1954 Studebaker Very Unusual?

[dusty taylor]

Awhile back Johnny Thiele and his son was here looking for fenders for a project. I took them to see this other man, that has this car. There is some weird/unusual stuff on it. It has reclining seats, and that includes the drivers seat and it is a bench seat. It has a cable driven tach, that is driven off the front of the fan. It has a rear window wiper. Rear window defroster. The tail lights are off of a '55. The engine appears to be a '56, but did not check the numbers. There will be 5 pictures on this post, then I will put 5 more on, etc. I will try to get them all on. I put the vin number picture and the body tag number picture on the first set of pictures. If anyone has any information about this car, they can post it, and let me know what it is. The man that owns the car, is not on the forum, and will probably never be on the forum. So if you do know anything, please post it, and I will relay it to him. Thanks Dusty

[dusty taylor]

More pictures

[dusty taylor]

And more Dusty

[Jeff_H]

Studebaker did offer a rear window defroster but I don't think that is it. Looks like its the same as the regular defrost unit from the dash mounted there. I think the factory accessory one just blew air. No hot water or even electric heating coils. The picture I attached (snagged from a ebay auction years ago) shows a rear defroster kit. The wiper motor also appears to be from that bracket to be one from the dash relocated to the rear.

I'd say those 2 mods are home brew. Dunno about the tach and the seat although I have seen pictures of '54 gauge panels with a tach instead of a speedometer in them.

[Mike Sal]

it's a shame we dont' know the identity of the guy who "customised" his car. I'll be he was really proud of the home grown engineering work.

I can't remember, but is the fan pulley the same size as the crank pulley? If not, the tach would read slow (and any belt slippage would hurt also). I'd guess that tach drive kit was doomed to fail for most customers.
Mike Sal

[studeclunker]

I believe this car has been seen here before. It seems to me very familliar the odd modifications on this one. I believe the consensus last time that the tach and other modifications were after-market.

[StudeRich]

The "Tach. was very clearly made from a Clock Dummy. Obviously someone did not like not being able to see out of the rear window. Hmmm, worried about being followed maybe?
Does it have a moonshine tank in the trunk?

[clonelark]

I'd sure like to see the build sheet on this car. Wonder where it was shipped.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Clonelark -

I LOVE your signoff.............

Can I steel, steal it ?

Mike

[52-fan]

I don't know about the tach drive, but Standard Surplus had gauge panels like that with a tach for cheap back in the early 70s. The owner probably bought the other parts new from them for little money also.
The seat is a mystery. The lever on the side does not look familiar to me, but could be from some model Studebaker.

[junior]

Standard Surplus had gauge panels like that with a tach for cheap back in the early 70s.

I think I read somewhere on this forum that these tachs were used in boats at one time...Junior

[stude dude]

I don't know about the tach drive, but Standard Surplus had gauge panels like that with a tach for cheap back in the early 70s. The owner probably bought the other parts new from them for little money also.
The seat is a mystery. The lever on the side does not look familiar to me, but could be from some model Studebaker.

I remember seeing some of those new gauge panels with the tacho up stairs at Newmam & Altman about 15 years ago. I recall there was quite a few of them and they seem to turn up from time to time.