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Four door 6 cylinder Larks don't command much value when they look good and are ready to drive. And if you have one (or any old car for Sunday drives), you'll have plenty of work to do on it anyway, just to keep it in shape and ready to go. Studebaker made some wonderful cars. Do a little research before settling on whatever Studebaker you might like to have. Then buy the BEST condition car you can afford...especially if you are not a seasoned restorer with several succesful (completed) restorations under your belt. And become a regular on this forum. We all love to correspond with folks who like old cars... ANY old cars. You'll be very welcome. 🙂

The most intriguing "clue" I see in the original photos is interesting way the headlights are mounted directly to the side of the radiator shell, instead of the more-common headlight bar attached to fenders. Is that a REO Speedwagon thing, maybe?

Mr 55er is pretty darn sharp on parts from the 1950's and early 60's. Tip o' the hat to you, sir!

It's cool. Strange and weird...but cool. But like you, I doubt that it was intended for mounting on an automobile.

Thanks for that info on the descriptive name, 28 Chrysler. Never knew that.

Wow, fabulous find!!

LOVE that dragon-head horn!

How would one find out more about going there, or seriously checking out a car or two?

Sad news. I knew Bob from my years handling the advertising and marketing services for many of the major businesses in the old car hobby. Bob and I spoke often in those days. Prayers for his family and friends.

Very cool. Thanks so much for the photos!

When I was a young teenager in love with antique cars, hot rods, auto racing, etc, I BEGGED my dad to teach auto mechanics to me. He had little patience for a kid who didn't even know what the "valve covers" were on our family car (ask me how I know!) 😒 Dad was a widely-respected mechanically-minded person, who could figure out and repair just about anything he attempted. But he had little patience for a silly, ignorant kid who just loved cars. Eventually Mom nagged him enough to allow me to go with him to the garage and learn about cars, but he demanded that I first read and study some VERY old automotive books, such as DYKE'S MANUALS, the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING series, KUNS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE, THE GAS ENGINE by Hutton, etc, etc. He refused to allow me into his shop before I would at least learn the BASICS on my own. So I poured through his personal library and tried to learn enough that he would accept me as an "apprentice" of automotive repairs. I used to stand before him in our living room, and recite facts which I had learned from all that reading. Then he would correct me and send me back upstairs to my room to learn more. There are many other related stories, but to stay on topic I'll relate this fact: One question he hit me with was something about the difference between a "motor" and an "engine." Dad rejected my answer, because he firmly believed that an electric powerplant was a "motor," and an internal combustion powerplant was an "engine." But I dared to disagree, and he angrily ordered me to my room to find the books from his library and show him the info I had based my answer upon. I came back downstairs timidly, carrying one or more books in hand. And in more than one of my Dad's ancient automotive books that day I was able to show him definitions which read something to the effect of: "A device which generates power is an "ENGINE." Whenever an engine is installed in any sort of vehicle which provides motion, it then becomes a 'MOTOR.'" Dad was stunned. And soon after, he began taking me with him to the garage, and allowed me to help him work on our antique car, and to help with maintenance on family cars.

Conversely, my wife and I bought a low-mileage used Chevy Citation from a GM exec, here in the Dayton Ohio area. After we had bought it, we began to hear the constant rumors about how horrible of a car it was. Yet we drove that little V6-powered 2 door hatchback car for several years, and almost 200,000 miles. It was peppy, fun to drive, practical, and reliable. Other than lubricants, antifreeze, brakes, and tires, the only thing we ever replaced on that car was the "dog-bone" style motor mount which attached to the chassis up near the hood latch. I wish every car we have ever owned were as reliable and practical as that Citation was. Interestingly, this car was way peppier and overall faster than that 400 cu in Trans Am I mentioned above.

1976 Pontiac Trans Am, hands down. Black with gold "flaming chicken" graphics, etc. 400 four barrel with 400 turbo automatic. Was easily outrun by various Toro riding mowers in the neighborhood. Positraction rear end went wonky every 90 days or so, and was rebuilt under warranty 3 times by the dealership inside of one year. The only thing that saved my investment in that POS was that the SMOKY & THE BANDIT movie which came out that year. Then everyone was wanting to buy my car. I soon allowed someone to "beg and plead" with me until I sold it to them. Whew! Dodged a bullet on that one!

You'll think of him every time you drive or work on that Hupp. I know that my Hupp keeps me thinking of my dad, and I lost him 45+ years ago. Offering warm wishes and sincere condolences.

I can't help but chuckle a bit about some of this. My 2014 Silverado has 220,000 miles, although it still looks quite sharp, very good bright red paint, nice interior, loaded with options. I recently added a used heavy duty pickup to my fleet for hauling heavy trailers, and an acquaintance assumed I would be selling the Silverado. He came over and checked it out, and offered me $15,000. I declined, as I still like the truck, and it's WAY better on fuel than the diesel I just bought. And in our local market, trucks have to be pretty rough to be sold under 10 grand. As someone said above, the natural free market always resolves overpricing issues. I try not to be bothered much by such things. Cheers!

Dodge Brothers.

Ovalrace, can you show us a pic of the lenses you need? I have a few among my stash, but wouldn't know that particular pair of lenses even if I saw them on the desk in front of me. And, I do hope you find them.

Just had a light-hearted memory from my childhood in the 1960's. Our family usually preferred Chevrolet cars, and in the late 1960's, Chevy started eliminating the wing windows (or vent windows, if you prefer). I can clearly recall my dad grumbling about it, and saying, "They're eliminating cozy wings, just so they can force you to buy air conditioning on newer cars!" I guess it has long been true that manufacturers stop supporting old technology in their products... For what it's worth, my parents were mid-level blue collar single-paycheck...but never owned a brand new car.

JH Boland, As a person who has sometimes been interested in genealogy, I think those photos that your grandmother took are an amazing treasure for your family! How very fortunate for you. Congrats!

Wow, look at the headlight lenses on that first car. Looks like frosted glass with holes in the center? Perhaps it was an attempt to focus the beams for a smaller, more intense illumination?

My first driving experience was in a St Patrick's Day Antique Car Parade in Middletown, Ohio, in 1957. I was 3-1/2 years old. My Dad had built a little gas-powered car for me from lawn mower parts. He lined me up behind a white-painted brass-era touring car, and told me to stay right behind it, and to maintain the distance. "Stop when he stops, and go when he goes. Stay exactly this far away from that white car," he instructed. It seemed simple to me, but Dad worried the whole time. He walked the entire parade route on the sidewalk, keeping pace behind the crowds who were at the curb. Thankfully, I made no mistakes. Years later, I was honored to be voted in to the SEMA Hall of Fame, in 2004. Unbeknownst to me, they had asked my wife for early photos of me with cars, to be shown on the screens at the SEMA show banquet. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that little car that day, pasted on several giant video screens. LOL And you're right...you NEVER forget your first driving experience!

Steamer.... I cheer your efforts to find your grandfather's tow truck. Very cool idea. In my life I have often tried to find many formerly-owned cars, for myself and other people. I even wrote magazine articles about searches like this. My experience taught me several things. One thing is to consider the TYPE of usage a vehicle had. A tow truck in a small shop would be worked hard...very hard, for as long as it held up. Rarely do vehicles like that survive a long time. Moreover, if they DID survive, the likelihood is strong that they would have been upgraded and improved, as parts wore out. For example, old manual towing booms were often replaced by newer units, engines wore out and were replaced, etc. With the above thoughts in mind, I would suggest that you may consider having a "Plan A," and a "Plan B." So, go ahead and try everything you can to find your grandfather's truck. But keep in my that realistically you probably won't find it...at least not intact. So your B plan could be to find a very similar unit such as the one Pkhammer suggested above, and then paint it and make other changes as necessary, to recreate the truck in your photo. You would likely be many thousands of dollars and several years ahead with that strategy...in my opinion. Either way, best of luck to you.

Very pretty car. Just FYI, it is not a Nomad, and never was. This was a 2-door Handyman wagon. The 55-57 Chevy Nomad wagons were quite different from the 2-door wagons. The B and C pillars were slanted sharply forward at the top, and the roof had ribs stamped into it. The entire car was designed to suggest forward motion. The 2-door Handyman wagon is also a very cool and attractive car, but the side roof pillars are nearly vertical, and the roof is longer, so that the rear section of the roof remains more "square" with the body. Nice car, but not a Nomad. Enjoy! EDIT: I've added a photo of a 1956 Nomad here, so you can see the differences, as I explained above.

My mother grew up on a farm, and had her own horse for much of her younger years. She often observed that life was not very nice for horses in the early years. Most were merely hardworking "machines" made of flesh and blood, which were constantly overworked and only kept around for as long as they were more useful than the cost of their feed. She told of folks flogging horses again and again to get them to work beyond their capacity...sometimes until the horses died on the spot. Mom always believed that modern machines for transportation and other work were the best things which ever happened to horses. Oh, and she would get furious watching chase scenes in old western movies...with heroes chasing badmen at full gallop, seemingly for miles and miles and miles (while Dad grumbled about how many times they fired those old 6-shooters without reloading). As a kid, I just enjoyed the movies. LOL

Good for you, jbdelong. I would recommend being a bit flexible on your price, so that someone will indeed buy it. With holes rusted through, and all trim a little rough, it will still have value to someone. But whenever I want to sell something like this which is big and bulky and heavy and dirty/rusty...with lots of sharp edges for cutting fingers, etc...I am happiest when someone pays me for it, and it gets loaded up and driven away. Other folks prefer to keep it for years and years, trying for someone who will pay beyond top dollar. It's your stuff, do it your way. But me? I would want them gone.