1930 Erskine Parts Needed

[Kelch Museum]

Hi All,

 

New member of the Antique Studebaker Club here. I work for an aviation museum in southern Wisconsin and we've had a 1930 Studebaker Erskine for probably 25 years, but nothing has ever been done to it mechanically. As we are gearing up to make our museum open to the public, I am getting our cars in a state of good repair. I nursed the Erskine to the local vintage shop and they said it is in need of the following:

 

Clutch pressure plate
Brake linings
Fuel tank and mounting straps

 

Other than that, it runs fine and drives reasonably well. We have no intention of restoring it, just want it drivable.

 

Can you folks point m in the right direction to find the parts listed above?  Thanks very much!

 

Pat

[1927Chevy]

keep as is, you get my vote, i am sure pressure plate is available, brakes you have to install lining fuel tank do the eastwood thing

[nzcarnerd]

Same car as a Studebaker Model 53 and quite rare. My understanding is that the Erskine name was dropped in mid 1930 and any remaining unsold cars in stock had their Erskine badges replaced with Studebaker badges. 

 

An acquaintance of mine here in NZ has a right hand drive two door sedan which is probably the only survivor in that specification.

 

You will probably find a modern clutch pressure plate that fits it. Yes, brake linings should be done by a competent brake shop. There is plenty of info on line about how to set the brakes up. I will try to find my file on that.

[nzcarnerd]

I think this is the setup for your brakes - http://dmacweb.com/tech/brakes/bendix/BENDIX.htm - home page here   -   http://dmacweb.com/ - in case you have different brakes which may be shared with a Durant product.

Edited August 2, 2016 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[Kelch Museum]

Thank you all very much for the information, especially on the brakes. Any thoughts on a proper clutch pressure plate? Are there vendors selling this stuff by part number or is it a "research the size and find your own" type of thing?

 

Here is a short video of our Erskine driving back from the shop last week. We took a grass farm road to avoid a major state highway.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2016 by Kelch Museum (see edit history)

[Kelch Museum]

HI All,

 

I was able to find all the parts listed above, but now am looking for the felt seals on the real axle. I've shopped several bearing joints in the area and nobody has been able to find a part number or find a shop that can make the seals. Looking for recommendations on where to get these make.

 

Thanks much!

[Gary_Ash]

You can get the drawings for the felt seals with all the dimensions and felt specs from the Studebaker National Museum archives using the original part number.  In many cases, these will be items that were standard SAE dimension felts.  Sometimes, they are still available from commercial bearing suppliers - if you know the SAE number.   If not, with the dimensions in hand, you can make some simple tools to cut them or have a felt supplier make them.  The seals are made from #1 or #2 grade felt, available from McMaster-Carr or MSC in various thicknesses. 

 

I've made felt seal cutters from steel exhaust tube adapters, copper plumbing fittings, and bits of aluminum bar.  As long as you get a good sharp edge, as cut in a lathe, you can use a small hydraulic shop press to cut out the donuts you needs.  Even a fly cutting bit in a drill press can be used to slice the felt sheet accurately.

  

[Kelch Museum]

Gary_Ash, Thanks very much for the response. We discussed making our own seals but weren't sure how to do a precise cut. This looks fairly easy. Appreciate the photo as well.