Studebaker Seen on American Pickers - Restoration

A great little article about the Studebaker Champion featured on the TV show "American Pickers", and how the car will get a 'rodded restoration' by Holler's Hot Rods in Independence.

See the full article on Examiner.net.

1953 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe

I'm not a rodder, but this is a fine car.

"The cream-colored engine compartment sets off a small-block Chevy decked out in dark green. Gary got a deal on the seasoned, Quadrajet-fed 350, and then made it even better with block-hugger headers, Olds Rocket valve covers, and tasteful detailing. A Speedway Motors aluminum radiator and electric fan keep things cool. Heartland Transmissions in Kearney rebuilt the GM 200-4R overdrive automatic."

Read the full article on Rod & Custom dot com.

Studebaker Champion Overheating

You've got to have a passion for cars in order to own a 59 year-old automobile, because when things break, and they will ...

you might as well rip out your heart, stomp on it a few times, and stick it back in your chest haphazardly. Then, withdraw thousands of dollars from the bank and flush them down the toilet. But ...

when your classic car is repaired - and purrs - you suddenly forget about the heartache, the money, and the frustration. Your heart beats back to life and your brain falls in love all over again with the hulking mishmash of parts and toxic fluids.

Today, my heart is still on the floor. My Stude is a pint low and in need of a fluorescent green transfusion. There's a wound on the radiator that needs cauterizing and a quadruple bypass in the repair plan. I can tell you what's not the cause of the escalating heat issue:

- Thermostat (replaced)
- Rust in the engine block
- Water pump impeller (pump OK)
- Radiator cap (right size)
- Gas in the crankcase (I pray not)

Yes, it's just a car, but it's my Studebaker. Until next drive.