What did this start life as

[Steve48]

Can I please have help confirming the identity and model of this vehicle. Obviously prior to its pickup conversion. Also would this have been registered in New Zealand as a new vehicle.

 

[Leif Holmberg]

Studebaker President mid 1920s.

[Steve48]

Thanks

They didn't use those names till 1927 I thought and think this is earlier. Was it the Standard 6 that became to President. 

[studeboy]

It is a standard six engine. The standard six did not become the president. it became the dictator in 1927. The dictator engines have the water inlet going into the engine side cover by 1928.

[nzcarnerd]

Yes, it is a Standard Six/Dictator, and not a President.

 

Cast into the side of the engine block will be a date. It is visible there between the coil and distributor.  The first letter is the year, the the month and day. I don't have the codes but I think H is 1928. Our car had had a few engine changes and I have lost track of them. On the alter 1920s car the casting date is at the front - see photo. Yours is earlier and it is at the back. The second photo may explain the need for an engine change. The camshaft 'fell' out the side and knocked off both the carb and broke the starter cast base.

 

I think the car is a 1927 model EU which became the Dictator somewhere during its production run. Yours looks to the the features quoted in The Standard Catalog of 'bullet shaped headlights and double bar bumpers with a fluted design', so is probably a later-in-the-season Dictator. The chassis number, if it has survived, can be found on an aluminium plate attached to the chassis just behind the left front wheel.

 

The blue car is, I think what yours may have been.

 

The green car photo I found on Flickr. The car still has its NZ issue 1956-61 plate.

[Steve48]

Thank you for that information. My car looks to have been an open car. Windscreen posts were bolt on and rigid upright so could it have been a Duplex. Were these common in New Zealand. My headlights look flatter than the bullet ones on the blue car so would that make it a bit earlier than 1927. Has a body number 41436. Do you know how common the 4 wheel brake conversion was in NZ

 

[Steve48]

Ist letter of engine casting number on orig photo blown up seems to be E

[studeboy]

I think it is a 1927 Standard six/EU dictator six. The 1927's all had disc wheels to accommodate the new four wheel brakes. The serial numbers for st six start with 1,202,001. The EU dictators started at serial number 1,346,101. Does the body plate have a T on it if so it was a touring car originally.

[Steve48]

Thank you

There is no T on the body tag but the doors don't accommodate windows. Bolt on windscreen stanchions. 

[studeboy]

The instrument panel has 4 gauges in the middle and the speedometer on the right. according to the parts book that is what they call the first design dash. With four wheel brakes the serial numbers started at 1,314,286.

[Steve48]

Did some earlier models have aftermarket 4 wheel brake conversions

[nzcarnerd]

Studebakers can be notoriously difficult to date accurately due to the number of specification changes. This was posted here on aaca a few years ago.

 

As far as I am aware the Studebakers for NZ in the 1920s came from the South Bend factory, unlike our Fords which all came from Canada.

 

1925 was the first year of the new national registration system in NZ so that was also the first that accurate records were kept of new car registrations. The photo I posted gives an idea of the numbers of mainstream models sold.  Studebakers were popular in NZ. No breakdowns of individual models but I think it fair to guess that the great majority were the smaller Standard Six and Dictator models. There were a few of the bigger models - Big Sixes and presidents but few have survived. Most worked hard as service cars.