John and Tracy Smith's Lark- A YouTube Production!

[John and Tracy Smith]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWQc9TQM4LQ

We wanted to post the video prior to sharing the whole story of the Lark starting, as it finally starting obviously made our day. First and foremost, we really want to thank everyone here for all your kind words of advice and encouragement. At one point, we really did find ourselves asking whether it really should take representatives from half the nation to get this car started?

Steps that took place prior to Karl starting.

1) Hot wired the coil straight to the battery. Result: nothing.

2) Took apart carb and found float to be stuck. Unstuck float and reassembled. Result: no fountain of fuel, but the car still did not start.

3) Purchased a new battery on the off chance that the one we were using didn't have enough "oomph." Applied some starting fluid for luck. Result: Voila! Karl is alive! (This is the actual footage of it starting and our children screaming in terror...)

Unfortunately, it seems that with our car adventures, every cause has an effect. Yes, Karl started. No, Karl would not shut off. He kept running, loudly and rather well. The smoke did start to decrease a bit. It blew chunks out of the muffler (we'll post pictures of the large rust hole). We would have been happy if that was the worst of it. John fought with the key to get the car to shut off, which engaged the starter, thus ruining the starter (no, we are not posting that footage, although it is all recorded!) After removing the key, a few wires off the switch, and the positive terminal on the battery...Karl was still running like a champ! Finally, John guessed and pulled the coil wire from the top of the distributor cap. Karl went silent once again. We tried to restart, and the starter made a crunchy, winding noise. We stopped for the night.

Moral of the story: we assume that if you hot wire your coil, this will eliminate control over your ignition.

P.S. Anyone have a used starter to sell, or can this one be rebuilt?


John and Tracy Smith
Queen Creek Arizona

http://1955studebaker.blogspot.com/

[IMG]

[Tom Bredehoft]

Musta fixed the carb. Sounds good, those smoke mice will be gone soon (we hope)

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Avatar1.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe (since 1959)
'55 President (6H Y6) State Sedan
(Under Construction 571 hrs.)
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[StudeDave57]

Vroom vrooom~

Way to go!!!


StudeDave '57 [8D]
San Diego, Ca. (for now...)
San Diego County SDC

https://www.studebakersandiego.com

'54 Commander Regal 4dr 'Ruby'
'57 Parkview 'Betsy' (she's a 2dr wagon)
'57 Commander DeLuxe 2dr 'Baby'
'57 Champion Custom 2dr 'Jewel'
'58 Packard sedan 'Cleo'
'65 Cruiser 'Sweet Pea'

Part owner of the one and only
'55 PROTOTYPE panel van

[bams50]

Cool! Just how it should sound- and smoke[^] She'll clear up when she's run at operating temperature, on fresh gas for a while.

Wish I had been there- I can even smell it from your video! Thanks for sharing it, and good work[8D]

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?"

[allstateguy]

EXCELLENT! Those <s>other</s>EXTRA two cylinders give lots more smoke and noise than when I woke my flathead up!

Reviving an early Lark

[showbizkid]

Congratulations!

Sure does feel good, don't it? [8D][^]


[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

Clark in San Diego
'63 F2/Lark Standard

http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

https://www.studebakersandiego.com

[Green 53]

That sounds great. What turned out to be the problem? Was it the wires on the switch? Hope to see it an event soon.
Denny L

[Steve T]

So cool...a two-door post...looks like it might even be Gulfstream Blue like my "Betty" (more or less) is...seeing this lifts the spirits of a frozen-northerner whose furnace has just been fixed after being on strike through three of the coldest days of the year...even if it does make me thoroughly envious to think this footage is from last week, not last summer! Congrats on bringing this Lark back.

S.

[barnlark]

Please, tell us what it was that got it working![8D] Hopefully the new carb did it. How are the neighbors with the whole thing???

[52-fan]

Great to hear you got it running. WHAT DID YOU DO?


1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[barnlark]

Sounds like you may have engaged the starter with the key trying shut it off. You probably cracked the nose off the starter, or chewed up some teeth. The generator was still producing power even after you disconnected the battery cable. If you had cut that hot wire to the coil and turned the key off it would have stopped. I bet 90% of the problem was the carb. Check your oil and make sure it isn't full of gas. Sounds like the coil and distributor are ok..it runs fine. The starter just may need new parts.

[studeclunker]

Yours is an automatic, right? If so, I just might be able to provide a starter for you. If I can't, there are any number of people with starters for you including good ol' Mr. Biggs! You just might want to have a look at the ring gear too. It could be pretty chewed as well.[B)]

Don't let this discourage you. Quite the contrary, the motor sounded very strong. Of course, we know why it was sent off to the pasture. It was time for a valve job (possibly).

Make sure before you start it again to change the oil, if you haven't already, and definately if you smell gas on the dipstick. When you put gas in it add a little CHEMTOOL, about half a can, the first time. It'll clean out the tank, fuel lines, carb and cylinders. Also, it'll help keep the oil from fouling the plugs till it runs a bit cleaner.

Another thing you might want to do is to dismount the gas tank and put a couple of cans of CHEMTOOL or another parts cleaner in it. Then vigorously shake it around in there (Both of you would be needed) to break loose crud and gremlins. You'll need to stuff a rag in the filler tube and a pencil in the rubber feedline. This way it doesn't... share with you. I've found the most amazing things in my car's tanks (LOL)!

Congratulations! I would have liked to have Karl, but Bess would likely have been jealous, so he's better off with you. By the by, got a kick out of the video. Thanks for sharing it with us.


Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[Mark57]

You gotta like it when the plan works!

<h5>Mark
'57 Transtar Deluxe
Vancouver Island

The NW Overdrive Tour in Parksville, BC
May 23 & 24, 2009; check it out at -
http://sdcvi.shawwebspace.ca/</h5>

[StudeRich]

That V-8 sounds strong, love it! Hopefully John and Tracy, the Starter Bendix Drive will be the only victim! It should be the weaker of the two, and the Ring Gear on the Torque Converter and the Starter will be OK, lets hope! [^]


StudeRich at Studebakers Northwest -Ferndale,WA

[63larkcustom]

Congratulations guys.. nice to see one of the others back to life!