jwb56

Good Morning. I have a 1941 Studebaker Commander - 11A B3. Seems to have original motor but who knows after 75 years. Where the engine number is supposed to be it was really rusted and even after steel brushing I can't even come close to seeing the engine number. MY PROBLEM: I recently ordered some spark plugs off of RockAuto.com. Autolite 306. Seemed like a good deal so I ordered a dozen. Unfortunately they were 14mm size and not 18mm that I need. Trying to do some internet research to figure out if the plug is right and I have a non-original engine OR the plug is wrong and the engine is right. What is the right plug? How about some cross reference alternatives? I'll probably just end up ordering them from Studebaker International. Any advice and wisdom is appreciated. John in NJ

I recently purchased some 1941 Commander parts. I don't have room to store the bigger pieces so I'll let them go to someone who can use them. See pictures. Hood, trunk lid (heavy rust on bottom lip of lid), Inside front passenger wheel well sheet metal and 2 rear doors. I have some of the stuff that comes with the doors but not sure how much. I can't ship this stuff so you'd have to pick it up in NJ (07083) or I can deliever it to the Hershey Car Show on Thursday, Oct 8 or Reedsville, PA Show on Friday, Oct. 16. What I'd really like is to trade it all for a good "complete" front passenger door. Message me if you want to trade or buy the stuff as a lot. Shoot me an offer - I'm very flexible. Blessings. John in NJ

Looking for a source for these clips. (see attached photos) Number #280698. I have a late 1941 Commander so it has the wider moulding around the windows (3/4") versus the thinner moulding of the early 1941. I tried Studebaker International and they don't have them. These are the only two clips I have but need around 50 of them. (Or do you know of similar clips from other applications that will do the same job?)

I have owned my 1941 Commander for 3 months now and I'm having a ball with it! (11A B3) Recently I was having some starting trouble and though maybe it was carb related. I thought I'd rebuild the carb. But when I checked the carb number I found out it was the wrong carb. It is a Rochester (see photo). But the car starts and runs nice! Ever heard of such a thing? Thanks. John in NJ http://www.calvaryunion.org/images/carb1.jpg http://www.calvaryunion.org/images/carb3.jpg

Robert - my car has the round face rocker and the smooth moulding. Seems like the round face rockers are impossible to find. However I am thinking on buying a flat side rocker for the passenger side. (something is better than nothing) Do you have any of those? (Commander Land Cruiser 11A 3B) Thanks. John

Studerex - I have private messaged you my contact info. My car serial number indicates that it was made after 1/1/41 so it has the round moulding (not ribbed) and my rocker panel has a round face (not the flat face).

Finding a passenger side Rocker for this car has not been easy. Studebaker International has a drivers side but not passenger. (I wonder if I could modify the driver's side panel to work on the passenger side?) I also tried the Rocker King out of Wisconsin but nothing. Any suggestions where I can start looking? I'm also looking for some original Gravel Shields - I have found the after-mark rubber glue-on type but not original. If you are going to SDC in St. Louis in August then keep an eye out for me. I also want to say that I appreciate the friendliness of the people on this forum. I had needed some chrome parts and a manifold - thanks to George in Arlington and Ed in Beachwood - I have those parts. Thanks!

Hello, I am still working on my exhaust system for the 1941 Studebaker Commander 226 - 11A B3. I believe it is a 226 CI. I need to find another manifold for my car. Are there other years and other engine sizes that match that manifold? Do you know anyone who has one for sale? My problem is that I took the manifold to a machine shop to have the "exhaust pipe to manifold" surface refaced. Unfortunately the guy set it up wrong and cut off it at a slant so that 1/4 of an inch on one side of face is lower than the original angle. Now that the pipe mounts crooked and doesn't line up. I don't think there is enough meat left on the manifold to resurface it straight now. Have you ever seen a grown man cry? Short term I'll try getting the pipe bent to get it to mount up but long term I need to replace the manifold. Thanks for any info you have! John in NJ

Robert (and others), Thanks for the advice. Now the question I would have is - How do I know if the butterfly plate is open or closed? It depends how you define open and closed. Is it open when the car is cold or is it closed? Seems to me that if it was functioning when the car was parked for a long time (and it rusted in one spot) that it would be in the "car is cold" position. Meaning that the exhaust would go up under the carb. My plate is somewhere between 45 degrees and straight up and down. Is it supposed to lay flat once the car is warmed up? My worry is that if I leave it rusted as is that I'll be pumping hot air up under the carb the entire time I am operating the car. Would that cause problems on longer trips? Also about the 1942 version of the valve - do you mean that I should also get the bushings that go with it or just buy the valve shaft and use it so it fits very loose? (from what I can glean it seems that the 41 didn't have bushings and the 42 did have - correct?) Also if I was able to take the plate off the shaft - would that be better or not? Thanks for the extra help. John in NJ

Hello - thanks for any help you can be. I am replacing my manifold gasket and find that the heat riser is rusted fast. Lots of penetrating oil is not freeing it up. I'm afraid I'll crack the manifold if I hammer it. Any idea of ways to get it apart? Do they still boil clean engines - would that help? What are the parts that it takes for this rebuild? (bushings?, spring coil?, shaft?, plate?, weight?, what else?) When you remove the shaft - does it come out the counter weight side or the spring side? Another problem is that the riser plate screws are inaccessible because of the way the shaft is rusted in place. Any chance you have a picture or a diagram of the set up? Also do you know some place that for sure has the parts needed to rebuild it? (also I'm looking for door trim for the passenger side, rocker panel passenger side and original gravel shields for both sides) Thanks. John in NJ

Studeq, Thanks so much for the information. I had a 1950 Stude that was a Land Cruiser but I thought it was a different wheel base than the Commander. So you are saying in 1941 a Land Cruiser is a type of Commander? Can you help me understand what my firewall serial plate means? First line says 11AB-3, and the second line 3694. Is there an on-line reference that would break this down in detail? Thanks so much. John in NJ

Hello, thanks for looking at my wanted request. I have a 1941 Studebaker Commander 4 door. I need some trim parts for it. 1.) Passenger doors trim. That's four pieces 2 front, 2 back - front door approx. 35.5 inches long - rear door approx. 33 7/8 inches. 2.) Gravel guards (both sides) that mount on the front of the rear fenders. I've seen the rubber ones that you glue on but I was looking for an original set - even a chrome set (I believe they are from a 1942). 3.) Rocker panel that goes under the two passenger doors. Mine is totally rotted away. (any advice about fabricating one?). Here is a picture of what I'm talking about! http://www.calvaryunion.org/images/studebaker.jpg Thanks so much for helping me track these down. John in NJ

NVonada, WOW! Thanks. I appreciate it. Also I am really enjoying your website. Though I have a Commander yet so much of your Champion applies to my car. Blessings! John in NJ

Nathan, thanks for the heads up about the exhaust manifold leak discussion. However I couldn't seem to find it. What specific key words did you use to locate it? Thanks. John in NJ

Nathan - thank you so much. That explanation was a great help! Enjoy your Studebaker! John in NJ