Found! Barney's former owner.

Well, one of them, anyway :) The fellow who owned the Lark prior to the guy I bought it from. A little digging online (aided by the back cover of a Studebaker International catalog that had his name on it) led me to a phone number in Escondido and, sure enough, that was him.

His name is Grant, and he is an SDC member (although he's primarily a racer, so isn't a member of the local chapter) with a '53 Starlight Coupe and an R3 Avanti set up for drag racing. He seemed pleased to hear from me and said he often wishes he had the Lark back.

Grant told me that he'd bought Barney from a Navy guy who had to ship out of San Diego, and that he'd had it for a couple of years before he sold it to Mitch, the guy I bought it from. He said that the Twin-Traction and 4bbl. were on it when he purchased it, but that it had been painted dark blue and he'd shot it with the white it now wears (in his garage, no less). He also told me that "it needed everything" when he sold it to Mitch. I allowed as how I'd gotten it pretty much the same way ;)

So now I know the Lark's history back to around 2000, at least. Next time I talk to Grant I'll ask if he remembers the name of the sailor he bought it from.