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I took the ‘35 Commander out for a spin today


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I am feeling badly about not being able to attend the Antique Studebaker Club / Studebaker Drivers Club meetings this week in Wisconsin.  I decided that today was the day to get the Commander down off the lift and cleaned up and on the road.

 

It has been a year to the day that I started a project to replace the king pins in this car and I have a whole series of threads on this forum documenting that process.  A knee replacement and other issues delayed anything happening until now.

 

I checked all the fluids and charged the battery and hit the electric fuel pump for a little while and turned that off and turned the key.  The Startix did its thing and the engine started on about the second revolution after being idle for a year.  What a sweet sound.  I did a brake check coming off the lift and all was good.

 

Some years ago Dick Quinn sent me an original owner”s manual for this car and I wanted to make sure the Freewheeling feature worked properly as I had never moved the knob since I bought the car.  It worked perfectly.  I did about twenty miles and it ran great. Good oil pressure and the temperature never got above 180.  And my newly machined king pins didn’t fail either, which I consider to be a good thing.  (Tongue very much in cheek.  These king pins probably better than original)

 

I’m sorry that I missed the meet, but I’m thinking about you guys and gals and maybe I’ll make it next year, where ever that might be

 

Tom

 

 

5B8500C4-4EB4-4C49-8FBC-9EBFC04C7BCF.jpeg

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Tom,

  Car looks great! 

I had used the Freewheeling on my 35, and I think the 35 is the best year to use it, because we have juice brakes. Mechanical brake cars, not so good, as you lose the engine compression, to help you to stop.

Will you be at Hershey?

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The freewheeling is nice in that the clutch does not have to be disengaged to shift, but I sure wouldn’t use it much if I lived in mountainous or even hilly country.

 

Hershey is not in the cards for me this year either.

 

Tom

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