1950 Studebaker Commander - Cuba

Many of America's classic cars have found a second life in Cuba. While complete restoration is not typical, you'll find 1950s icons roaming the streets and alleys of Havana.

The Studebaker Commander below is in terrible shape, but there's a 1950 Chevy convertible that looks mighty fine; see the June 29th blog post.

See a 1950 Studebaker Commander at Cuban Car Lovers.

Studebaker Brothers Company - 800 L Street - Sacramento - CA

Below is a photograph of the Studebaker Brothers Company of California building, once located at 800 L Street, Sacramento, CA.

Image title: Studebaker Bros.
Creator: McCurry
Year: ca. 1912

View the full-size image of the Studebaker Brothers Company of California building.

Jay Leno's Garage - 1950 Studebaker Champion

It’s a documented fact that I have an unhealthy obsession with our Studebaker. And aside from the joy that the car has brought my Dad and me, "Doc" has introduced me to a bunch of really fine people. It’s been great fun to connect with, trade information with, and help out (and be helped by) other Studebaker owners.

I was really pleased to see this post about “Doc” on Jay Leno’s website. Thanks to “Daymo Johnnie” for the post.

"There was a time when I thought not too much of cars like this but now, in the gray and saggy years, they look pretty good and take me back to what my dad used to put me into to go places in. I like to see good restorations and appropriate custom hot rods done from them and this restoration looks first class and gets a really deep nod. My dad has moved on but while yours is still here, get into that beauty, cruise out for a brew or burger and keep on being buddies through the car and in other ways. Thanks for the look-see at your gem and we’ll see you down at Clancy’s."

See our page on Jay Leno's website.

Studebaker Suicide Knob - Brody Knob - Brodie Knob

I'm not sure that I'll ever use a Brody Knob, also known as a "Suicide Knob" and alternately spelled "Brodie," but they look so damn cool.

A bit of history on Brodie Knobs:

"Brodie Knobs were widely popularized, especially on the West Coast of the U.S., during the 1950s. The knob was used to spin the steering wheel, rapidly in one direction or the other, while accelerating, to cause the tire(s) to spin. Hence, come the terms "lay a brodie" and "Slob the knob". In the 1950s and '60s a person could choose from a large variety of "Brodie Knobs", with every conceivable theme, from "Candy Apple colored", "Product Logos", to "nude women," and everything in between, some automobile dealerships even used them for advertisements. They were very useful during a period of auto manufacturing, when power steering was truly a luxury." Source: Wikipedia

See a selection of Studebaker Brody Suicide Knobs here.

Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station - 1955 Studebaker Champion

Here's a great article and even better photographs from the Racine, Wisconsin Journal Times about Frank Lloyd Wright's Gas Station design.

"The service station features a dramatic thirty-foot cantilevered, copper-covered canopy that projects north past the second floor lounge, or waiting room, and the bathrooms that are over the office. The lounge is glass-enclosed on three sides. There are skylights in the garage. Building codes precluded Wright from adding the overhead gas lines featured in his original concept. Wright had wanted motorists to be able to drive without having to navigate around conventional fuel pumps."

Read the full article on the Racine, Wisconsin Journal Times.

































photographs © Mark Hertzberg

Studebaker Headliner Installation

As with any project, there are many roads to completion. Below is a link to a great Studebaker Drivers Club Forum thread about installing a new headliner. There are some good techniques and products noted for this tricky task.

View this conversation about headliner installation on the Studebaker Drivers Club Forum.

1951 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe Restoration

I stumbled upon a well-documented restoration of a 1951 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe. This article is a great reference from those doing a frame-off or in-situ/frame-on restoration. The restorer/owner did a great job of providing plenty of pictures; simply click on each section in the article to view the images.

Details:
1951 Champion Business Coupe
Model: 10G-Q4 #1219 of 2429 Vin: G1050198

"The roof area was covered with an aluminized bubble wrap like material with about 1/4" thickness. This was glued to the roof with 3M 777 Spray Adhesive. For the headliner fabric, I went with a cool grey vinyl instead of cloth. It will last longer and be easier to clean than a fabric."

Click here to see the final Studebaker restoration.

Click here to read the full article.

Sun Visor - 1950 Studebaker Champion - Sun Shield

I've been searching for a Fulton Sun Visor for my 1950 Studebaker Champion, but I'm at a loss to find one for sale that is in decent condition.

An alternative is a reproduction sun visor from Big Jim's of Whitney, Texas. Big Jim's sells a Studebaker one-piece visor with brackets and a chrome front trim for $249.

View the Studebaker sun visor at Big Jim's online.

If you have a sun visor/sun shield, you might find yourself strained to see traffic signals. The solution is a traffic light viewer or prism that can be mounted to the dashboard of your Studebaker.

View a traffic light viewer.

1950 Studebaker Land Cruiser - Regal DeLuxe

I am fanatical about scouring the Web for reference materials/images in preparation for restoring our Studebaker's interior. Old Car and Truck Pictures has some excellent scans of Studebaker advertisements from the 1950s.

The scan below shows the upholstery pattern and trim designs for the 1950 Studebaker Land Cruiser Regal DeLuxe.

See more Studebaker Brochures at Old Car and Truck Pictures.

Bendix Woods - Studebaker - Sign - Trees

"The name Bendix Woods originates from the Bendix Corporation, which donated the land to the county for the creation of a park. The park's historical significance, however, dates to its establishment by the Studebaker Corporation, formerly of nearby South Bend, Indiana as the first model test facility for an American automobile company.

Studebaker developed the 840 acres of land in 1926 as the first ever controlled automotive testing grounds for their product lines. Studebaker heavily promoted the grounds as a "Million Dollar Outdoor Testing Laboratory" in advertisements.

The test track that ran through the grounds simulated a variety of terrains and road conditions. Studebaker landscaped the park by keeping natural features; in 1937 the company planted more than 5,000 pine trees in a pattern that when viewed from a plane spelled STUDEBAKER."

See more about this article at Wikipedia.

Are You in Studebaker Country?

Google released Google Insights, a statistics package that shows search requests (searches) for particular categories and topics.

Top 10 state populations searching for Studebaker:

1. Indiana
2. Idaho
3. Oregon
4. Nebraska
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. Iowa
8. Kansas
9. Ohio
10. Kentucky

Top 10 city populations searching for Studebaker:

1. South Bend
2. Portland
3. Phoenix
4. Seattle
5. Chicago
6. Los Angeles
7. Minneapolis
8. Denver
9. Tampa
10. Atlanta

And what are folks searching for?

1. studebaker hawk
2. studebaker for sale
3. studebaker truck
4. studebaker car
5. studebaker parts
6. studebaker cars
7. avanti studebaker
8. avanti
9. studebaker lark
10. studebaker club
...
#12 "1950 Studebaker" and #16... of course, the venerated "Studebaker Champion!"

View Google Insights statistics about Studebaker here. Or, see the chart below (click to enlarge).

1955 Studebaker Commander - For Sale

Wow. Check out this beauty. A "1955 Studebaker fully restored. One year only model. Beautiful condition. Under 60,000 original miles. Call Mike for details. 805-260-2260. $13,000"

For more pictures of this 1955 Studebaker Commander.

Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk

2Modern.com commented on the 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk and linked to the following resources.

A brief history of the 1962-1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk.

A history of the Studebaker Corporation.

Image: Canadian driver dot com

Electric Fuel Pump - Exterior Mount - Inline

Doc's electric fuel pump is toast. I'm a father of two with a limited amount of free time to drive my Studebaker, so the dead fuel pump was a real disappointment last weekend. Doc will return tomorrow with a new exterior-mounted inline fuel pump - ready for a weekend cruise.

I can’t say if a hydraulic fuel pump outperforms an electric version, but I do know that NOS Studebaker hydraulic fuel pumps are available for around $80. A new electric fuel pump from NAPA auto parts cost either $63 or $163; there are two models.

Until the next drive.™