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I would be shocked if any Southern Yellow Pine was used in car bodies. By the time Studebaker got into the car business they had many years experience building wagons and carriages. They knew how to season wood and which hardwoods would endure. Even the Model A's I've owned had oak and ash structural members. My '47 Hudson pickup had white oak as pickup box flooring. My understanding is that ash was the wood of choice because of its durability and the ability to "hold" tacks. While there were still hardwood forests in the north, the raw wood may not have been more expensive at first. Now, of course, it takes longer to grow a harvestable ash or oak than a pine. The hardwoods were certainly more easily "machined" than softwoods. Tom

I also stumped Axelrod a few months ago when I broke one of the "Control Beam" lenses on my '35 Commander. He and Bob Kapteyn were the first people I called. Axlerod knew exactly what I was looking for, but said he had not seen one of those lenses in 30 or 40 years. I did finally track down a lens from another vendor The reflector mentioned here, if it fits '35 President, will also be correct for a '35 Commander. It is made to accept all the fancy stuff on the back that allows 6 different headlight beam positions. Studebaker part number 261201 for left hand drive, 261202 for right hand drive. Tom

Check out Restoration Specialties in Windber, PA. (Google it). They carry what is called "Short grain sedan decking". This is the material that is probably the closest to the original on your carHere is a photo of it installed on my '35 sedan. Tom

The last reproduction number plate that I used on an antique Studebaker I had to have engraved so the upper case "I" and the lower case "b" would appear correct. I looked for years trying to find stamp sets that would have those characters, and finally gave up. All the stamp sets I looked at had all upper case letters, and the "I" didn't have a cap or foot on it. I'd also note that if you have a nine in your number, that it is like the lower case "b" used for the six, but with the straight leg on the other side, of course. There are some engraving methods that look more like stamping a than others. You have to be real specific with the engraver on what you need. I went to four shops before one agreed to my requirements. I don't know how plentiful those Rockne plates are, but I got my last Studebaker plate from the LaVines and I don't think they have my style anymore. Tom

Here's a question that can probably only be answered by those who have "been there, done that". How do you remove the wiper motors on a '35 sedan? I have no problem getting the control knobs and the nut on the outside that holds the main shaft (and thus the whole motor) off, but I just can't figure out a way to wiggle the motor so that either the control shafts or the main shaft go far enough to allow motor removal. I have the glove box out, so that is not in the way. The most obvious answer to me is that the whole dash has to be either removed or at least loosened enough to move the motors. This is not something that I'm thrilled about. The shop manual is, of course, silent on this issue. Who has been successful? Thanks. Tom

As the old country song says, "I'm that Yankee boy you been hearing about. I'm from 'way up north around Shreveport" Tom

I saw this car at the AACA meet in Houma, LA. Very nice. First class restoration. Tom

Thanks George. I appreciate the kind comments. I expect to be driving this car all around South Bend, so you're welcome to a longer ride any time. I'm hoping to park my truck and trailer at the ASC host hotel and then using the '35 for local transport and, of course, the ASC tour. The meet is only 4 1/2 weeks away. I am really looking forward to this one. South Bend always seems so special. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to Pate. Haven't found a Studebaker part in years. How about you? Tom

Once I found the tube and realized what it was, I couldn't resist installing it on my '35 Commander. The bracket ( or pipe clamp) pictured in my last post was just right to hold the tube centered in a hole in the original engine pan. The bracket is held in place by an oil pan bolt that is longer than all the others and extends above the flange of the engine block. The bracket had traces of engine paint on it, so I'm confident that this is where it goes. I'm sorry about the shadows in the picture What a good day. I learned something and my car is that much closer to as originally built. Tom

Here is what I believe the "wee expanded housing" at the bottom end of the tube should look like. In this case the ball is held in place by a small cotter pin. Until Spinneyhill's response I wasn't picturing it in my head. Then I dimly remembered having something that looked like a small rosebud heating tip for an oxy-acetylene torch. I'll not confess to how long I spent rooting around in boxes that haven't been opened in years before I found it. Tom

I received my fuel pump back from rebuild 2 days ago Thanks for the tip on the elbow fitting at the carb. In looking at how to run the line from the pump to the carb I realized that if I used an elbow fitting at the pump also, I could run the line neatly with just three bends. I could have probably gotten away with two bends, but the bend down near the pump is to clear the heat shield that will be installed next. Tom

Does anyone have a picture of how the fuel line runs from the fuel pump up to the carburetor on a '35 Commander or President? A previous owner of my car installed an electric fuel pump and bypassed the mechanical fuel pump completely. I'll get the original mechanical pump back soon from rebuild and want to install the line correctly. I've tried to imagine where it should go, but all the options seem really awkward or too close to a major heat source (exhaust manifold) or both. Thanks. Tom

Hi all. I hope everyone is going to have a good time in York. I can't make it. The new top material should be just like the original --- you just can't tell it because the original is so worn. It's short-grain sedan decking material available from Restoration Specialties and Supply in Windber, PA. I strayed from the fold a bit, Rex. The yellow car is a '32 Chevrolet roadster. I'm hoping to get the body off the frame next week and then the restoration should (emphasis on the "should") go fairly fast. I have another row of those hens teeth hanging above those pictured that you can't see. Tom

A quick update---I just tried to post pictures on the Studebaker forum (where I normally hang out) and everything worked just fine. I'm back to being a happy camper. Tom

All this work was done in early February, but this is the first time I've been able to attach pictures since this AACA forum went through its "upgrade" work. I am am really pleased with the results and no more water raining into the car. An added benefit is that the car smells a lot better now that the mouse nests are gone. Tom

I'm doing my best to keep the original appearance of my '35 Commander sedan while I work to make it a reliable driver. One of the things that had to be replaced is the roof. It had so many holes and tears that I couldn't even wash the car without water raining inside. When we sliced the old top material off, we found that the padding that is supposed to be between the top material and the chicken wire had all been converted into several large mouse nests over the years. I had to empty my Shop-vac four times before I got all that stuff removed I think the key to the new top was being able to reuse the original moulding rather than a hide-em welt. It was labor-intensive removing all the little tacks while not damaging the mounding. In addition, the original wood framing for the top was in excellent condition. Pictured is Tim Clark. Tim has done all the upholstery work for me for several years ('37 President coupe, '37 Coupe-Express, '63Avanti). i'll start another thread to show more pictures Tom

I, personally, am looking forward to this issue being resolved. I have not been able to post a photo since the "upgrade" I am using an iPad. I take pictures with the iPad and access the forum through the same. Most of my photos are about 1.9 mb. It used to be just four clicks and my photo was attached. I either get a message that says "upload failed" or a message that says "image too large--over 2 mb." This forum used to be the easiest one for me to post pictures on of all the forums I frequent. I don't post often, but when I do, I want to be able to include pictures. Thanks.

I have had several of those taillight bases crack at the back end where they come to a point. I have repaired them using an epoxy product called PC-7. It is very durable and does not shrink when it cures. It is easily sanded, primered and painted. It stays where you put it (I have had experience with JB Weld running off parts in the past.) You can't be in a hurry if you use PC-7. It takes about a week to fully cure. It is also used by many to repair antique steering wheels because while it's curing you can mold it. Eastwood sells it as part of a steering wheel repair package and it is readily available on line. Unless you are very skilled and knowledgeable, putting heat on that old pot metal is likely to destroy it. Tom

Good point on opening up the electrical. I bagged the ends of the wires to prevent inadvertent damage if I moved the wand the wrong way. That 80-year-old wiring is really delicate. I folded the wires out of the way, but didn't have a good enough seal so water got in anyway. I took the brush cover off the generator and there was water in the bottom. I took the cover off the steering gear and that looked OK but I got out as much of the old fluid as I could and filled with fresh. The rubber in the motor mounts is what the British car guys call "perished". Current price at Steele rubber to revulcanize new rubber to the mounts is $100/pair. I sent them off last week. I'm hoping to hear from Steele today to find out how long it will take to get them back to me. Those brake lines are all new. When I bought the car the flex lines were perished (there. I used that word already) and some of the hard lines were soft copper tubing with single flares on the ends. I changed everything. Tom

Today had unusually warm weather for January, even for those of us in the Deep South. I've learned over the years to try to take advantage of opportunities as they are presented when working on old cars, so today I used a pressure washer to clean some of the front suspension on my '35 Commander. What the pressure washer didn't remove will require a lot more effort than I'm willing to do for a car that will remain unrestored. The car must have spent a lot of time on tarred roads. I had to remove the front fenders to get the radiator out. (There are three bolts holding a radiator support bracket on each side that are completely inaccessible behind fender support brackets, so the fenders had to come off). Now that that things are semi-cleaned up front, I think I'll take the front motor mounts off and get new rubber vulcanized on. That old rubber is really deteriorated. More mission-creep. The thing I hated most about removing the fenders was that I couldn't save the original fender welt. Tom

Hi. I've been away from the forum for a couple of days. I have nine sets of decals with numbers that go up to 80 mph. I intended to call Jerry and confirm that these were made for Coupe-Expresses, but didn't get that done. Jerry knew at the time I got these from him that I was working on a CE. I have a photo of the speedometer in Jerry's Dictator sedan and the numbers go up to 100 on that one. I don't have any photos of his CE instruments, but as meticulous as Jerry is in his restorations, I'm sure if there is a specific difference, he would know it! I just went out to the garage and double checked the decals. Either I made a mistake when I ordered these or water-slide decals were not available. These are adhesive backed, so they are not as user-friendly as water-slide. Basically, there is a one-time shot to apply them correctly. I've not been able to adjust adhesive backed stuff in the past after application, but maybe that's just me. I also tend to manage to get fingerprints in the adhesive. I'll be happy to donate sets of decals for anyone's project until I run out. Tom

Here are the images of the decals. All these show a top speed of 80. All I can say to that is good luck in a stock '37 Dictator or Coupe-Express. Anyway, years ago Jerry Kurtz provided me with the first set of decals and I took that set to a local sign shop and had more made. Well, I couldn't stand not knowing, so I took that unrestored instrument panel apart and the backing plate IS some kind of plastic. Now I'm thinking that maybe my memory is playing tricks on me. I have three more instrument panels, and none of them have any remnant of a backing plate so I'm thinking that they were all plastic and deteriorated. Obviously I used the best of whatever I had on hand at the time I sent the instruments in the Coupe-Express off to be restored, but I'm certainly retracting my statement that the backing plates were metal. And, no, as curious as I might be about this now, the instrument panel in the CE is not coming out to satisfy that curiosity. Tom

Here are some photos. The first is of the restored instruments in my '37 Coupe-Express. That work was done by Williamson's Instruments in Chester, AR. The second is of an instrument panel that I picked up at a swap meet in Texas last year. I might have to take that one apart to see what the backing is made of. There are some very deep cracks that look deeper than they should be if that was just paint on a metal background. I also found it interesting that if you look closely under all the dust, those numbers go up to 100 on the speedometer. I couldn't get a third photo to attach, so I'll start another reply as soon as I post this one. Tom

Actually, the backing behind the needle is metal with painted numbers. I have plenty of reproduced decals to place on the painted background. How many do you need? The last time I had a set of instruments restored for a '37 Dictator, the restoration shop preferred to paint the numbers rather than use the decals. I'm not sure why. I seem to recall that they were concerned about getting air bubbles out from behind the decal. I also have have several sets of original glass for the instrument faces. Tom

Holy smokes, George! I had no idea that Haughton, LA was considered such a metropolis! In any case, I got 95 pounds in all cylinders except one, and that one was at 100. I'm pleased with that because it's consistent, and all I did was install new standard size rings on original pistons (in tapered bores) and all new valves. I did cut new valve seats because one of my friends had a nice set of valve seat cutters that I was able to borrow. Tom