The September 2010 Cars & Parts should be on newsstands by now; I received my subscriber's copy last week.
Therein is a nice, five-page spread on Neil Loughlin's Laguna Blue 1964 Daytona Convertible. The article contains a few errors, so know that they've been addressed, per this letter sent to Editor / Writer Bob Stevens earlier today. Bob is a good guy who likes Studes and the independents, so I wasn't about to beat him up or anything. I think he'll take the remarks in the proper vein. BP
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Cars & Parts
August 18, 2010
Attention: Bob Stevens
Hi, Bob,
Thank you for the nice feature article on Neil Loughlin's 1964 Daytona convertible in the September 2010 Cars & Parts. I saw Neil's convertible and spoke with him about the restoration several years ago. I'm glad he still has the car and is enjoying it. It was certainly a labor of love, as far "gone" as it was when he began. As you say, it was well done by restorer Craig Piper of Westmoreland Studebaker.
I know you are a fan of the independents and have treated Studebaker more than fairly in the past, so I hope you'll receive the following remarks about the article in the proper vein, so to speak.
Studebaker of Canada's President Gordon Grundy personally had little to do with the December 1963 South Bend announcement of assembly operations being terminated in that city, but Mr. Grundy had everything to do with seeing to it that Studebaker of Canada's Hamilton, Ontario assembly plant was prepared to handle increased Studebaker production for the world by January 1, 1964. I might add that he and his team did an excellent job of that, too. Rather, the task of announcing South Bend assembly being terminated fell to Studebaker Corporation President Byers Burlingame, who made the announcement and fielded the subsequent tough questions in the United States while Team Grundy readied the Hamilton plant for additional output.
As you say, Hawk, Avanti, and truck production was discontinued with the production transfer to Hamilton on January 1, 1964. However, convertible and 2-door hardtop production was not. Indeed, contrary to the article, convertible production continued in Hamilton for the remainder of the 1964 model year. Of the 702 Daytona convertibles ultimately built during the 1964 model year, 286 (over 40%) were assembled in Hamilton.
The 6.00X15 (sixes) and 6.50X15 (V-8s) tire sizes cited in the article are for sedans, not the subject convertible or station wagons. Convertibles were all shod with 6.70X15 tires, presumably due to their heavier weight.
The 195 HP figure for the 259 V-8 required both the optional 4-barrel carburetor, as you state, plus the optional dual exhausts, as on the subject car. Later in the engines discussion, the R1 Avanti engine was cited as being rated at 255 HP. The correct figure is 240.
The R3 engine was rated at 335 HP, not the 330 cited. Even 335 was deceptively conservative at a time when horsepower figures were shamelessly optimistic. Stock R3 engines may be expected to easily produce closer to, if not over, 400 HP, as measured during that era. Further, the first paragraph on Page 44 leads the reader to believe R4 (not R3) engines were capable of producing 0-60 times in the 6-second area, which is not true. Only R3 engines had that capability...and it was legitimate!
One Page 42 caption states the new-for-1964 AM-FM radio became available "mid-year," but this is not true: AM-FM radios were available from Day One of 1964 production. Indeed, production data in front of me indicates three of the first ten 1964 Daytona convertibles had AM-FM radios. Those three cars were built August 12 and August 13, 1963, during the first full week of 1964 model year production, well before the 1964 models were introduced.
Finally, Studebaker's body numbering system at the time began with body #101, not the cited #100.
Again, Bob, I appreciate the nice spread you gave Neil's worthy convertible. Please know that these corrections are, of course, submitted with no offense intended.
Sincerely,
Bob Palma
Technical Editor of the
Studebaker Drivers Club's
Turning Wheels
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Therein is a nice, five-page spread on Neil Loughlin's Laguna Blue 1964 Daytona Convertible. The article contains a few errors, so know that they've been addressed, per this letter sent to Editor / Writer Bob Stevens earlier today. Bob is a good guy who likes Studes and the independents, so I wasn't about to beat him up or anything. I think he'll take the remarks in the proper vein. BP
*****************************************
Cars & Parts
August 18, 2010
Attention: Bob Stevens
Hi, Bob,
Thank you for the nice feature article on Neil Loughlin's 1964 Daytona convertible in the September 2010 Cars & Parts. I saw Neil's convertible and spoke with him about the restoration several years ago. I'm glad he still has the car and is enjoying it. It was certainly a labor of love, as far "gone" as it was when he began. As you say, it was well done by restorer Craig Piper of Westmoreland Studebaker.
I know you are a fan of the independents and have treated Studebaker more than fairly in the past, so I hope you'll receive the following remarks about the article in the proper vein, so to speak.
Studebaker of Canada's President Gordon Grundy personally had little to do with the December 1963 South Bend announcement of assembly operations being terminated in that city, but Mr. Grundy had everything to do with seeing to it that Studebaker of Canada's Hamilton, Ontario assembly plant was prepared to handle increased Studebaker production for the world by January 1, 1964. I might add that he and his team did an excellent job of that, too. Rather, the task of announcing South Bend assembly being terminated fell to Studebaker Corporation President Byers Burlingame, who made the announcement and fielded the subsequent tough questions in the United States while Team Grundy readied the Hamilton plant for additional output.
As you say, Hawk, Avanti, and truck production was discontinued with the production transfer to Hamilton on January 1, 1964. However, convertible and 2-door hardtop production was not. Indeed, contrary to the article, convertible production continued in Hamilton for the remainder of the 1964 model year. Of the 702 Daytona convertibles ultimately built during the 1964 model year, 286 (over 40%) were assembled in Hamilton.
The 6.00X15 (sixes) and 6.50X15 (V-8s) tire sizes cited in the article are for sedans, not the subject convertible or station wagons. Convertibles were all shod with 6.70X15 tires, presumably due to their heavier weight.
The 195 HP figure for the 259 V-8 required both the optional 4-barrel carburetor, as you state, plus the optional dual exhausts, as on the subject car. Later in the engines discussion, the R1 Avanti engine was cited as being rated at 255 HP. The correct figure is 240.
The R3 engine was rated at 335 HP, not the 330 cited. Even 335 was deceptively conservative at a time when horsepower figures were shamelessly optimistic. Stock R3 engines may be expected to easily produce closer to, if not over, 400 HP, as measured during that era. Further, the first paragraph on Page 44 leads the reader to believe R4 (not R3) engines were capable of producing 0-60 times in the 6-second area, which is not true. Only R3 engines had that capability...and it was legitimate!
One Page 42 caption states the new-for-1964 AM-FM radio became available "mid-year," but this is not true: AM-FM radios were available from Day One of 1964 production. Indeed, production data in front of me indicates three of the first ten 1964 Daytona convertibles had AM-FM radios. Those three cars were built August 12 and August 13, 1963, during the first full week of 1964 model year production, well before the 1964 models were introduced.
Finally, Studebaker's body numbering system at the time began with body #101, not the cited #100.
Again, Bob, I appreciate the nice spread you gave Neil's worthy convertible. Please know that these corrections are, of course, submitted with no offense intended.
Sincerely,
Bob Palma
Technical Editor of the
Studebaker Drivers Club's
Turning Wheels
****************************************
We've got to quit saying, 
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