r1lark Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Sounds like a great time! Nice to live in a place that can support year-round car activities. Maybe I'll be able to move to AZ someday . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Clear shots w/ the trim scripts & mirror installed. I'm picking away at transferring other things from the parts car like the intake manifold with the choke heat riser tube, and swapping out the choke on the carb (which right now is an added-on push-pull to an incorrect dashboard knob) to the automatic heat-activated one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Got the intake manifold & choke heat riser swapped over. That heat riser tube was much longer than I expected. It extends way down into the manifold and probably even into the head. Started the car on choke, and the heat had the choke open in a minute or so (it's about 70F in the garage today). Got the choke cable pulled out, and put the original headlight switch in the dashboard hole. Still have the later-added headlight switch because I'm not replacing the wiring right now. First picture is choke before replacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Where is the other end of that heat riser tube? It looks like it would suck exhaust! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 On the heads, there's 2 intake ports towards the front, and two more towards the back. Then there's one more port in the center that routes exhaust under the intake manifold. The heat riser tube goes down into that port. There's a close-off valve on the right side exhaust manifold that stops exhaust going under the intake manifold when the engine is warmed up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Bloo, to expound further on Eric's explanation, the tube in the manifold, if like others I have seen, protrudes THROUGH the manifold runner into atmosphere.The carb/choke system is sucking atmosphere through it. The exhaust passing through that runner is heating the air flowing through the tube. Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Bloo, to expound further on Eric's explanation, the tube in the manifold, if like others I have seen, protrudes THROUGH the manifold runner into atmosphere.The carb/choke system is sucking atmosphere through it. The exhaust passing through that runner is heating the air flowing through the tube. Ben So THATS it! I knew it should be atmosphere, I just didn't see how it was getting there. It really makes a mess when they are allowed to suck exhaust. I have seen that on other cars where a tube rotted through and let a little exhaust in. Edited March 4, 2018 by Bloo (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 Yesterday had the car in a local Studebaker-only show. There were about 35 cars there, with maybe 10 of them from Phoenix (or beyond). Only maybe 5 or 6 were "street rod" style, with non-Studebaker engines, swapped out suspensions, etc. The rest were original / restored original. Met another previous owner of my car. At first he wasn't sure because I've swapped so much of the front end chrome, but another previous owner confirmed it for him. So this car has been around Tucson for a long, long time. Met another '52 restorer out of the Phoenix area, and spoke to another guy who brought down his '51 on a trailer. The guy with the '52 pointed out that I had the front bumper overrides swapped right for left, and I have to agree they looked a little weird. So I swapped them when I got home and they look much more aligned to the axis of the car. I had brought them over same as they were on the parts car and didn't really think much of it. At the end of the event where they did a couple of awards (basically people's choice of everyone there, people's choice given by the Phoenix club members, and a fuel economy award that some of the Phoenix club did on their drive over here), and the 50/50, raffle baskets, then door prizes for non-winning 50/50 ticket holders, one guy announced a Studebaker-parts estate sale for essentially the balance of Saturday, all day Sunday, and Monday morning (then what's left goes to scrap). So I got over there today, and there were all kinds of '50's and '60's Studebaker parts, with just a few non-Studebaker parts in the mix. A couple of the local club members were there sorting through things (trash, scrap metal, possibly usable parts). I went with some new-in-box oil filters, some hubcaps, and a bumper, all for $30. I guess the scrap guy shows up sometime tomorrow. They had some "not for sale" parts under a tarp - maybe I should have peeked to see what that was about. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 Some photos from the show... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Great pics Eric, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Nice, Eric. Thanks. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 One of the guys at the Studebaker show said he had an extra hood emblem. Took a couple of days since he's in the Phoenix area, but that really puts the finish on the front end... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Wow, that's nice. Is it a used one? If it is, the condition is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Yes, that's used. It does have scratches & a little of the gold-colored plating was scraped away where fasteners were on it previously. I polished it with Meguiar's Plastx before installing to minimize the scratches. A few more photos with it installed... First photo is the seldom-seen right side of the car. Another car was parked in my usual photo spot. The last 2 photos are different levels of zoom - first one is a little too close, and it distorts the width of the car, but emphasizes the grille. Last photo is more how the car is really seen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 A sore detail in my eyes: the black wiper holders. Can you rescue the ones from the parts car or are they also black? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 It sure shines up nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 Thanks Gary. Roger - I did try the wiper arms from the parts car. The hold down springs are corroded away, and I there's a reason for those non-stock arms on the coupe. When the front windshield was converted to 2-piece, the stock wiper arms are then too long - the blade runs into the divider between the front glass. So if I put the one-piece windshield in, then I can run the stock wiper arms. Probably more than I want to get into at the moment, because then I also need to find (or make) a center support for the visor. I did get some close-up photos of one at the Studebaker show a couple of weeks ago. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 Finally dug out the GoPro, found the remote microphone, downloaded a new video editor (lost the other one on a computer that died), shot a video, edited it, revived my YouTube account & posted something: Mostly I wanted to hear the engine from the OUTSIDE... My wife said the high idle (in the garage at the beginning) reminded her of my airplane's engine (see my much older video posts)... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 That hood badge really pops now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Thanks for the ride! I kinda wish we had stopped for some ice cream or something though. Zeke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 (edited) Been a while. Replaced the ignition coil & spark plugs a couple of weeks ago. Made a huge difference in ease of starting. Took it to a show last weekend. Lots of positive comments. Got me motivated to think about the next big (huge) step that's risen to the top of the list - repaint. Got it to a painter today. Body color will be basically the same (picked a closely-matching color from current-day samples), and the roof will be a darker non-metallic blue-green, 1952 Aqua Green. Edited November 9, 2018 by Eric W edit paint color name (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Thought you had dropped of the edge of the world! Good to see you back. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I thought you were selling it. I saw it on CL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Yes, I didn't get inquiries that were anywhere near reasonable, so I figured I'll make some improvements and drive it & show it for myself. I was also motivated by a recent show where the comments were pretty positive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 That's great you decided to keep it. Looks to be a fun car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Very nice Studebaker, Eric. I have a 1949 Champion 4 door, that I was on the fence about selling. I am sorting some things out to make it dependable. I also decided to keep it. It is too nice a car to sell. I really like the Studebakers from the 47/52 era. Is your equipped with overdrive? It makes a real difference in my Champion. Thanks for the ride, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Yes, it's got the overdrive on a switch on the shift lever. I should have the parts on the parts car to make it automatic again, but that's way down my list, and I kind of like it the way it is. It's part of the history of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Finally rose to the top of the painter's list on this past Friday. I went out to pull all the chrome trim parts off, while he went around and marked a multitude of blemishes to work. He got to some of the bigger ones on the left side, in particular the center of the front wheel arch. He showed me what he wanted for edging off the roof paint and let me go at it. Also pulled off the windshield visor and the rubber-coated rear fender shields, which were falling apart. I scored a pair of the upper-trim metal ones and we got those in place to see what they covered. Looks like the roof was originally the light green - then repainted the light green, then maybe a tan, then red, then yellow, then the dark green. Found an almond color close to the wheels - going to go with that for the roof. I'll call it Studebaker Sahara Sand - an actual 1952 color. (It's a 1987 Alfa Romeo color.) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 That's a great pic of the different paint layers on the roof. Like reading the age of a tree from the rings! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted January 13, 2019 Author Share Posted January 13, 2019 Another day of paint prep. Got the roof rust knocked off some, then coated with POR-15. Got half of the still-painted portion of the roof scuffed down. Jeff did his magic on the right front fender, which had about a 6-inch long section of paint chipped/scraped off. He also worked the hood, which had some paint cracks at the hood ornament - right adjacent to each fastener, so over time, the ornament digs in. And there were 3 other chips/cracks right at "the nose" of the hood. Also big work on the trunk lower edge. Ground off the bubbles, treated with POR-15, and built back up. He was considering a major operation of cutting sheetmetal and welding in new, but I wasn't up for the additional cost he was hinting around, and when we saw it ground down, there really wasn't a whole lot to it. Ok, so if it perforates again in 10-20 years, probably will be someone else deciding what to do with it. I'm a little concerned with keeping this moving, since he's only worked on it when I'm there, and I can't get there this weekend coming up - but he also seemed more into it as it's getting farther along. If I have to be there a couple more times, not a big deal for me, since I'm liking seeing what's going on, and I can provide real-time feedback of what I want - what holes to fill, which ones are for emblems, etc. Also in these photos you'll see I pulled the taillight housings and swapped the wheels. I brought the "good" wide-whites back and treated them with Bleche-White this morning. They cleaned up just fine. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Good progress Eric, looking forward to the finished product! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Very nice work Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Missed last week because we were out of town. Today, mostly focus on the sides. Left side - door lower forward - slight pin holes, treated with POR-15, filled, sanded, primed. Mid lower door - door opened into something or some sort of impact. Filled vertical dent, sanded, primed. Sanded & primed several other paint chip spots. Right side - multitude of chips/nicks blended out & primed. Painted the visor. Visor back home with the wheels. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Are you sure that the tinny rust holes at the LH door will not reappear soon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowriv Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 I agree, and surely you’d take the rocker molds off and paint under them? They’re a classic rust trap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Don't know if we're getting into those rocker moldings. Masked them off because we were sanding & priming in that area. Don't know about the door condition either - my climate here is 11% relative humidity average year-round, and the car will be stored indoors, so condition changes extremely slowly here, if at all. Missed working on it a week ago because my parents were visiting, and missed this week because the weather's too cold. Next weekend is looking pretty good though. And the guy who bought my parts car is planning to get to picking it up this week, so I'll be able to rearrange the garage. Need to try to get my wife's daily driver into the garage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 18 minutes ago, Eric W said: Don't know about the door condition either - my climate here is 11% relative humidity average year-round Take the trim panel away to have a good look! 11% average? Man you must be thirsty all the time, day and night! Usually a dry climate is 30 to 40 % humidity; maybe I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Friday, Feb 15 - finally got together with the buyer for the parts car & got that moved along. He's happy to have it & plans to make it drive again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Saturday, Feb 16 - Studebaker-only show at the most southern highway exit for the town of Green Valley. Only about 8 miles from where my car's paint is being worked on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Some nice Studebakers there, thanks for posting Eric. Looks like the Arizona weather has recovered from the recent storms. Was just looking at the pics of your parts car leaving. It's amazing, a '52 looks way different when the front grille assembly is removed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now