Buffalowed Bill

John, I have tried, unsuccessfully, to get names of addresses of members in the Pacific NW and Washington State specially. My intent was to find out whether there was enough interest in starting a new chapter. I was directed to an individual who was a board member in charge of the western US, who was from Wisconsin. I guess that it really doesn't matter where a board member lives but I don't think of Wisconsin when I think of the West. The upshot was that I was stonewalled regarding the address information. Thinking that it was some kind of identity security issue, I bagged the whole thing. In reading your post I see that you have somehow been able to achieve something that I was unable to do after a month of trying. How did you manage it? There is no active chapter within eight hundred miles of Seattle and it is much farther for people in British Columbia, Alberta and Alaska, but the region that has no active club is huge, and includes the states of Washington, Idaho, western Montana and Oregon, in addition to western Canada and Alaska, which I previously mentioned. I like you thought that the AACA would jump at the chance of getting a foothold in the PNW, but the responses that I got were mystifying. No we are not in one of those "less car-happy areas," but you would think that we were in Timbuktu for the response I got.

Jack, Not trying to contradict your "registered letter trick," but don't you mean Certified letter? Registered mail is used for mailing valuables like jewelry or cash. Certified mail verifies that the piece was delivered and with a return receipt request, the PO will return a small postcard sized mailpiece signed by the recipient. In case of the recipients moving the First Class mail piece will be forwarded and delivered but in this case there will be no update provided of the new address. As an aside, the PO provides a service available to all First Class mailers, the ability to receive the new address of someone who has moved. For the price of the first class letter, with type written wording "Address Service Requested" placed under your return address on the mail piece, with a small space between the return address and the endorsement. That mailpiece will be forwarded to the addressee, and a form 3547 will be returned to you with the new address affixed to it. In order for this to work the addressee must have filed a change of address with the PO, and the Address Service Requested must say exactly that and be typewritten on the mail piece. There is an incidental charge for the service but well worth the price! This service is most often used by the large mailers of identical mail pieces, so they can updated their mailing lists. I don't have a typewriter so I have used a copy machine to make a copy of the service endorsement "Address Service Requested," or you could even make a copy of this, cut it out and tape it to the mailpiece. Take a minute to think about how this service can help find someone whom you had lost track.

Joe, I agree that most regulators of the type you have work on the same principle. Years ago I had several cars that had regulators that operated poorly, much the same way yours do now. After some thought I finally decided that it was probably a combination of rust and congealed grease and dirt. The question for me was whether there anything that I could do about the problem without having to replace or tearing them down and rebuilding them. As an experiment I took a similar regulator that was so stove up that it wouldn't even move (for me it would have been a virtual through away part) mounted it in a vise with the inside handle stub facing up, Now I could attach the window crank so it wouldn't fall off, but it was loose so I could take it off when I wanted to. Using WD 40, I filled the gear housing, and let it sit with a catch basin under it (it does make a mess). I would come back periodically to apply a little back and forth pressure and add more WD. After some time I began to move slightly and within several hours it would move it's whole travel distance without binding up. Continuing to run it through it's full travel over and over again resulted in a regulator that almost like new. A shot of white grease and I was finished with the experiment. Now that I knew that it would work I wondered if I could do the same without removing the regulator from the car. After removing the door panels and using WD 40 from with a wand attached I was able to achieve the same success rate. Thirty five years later and all of the regulators are still operational.

We in the state of Washington have had YOM for many years, I know of no heavy handed interference by any police agency. I think that problems of misuse of your collector car would be of more interest to your insurance company.

Found picture of yard in Caldwell? B and T Salvage, a great place to spend a couple of hours as their junk yard dog, Dusty, an instant friend, accompanies you!

I agree that Montana is among the best places to get good pot metal pieces, but southern Idaho shares that distinction. Two of my favorites are Jim Hinz (spelling) place in Mountain Home Id,. Vintage automotive, Mountain Home Id., 83647 . Jim is one of the nicest guys that I know. jim@jimsvintag@wtomotive.com 208 587 3743 There are a good number of old car wrecking yards around Napa, Caldwell, Meridian, Boise and Mountain Home. The names escape me but you should be able to find them kind of lined up along I-84. Also a big lot in Helena Mt., Again can't remember the name. Hope it's still there, rumor has it that there was a pending sale and demise was eminent. There had been another yard that met the same end several years ago. I have seen chrome last for years in the desert sun, so I don't think is the major cause of deterioration in Southern California. I think that it is more from moisture and air pollution.

My first car no remorse, 1953 Studebaker htp, it was not a very good car! Even though I came from a Studebaker family, had I not been able to by a good friends 1955 Speedster in 1964, the 53 might have been my last Studebaker. Restored the car during the 70's and still have it today, 51 years later! Now that car I would really miss! Do you need the money, if not keep the car. We work our entire lives to be able to have the things that we want, you already have it.

The car is a 1964 which had square headlights and wood grained dash and area around the shifter. The 64 is much more rare the 1963, with only about 800 produced. The 64's were at one time much more sot after then the 63's. Today there is little difference between the two years with condition and options being the most important factors determining the car's value.

We have a 40'x60',finishes and insulated pole building. The floor is concrete with heating tubing installed and a plastic sheeting for a moisture barrier. The building was constructed fourteen years ago and heating tubes were installed but never used. Instead we do have an electric furnace that we use occasionally. Quick temperature swings with high humidity are not generally an issue in our part of the country. The one exception was just before I installed the furnace, and when the temp had been unusually cold, which brought the shop temp down to about 32 degrees, and then the weather warmed very quickly (temp. usually stay around 40-44 degrees without the use of the furnace). I was surprised to walk into the shop on to find all the cars dripping wet from condensation. Several hours of toweling off and strategically placed floor fans, with the shop doors open brought things back to normal. In my humble option a plastic moisture barrier between ground and storage area is almost always essential. I don't know why you couldn't lay 2x4's on top of plastic sheeting with plywood over the top. Seems to me that it would work about as well as concrete, remember concrete is not impervious to moisture. Heat is nice but regardless of whether you have heat or not air circulation, or ventilation if you have no heat, is the second most important storage requirement. Bernie an I are on the same page.-Bill

Is there a reason that the car has to be at least fifty years old? I think that if the brain trust on this form can't come up with something, it means that it really never existed, or so rare that finding one in good shape, or cheap enough will be problematic. Unless my old brain is missing something, which is likely, there really wasn't an affordable production, sports coupe, worthy of note, during the 50's. Affordable is the operative word here: XK 120-150 Mercedes 190 SL-1955-63 Jaguar XKE 1962- Mercedes 230, 250. 280SL 1963- Chevrolet Corvette 1963- MG-Already discussed Opel GT 1968-73 Datsun 240-280Z 1969-

I think what LuxD is referring to are the less loved post 1972-1990 cars. So here are some cars that some on the forum will not like: 1) Any Mustang, excluding the Mustang II 2) 1975-76 Chrysler Cordoba 3) 1983- Ford T-Bird. While the Fox bodied cars were a little cramped, the TB was a styling trend setter, far superior to the boxy cars that GM and Chrysler were trying to sell. 4} Buick Grand National- The Darth Vader look in the fastest car around just works for me! 5) 1970- Datsun 240Z-280Z 6) Jaguar sedans, XJ6, XJ12- SGP (space, grace and pace) for those who have driven one, when it was right, there is nothing more that needs to be said. For folks that never will drive one, it is a combination of a car of unmatched beauty and balanced chassis, with it's independent rear suspension, four wheel disc brakes and 140 MPH capability, with real interior comfort. Jaguar was just simply doing things differently then anyone else was during this era!

Too late or Too far away, maybe. Antique Auto Ranch in Spokane. Haven't been there in some time but an unbelievable assemblage or cars and parts. Grant Lundine, the late owner, was one of the most knowledgeable and accommodating man that I have met in the car hobby. He passed much of the knowledge on to the young family members that I believe now run it.

Someone Studebaker guy needs to jump on this 1935 Dictator coupe, now! I looked at the car yesterday and this is truly a unique opportunity to get hold of one of Studebaker's best three window coupes. You really may never have a chance like this again, it is as advertised! The coupe is not mine but if you have any questions you can call me: Bill-206 788 7655 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Studebaker-Dictator-Coupe-/261996280334?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3d0031fa0e&item=261996280334

I remember the B17 very well. I had heard that it had been moved and was being restored. I Googled B17 Portland and got this great story! Take a look:http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2968

For those not familiar with our NW weather, I think the thing that would surprise you the most is that it really doesn't rain all the time here. From early July until at least the middle of September we get no rain! Also during the summer months there is a reasonably low relative humidity. Except for this year where we have already had eleven day of 90 degree, our normal daily weather would be 75-80 degree, with about 35% humidity. For a good part of the year we have a cloud cover which keeps down the UV damage to paint, interiors and rubber. Virtually no snow and little below freezing weather and more importantly no huge temperature swings which causes condensation. We get about half of our 37" of rainfall between November and January but it doesn't fall as snow! What we call rain hear, in most parts of the country you would call drizzle, except Nov.-Jan. then all bets are off. To summarize no snow and ice = little salt, cloud cover much of the year= little UV damage, little summer humidity and temperature swings= little summer humidity damage. Back in the mid eighties I had a non car guy friend from southern California visit Seattle for the first time. After he had been here for about a week, he made the comment that we really had a bunch of junker cars around here. A little stunned, I asked him what he meant and asked him to show me. About a minute later he pointed out a very nice, obviously garage kept, early to mid 60's Buick. Then I realized that in addition to condition, we were also dealing with the mind set that says new is better, this was not the case in the NW, we drove cars a long time because we could. He found no value in driving an old car no matter what the condition. The modern generation has changed the mindset, everywhere, to a counter car culture (except youngsters with their hopped up imports) where cars are seen as a necessary evil and often treated with disdain. However I can still go to many of the less affluent parts of the community and enjoy the car show as people continue to use their twenty to forty year old cars for daily transportation. These are often cars that would have been considered throw away in other parts of the country, but are still on the road here as cheap transportation. Our cars wear out, our cars rust and interiors go away but much slower then almost anywhere that I have been, but it all wears out at about the same rate, no one thing is our car's Achilles's Heal.

I think that you have already answered the question yourself. If you are still on the fence on this, ask yourself how you want to use the car. If you want a concourse ready show car, forget it. If on the other hand driver, cruise night type ride is what you want, and the car's condition in that venue will not embarrass you, buy it. We aren't talking about much money here. If it were me I would probably buy it and try it on for size and sell it if I didn't like it.

I have a 1963 and a 1965 among my trove of cars, each has something different to offer. I see no problem with the standard option car. I have driven GS cars and really find little difference between them and the standard option cars. I have seldom gone looking for a car, they seem to find me, but once I have them I usually keep them for a very long time. For me condition is the overwhelming factor that I am looking for, that can be overridden by rarity or some intangible that just draws me to a particular car. My cars don't have to be perfect but they have to be good cars. My days of complete restorations are behind me. I really love the 1963-65 Rivieras, but there are plenty of them around, and you can afford to be picky when choosing one. Out of about 110K produced during the three years there must be a survival rate of close to 15%. Unless this car is something that you just have to save, or you have become attached to it, I would look elsewhere. Only you can decide how much project you are willing to take on. If you choose to keep looking, unless you can verify a car's history, I would try to find a good west coast car, not just California car either, but as solid a car as you can get. I am afraid that the car that you are looking at might not be the best choice.

It looks like Nevada to me, but might be western Utah, because of his destination it would also make sense.

John, As Restored 32 indicated pretty well built but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I doubt that any of the Lark type are going to win any people's choice awards but if I were to start off on a trip across country, I would take one of them. From 1951 on all Studebakers shared the same platform. The wheel base changed and there were, of course, component updates, but the platform design changed very little. All Studebakers were body on frame, no unibody here. Being able to unbolt everything can be a real advantage when restoring or repairing any non-unibody car. I am not from an area that rust is the first assassin of a car, but comparing one of my sixty something Lark types to my 1967 Camaro or 1965 Buick Riviera, the Lark may be a little behind, rust wise, but not by much. Studebaker never went to the damn GM type set in windshield and back glass, so I count that as a plus for the Studebaker. Engine wise the V8 has it all over the I6. I have little doubt that the 6's lack of power was a problem for Studebaker. Studebaker redesigned the flat head 6 for the 1961 model, but it was always problematic because of head cracks. All Studebakers 1965-66 were built in Hamilton Ontario, after the plant was shut down in South Bend. Canadian built cars from 65-66 all used the Chevrolet 283, or the Chev inline 6. No problem with these tried and true power plants. Brakes are decent for the time and Studebaker was the first American manufacturer to offer a front disc option in 1963. The Studebaker Diver's Club has over 12000 members world wide, which makes it the largest single marque club in the world and with a dedicated network of suppliers, parts and friends are pretty easy to find. The 1959-1966 /lark type cars are cheap, so try one you might like it.

Ask the man who owns one, OK so the slogan is Packard and not Studebaker, but I guess that's me and I better respond. Fifty five years ago I bought my first car a 1953 Starliner htp, My father worked for the US Dept. of Labor as a claims investigator and later as Chief of Claims. During the years that he was an investigator he drove Champions (small six cyl. cars). The majority of the cars with standard transmissions were built with an optional overdrive. Great gas mileage, cheap to maintain and comfortable for long trips. Dad traded his 120K mile cars in after five or six years of highway driving. The cars looked and drove like they had 20K, but much of this was because of the way that they were used and maintained. All Champions did not fare as well and city driven cars or those with no OD could age quickly. As a young man I was not impressed by the characteristics that endeared the Champion to Dad. How I ended up with a Studebaker is a long story, but it was more in spite of, rather then because of my experiences with Dad's cars. If it hadn't been for the purchase a friends 1955 President Speedster in 1964, that 1953 might have been my last Studebaker. It really wasn't a very good car! The Speedster was a great car that I restored during the 70's and still own today. Over the fifty five years of Studebaker ownership I have driven them several hundred thousand miles. All were bought used, some pampered by previous owner and some outright abused, but they all were reliable transportation. Only once in that fifty five years did one ever leave me stranded because of mechanical failure. Does that sound like lack of reliability to anyone reading this? The 1953 suffered from some engineering and production line errors that would haunt Studebaker until their last car was produced in 1966. The rubber band frame, poor fit and finish and the Lockheed self adjusting brakes (brake system really started in the late forties and was in its last year in 1953), they also had a reputation for rust, but what cars in the 50's didn't rust! I think that by his inquiry, Straight Shooter had already decided that Studebaker was a bad car. Strange since he had never owned one and probably never had even ridden in one. We owners of the independent orphans get a good deal of this from people who just don't get it, and would rather believe what someone who probably doesn't know anymore about it then they do says about the car. I think that SS was using his inquiry to pan the car and not really find truth about it. The question that was asked was Studebaker "totally unreliable" and not whether it was even a good car. John S' inclusion of, less then creditable CR. May 1955 article only clouds the original question. How can nine months of production create enough data to provide a profile for the whole years production! I suspect that much of the data used for the report was from 1953-54, admittedly neither of which was a very good year. Sad that they weren't better cars because they were one of the most beautiful cars ever produced! I have found that 1955 Studebakers were very good cars and I have owned plenty of them. The fact is that no matter how good they were by 1955 the Big Three were putting out some outstanding cars. The hand writing was on the wall, the independent car builder was doomed to fail!-Bill

It's not hard to find a detractor for any marque made during the thirty years that you ask about. The fact is that few who seek to defame Studebaker, or any independent for that matter, have ever owned, driven or even ridden in one. I think that it's important to take any negative statement with a grain of salt until you uncover something about the detractor's background and if he has a hidden agenda. It is hard to argue the success of Studebaker as a vehicle manufacturer. Starting as a wagon builder in 1852, which led to the company becoming the largest wagon builder in the world by the turn of the century, and finally sticking around long enough to become the longest surviving American independent car builder by the time of the company exit from the car industry in 1966. The company didn't stay in business for 114 years by producing unreliable vehicles! I have driven Studebakers for fifty five years. It's hard to use a broad brush when talking about a company with as diverse as Studebaker offered. Some models were better then others, but overall, they held up well when compared to their competition. Today, "different by design," means as much to us Studebaker owners as when the slogan was used by the company more then three quarters of a century ago. From the standpoint of relative rarity, unique styling, reliability at a reasonable cost it should be a no brainer.

I owned a 240Z for about 14 years, from 1979-1993. I refurbished the car for my X-wife to drive. I enjoyed driving it too, when I could get it away from her. The car was durable, fast for it's time (120+ MPH) agile, and economical. It is a unibody car and rust is definitely something to consider, especially since you live in the tropics. They do rust, even in my area where structural rust is usually not an issue. Also cabin temperature is an issue because the small quarter windows do not open, the vent system is sorely inadequate. Try and get one from the west coast, and make sure that you get the car's history. Get the best one that you can and you will probably love it, as I did. In fact this thread has gotten me to thinking about getting another one!

John, Although we have never met, your posts tell the story of a true gentleman dedicated to our hobby. Your spot on answers on so many subjects is both humbling, and influential at the same time. You seem to have learned the secret of being informative without being confrontational, congratulations!

Cahartly mentioned Kwik Poly. It works the same way that Git Rot does. I have used both and find no difference in the results. Git Rot was the original and was used in the marine industry for years before KP was created as a spinoff and marketed to the old car industry. I do prefer GR for rotten wood because of it's slower kick off of the chemical reaction which allows for more complete penetration into the surrounding wood.

Before committing your car to re-wooding determine how much of the original wood is still intact. There is a product called Git Rot which has the ability to save even rotten wood while staving off the rot's progression. It is a two part epoxy the cures very slowly. The slow curing process allows the water consistency mixture to penetrate into the solid wood providing an impervious bond. Your imagination is the only thing limiting the use of the product. I have used it for thirty five years, always with good results.-Bill