by Mike » 2012 Jul 12 Thu 9:59 am
Welcome Rod Shop -
Well...as you know, these cars are almost 60 years old and may have had parts added and subtracted a few times over these years.
But to sorta answer your question, the rollup antenna (knoB), the tissue despenser and fog lamps were options anyone could buy at the dealer and add to the car....or even later in the cars life.
One way to get a little bit of an idea, is tyo send your VIN to the Studebaker Museum and for a small fee, they can tell you exactly how (what items) your car rolled off the assembly line. But as I said, it wont say anything about dealer installed options.
As for their rareness.....na, not really. You can normally find all of your items at a larger Stude swap meet or even some at places like, Studebakers West or Studebaker International that sell NOS and used parts. You'll be surprised how much NOS goodies are still available.
One of my 54's came from the factory as the bottom of the line car. By the time I got around to buying it (45 or so years later..!), it had EVERY...possible option installed on/in the car. Most have since been removed and sold..!
As for the rear wheels/tires...with some work...it's "possible"...to put a 29" tall, 12" wide tire in the back. That's what's under the stock fenderwell of the blue car in my avitar.
BUT....you gotta get the spring out of the fender well area... I used Chevy truck arms, coil-over springs to hold the Winters Quick Change axle under the car...!
Otherwise, just get under there and measure your particular car..! Back spacing from the drum to the spring, from the drum to the outside of the inner fender.
You should be able to at least get a 15" x 7" wheel with a 215 x 75 tire. These cars are kinda like early Chevy II's and Chevelles, Ford Falcons...etc.
The C/K cars seem to be able to go a little wider under a stock fender.
Since you have the ability to play with back spacing....as I said, a good hot rod shop (!!!!!) should understand the value of checking things yourself to see exactly how much room you have.
The second 54 I just bought....I'll be doing the exact same thing here soon. I'd also like to squeeze the biggest tire and wheel combination under the stock fender (and spring location) as I can.
Have fun, show us some pictures if you can.
Mike
P.s. - where you located ?