat trim broken, scratched up stainless trim, overspray. Seller says it also needs speedometer/odometer work, and window seals.

I guess at $8100 you wouldn't be too badly off---just drive it around. If it were well-restored, it would cost a good deal more to buy.

ab348

The '63 Lark Daytona convertible sold sold sold for $12,000.

Mr_Shiftright

Perhaps a tad high but in the range of what you'd expect for a "driver" quality car.

Mr_Shiftright

Did you know that Preston Tucker was once a Studebaker salesman?

uplanderguy

Sold for $12K.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-studebaker-lark-daytona-convertible-v8/

uplanderguy

I did not know that about Preston Tucker, but I do know that '50 and '51 Studebakers were used in rollover scenes in the movie "Tucker".

fintail

Someone in Oz on another forum saw this:











<img src=

uplanderguy

Weird; '57 model with '56 President side trim.

uplanderguy

Stumbled on this online; I had seen it before, but interesting to me. I don't know where it ended up, but this model was probably the best-selling 1964 Studebaker model, body style, and engine. I like the Strato Blue color and once owned a '64 Daytona hardtop the same color. I am completely convinced that after the red '64 hardtop in the Studebaker National Museum with 23 miles, this car is the next-lowest-mileage '64 Studebaker.

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/HF12/Hershey/lots/r145-1964-studebaker-commander-four-door-sedan/280871

Not sold to its first owner until 1969!! I've heard Studebaker dealers often held out for sticker price, but...sheesh!

I have an older friend who worked for a Studebaker dealer in Akron. He said after Studebaker quit building cars, that dealer would buy leftover cars from other dealers to resell. He said the Akron dealer would also hold out for sticker.

fintail

Could that be via the car being an export model?

uplanderguy said:

Weird; '57 model with '56 President side trim.

uplanderguy

Perhaps. Some export Studes ended up with locally-sourced upholstery. I've not seen any with different-year exterior trim, but of course who's to say it didn't happen that way?

uplanderguy

Posted two hours ago on a Facebook page, here's that very '57 you posted near my old '63:

My former '63 has bigger tires on it than when I had it. I chose 195-75 radials which approximate the tire size the factory used.

uplanderguy

That '64 at the 2012 Sotheby's auction--while I like the '63 body in four-door better, one thing I always liked about the '64-66 styling is that to my eyes, there is not an ounce of fat in the styling.

uplanderguy

Hope he doesn't mind my saying this, but I just saw that ab348 who is a regular Edmunds forum poster, is recovering from heart surgery. Wishing him well for sure.

uplanderguy

Factory photo of a new '61 Champ pickup at South Bend. The sliding rear window was a Stude exclusive at the time:

fintail

That's a cool Oz pic, wild mural there. The club there must be pretty active.

I like the large size of the rear window in the Champ.

uplanderguy

Mustang 2+2 in clay; Avanti and E-Type in background apparently for styling inspiration:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?106425-Mustang-2-2-Clay-with-Avanti-in-the-Background

berri

I like what appears to be a Jaguar XKE in the lot