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**bams50** · 01-08-2009, 08:55 PM

One of the greatest things about eBay for me was, it opened my eyes to just how many old cars still exist[:0] That gets reinforced in many other places with the constant stream of no-one-knew-existed barn finds that turn up. I just know my Super Lark is out there waiting for me somewhere, in the back of a barn under some hay bales, a roll of barbed wire carelessly tossed on the hood

Someday[

]

BTW- Help yourself to the sig. line- it's really a good question[^]

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

**Dick Steinkamp** · 01-08-2009, 08:59 PM

quote:Originally posted by 1962larksedan
-there seem to be quite a few survivors out there.

I agree. IMHO there are more low mileage Studes (of every vintage) than there should be. My theory is that a lot of Stude owners just flat didn't drive them as much as owners of the more popular makes. More conservative...older...I don't know.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[IMG][/IMG]

**PlainBrownR2** · 01-08-2009, 09:20 PM

My idea was more than a few people would drive em until they tire of them. Everybody has that thought process, including myself, that a vehicle or item has had its run and its time to move on to something bigger and better. Therefore, the vehicles would be parked, or sold, until the time came when the vehicle was operated again. They didn't necessarily have something break, or if it broke the owner wouldn't want to deal with the vehicle anymore. In that fashion that's also how some of our much older salvage yards here operated. Somebody would come by with a car to part and the car was driven in next to a row of other cars where it would spend its eternity, or until somebody bought it off the new owner. If yall find that hard to believe, I think we have a few in here with stories where they went to the salvage yard, bought a vehicle for pennies, fixed it up, drove it until it broke, then returned it for another one [

)].

[img=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201950%202r5%20Studebaker%20Pickup%20with%20turbocharger/P1000137-1.jpg[/img=left][img=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201950%202r5%20Studebaker%20Pickup%20with%20turbocharger/P1000145-1.jpg[/img=left][IMG=right]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/Ex%20Studebaker%20Plant%20Locomotive/P1000578-1.jpg[/IMG=right]
[IMG=right]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201964%20Studebaker%20Commander%20R2/P1010168.jpg[/IMG=right]

**52hawk** · 01-09-2009, 02:49 AM

Most auto brands parts go obsolete in 10 years. I've worked on many cars where the body parts are no longer available from OEM sources.
For as long as the SDC has been around,it has been a great resourse for parts and information,for the Studebaker owner. So to some degree the SDC has helped the survivor rate of 'our brand'..

Oglesby,Il.
Anybody that drives faster than me is a maniac.Anybody that drives slower than me is an idiot.

**53k** · 01-09-2009, 07:25 AM

quote:Originally posted by PlainBrownR2

My idea was more than a few people would drive em until they tire of them. Everybody has that thought process, including myself, that a vehicle or item has had its run and its time to move on to something bigger and better. Therefore, the vehicles would be parked, or sold, until the time came when the vehicle was operated again. They didn't necessarily have something break, or if it broke the owner wouldn't want to deal with the vehicle anymore. In that fashion that's also how some of our much older salvage yards here operated. Somebody would come by with a car to part and the car was driven in next to a row of other cars where it would spend its eternity, or until somebody bought it off the new owner. If yall find that hard to believe, I think we have a few in here with stories where they went to the salvage yard, bought a vehicle for pennies, fixed it up, drove it until it broke, then returned it for another one [

)].

There are always a bunch of "barn find" stories out there. About 30 years ago I was talking to the former Studebaker dealer in Greencastle, PA. He told me that he had one wealthy family that bought a couple new Studebakers every year and they didn't trade in the old ones, just put them away somewhere. One of the last cars they bought from him was an Avanti. Unfortunately I had no interest then and now I have no idea what happened to the cars.
Salvage yards- the Studebaker dealer in Hagerstown, MD, when a trade-in Studebaker didn't sell in a reasonable period of time, he took the cars to a salvage yard at Kearneysville, WV (about 25 miles). When I went through the yard in the early 80s there were 12 or 13 Studebakers there (probably driven in) including a '63 Daytona Wagonaire with a roof rack, a couple 2R trucks and a low miles '62 Lark 2-door six. A couple years later I sent a man there to get some parts and he told me the yard had changed ownership and all the Studes (and other complete old cars) had been crushed.

Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
'53 Commander Starliner (since 1966)
'64 Daytona Wagonaire (original owner)
'64 Daytona Convertible (2006)
Museum R-4 engine
1962 Gravely Model L (Studebaker-Packard serial plate)
1972 Gravely Model 430 (Studebaker name plate, Studebaker Onan engine)

**4961Studebaker** · 01-09-2009, 08:05 AM

One thing I noticed after being on the forum for some time is how new screen names pop up with new projects, as well as new backyard "finds". Most I'm sure were never familiar with the concentrated resources the forum provides, but the internet (for better or worse) has connected all of us to valuable knowledge and parts streams much easier. This...being a testament to the forum and the good that it does in connecting the......well, world....to what Studebaker offers.

I would think the internet, and this forum, have created intrest in the make, and therefore created opportunities for reproduction parts that otherwise would have never been reproduced?

Concentrated demand may dry up some parts..and shed light on others.
All the while creating demand to create repo's.

All in all Internet sources have been a good thing IMHO, thus adding to the survior rate of many cars, as mentioned in the first post.

ChopStu

**Dick Steinkamp** · 01-09-2009, 08:42 AM

quote:Originally posted by 4961Studebaker
the internet (for better or worse) has connected all of us to valuable knowledge and parts streams much easier.

I'm trying to imagine how tough it would be to network for parts (especially for a newbie) without the internet.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[IMG][/IMG]

**JBOYLE** · 01-09-2009, 08:50 AM

It's a big country with lots of cars.
Beacuse Studebaker were pretty typical family cars, I'm surprised there seem to be a lot of low mileage ones out there. Like Dick says, probably bought new by older people.

A couple of years ago, Jay Leno found a Duesenberg buried under papers in a garage not far from his studio. It was driven to LA after the war from the Chicago area and a planned restoration never happened and was pretty much forgotten. Recently in England a rare Bugatti 57 was taken from the garage of its deceased owner after being parked in 1960. The family and a few friends knew about it, but not the Bugatti fans or club. And if you see "Chasing Classic Cars" on the Discovery Channel you know another Type 57 was rediscovered in upstate New York. It was just sold, again, for a little over $1 million. If big name big buck cars can be forgotten (after all you don't need to be a car expert to know a Duesenberg or Bugatti is probably worth a good deal of money) there has got to be a good chance less famous cars are out there.

It's fun to think about all the great stuff still out there*.
I hope BAMS finds his Super Lark.
Hopefully the proposed junker law won't get them...which could happen if the family doesn't realize what they worth.

*A bit off topic...but as an example of neat stuff still waiting to be found...A friend just restored a 1928 Boeing Model 40 airliner, it's the oldest airworthy Boeing and the sole Model 40 flying (the other two are in museums). What made it neat is that it crashed in 1928 on an Oregon mountain. Its remains were rediscoveed and pulled off the mountain in 1994. I helped with the restoration and have flown in it. It's perfect.
And a nearly complete B-17 was pulled from a lake in Labrador a couple of years ago and is being restored to fly in Georgia. It might even have Stude engines...back on topic.

63 Avanti R1 2788
1914 Stutz Bearcat
(George Barris replica)

Washington State

**fiftystarlightcoupe** · 01-09-2009, 09:24 AM

[quote]Originally posted by 4961Studebaker

All in all Internet sources have been a good thing IMHO, thus adding to the survior rate of many cars, as mentioned in the first post.

I think the internet is even more beneficial to future Studebakers being built than more common brands. I had zero knowledge of Studebakers in general, let alone parts availability when I bought my project. This site and forum has been huge for me getting a crash course in whats available and Studebaker history. Other (more popular) brands have less "mystery" about what it will take to build a project; stock or modified. I was amazed how organized the "Studebaker world" was, once I found it. I'm glad I did.

Chuck/Ohio 9G-C5

**Mark57** · 01-09-2009, 12:05 PM

quote:Originally posted by Dick Steinkamp

I'm trying to imagine how tough it would be to network for parts (especially for a newbie) without the internet.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

Dick - Just think back 20 years ago and remember what it was like!

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island

Are you planning to attend the NW Overdrive Tour in Parksville, BC
May 23 & 24, 2009?</h5>

**Dick Steinkamp** · 01-09-2009, 12:18 PM

quote:Originally posted by Mark57
Dick - Just think back 20 years ago and remember what it was like!

I'd love to, but I can't remember what happened last week! [B)]

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[IMG][/IMG]

**Mark57** · 01-09-2009, 12:35 PM

quote:Originally posted by Dick Steinkamp

quote:Originally posted by Mark57
Dick - Just think back 20 years ago and remember what it was like!

I'd love to, but I can't remember what happened last week! [B)]

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

Oh yeah... you must have CRAFT disease like I do! [}

]

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island

Are you planning to attend the NW Overdrive Tour in Parksville, BC
May 23 & 24, 2009?</h5>

**1962larksedan** · 01-09-2009, 05:14 PM

Thank you everyone for your thoughts.

The fact that Studes with the notable exception of the Hawks, Starlites (sp), etc. tended to be bough and kept by 'conservative' older folks may indeed explain the relatively high survival rate.

The Internet has been a huge factor in people discovering/fixing up old iron for the reasons listed.

And; parts availability for many [u]1980's</u> vehicles is not that much better than for a 1960's Stude sedan--------up and including NOS sheet metal.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borrowed Bams50's sigline here:

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

**Hippie** · 01-10-2009, 08:11 PM

quote:Originally posted by 1962larksedan

And; parts availability for many [u]1980's</u> vehicles is not that much better than for a 1960's Stude sedan--------up and including NOS sheet metal.

I sold a fairly low mile '76 Monte Carlo with T-Tops because I couldn't find the interior and trim parts it needed. A Chevy and I couldn't get parts! I've actually had much better luck finding parts for my '55 Commander.

Analog man in a digital world.

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