Light blue 54 wagon, part II

[Mike]

Well...I got it. The guy dropped it off this morning.
I figured since I paid a bit too much for it ($8000), I neeed to get him to deliver it.
I'll take some pictures this weekend and try to post one or two.

As noted, a flathead 6, three speed with overdrive (he says he got fixed, was intermitant). New tires, new brakes, rebuilt engine...(?).
Most of the chrome is in usable shape, but the licence surround is banged up. They were really cheap not too long ago, now they're 90 bucks...! Most of the body dings are easilly fixable. There's a big pushed in area on the right side just a head of the rear fender...hopefully I can get in there and just "push" it back into place. As noted...the wrinkle on the front fender...I think the metal might be streatched out too much, I'll mess with it a little, see what happens.
As far as I can see, all four corners of the frame are in non-crashed condition...that's a good thing, right..?

Also as noted...it's gonna replace my 59 Lark, 2dr wagon. I've had the Lark for about 13 years...that's long enough. Time for a change.
I decided I'm not going to build two light blue, 54 wagons the same.
Wagon #I is still gonna be a 50's/60's hot rod, while wagon #II....is just gonna be a car. What ever I figure on doing....not gonna spend any time thinking on making them the same car.

Bad thing now..........I have no idea where to begin....! Maybe swap tires and wheels (American, 5 spokes) from the Lark...?!
Try to push the strange right side dent out..?
Start stripping a few things off the Lark and putting it back to its more original condition...

Later

Mike

Sorry all...I have no idea what this light blue wording junk is all about...!?

[Mike]

Boy...for having new shocks at all for corners...sure drives like a boat...!
The engine...what a piece...! While it does run...."ok", It sure makes a lot of strange noises....especially for a new engine.

Did some cleaning, halfway pounded out a dent in the front of the front fender. When the guy I bought it from got it...it had no air cleaner. In the "for sale" picture, it had a strange (but sorta cool) little air cleaner on it. He found a stock air cleaner but no brackets. He made up a crappy little aluminum bracket and bolted it under a head bolt...THEN...didn't fully tighten the head bolt...! He also set the air cleaner in the wrong place. So I made up a new...more solid bracket, and moved it back to where it's supposed to be.

Taking a close look at the under hood wiring has made me think twice about driving it much while it's awaiting the low miles 259, and a new wire harness (and Commandor dash) to be installed.
Not sure why it's not charging, but it seems to be running only on the Optima battery...! There is a new regulator on the firewall...maybe it hasn't been properly polerized. I'll try that tomorrow, but the wiring still looks pretty bad. Kinda afraid if it catching fire...!?

Anyway, the hood latch....it's fully mechanical, with an arm comming out between the grill bar teeth. Doesn't appear as though there was a cable ever there, this includes under the dash..?
Anyone else seen this...or is it maybe a real good swap from a later car ? By real good, I mean...no old tell-tale signs of a previous cable.


Thanks

Mike

[Half Fast One]

Hi Mike;

PROPERLY POLERIZED<. Try asking someone under 30 how to do this or just ask them what your talking about? Then ask them how to set the voltage in the VOLTAGE REGULATOR?

Can't wait to see those pic's. You get no advice from a guy who still has not decided on what to do with his after 10 years. HA!!

Will be watchin'. Roger...

[hi-per al]

$ 8 K? Be way kool to see some pics!

[Mike]

Still no charging..? Not sure what's not happening.

Been charging to my credit card like crazy... dash/under hood wire harness, seats, hoses, V-8 motor/trans. mounts, floor shifter, buncha other goodies.
Not sure if I'm gonna run the American 5 spoke wheels off my Lark or not. I will be swapping the sway bar, steering wheel, and a few other things off the Lark. Putting it back to more like stock before selling it.
I most probably will leave it the stock exterior colors, but the interior will be going to black....unlike the other 54 which will stay light blue and grey.

Alright...haven't figured out how to post pictures..! So here's the Fotki address -
http://public.fotki.com/-Mike-/

See, 54 Conestoga II

Mike

[hi-per al]

Wow...What a pretty survivor! Where did you find her? Is she gonna get a hot rod 289 and 4 gear or the 3 speed with OD? Are you gonna use or loose the roof rack?

I dont have any idea how to post your pics from fotki so I copied them to photobucket.










Thanx for sharing!

[Mike]

Hey Al -

Thanks for posting the pictures.

As for the engine, It's gonna get the low miles (23,000 original miles) engine out of my 60 Lark (the one with the Vette suspension). I'll pull the heads off, do some port work, install an R2+ cam and put the stock automatic behind it....for now...!?
It may get a small block Chevy and four speed auto at a later date. Matter of fact, I do have a stock rebuilt GM, T-200-4R I may put into it before the Chevy.
Gotta remember, it's gonna by my only driver type car...as in daily driver. I can't be going to radical with it.
The first 54 is getting all the hot rod stuff...

The roof rack has already gone to the scrap yard....NO...holes to fill.....! Notice it's there in one picture and gone in the other....
I think I mentioned...the dent in the left fender is about half way pounded out, the license plate and front bumper guards are gone. I have a good lower valance to put on. You can't really tell, but the one on it is "flattened" pretty well..and they are really difficult to straighten properly.

I tried adjusting the gas door, doesn't seem to want to fit properly. I have another one that I know isn't bent in any way, I'll try that one here soon.

I think I'm also going to do some front suspension surgury too.
You can read about it here - http://racingstudebakers.com/foo/viewto ... f=1&t=2647

Mike

[Mike]

Well...I pulled the front seat to install a set of bucket seats.
I pulled up the "original" matting and insulation. The light blue IS the original color, and I assume the darker blue is also.

The floors...for the most part are in reasonably good contition. There's the fist sized hole at the front corner of the front seat area...that I knew about. I'd guess, by the time enough material was removed to get into good material...it'll be about 12" square.
The drivers side is "hole" free...but it seems pretty thin right under the "A" pillar.
The left side rear seems a eaten up a bit, but might be useable as is, the right side rear is in good shape.
The floors kick-up behind the front seat are keeping me from mounting the seats correctly. SO..I guess I'll be doing some cutting/flattening of the floor tomorrow just to mount the seats.

I put a new license guard on the rear bumper. Noticed the wiring needs some real help back there too...! I polished up the tail light housings. They are a bit rough...but hey...so am I at 61 years old...! The lenses look REMARKABLY good for 58 year old lenses....OR, they've been replaced not too long ago.

I've got a new wire harness (dash/under hood) ready to go in, I've got most of a Commander dash to go in. I just need the gage cluster "closeouts"...they go at each end of the cluster.
Anyone have any spairs out there...?
A 53 cluster "hood" (or what ever it's called) would be an interesting addition also, if anyone has a spair one of those.
I've changed my mind on the wheels, it's gonna get a set of the old Weld Wheel, Drag Lites. The first design, they have round holes in the centers.

Also decided to put a GM T-200-4R behind the Stude engine. An adapter is in the mail now..
I've got a stock, but rebuilt with shift kit, 200 ready to go. I have no idea how it's gonna hold up...!

Rather than piecing together a flanged axle, and trying to find a posi unit, for the rear axle assembly, I'm going to take a Stude Dana 44 housing to Currie Enterprises, and have them fill it with modern parts, posi (four or five different designs to choose from), new bearings, new 30 spline axles....all the good stuff.

All for now.

Mike

[Half Fast One]

Hey Mike;

Your worried about a 200-R4 holding up? How much HP and Torque do you plan on making? I know you are good at building Engines but you better check ( Art Carr's California Performance Transmissions ) on the webb. I just want to know how you plan on building a Studebaker Engine and run it as a daily driver with over a 1,000 HP. Art's got all the stuff to build those trannies to handle that much. Probably mistaken but didn't those black two door Buick's with a V6 and a Turbo come with a 200? I think I'd be worried more about the frame twisting before the trannie going BOOM! HA!!!

Have Fun..
Roger...

[Half Fast One]

Mike;

Find out if they have 2 sets of those end covers or a extra driver side. Probably could make them if I only had the time.

Me again.

Roger...