Mark Huston

Yesterday, I took a drive with my 1929 Studebaker President and my friend drove his 1929 Studebaker Dictator cabriolet. I took these pictures in Isleton, California which is located on the Sacramento River. It is amazing how much better my car looks in black and white pictures. Which makes me wonder about the real condition of cars in vintage black and white pictures.

The key may be correct for the lock and does not work because of the swelling and deteriorating condition of the pot metal. A lot of the parts on these cars were made with pot metal, also known as zinc die cast, and over time the casting will crack and swell cause parts like locks to stop working. Other parts like door hands to break off when you turn the handle. Sometimes, if you find a good locksmith who knows early locks can get your lock to work, however, some locks get so bad the lock cannot be saved.

Yes, the block was set up at the factory for an oil filter, however, they left it as option for the new car owner to install if desired.

Here are some additional pictures of my friends 1929 GE Dictator Cabriolet.

My friend no longer has the pancake oil filter attached to his engine. He removed it and replaced it with old style reproduction canister filter that uses a modern spin on filter hidden inside the canister. Here is the picture used in the original posting - prior to the pancake filter being replaced. I don't have a picture of my friends 1929 GE Dictator with the updated style canister filter, however, I do have one with my engine and the same style canister filter. I have included pictures of my canister filter prior to installation.

The pancake oil filter, displayed in the original posting, was an option on Studebaker cars around 1929 and was used by some other car companies at the time. One of those other companies was Pierce-Arrow. However, it was an option, and was not standard equipment on Studebaker cars. When you bought an new Studebaker in 1929 it did not come with either an air filter for the carburetor or an oil filter for the engine. If the owner wanted an oil filter the dealer would have installed one of the pancake filters. Or, the new car owner could have acquired an oil filter from any number of after marker suppliers. The problem with the pancake oil filter is it is a one time use part. The filter does not have a replacement element. The entire filter is thrown away and an entirely new pancake filter must be installed. Just like today's modern spin on oil filters you take it off and throw it away and install a new filter. The pancake filter is the same one time use design. I have attached some close up pictures of a pancake filter that illustrates that it is a sealed unit that cannot be opened without destroying the housing to replace the element inside.

Pancake oil filters, to my knowledge, are not being reproduced. If you can find one it will be an original one that is over 80 years old. Anything that old will be dangerous to your engine to try and use. The only alternative is to get one of the old style reproduction canister oil filters that have been machined to use a spin-on modern oil filter hidden inside the canister. They look authentic and hid the modern spin-on oil filter.

Here is my 1929 Studebaker President Brougham. In addition, my Studebaker with a 1929 Pierce-Arrow, also an original car.

Real nice find that will make a great tour car. Where is the spare tire kept? No side mounts and I don't see a rear tire rack. I am sure it is not in the rumble seat.

My brother has a 1948 Chrysler and while looking for some items he needs found this wrecking yard that has one they are dismantling.

My brother got the paperwork needed for title from the storage facility. He should not have any problems, however, this is California. Anything is possible.

A few weeks ago my brother was given a 1948 Chrysler New Yorker sedan if he could get it moved by 10 am the next morning. The car was in a storage unit for 10 years and being given away because the owner had stopped paying storage fees this past January. He got a tow truck to move it the next morning to his house. He is working on getting it running. Here are pictures as it was pulled out of the storage unit.

What is a BB? Do you have pictures? Can't give you a possible value with out some pictures of your BB.

Attached is a picture that shows two early 20s Studebakers with one having a the Studebaker logo painted on the rear of the body. The lead car does have the Studebaker logo on the rear spare tire cover. Somewhere I have a picture that shows a President with sidemount spares that has the same Studebaker logo as the attached picture with the words "The President" above the logo.

NZcarnerd, thank you for pointing out the difference in the tires. I over looked that detail. You are correct in that Studebaker cars of this era are difficult to identify from a picture. To correctly identify them you need the frame, engine, and body numbers. Unfortunately, in this case, we don't have that information to help us. This car is puzzling in that everything points to a 1927, however it should not have wood wheels. I wonder if it was shipped that way to Romania or was converted after it arrived.

The 1927 Studebaker's had disc wheels. The early 1928 Studebaker GB Big Six had the wood wheels, rounded radiator, and Atalanta radiator cap. This one looks like it could be an early 1928 GB Big Six tourer. The one item that either makes this a 1927 (with non-standard wood wheels) is the cowl lights. The acorn style cowl lights are a feature of the 1926-27 cars.

Yes, if necessary, you can take the transmission off to access the clutch without removing the engine. To remove the transmission disconnect the drive line from both the transmission and the rear end. Remove all of the floor boards, clutch and brake pedals and then you can unbolt the transmission bell housing from the engine. See attached pictures of 1929 President double disc clutch with the transmission removed. These picture are of one of the 1929 Presidents I previously owned.

My current car is a 1929 Studebaker President purchased in 2000 when it was 71 and I was 43. Back in 1975, when I was 18, I bought my first car which was a 46 year old 1929 Studebaker Commander.

If this car is a Commander is is not worth $10,000. If a President, yes, IF it runs and does not require major engine repair.

Another term used by Studebaker in the early 1920s was "Chummy Roadster" to describe a four passenger touring style car. Attached are pictures of one such example.

This past week I drove from Sacramento to Salt Lake City. When I passed through Elko, Nevada I stopped at a friends home, the first time I had been to his house, he was not home, however, found this International flatbed truck sitting out behind his house. I did not know he had the truck and noticed it apparently was used by a building company in Elko at some time in the past. I don't know what the 1920s sedan body came from that is sitting on the back of the International flatbed.

Yes, a 1929 Studebaker FH Victoria participated in the Peking to Paris race. I have attached a PDF of the May - June 2011 Antique Studebaker Review article regarding that race. Please note: When opening the PDF to read click on View, on your computer's toolbar, to adjust the page rotation for reading. My scanner and the magazine format did not match. 1929 Studebaker Peking to Paris.pdf

I went for a drive today, in the Sacramento River Delta, with my buddy in our 1929s. I drove my original faded paint 1929 Studebaker President and my buddy drove his beautifully restored 1929 Studebaker Dictator. We both enjoyed ourselves, had fun, and an equally great time despite the vast differences in the quality of our vehicles.

Getting into the old car hobby, for the average guy, is cost prohibitive unless you buy an original car – usually the underappreciated four door sedan. Over time, if you are lucky, you might be able to buy, trade, or sell; your way up to whatever is your dream car. For some, that might never happen. In the meantime, they can still enjoy the hobby driving around in the car that might sport some faded paint, spots of rust, and holes in the upholstery with the headliner hanging down. I am speaking from experience. I bought my first collector car in 1975 – a 1929 Studebaker Commander plain Jane four door sedan in original unrestored condition. It was followed by a 1928 Studebaker President which I found in a barn also in unrestored original condition. My current car is again a mostly original (some things “restored” most not) a 1929 Studebaker President Brougham. In 42 years in this hobby I have never had a restored shinny collector car. However, I have had many years of pleasure driving all over the place in cars that some would have turned up their noses at. Everyone finds their own niche in this hobby.

In Grassy Valley, California, I took this picture in 2013 of a Packard under a Packard sign. This building was built by John Troutwine in 1930 for his Packard dealership that was in business from 1930-1953. At some point the sign was taken down and stored inside the original Packard dealership building. Later, when the current owner of the building purchased the property to open a carpet store, he found the neon Packard sign buried under an old stack of plywood. He had the sign remounted on the building and named his store "Packard Discount Carpet & Vinyl"