1933 ?? 1934 ?? Studebaker Dictator help wanted

[Guest imported_brian j]

Hi. Brian here. I recently purchased a Studebaker 4 door car that had no title. The owner said he wasn't sure if it is a 1933 or 1934. I looked up what i could find on a internet search and am still not sure. I'm going to apply for title and need to be sure so i don't have problems. Where is the VIN (SERIAL #)located? Is the car # supposed to match the engine number? To make things even more confusing i found a web page that says there is a mid-year 1934 that came out in 1933???? If that makes any sense. Here are some identifying features. It has artillery wheels. It is a slant back with the spare mounted on the back. It has vertical louvers on the hood, like a 1933 Ford. It has a center mounted guage cluster thats "squarish". Any help identifying this car would be greatly appreciated. Regards.

[Guest Good Old Days]

A picture would help!

[Guest imported_brian j]

Hi. Brian here again. Looking further i have determined that my car is indeed a 1934 Studebaker Dictator. I'll be sending pics soon. I still haven't found the location of the serial,or vin number. The engine does not match the info i found on Studebaker Dictators of 1934. The website states the engine # should be DS-101+??. My engine number is DSI-XXX It looks like a low number. The 6 cylinder engine has an aluminum head that has a raised "BONHALITE" on it.

[Guest Good Old Days]

Hi Brian,

I have a 1928 President and it's serial number is under the left front fender (above front axle behind the left wheel).

Yours must be there as well. Serial numbers are from 5158151 and up for your model.

Engine number is on the right side of the block, DS101 and up.

If you have a DS number it means that you have a model Special A, also called the 'Year Ahead' series.

If so, you have vacuum operated power brakes.

You got a very nice car from a beautifull era!

Good luck with your numbers.

Hope I helped you out a bit.

Carine

[Guest imported_brian j]

Hi. Brian here again. Thanks much for the info. Could you be more specific on the serial numbers. Is it on the side of the frame or top of the frame, underneath the fender flange such as a Ford model A would have. There is a shock absorber mounted on the side of the frame, just slightly to the rear of the front axle. Where would it be in relation to that part? Also my engine numbers are not DS-101 and up. They are DSI-XXX......with a definate letter "I" , not a "1". I don't know what kind of brakes it has....they appear to be mechanical with flex sheath covered cables. Again thanks for the FYI. Regards.

[rbk]

Brian

Does the engine turn over?

These aluminum head were a pain.

If you want to remove the head,make sure you

get some advice from experts.

The aluminum swells up from corrosion around the head studs.

There are special holesaw like cutters that cut the corrosion from around the stud and then you can lift the head off.

The engine in that car was first used in the Rockne.

They had a bad habit of cracking the block.

Look at the outline of the cylinders on the drivers side of the block.

In the middle of the second cylinder from the firewall you will often find a crack.

Most of the engines from that era were replaced with the updated version

used in 1936 and later.

The 1936 and later six cylinder engines had sheet copper water manifolds in the block to distribute the coolant in the block.

1934 and 1935 cars had a very low production.

Bob K.

[Guest imported_brian j]

Hi. Brian here again. This just keeps getting more interesting by the day. The aluminum head appears to be in good condition; i haven't tried to turn it over yet. By the clues i've been given the last problem with the motor appears to be an ignition problem....the distributor cap is off and disconnected from the wires.....everything else remains in place. I could see no cracks on the side of the block. Interestingly there are not head "studs", but head bolts instead. The block on the driver side is somewhat slab sided cast iron with a short distance of "cylinder bumps" ending at the block base. The passenger side has an updraft stromberg carburetor. The intake/exhaust manifolds mostly cover what appears to be a sheet metal tappet cover. So the mystery deepens...... What engine do i have? It sure looks kosher and original with everything hooked up properly. Thanks for the help. This is kinda fun. Regards

[Guest Good Old Days]

Show you some pics to locate your serial number.

This is a 1928 Dictator without body yet.

About your engine number, the DSI is DS1 I think, numbers are not always very clear to us!

Good luck.

Carine

[Guest imported_brian j]

Hi. Brian here again. Thanks again for the pics. After having been frustrated trying to locate the serial number(not finding it on the front frame area), i decided to search the internet for someone who had restored a 34'. I found a person with a phone number available and made a call. He was very helpful,with much experience with the variations of this year. To make a long story short the most common place is on the frame rail behind the front driver side wheel. BUT......there are other places they have been known to be found, as tags, and stampings. The tags are sometimes rectangular,and sometimes a "strip" . After finding no sign that a tag ever existed on the front frame rail(i found no tag, or holes where a tag would have been attached), i checked the frame at the rear of the car, as i was advised there may be a frame stamping there. with some careful sanding i located a number on the bottom of the last frame crossmember at the rear of the car, just slightly to the driver side of center, on the BOTTOM of the frame crossmember. Fantastic!!! It stands out nicely and is not faint. The number came to be 516xxxx which put it at around the 2000 mark for cars produced in 34' Now i can get it titled properly and go to work on it! I also found out that the engine number i thought was DSI(letter I)-xxx is really DS-xxxx. The fellow told me the Studebaker "1" looks much like a roman numeral or the letter"I". Mystery solved! Thanks very much for all the help. Without your input i would be in tough shape with this. Regards

[brownie]

Hi Brian

Have 2 34 stude's both dictators , vericial bonnet vents or I think you guys might call it a hood, means it is not a year ahead ( came out mid 1934 ) the vents on these are horizontal. Down this part of the world all the 6 cylinder heads are cast not alloy. both our vehicles have a serial plate screwed onto the outside chassis rail behind the front wheel as the photo's show above. Would love to see a photo of your vehicle

keep Studebakering

Geoff

[Guest Good Old Days]

So you see Brian, we are never to old to learn!

I just tried to help you out, but now I know in 34 they changed as easy as they did in the twenties, the use of an older frame with a newer body is no exception!

I'm glad you found it with help of another Studebaker lover!

Great!

But still like te see some photos anyway, makes it much easier to identify!

Happy motoring

Carine

[rbk]

If you can see cylinder bumps on the drivers side (LHC) of the engine

you have the original engine!!

Bob.

[brownie]

Hi there, have just been reading my stude book and it appears from that, that it could be a commander and perhaps not a dictator, is it a 6 cyl?. did you manage to check out the chassis number ?? I domhave a parts book that has the numbers if that is any help. Geoff

[Bart55]

Anyone out there in Studebaker land know where I can find the vehicle number on my 1934 Dictator 4 door?  I looked at the left front frame rail, where I see in the posts above describe that the ID plate should be located, didn't see any evidence of anything previously attached there.  I also looked on the rear frame rail cross members but no joy. I have looked all along the bottom and outside the frame rails on both sides of the car and found nothing. The body is on the frame, would the ID number be stamped on the top of the frame rail and to see it I have to remove the body?  I too am trying to get it registered as there is no title, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Jack

 

[Bart55]

Gents,

 

I have attached a few pictures of the engine and the only body number I can find. Is the tag with the "AW" number the vehicle number?  I included the engine number as I read in previous posts dos not align with the "DSI" numbers of the 1934 Dictator. I am curious if anyone can identify these numbers? I am trying to acquire a title before I start a body off restoration.

 

Thanks

Jack

[studeq]

First the engine number that is STAMPED IN the block D18542 is the engine number for this 1934 Dictator model A . The range for that series was D-101 to D-37500. NOTE: The letter "I" at the beginning is what Studebaker used for the numeral 1. The raised series of letters/numerals i.e. N-4-3 is the foundry date code. The N is for year 1934, the 4 is the month, April and the 3 means the third day. Therefore the block was cast in the foundry on April 3, 1934. The 180589-1 is simply the casting number for this series of six cylinder blocks. The body number off the firewall AW-3 5626 provides the model and body style. The A is the model (1934 Dictator), the W-3 is the body style, 4-door custom sedan with rear mounted spare tire. The 5626 indicates that this particular body was the 5,626th model AW-3 built at Studebaker's body plant.

 

The actual serial number was on an aluminum plate attached to the frame under the driver's side front fender. The serial range was 5145001 to 5211500

 

If that serial plate is missing you can probably find the "secret" serial number stamped into the lower flange of the frame just about where you would enter the drivers side door. Vigorous wire brushing will bring it out.You do not have to remove anything from the car to access this number. Just lie underneath and wire brush like hell.

Edited November 9, 2016 by studeq (see edit history)