Black Plates Redux in California, for a Fee

Will you get reproduction California black plates?

"State Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill allowing for the return of those plate styles. If the Department of Motor Vehicles receives 7,500 pre-orders between January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 for the vintage replica plates, it will begin issuing them for any vehicle for a personalized plate fee of $50. If fewer than 7,500 pre-orders are received in that two-year span, those who submitted $50 payments will have their money refunded. According to the Los Angeles Times, if the program goes through, buyers of the plates will also have to spend a further $40 every time they renew their registrations."

Read the full article.

Reader Profile: 1956 Studebaker Sky Hawk

Thanks to Studebaker Guide reader, P.L., for sending me this great write up and photograph of his beautiful '56 Studebaker Sky Hawk.

"My 1956 Studebaker Sky Hawk is only one of 66 remaining registered un the US of the original 3,050 built. It has the rebuilt Studie 289 4-barrel engine with the B/W Flight-O-Matic 3-speed automatic. This is a numbers-matching car which is totally original/restored, or has authenitc replacement parts. The restoration was completed here on Long Island, NY in 2009, and since has been meticulously maintained by me, and repaired and upgraded by classic car mechanical and body specialists in Southampton, LI. It is a multiple AACA and other club award winner, and has been profiled in Old Cars Weekly, Newsday, and Turning Wheels magazine."

Thanks again, P.L.!

3R Truck on the Cover

We made the cover of Hawk Talks!

Read all about it here.

50 Studebakers Destroyed In Fire

North Carolina:

"50 Studebakers and several other classic cars were obliterated when a garage caught fire earlier this week ..."

See the full video.

New Karel Staple Chapter Website

The Karel Staple Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club has a new website. Check out the newsletter and calendar of events, and feel free to join us anytime.

Questions? Just fill out the short form on the home page. http://www.hawktalks.com

Studebaker Seat Cover - 3R Studebaker

We're pondering the following seat cover combination for the 3R Studebaker pickup. The top, center panel, and sides would be buckskin and the seat/back panels would be turquoise. Let me know what you think.

Windows in Route

Every window, with the exception of the windshield, was shot out by some punk with a BB gun. Well, good news. My back and door windows shipped today, which means every part I need to restore the Studebaker interior is on its way to me via USPS, FedEx, and UPS.

I ordered my glass from Classic Flat Glass in Placerville, CA. They're a great organization and pack the glass exceptionally well.

Let's hope the back window makes it through in one piece.

Daily Driver - Studebaker 3R Update

The Studebaker 3R is officially a daily driver. Porter Sprague installed the new master cylinder and voltage regulator, so I have brakes as well as the ability to drive with the headlights on. Woohoo!

I fixed the Harrison firewall heater myself, so I no longer see my breath while driving to work on very cold mornings.

In the beautification department, the windows are being cut and the seat cover fabric swatches are due to arrive any day. So, Truck 2.0 will have a new rubber floor mat (ordered), a new seat cover (thinking turquoise and buckskin), new windows, and a cleaner, brighter interior paint job. My Dad and I plan to scrape the floorboards and then Rustoleum the hidden bits; the same thing we did to "Doc" (the 1950 Studebaker Champion) before he got his interior.

Under the hood, the Truck will soon receive a thorough power wash thanks to a referral we picked up at the Studebaker meetup this past weekend. So, goodbye gunk and hello shiny engine and undercarriage.

The dent in the roof is the only ding that bugs me, so I might try to have it popped up without undergoing any paint or real body work.

Studebaker Delivery Truck

My wife, Sarah, is an interior decorator in Sacramento, CA.

Thanks to a friend at Silk Screen Ink, our 3R has magnets that advertise her business when we're making furniture deliveries. Check out the pics below.

Click here to visit the Sarah Michaels Interiors website.