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1921 Studebaker EG Big Six 7 pass touring - $21,000 - Mission Hills, KS - Not Mine - SOLD!!!! - Now Reactivation Project


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1921 Studebaker EG Big Six 7 pass touring - $21,000 - Mission Hills, KS - SOLD - Now Reactivation Project

https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d/kansas-city-1921-studebaker-eg/7175644485.html

1921 Studebaker EG Big Six 7 passenger touring car
354 ci six cylinder flathead, 60 hp @ 2000 RPM
126” Wheelbase, 33x3 tires, Serial Number 332579
Unrestored original

The car is in excellent running condition, stops, starts and drives well. No dents, damage or rust-through on the body. It is in largely complete and in original, unrestored condition. There is little paint remaining as can be seen in the pictures. The rear seat has the original leather upholstery, the front seat has been reupholstered. The car has a newer top, top boot and a tonneau cover. All instruments and lights are in working order. It has an accessory spot light that penetrates the windshield, brass wind-wings as well as iron clamp retainers for the top irons. The original side curtains are included although the plastic windows need replacement. It has gap wires at the spark plugs that show a visible spark when then each cylinder fires. The engine uses the original vacuum fuel pump that works perfectly. The windshield has been replaced with safety glass. The car includes a hubcap wrench and a hub puller to remove the rear wheels if necessary.

The car was bought new by a sheriff near Cleveland who drove it 26850 miles before putting it into storage in 1932. It was sold in 1973 and parked in a garage until 1995 when it was bought by David Neitzel who got the car running again. I bought the car in 2010 from his estate. It currently shows 28944 miles on the odometer which I believe to be correct. The Neitzels provided extensive hand written notes regarding the car history and their acquisition of it. The car appeared on the front cover of the March-April 2004 issue of the Antique Studebaker Review.

To buy another car with this much horsepower, Studebaker advertised that it would cost 2 – 3 times more. Studebakers were renown for their reliability, and a 1919 Studebaker EG (same model as this car) was found in 1923 that had run 475,000 miles without having the engine rebuilt. They bought the car, drove it from Los Angeles to Chicago. It appeared in advertising in 1923. The car is now in the Studebaker National Museum.
 

Contact:  No phone listed.

Copy and paste in your email:   03b88665b379348cbac55c6d1399473c@sale.craigslist.org

 

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1921 Studebaker EG Big Six 7 pass touring.   

Note: The Big Six Studebaker 354 ci engine really is a big displacement powerplant for the period.  Consider the following: Cadillac V8 314 ci; Marmon 34 six 339.7 ci; Lincoln V8 371.1ci; Packard Single Six 268.4 ci; Single Eight 357.8 ci; Pierce-Arrow 80 six 288.5 ci; Peerless V8 331.8 ci;  Cole V8 346.4 ci;  Buick Six 241.6 ci; Apperson V8 331.8 ci; Stutz K four 360.8 ci; Stearns-Knight six 268.8 ci; Roamer 6-54E 303.1 ci;  REO T-6 239.4 ci.  Contemporaries, many more expensive than the Studebaker Big Six, didn't offer the performance and value to be found in this model. 

'21 Studebaker EG big six KCMO a.jpg

'21 Studebaker EG big six KCMO b.jpg

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'21 Studebaker EG big six KCMO n.jpg

Edited by 58L-Y8
SOLD - Now Reactivation Project (see edit history)
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I had a 24 Special Six many years ago and it was a beast of a car. Good quality and fast enough to go with highway traffic, only thing you had to keep in mind is that it only has two wheel brakes on tall skinny tires... This is a very similar car and in great original shape! Good luck Linus!

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FANTASTIC! Just another reason I HAVE to get back into touring, so I can go on your camp out next year and see this treasure. Not quite the same, but I had a '25 small six Studebaker years ago and loved it! I also had a '15 ED six which was the forerunner of your new car's series. I really loved that car! Pre-WW2 Studebaker automobiles, then and now, are one of the best cars for the money one can get. And the big ones are the BEST!

 

Congratulations!

Edited by wayne sheldon
spotted a typo :( (see edit history)
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Sort as needed where it is, and drive the slow scenic roads home. Of course these days, you better have a chase car & trailer. I plan to do the same when I am FINALLY able to go get my '27 Cadillac. Take lots of pictures and videos. I sure hope this old Stude treats you right. Good going !      -     Carl 

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13 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

FANTASTIC! Just another reason I HAVE to get back into touring, so I can go on your camp out next year and see this treasure. Not quite the same, but I had a '25 small six Studebaker years ago and loved it! I also had a '15 ED six which was the forerunner of your new car's series. I really loved that car! Pre-WW2 Studebaker automobiles, then and now, are one of the best cars for the money one can get. ANd the big ones are the BEST!

 

Congratulations!

Funny, reminds me of car tour camp outs we used to go on as well.  Maybe 2021/2022 will be the year to reinvigorate those activities on a larger scale.

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  • 1 month later...
On 8/13/2020 at 7:04 PM, Ben P. said:

Wow.

I’m not so sure you found it — some cars choose their owners....

 

So it’s the bumpers that are the most interesting part of the car to me. When you get it home check the back of the bumper bolts for the mark in the top picture below. ‘Metal St(amping) Co.’ Long Island City New York.

If that’s there you’ve got yourself a pair of ‘Lyon Resilient Indestructible Bumpers’ and I’ve only seen a f/r pair on one other car and I don’t recall if they were a matched full width set on that car.

 

Bottom picture is a 1917 ad out of Montgomery Wards for them (far left bottom). They ran this style through the early 20’s. In my eyes they are the best looking accessory bumpers ever built for cars before 1927, period.

A forum search on Lyon bumpers will turn up many more pictures.

 

Congratulations

 

A7249459-3856-4D19-8055-437E6FE25E82.thumb.jpeg.4ce6585784272b7e3523ba9202870d43.jpegF39C97D4-93F2-4961-A8AC-B81C37074351.thumb.jpeg.000c0a239b8c846ffd345c9fae012d19.jpeg

 

Sure enough Ben. Here is the bumper clamp. 
 

12F1868A-A1C5-4F4A-90B9-F2D72DA93E15.jpeg

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Well yes and no. It’s going to need a lot more work than I hoped. I knew the second I saw it that it was in a lot worse shape than I hoped and I dont know why but I got it anyway. I was hoping for a car that was actually being maintained to a level of drivability for touring - really it was just kept running and that’s about it. 

 

 Water pump shaft is shot so it keeps leaking even after changing the packing. Wood wheels are too loose for my trip. For a town driver, ok but not for 8k miles many of which will be dirt. Radiator has multiple leaks. Head gasket and exhaust gasket will need changing. Generator not working, starter gear loose on crank shaft, Tires too old for trip. It had three inches of tow out on the front wheels. Drove like hell. King pins are sloppy. Some of the wood wheel bolts were worn so badly that they just snapped off when I tried to tighten them. 
 

the worst part is the transmission. It’s in terrible shape. First thing that happen was it got stuck. I have learned that the aluminum cases are problematic. I believe that the bearings are so shot that the shafts are not staying in alignment under load. It’s very hard to get out of gear and often I have to let the clutch out again and try a second time making sure no load is on the gears at all. I took the top cover off and there was a lot of metal in the oil and pieces in the bottom. The gears are very worn. I hope that with new bearings it will be ok and that the case is not damaged. 
 

I guess if there was good news I would say that I do like the car and despite these issues it does drive and I fit in it and it looks the way I wanted my car to look. It was going to be very hard to find a car that looked this way and was well maintained and I know that because I looked for one for ever. 
 

I am very frustrated as a restored 22 big six went to auction right after I got this and only a few hours away and it sold for less.

 

as always the best advice for old cars is to always buy the best possible car you can find. This wasn’t that car but I’m pretty sure it’s as close as I was going to find within any reasonable budget. 
 
 

 

Edited by Linus Tremaine (see edit history)
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Yes Linus T, a bit disappointing. But a very nice looking car. 

Unfortunately, a lot of  people think bad steering and shifting was how cars were in the old days. That has always been a problem in the hobby.

The 1915 Studebaker six I used to have? The previous owner had driven it on several tours. He told me the brakes didn't work very well. When I got it, the first time i drove it it had practically NO Brakes. I crawled under the car, saw the problem. A main brake rod was too short resulting in a severe maladjustment of the brakes. It took a bit over an hour to go to the hardware store for something I needed, make a rod extension, and adjust the brakes properly. the previous owner had been driving the car tht way for a few years, always thinking it was "just how they were".

He may have underplayed it? But at least he did tell me the brakes didn't work very well.

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Hi Wayne

I am a factory trained and ASE Master Technician. I have not turned wrenches professionally for several years.  But if this happened to me I would do the same thing.  Crawl under there and see what's going on!  So many people are afraid that they just don't try.  Sometimes I make it better, sometimes the same, sometimes worse, but it's a fun part - the discovery - that makes me want a really old car like this one. 

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16 hours ago, Linus Tremaine said:

wooden Lincoln highway bridge and a Later steel bridge in Wyoming.

Linus:  Thanks for the update, sorry the Studebaker didn't turn out to be in better mechanical condition.   Although I suspect what you've discovered in the Studebaker what it true of too many original cars, that they run but their drivability is serious compromised by neglect.  Hope you will be able to overcome those problems to eventual make the Big Six into a viable tour car.   BTW, neat photos at period appropriate locations. 

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On 9/28/2020 at 9:26 PM, Linus Tremaine said:

For a town driver, ok but not for 8k miles many of which will be dirt. Radiator has multiple leaks. Head gasket and exhaust gasket will need changing. Generator not working, starter gear loose on crank shaft, Tires too old for trip. It had three inches of tow out on the front wheels. Drove like hell. King pins are sloppy. Some of the wood wheel bolts were worn so badly that they just snapped off when I tried to tighten them. 

 

If you were living in the late 20s early 30s and purchased a "good used car" for a cross country trip I would suspect that it would be in very similar condition. 

Perhaps the reason people say "that's just the way they were" is because they wore out faster than we remember and as a 5-7 year old 30,000 - 50,000 used car, they were pretty shot. 

 

Remember the preparation that the Joads (and their kind) had to do to make it to California. . . . . 

Edited by m-mman (see edit history)
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Hi Linus,

I suggest you start posting in the Studebaker forum for your needs....there are parts out there.  Also join the Antique Studebaker Club and put a wanted ad in the Antique Studebaker Review.  You would be surprised how many older owners and collectors can't/don't particpate in the online forums but still respond to the hard print ads. Ask lots of questions. It's a fantastic looking car. Good luck.

Scott

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A 1921 Sayers touring car I had many years ago, had a bumper like that on it. It was clearly an after-market  add-on. The ad mentions not needing to drill holes in the frame. It was held on with "J" bolts. I doubt it would have held up well in a collision. Wish I could have kept the car and restored it. I have never seen or heard of another survivor.

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Good morning Lunis this Dale out in Ks. about 2 1/2 hrs. from where you bought the Studebaker, I was curious as to whether you have any Studebaker kin in California, there are a lot of Studebakers out there, when I go to the family reunion in Ohio and read roster I notice that? Thanks  dale.tharp@gmail.com

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hi dale, 

i dont personally know any other studebaker people. There is a pretty good facebook group called nor cal antique studebaker and there are a good number of active people there.  There is also rick down in southern california who has been very helpful to me. He makes the chevy distributor conversion and SS water pump shafts. 

 

I keep learning about more people here, so I think there are more than I would have guessed which is good. 

 

L

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If you are looking for bumpers, Robert Kapteyn may still have these - in Illinois.  I dropped them off at his place a few years ago. "rbk" on the forum - active in the Studebaker group.

Scott

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes I still have the pile of bumpers you brought.

If anyone is interested in any of these, they are available, plus a large hoard of early parts that Scott brought over.

Winter is coming and the Covid got me pinned down but If I can help, I will.

Parts from 29 Studebaker dealer inventories.

http://jolietstudebaker.com/the-building/

Robert Kapteyn

studebaker@mac.com

815 212 2389

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

All

i thought i would give an update on the studebaker. I put off all the work it needed for too long and finally was forced to start working on it recently when the fan blade broke. Sadly, it ruined the radiator core, but it was already marginal.

 

I have taken it out and it is going to get a modern core. I paid to have a tube core constructed for my other old car and it cools poorly. I regret spending the extra money. This car will be driven so I need good cooling. 

 

I am also rebuilding the water pump, doing a valve grind and all the other neglected maintenance on the engine is being done. 

 

I will pull the transmission out soon and have found someone who will work on it. 

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16 minutes ago, alsfarms said:

ohhhh.....The fun of lifting a head off old gummed up studs!  Have you been successful without extra collateral damage?  Are you heading for a full on engine rebuild or just repair as needed?

Al

Just in case a previous owner did the same thing as the owner of my 1922 Paige--namely, re-used an old copper-asbestos head gasket but applied Indian Head gasket shellac to both copper sides:  I wound up using two take-apart spark plug bases in cylinders #2 and #5 with eye bolts through them (eye on top, nuts on bottom, of course), then chains & hooks through the eyes, attached to a cherry picker engine hoist.  The hoist lifted the front tires one inch off the ground.  I anointed the stud penetrations through the head daily with a solvent (acetone + ATF).  After about 5 days, while I was working on something else in the shop, the corrosion finally gave way and the front end dropped to the floor.  The head remained captive on the length of the studs, so it did not swing around or do any damage.  It then took about 4 hours to clean the mating surfaces of the deck and head.

Edited by Grimy
fix typo (see edit history)
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