Studebaker Bits and Bobs

The interior bits - door panels, radio plate, emergency brake, glove box and cover, etc. - all needed prep, treatment, primer, and paint. We took care of those elements and started work on cutting away the rust in the bed.

Studebaker Champion - Radio - Philco Model S-5123

True to their word, the wrecker mailed me the radio for our 1950 Studebaker Champion. I wrote about the Studebaker Philco Model S-5123 here.

Below is a picture of the worn radio pre-restoration.

Studebaker Radio Retrofit

Ray's Auto Stereo in Sacramento, CA, did a bang-up job retrofitting the Studebaker-Philco S-5130 radio.

The radio fit snugly into the dash  after some minor machining work. The face of the radio looks 100-percent authentic, while the guts of the radio feature:

- A two-way 6" x 9" car speaker

- Recessed amplifier

- MP3 jack input

- Wiring to a 12-volt battery nested in the trunk; with a custom charging jack

The Studebaker is a 6-volt positive ground system, so instead of switching to a 12-volt system or using a series of converters, we decided to run wire to the trunk where the new large motorcycle battery is secure in a case.

The system provides great sound - without messing with the integrity of the 6-volt system.

Studebaker Champion Radio - Philco Model S-5123

I read that a Studebaker Drivers Club member was going to crush a '50 Champion that was too far gone. The Stude's viable bits were available for sale, so I picked up a wiper knob and a Studebaker Philco Model S-5123 radio in non-working order. I plan to bring the radio to Ray's Auto Stereo in Sacramento, CA to see if they can revive the classic radio. Ray's specializes in 1930s and later classic radio restoration and repair.

If there's no way to bring the radio back to life, I'm going to strip out its innards and install an amp, speaker and MP3 jack - maintaining the original aesthetic while updating the radio for conventional use.































Photos from The Village Peddler of Hixton LLC.

1950 9G Studebaker Champion DeLuxe Four Door

Thanks to the fellas over at the Studebaker discussion board on Google Groups for helping me to determine that my Champion is a DeLuxe four door.

The defining characteristic of the "Regal DeLuxe" is the 1/2" chrome around the side windows, which we have, so there is still some confusion. 

The hold-hold clutch, heater, overdrive and radio were options on all models, the Custom, Regal and DeLuxe.

Visit the Google Groups Studebaker discussion board.

Find out your Studebaker Model name at How It Works.

Replica Radio for the 1950 Studebaker Champion

Quick request: I've located a lot of non-working speaker/radio combos for the 1950 Studebaker Champion, but what I'm looking for is a replica or model radio that is close in appearance to the original Champion radio.

If you have any references, I would appreciate an email at jason [at] jasonmichaels [dot] com.