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**Bandit** · 05-07-2005, 05:35 PM

The Lark isn't at all the black sheep of the family, it just happened to be the last car Studie produced so people think it was the company killer when in fact I think the Lark extended sales and kept Studie alive longer after the dismal Packard integration.

**Studeblazer** · 05-07-2005, 05:51 PM

There are a few around...I just came back from South Bend there were a few Larks in need of restoration for sale there...Keep watching the swaps and E-bay one will come up...Im afraid if you get a junker from a salvage yard you'll have some major frame issues [xx(] They like to sink in the gound then they really go bad

Joel LaRue

**studeclunker** · 05-07-2005, 08:08 PM

The only thing usable from a junk yard is parts.

If you want a '60 lark. Look in Turning wheels or e-bay. Have patience. You'll find it. Stay away from the junk yards. It'll give you heartburn.[xx(]

Lotsa Larks!
Studeclunker
A.K.A: out2lunch

**Studedude1961** · 05-07-2005, 08:16 PM

Take heart in knowing that most junkyards didn't bother with Falcons, Valiants, Mavericks, Pintos, or Ramblers either because these cars were thought to be disposable a few years after they quit being produced(and many in this list were). Big ticket cars new are generally big ticket cars parts-wise and those are the automobiles most salvage yards concentrate on. They prefer Monte Carlos to Citations etc. Your best bet is to join SDC, receive the excellent Turning Wheels magazine each month, and look on eBay for that Lark. They are out there and believe me these cars are comers and will do more for your investment dollar than will the stock market.

Good luck! Larks are great cars.

P.S. GM and Ford are now "junk" stocks. Took a while but management finally got there!

"Different....By Design"
Studedude1961

**studeclunker** · 05-07-2005, 08:52 PM

Forgive me for coming back for another dip...[:I] That said;

About the "black sheep" tag?[}

] Studebaker was technically bankrupt in 1957. They were able to persuade the banks to enable them to bring out the Lark line in 1959 (production 1958). It was thought that the Lark line would be the saviour of the company. Sales in '59 and '60 were brisk. They introduced a truck in the line, namely the Champ. Unfortunatly stupidity and lack of capital killed the company anyway.[

)] It was'nt the Lark. It was bad management decisions as well as Ford and GM launching competing models.

It's interesting... Every time that Studebaker introduced a new line of cars, something really new, they could'nt keep up with demand. Like many companies Studebaker was on a downhill slide after WW2. The privations the government imposed during and after the war effort was just too much for the smaller companies. But then after the war the country's economy has moved toward megalithic monopolies since. Look what it takes to get any kind of manufacturing started in this country now.

By the way, if you want a real laugh, look into the other forums. There is a really dumb attempt at a bogus Studebaker Motor Company startup.

I'm sorry for going on so long...[:I]

Lotsa Larks!
Studeclunker
A.K.A: out2lunch

**studeclunker** · 05-07-2005, 09:30 PM

Hey Danarchy! check out the topic "interesting visitor at Studebaker heaven". Look at pic. 10. There's your 60 wagon! Definately a project. Still, they might have more of them. Looks like a Lark sedan in the background.

Lotsa Larks!
Studeclunker
A.K.A: out2lunch

**Danarchy** · 05-07-2005, 10:11 PM

I already joined SDC and look forward to the Turning Wheel!
I did see the Lark Wagon in Studebaker Heaven discussion, but thats a really long way from me!(not that I wouldn't go)
The salvage yards I went to had other 50's studebakers and they were proud of them,they just laughed at me when I mentioned the LARK.
"Why'd you want oneuh them?" When I do get one (1960 LARK Wagon) I plan to drive it back to the same yards and ask them for more stuff they don't have!

Dallas,Texas

**Roscomacaw** · 05-08-2005, 07:49 AM

Hardly the Black Sheep of Studebakering. If it hadn't been for the Lark, 1958 probably would have been the last year for Studebakers. From it, came the vaunted (and still not dead!) Avanti and all the R-powered cars, ect..
The guys in the junkyards don't have a clue as to what's what when it comes to Studebakers. Since they rarely deal with a real Studebaker person - only rodders looking for a C-K or a bulletnose to chop up - they can't see why anyone would want a stumpy ol' Lark. You know - with one of those lethargic little flathead 6s in it. (Amazing to me still, how many gearheads there are out there that think Stude only ever had 6-cylinder motors!)
One BIG problem for junkyard Studes has been the availability of NOS parts for WAY many more years than should have been the case. This meant that Studes in wrecking yards never produced much revenue for the yard owners in the way of parts sales. This fostered the perception that other'n the few that were grafted onto Chevy underpinnings, there must not BE ANY Studes still out there! So why take up valuable, cash-generating square footage in your wrecking yard with a hulk that's gonna produce little return for itself?
Now that some sought-after parts are starting to get scarce, it's TOO LATE to find them in the yards because they've gone to that Great Smelter in the Sky since no one paid them any mind in recent decades!
Right here in central California I've been witness to several yards full of oldies as they were "cleaned out" when scrap prices went up OR had "fresh" inventories squeeze out the old stuff for reasons of better return for one's investment.[xx(]
That said - keep looking. You'll find what you want eventually. I lead a friend to a 63 Skytop a few years back. He excitedly bought the Skytop and grudgingly agreed to take the 60 Wagon "parts car" that went with the deal.[V] Guess which one he's restoring first?

Miscreant at large.

**arkiejazz** · 05-08-2005, 08:11 AM

[:I]If it weren't for Larks, there would have been no Champs!!

steve blake

**raprice** · 05-08-2005, 08:37 AM

I own a '59 Lark and love it. Yes, the acceleration is lethargic, but it has loads of room and cruises nicely when it gets up some steam.
It has the flat head six with all of 90 hp.
The problem with some people is that they don't have a clue when it comes to Studes. It's amazing the comments I get at car shows.
There are people who really think that Studebaker was a foreign car. That Studebaker never really made their own V-8's and so on.
That being said, it points out to me that we should be out there with our Studes and help set the record straight.
As a number of precious posters have so eloquently stated: if it were'nt for the '59 Lark, 1958 probably would have been Studebaker's last year.
Rog

**studeclunker** · 05-08-2005, 12:38 PM

You know, speaking of junk yard studes... There's a yard here in Redding that has a dozen or so of them.

they're buried in the back and are hard to get to. The owner does'nt want to bother with them.[V] The pity is that some of them are viable projects. Well picked over yes. Still viable. It's sickening as they are slowly deteriorating. Such a waste.

There are several early sixties Larks, a few fifties models, and some pickups. Some of the cars have been pretty badly damaged. There's a bullet nose 4dr that was t-boned. There are also some really neat cars. One old transtar(?) that belonged to a garage in the area. Neat truck. A '62 wagon that has all of it's glass and exterior parts, even the hubcaps! I just don't have the money to get them out of there.[V] That's one of the reasons I try to stay away from junkyards. I get heart-burn.

There I go again rattling on... Oh! the rain quit. I can go back to work on the sedan. C-ya!

Oh yes, and sorry about mentioning the '63 the other day. You see to me a Lark is a Lark. I like them all. Besides, Most of them are largely the same under the skin. That makes it even nicer. Lotsa parts for lotsa larks!!

Lotsa Larks!
Studeclunker
A.K.A: out2lunch

**Danarchy** · 05-08-2005, 03:10 PM

sorry about mentioning the '63 the other day. You see to me a Lark is a Lark. I like them all.
I like them all too! I just want a 1960 or maybe a 61!

Dallas,Texas

**studegary** · 05-09-2005, 10:04 AM

1960 four door wagon - 18,797 built.
1961 four door wagon - 7229 built.

I hadn't thought about the comment that some people think that all Studebakers are foreign cars. Yesterday, I was at the Rhinebeck meet. There were about 1000 cars in the show. The Studebaker class was situated in the field that had the foreign classes. Maybe that is why.

**Tom Bredehoft** · 05-09-2005, 02:07 PM

A couple of years ago I found a yard south of Seguin, Tx. I was looking for a gas tank for a Lark. The owner allowed as how he had ten to a dozen Studebakers, but the climate precluded unrusted tanks. No idea what models he has, but he was fairly positive he had them, and wasn't about to crush them.

Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'60 Lark VI

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Is the LARK the Blk Sheep of the Studebaker Family

Is the LARK the Blk Sheep of the Studebaker Family

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