International Drive Your Studebaker Day is almost here!

Every year, the 2nd Saturday in September is designated International Drive Your Studebaker Day! That's the day for Stude owners to get their cars on the road and let them be seen. This year's date is September 8, 2012 -- so if you've got a Studebaker in the garage, get it out! Doesn't matter if it's not perfect -- just get it out and let folks see it. And bask in the glow of the thumbs-up you'll receive.

Light Up The Night.

Every so often someone posts to the SDC Forum asking about headlight aiming, so I thought I'd document some answers and useful links here.

The high-tech, pay-someone-else-to-do-it method is to find a shop with a beamsetter. It used to be a lot easier to find these - remember the yellow Bear Headlight Alignment signs with the little laughing bear (that the Grateful Dead later copped) outside gas stations?

These items basically consisted of a unidirectional photocell that measured the candlepower of the light emitted by your headlamps. You pulled up square to the unit and adjusted the lamp until the focus of the beam produced the highest reading on the CP meter. (More about Bear Beamsetters here, if you're interested.)

Needless to say, these are rare birds in this day of sealed headlamp assemblies and halogen cartridge bulbs. So how do you aim an old Studebaker's lamps?

Daniel Stern in a guy who lives and breathes automotive lighting. His website has just about everything you'd want to know about bulbs, circuitry, output, regulations and more car lighting esoterica than you can shake a stick at. He has a wonderful, plain-language explanation of how to aim the bulbs on nearly any car - all you really need is a flat surface, about 40 feet of work space, a vertical wall and some painter's tape. Read it here: www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html .

And while you're at it, maybe think about upgrading the headlamp circuitry on that old car. Another frequent question on the Forum is "Why do my headlights keep blinking on and off at night?" Generally, it's due to one of two things:

1. That little booger on the left, there - a headlamp circuit breaker that's gotten old and weak, and is kicking off when the juice is applied, then back on as it cools down.
2. The breaker is fine, but your wiring, switches and connections are old, and resistance in the headlamp circuit is so high that the breaker is doing its job, kicking off to prevent your wiring harness from turning into a mass of carbonized copper with melted plastic dripping off it.

Generally, it's a combination of the two. In old cars like ours, there is no headlamp relay - the juice to light you up goes straight through the headlamp switch in the dash, then back out to the front of the car. That's a long way for those electrons to travel, and there's loss along the way. (This is also, BTW, why your lights look dim and yellowish.)

The solution is to install a modern headlamp relay circuit. This takes the amps out of your dashboard and routes them directly from the generator/alternator to the bulbs, instead of taking the long way 'round through the Inland Empire (SoCal residents get the joke).

Daniel Stern also has a great article on how to do this, natch: read www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html for the whole skinny.

Because there's nothing worse than being out for a nice cruise on a warm summer night... then having to feel your way home against the curb because your eyes suddenly went dark.

Studebaker Ad of the Week, #2

Here's another great all-color 1958 Studebaker ad courtesy of Aldenjewell. Studebaker was no stranger to using low-cost cars to pull buyer interest, having done so successfully in the past with the wonderful 1939 Champion. In the recession year of 1957, they returned to the Champion strategy, de-contenting their full-size cars in order to lower the price fairly dramatically. They named these cars Scotsman, and they did reasonably well; well enough to reappear in the Studebaker lineup during the following model year as well.

Scotsman cars (and trucks) lacked such niceties as bright window trim, carpet, chrome front bumpers and even passenger sun visors and arm rests, although you could option-up these extras if you wanted. The '58s weren't as much of a sales success as the '57s were, but they kept scarce dollars coming into the Corporation long enough to fund the launch of the Lark in 1959 - the car that saved the company (temporarily, at least).

Studebaker would revive the Scotsman concept one last time, with 1963's Standard line and 1964's Challenger model. Some ideas just never go out of style.

Long time no see!

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I posted here. Life has been moving fast, with lots of work to do. The fact that I haven't had much to post is due to a few different factors:

1. I haven't had much free time to write.
2. It's winter - hard to work on cars in your driveway during unpredictable weather.
3. Barney's been running well, and I'm just driving him (hey, there's a concept).
4. I've taken over as Administrator of the Studebaker Drivers Club Forum.

It's not that there aren't things on Barney that still need to be done - it's just that I don't have time to do much wrench turning right now. But there should be some stuff coming down the pike.. don't give up on me yet, folks! Watch this space :)

The wheels keep on a-turnin.

A couple of weeks ago, a longtime SDC Forum member from Riverside, California offered some items from his shed. Among these items were about 10 years worth of Turning Wheels magazines, dating back as far as 1979. I won't use his name, because I'm sure he'd be embarrassed by the attention, but here's the story. He and his wife had neighbors who were Studebaker lovers too. They collected cars, parts and whatnot for years, and then the old fella passed on. His widow held on to all the Stude stuff for a long time, but finally it was too much for her, and when Alzheimer's set in, his wife helped the widow while he volunteered to help match the cars and parts with new homes.

Most of the pieces went to new homes pretty quickly, but after another year or so, he found that he still had some things left to clear out - sheet metal, engines, glass and the Turning Wheels. I can't read enough about Studebakers, so Reed and I went up to claim the magazines over the weekend. I got the nickel tour of his place, full of parts and cool machinery, as well as a lovely '62 Lark Deluxe 2-door sedan with just over 50,000 miles!

Meeting this Forum member just drove home the point of how kind and caring StudeFolks are. Truly, I haven't met one yet that wasn't, but this guy is truly a prince. It was my pleasure to meet him, and I hope we get to hang out again sometime. And now, I have a trunk full of magazines to read :)

Me and the boy

My wife took some shots of me and Reed next to the Stude this week. I love these pics!

And here's one from a church fund-raiser we did yesterday. I designed the team shirts :)

Nate Vonada's '41 Champion

If you enjoy reading stories about how to repair old cars, check out another Studeblogger: Nathan Vonada. He hosts a wonderful website that shows all the repair work he's done on his Grandfather's beautiful '41 Champion coupe; one of my favorite pre-war Studebakers. Its snazzy two-tone beltline trim gave it a class and dash far above that of its contemporaries, in my opinion. He takes on the brakes, front suspension, brakes again, interior, engine seals, brakes again... It's some great storytelling and a large amount of photos to boot.

Check Nathan's car and stories out at http://stude.vonadatech.com .

Happy Stude Year!

Hi all,

Been pretty quiet here on the blog, as Winter in California has kept me from doing anything but driving the car lately - not that that's a bad thing! It's been a lot of fun driving Barney around; the looks he gets are priceless. Some know what he is and will shout something appreciative. Others have no clue and just kind of gawk as we growl past.

But the rain has let up and now I'm starting to think about things I need to accomplish this year. My son, Reed, will be driving in June, so the car has to be ready for him. So here's what's got to get done in 2011:

• Rear springs and frame bushings installed
• Replace old tapered axle shafts with new splined
• R&R windshield and backlight and install new gaskets
• Adjust valves
• Install new exhaust system
• Track down and eliminate gasoline fumes in trunk
• Install new steering wheel and connect horn circuit
• Swap old ignition switch for new

Hey, this reads a lot like last year's to-do list! Geez, you'd figure I'd be farther ahead with 4 years of working on this car under my belt :)

By the way, these past few chilly weeks have given me ample opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of my heater rebuild (chronicled here). I'm pleased to say that the heater works beautifully now, providing ample warmth; in fact, I can usually just open the air intake and slide the heat control down a little bit to keep my feet toasty - don't even need to run the blower! Well, that's one thing checked off the list, at least.

Roger Ebert in praise of the Golden Hawk.

I remember reading this excellent post by movie critic Roger Ebert a couple of years ago, but thanks to Bob Palma on the SDC Forum, it's come back to my attention.

Roger is an excellent writer, of course, and in this article for the Chicago Sun-Times, he postulates quite convincingly that the Golden Hawk of 1957-1958 was truly the iconic American car of the time. "In my opinion, the mourner of Miss American Pie drove a Studebaker. It's simply that "Chevy" was an easier rhyme," he writes, and I quite concur.

It's a great read - take a few moments and check it out here.

Marking time

Not a lot going on lately with Barney. With Winter here, he's undercover at night, so taking him out for a drive means removing the bungees (10 attachment points on 3 cords), rolling up the cover and stowing it. Not a lot of trouble I guess, but it takes time, and even though I work from home, it's still work :)

I did get him out on the road yesterday for a fast out-and-back, but all the stuff I need to do - get the new rear springs in, get the windshield seal replaced, get the trans serviced, adjust the valves, mount the new steering wheel - wow, that's a lot! is still waiting to happen. Just need time and money, and this time of year both of those are in short supply.

A few random notes...

Haven't been doing a lot of work on Barney lately - just driving him a lot! It's been nice to get out on the road this summer and just bomb around. It amazes me that nearly every time I pull into a parking lot somewhere, someone comes up to me and starts a conversation! Every Starbucks visit, every trip to the bank... it's like clockwork.

Most recently, I pulled up for coffee and a lady in her late 50s in a Honda Element parked next to me shouted over "Studebaker?" I affirmed, and congratulated her on the ID, saying most folks don't know quite what it is. She responded by saying "Most folks aren't as old as me!" Then she proceeded to ask where SHE could get a Lark of her own :) She seemed very earnest, and I gave her a copy of the Studebaker Story brochure and pointed her to the Forum. I have no doubt we'll see her at chapter meeting sooner or later.

A couple of weeks back I came across a lovely red and black '62 Rambler Classic wagon. Okay, it's a little rough, but hey - it's on the road! The body was pretty rust-free, and the paint showed signs of having been patched in a few places, so someone's taking care of this Rammer. Naturally, I couldn't resist taking a photo with Barney (hiding in the back). I've since seen it around town in several places; hope to meet the owner one day.

Here's another sweet Lark I found in the Home Depot parking lot, a '59 F-body. I did meet this owner coming out of the store; he's a contractor and this Lark is his daily driver since he burned up the engine on his Powerstroke Ford truck. Says it costs him a lot less to get around (although he can't haul lumber it in ;) ) It's a Custom with the vinyl interior and plain-Jane door panels, but it's a very nice dark green over tan with chrome steelies. Love it!

Finally, this Saturday (tomorrow!) is the 2nd Annual International Drive Your Studebaker Day. If you've got one, get it on the road tomorrow! If not - be on the lookout for random Stude sightings. Barney and I will definitely be out and about.

Back in the saddle (well, driveway actually)..

Barney's back in the driveway, after spending the last two weeks at S&S having the heater core repaired. I can't remember if I posted it or not, but the Climatizer core I had rebuilt, which installation is covered in older posts here, began leaking upon its first use. Nothing worse than seeing that telltale fog appear on the windshield and seeing the yellow liquid dripping onto the carpet -- especially when you've just replaced the failed part.

But leak it did, and for a few weeks I got away with driving it by closing the heater valve, but eventually the pinhole grew to the point that even the backpressure off the water manifold was causing a constant drip.

This time, I went the lazy route - instead of disassembling the Climatizer and taking the core to the shop, I drove it to the shop with a printout of the heating system schematic from the Shop Manual and said "fix it, please." Unfortunately, it took nearly 3 weeks for them to obtain the right core (their supplier kept sending the wrong size), so I missed having Barney on the road on Independence Day, which I really wanted to do.

But, I got him back Tuesday and have been happily tooling around since then. This morning I went to Ace Hardware for some garden soil and the shopping center's maintenance man stopped me to ask questions about him. I'm no attention hound, but I have to admit it's nice when people notice. Barney may not be the most beautiful car in the world, but he does attract people's notice!

Next up on the list is getting the long-delayed rear springs installed. Details coming soon!

What's up?

Life's been full! Not much time to do anything to Barney except take him out for a drive. I try to get out at least 4 days a week to keep him exercised and the battery up (as the electric clock will run the battery flat in about 2 weeks if left unattended). But I still have work to do: the steering wheel replacement, reinstall the radio, hook up the horn, chase down the cause of my awful gas mileage, change the rear springs, re-fix the heater core (long story)... hopefully I'll be able to get going on some of this soon.

In the meantime, I took a drive to the park at twilight tonight and snapped off a couple of quick shots:

He may not be pretty, but he is fun to drive!

Barney's Motor Service, CA, 1957, Studebaker-Packard, Escondido

Barney's Motor Service, CA, 1957, Studebaker-Packard, Escondido
Originally uploaded by aldenjewell

Finally - I get to see one of Barney's dealership homes, Barney's Studebaker service in Escondido, California. This color photo from 1957 was posted by Alden Jewel over on Flickr, and it's the first pic I've ever seen of the location.

Barney wasn't sold here (he was originally delivered to Bob Waters Studebaker in San Francisco, now the site of a Toyota dealer), but the fact that he wears those plate frames means he was probably either serviced there or, more likely, traded in by whomever brought him down South.

It's great to finally have a view of this dealer!

Reinventing the wheel - Part 1.

Since the day I bought Barney, one thing that's really bothered me was the Stupid Grant Steering Wheel™ installed by the former owner. OK, it looks '60s cool, but has several drawbacks:

1. It doesn't cancel the turn signals.
2. The horn button doesn't work.
3. The spokes obscure the speedometer.
4. My car has standard steering, so the small diameter of the wheel makes parking and other low-speed maneuvers a real chore.

So I decided early on to get the parts together for an OEM steering wheel, and spent about 2 years gathering them all; including an all-black wheel from a '62 GT Hawk, a proper horn button, and all the switches, wipers and contacts that make up the rotating electrical assembly for the horn button.

Last Sunday, I decided, was the day. I'd read up on how to run wires down the column jacket (via Bob Johnstone's tech archive), so was well-prepared, I thought, to get the job done quickly.

I pulled the wheel off the Grant adapter and easily removed the adapter from the column using a 3-jaw gear puller. No problem! The PO had nipped the horn wire off the old switch and crimped on a lead to go to the Grant horn button. This had failed, which was why there was no horn action; he'd also removed the original spring-loaded switch contact. No problem; I had a new one, so I used the old wire to feed a pilot wire up the column per Bob's explanation. That's where my problems began.

The wire channel through the column jacket exits the column just under the shifter collar; the wires must then make a 50-degree turn to get into the hub. No matter how I tried, the bullet connector molded onto the end of the old wire would not make that turn. I see-sawed the wires back and forth and pulled mightily... a little too mightily, as the pilot wire released itself from the old horn wire, leaving me with the wire pulled nearly all the way out, yet stuck - with no way to feed it back down. Arrgh.

I unbent a coat hanger and was able to get it through the channel just fine, so though perhaps I could snag the offending wire and pull it back down... no dice. All told, I managed to spend nearly 3 fruitless hours on the project, winding up reinstalling the Grant wheel so I could drive the car and putting off the project for another day.

What's going to have to happen is this: In order to free the old horn wire and feed in the new, I will need to remove the shifter jacket. Problem with this is, the jacket is held onto the column by two "T-nuts" whose heads are inside the column. They will be very hard to get re-installed... but it's either that, or live with this awful wheel and no horn or turn signal canceling forever. I guess while I'm doing it, I'll install a new turn signal switch as well just to make sure there are no problems down the road.

In the meantime: Happy Easter, everyone, and happy Studebakering!

Quick catch up...

Well, it's still raining here, but at least we're not under two feet of snow :) Richer rebuilt my alternator (Jim told me that the inside parts "fell out in his hand"), and after reinstallation, is working perfectly. I've had Barney on the road a couple of times since then, and the charging system is working perfectly.

Next project is getting the NOS springs refurbed with new bushings and paint so I can stop the car sliding back and forth on the old worn-out ones when I turn corners (it's a helluva bang! when it happens).

Rain Delay! and alternator woes.

Well, Southern California is finally getting some rainfall after several years of record drought, and I'm not complaining - we surely need it and thanks be to God! Downside of this is that there's no Studebakering until the wet stuff stops. Poor Barney sits under the cover that's glued to him like a prom dress on a cheerleader until after the rain is done.

In the meantime, the rain was delayed long enough that on Sunday I was able to pull the alternator for service. About a week ago, I took Barney for his first twilight drive with lights blazing, and saw the ammeter doing a weird little dance afterward - after powering up a nearby hill at 50 MPH, I came off the throttle and saw the dash and headlights dim dramatically as the Amp needle fell halfway to the "D"ischarge mark.

At first I thought perhaps the drive belt was slipping during the high-speed (!) run, so I tightened it up the next day and saw the ammeter behaving like it should. But the problem reoccurred, so I asked around and found that Richer Auto Electric (official electric shop for the Little Guys street rod club)was located literally around the corner from me.

So off I went on Monday and dropped Barney's alternator on the counter at Richer, where Jim took it to the back, strapped it to the test machine and came back pronouncing it non-operational. Glad I found that out before it quit on the car! I guess it pays to have these items tested when you don't know for sure the condition they're in. Jim told me he'll have the rebuild done by the end of the week.

By the way, I found that Wilson Auto Electric makes a direct, bolt-in replacement for the Prestolite ALK-5001 that Studebaker used in many late-model Larks. It's p/n 90-06-1001, and you can get one online here, should you need to.

Reed's first drive.

Remember your first time driving? For me, it was behind the wheel of my mom's '70 Impala. (I loved that car... wish I still had it. Along with the teeth I lost when I crashed it into a light pole.) Well, I wanted my son's first time at the helm to be memorable, too, so yesterday, on the last day of our Christmas vacation, we hopped in Barney and drove to El Camino High School, where a big, empty parking lot beckoned!

After some instruction on how to use the various controls ("don't press too hard on the gas", "keep your foot on either the brake or the gas - never away from the pedals", "always put the transmission in 'park' before you set the parking brake"), we swapped positions and I navigated Reed through several roundabouts of the parking lot, being careful to give a wide berth to the single light pole in our vicinity :) We talked about how steering while the car was in motion, no matter how slight, was so much easier than trying to muscle the wheel around while parked. I explained what the gauges' normal range was, and what to do if they left that range. I told him that small control inputs were much better than large ones; a warning he found to be true through slightly over-anxious applications of gas and throttle. And when we were done, we swapped seats and drove home, but not before I got the picture below. The smile says it all :)

Happy New Year from Barney and all the rest of us!

Just a quick post to let you know how things have been going and give a hearty "Happy New Year" to my online friends!

Barney is doing very well and I've had him on the road nearly every day, at least for a short trip. There are some things that will need attention in the coming year, such as:

• The turn-signal switch. It's defective, and while it signals properly, it doesn't pass signal to both brake lights as it should - the right side lights up with the brake pedal, but the left does not. New switch needed.
• Replacing the steering wheel. The stupid aftermarket Grant wheel not only makes it hard to turn at low speeds, but does not operate the turn signal cancel cam or the horn. I've collected the parts and will do this when I replace the turn-signal switch.
  
• The rear springs. They're worn out and nearly flat, even when the car is on the lift. And the frame bushings are so worn out that the rear end "clunks" as it moves from side to side whilst turning corners - there's no rubber left in them. I have a new pair of springs, obtained from SASCO just before they shut down, and those will be going in as soon as possible. 
• Post-break-in valve adjustment. I've never adjusted valves before, so this will be a learning experience!
  
• Reconnecting the heater. The whole heating system has been rebuilt; I just need to reconnect the hoses and fill the system.
• The doors. Both doors need new rubber and window seals, as well as interior hardware. I replaced the driver's side window regulator last year with a used part from eBay, but the gearbox clutch is weak and the window vibrates down as you drive. I have a new vent window for the driver's side to replace the munged one that's there, as well as new cat-whiskers, NOS door handles and door locks that've been re-keyed, all waiting to go in. I'll probably need a new set of side-view mirrors as well.
• Headliner & windscreen seals. My headliner is a homebrew thing that droops horribly, and I've found that the windshield seal is leaky in one place - a small dribble of water has made its way down the inside from the header. The backlight rubber seal is cracking badly in the corners as well. These two things will have to be addressed together, since replacing the headliner requires pulling both windscreens.

So don't think that just because Barney's back on the road, there'll be any end to this blog - I've still got plenty to do, and I'll be writing about every bit of it!

Now, as to the photo that heads this post: today I packed my wife and son into Barney for the first time, and we tripped on down to the 101 Cafe, a classic diner / drive-in on Highway 101 in downtown Oceanside, California. We had lunch and came back home, but it was fun parking the Lark in front of this iconic location and watching folks stare and point as we ate :) There were plenty of classics on the road today, and while at the 101 we saw a '69 Cougar convertible, a '63 Bel Air convertible, a '67 Fairlane 4-door, a '65 Austin-Healey and several nice old Harleys. It was a good Studebaker day! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a pic of Barney in front of the restaurant, but we'll get it next time.

Thanks to all of you who've written and commented on my posts this year - I appreciate each of your questions and encouragements. Happy 2010 - see you next year!

Good 'n Greasy.

 

What's better than a woman who likes Studebakers? A woman who isn't afraid to get under the hood and wrench on a Studebaker! Meet Los Angeles' Kristin Martin, who goes by the moniker "Grease Girl". She's filled her blog with all sorts of photos, stories and "how-tos" centered around her 1955 Studebaker Commander, pictured above. It's a fun read, and there are plenty of pics and videos as she gets in, around and under her car, and also visits various classic car-related venues and activities around SoCal.

Remember, the future of our hobby is out there - we just have to figure out a way to recruit them! Grease Girl and others like her go a long way toward showing the young'uns that an old car can be a lot of fun. Check out her site and drop her a note of thanks if you like what you see.