mbstude

We dug the '13 out of its corner today and made an attempt at getting it running. The car was last run over a decade ago, and at the time would always start on the first pull of the hand crank. We cleaned out the gas tank, disassembled and cleaned the carb, and we are getting fuel into the cylinders. We removed the cover off of the magneto, filed the points, yet we don't seem to be getting any spark. Any ideas are welcome.

Come on, Gary...

Here's a very original and low mileage 1919 that a local guy owns.

Absolutely beautiful, Tom.. You did a nice job (and quick!) on the restoration. BTW, it's nice to see one of these without whitewalls. Looks great!

Thank you, Tom! I was hoping you'd see the finished pictures. This one was so rough, beat up, and rusted that there wasn't any way to make it "perfect". As "busy" as the grille is and as small as the parts are, I think it's all very forgiving once assembled. But either way, I still think it turned out pretty nice. I have some extra fins and stainless strips that I didn't use from the parts you sent, so if you need any of them back or happen across someone else who needs them, let me know. 30 hours of labor from start to finish... The next one will either be my own (if I ever own a '37), or for someone willing to mortgage their house. Did you get your President finished in time for St. Louis?

I still have to get a bunch of little bolts/nuts to hold the "spine" together, but you the idea. ...30+ hours in labor.

Finally was able to take all of the parts to the painter's. Keep in mind that the color is what the owner sent, as he wanted it body color. The painter gave it all back to me this week and I spent all day on it today.. Routine: Straighten stainless, install/crimp stainless onto fins, then sand and buff stainless. Trying to sand/buff the stainless before it was mounted... Well, it would be like trying to polish tin foil. This plan of attack worked out pretty well. The first half is done. Tomorrow I'll do the other half. Two words: Never Again. I decided to use an old pair of wire cutters to "twist" the tabs, locking them in place.

I thought I might update this. I've only been able to spend some occasional weekend time on this project, but finally there's a little progress being made. This is one half of the grille parts after being media blasted and primed. A few of the fins are going to be replaced (thanks again Tom!) but I primed everything anyway. I should have the other half of the parts matching these by next weekend.. Then it's time for paint, and I have to straighten and polish the 70-ish stainless strips, then put it back together. Still a ways to go! My new '53 Commander hardtop will be paid off and delivered in about a month, and I'm hoping to have the grille done before then.

Thanks Tom. This one isn't nice enough to leave in one piece. Lots of rust and bent pieces. I could use a couple of fins and stainless pieces if you have any extras laying around. I'll fix what is here if I have to, I just don't like welding up holes on metal that thin. A little over two hours, and I have the grille apart. The center spine had a couple dozen spot welds that drilled out pretty easy. I'll media blast each piece and then start fixing all of the damage. Thank you again! I'll post some pictures as I go along.

Tom... THANK YOU!! Your description is more than enough and I couldn't be more appreciative. I knew I couldn't have been the first to try to do this. If you want to share some pictures, my email is still mbstude@gmail.com . I'd be happy to learn a trick or two from your experience. I got out of the trim repair/polishing business a couple of years ago, but the owner of this Coupe Express came to me in desperation. Apparently, nobody else he contacted was willing to do anything with the grille. And since I do love a challenge... It'll come apart this weekend and I'll start media blasting everything to see what I'm up against. Should be fun.

Hi guys. I need to completely disassemble a '37 Coupe Express grille for restoration. The stainless edge pieces are crimped onto the fins, and the fins have folded tabs on each end to hold them in place. Removing the fins is simple enough and I have the tools to remove and repair the stainless. However.. I can't figure out how to split the left and right halves. It looks like the 2 pieces that make up the "back bone" are spot welded together. Is that the case? How do I get this thing apart? Thanks in advance!

What's the price on the black Station Wagon rear quarters? I have a friend restoring one that really needs those. He'll gladly pay your price as well as shipping.

Good thing my Broadmoor is cooler than your Dodge Magnum!!

Mr. Q., she is far too young for you. I think she'd be a better fit for someone my age! (22) But if it takes a Studebaker President to impress her, maybe she'll like my '57 model?

I would be interested either way. We also have a '64 sliding roof wagon. You can email me direct if you'd like. mbstude@gmail.com I would love to see photos of other things as well. I'm a buyer! I can also help with IDing anything you may have a question about..

What do the Wagon rear quarters fit? Can you post a picture? I have a '57 Broadmoor wagon that could use new quarters.

Still a few years younger than Mr. Q. himself!

I've got NOS fender spears.

I put in a bid on the ebay one. Thanks!

I had a gentleman call me today asking if I could repair a '37 Stude grille (I restore stainless) that a shop destroyed with a sandblaster. I told him I'd try to find him a replacement as the shop said they would pay to fix the damage. Does anyone know where one could be found?

Well, reserve was met.

Thanks!

The '33 isn't too far from reserve!

That's a really nice Buick.

Any Studebakers? I live just south of Atlanta, Columbus is just a couple of hours away.