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1956 Golden Hawk Restoration and Refitting

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  • 1956 Golden Hawk Restoration and Refitting

    Am presently restoring a very solid Golden Hawk I was fortunate to buy from Roy Pearson. I have posted photos at the following URL.....

    Store your photos and videos online with secure storage from Photobucket. Available on iOS, Android and desktop. Securely backup your memories and sign up today!


    This is a ground up project. To date the car has been disassembled. All parts not going back on the automobile have been sold to Dwayne Jacobson of Midwest Studebaker. The chassis and the body {partially stripped of paint on all flat areas} have been sandblasted and primed with two coats of epoxy paint. Used John Deere Blitz Black, two coats, as finish paint on chassis and all none exposed parts of the body. Used a brushable undercoating product on the underside of the body....the inner front and rear quarter panel areas....and the cabin floor. Used one gallon, three coats. This product uses Dupont Kevlar in the formula. It was a pleasure to use. I highly recommend it....manufactured by Duplicolor at 62 bucks a gallon.

    Am using Slick Street Stuff's bolt on IFS, with new coil over design, enlongated a-arms and the new frictionless Afco ball joints, and 11 inch disc's, with a dual master cylinder on the firewall and hanging brake pedal. Next week we will install all aluminum LS1 and 4L60E trans in the rolling chassis while using a twin traction Dana 44 out of a Gt Hawk for the rear differential. Will continue to post progress photos to photobucket as we continue the process.

  • #2
    Hi, Mike,

    Welcom to the SDC forum. Great source for advice and parts.

    As one who has also modified a '56J, some along the way are going to disagree with
    Am presently restoring a very solid Golden Hawk
    To purists, "restoring" is returning to factory original. You and I are building modified/custom cars from a '56J base. Our cars, our money, our decision.

    jack vines
    PackardV8

    Comment


    • #3
      I too have joined the club with you and Jack.
      I am doing two C/K's (56 Power Hawk & 61 Hawk) and even the 61 which I consider a "Restoration" will be modified.
      Disc Brakes, power rack, dual master, 8" Ford rearend, 6" Ford wheels, and wire hupcaps............just subtle things to make it safer and more personal.
      Thanks for sharing the pictures.
      Seeing other projects in the background reminds me of my shop, and leads me to believe that you also do this commercially.
      Good Roads
      Brian
      Brian Woods
      woodysrods@shaw.ca
      1946 M Series (Shop Truck)

      Comment


      • #4
        Nice job on your trans x member and batwing for dual exhaust .
        Please tell me more about this or send pictures of modification.
        Thanks
        Brian
        Brian Woods
        woodysrods@shaw.ca
        1946 M Series (Shop Truck)

        Comment


        • #5
          Jack,

          I have aquired five 56J's in the past 6 months. I had planned to alter a couple my way and keep a few stock....or at least that was the first thought. Then came all spots on the drive way and garages from the motors and differentials. Now only the show car will remain stock, though it also leaks. I am also now redoing a 54 coupe I aquired last Christmas....with aluminum LS drivetrain and using 56J trim at the same time i am doing the 56J. My feeling is the 56 Studebaker GH presents well, why invest in other models or years.

          You think the absolute stock studebaker enthusiast looks down on we retrofitters.....I have ten 1932 and 1934 Packard Coupe's and Convertibles that I change the drive train and front and rear suspensions on to make them reliable, dependable and safe, while keeping the remainder of the car stock......The Packard boys go absolutely bonkers !!

          Am attaching a couple of shots of a 1947 Studebaker M-5 I bought last week which is highly altered with all updated mechanicals. Is the one with black top while the other red M-5 was one I considered a few months back. You can see all the alterations in visual comparison of the two. You can make your own mind up which you like better. I did !! mike
          Attached Files

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by PackardV8 View Post
            Hi, Mike,

            Welcom to the SDC forum. Great source for advice and parts.

            As one who has also modified a '56J, some along the way are going to disagree with To purists, "restoring" is returning to factory original. You and I are building modified/custom cars from a '56J base. Our cars, our money, our decision.

            jack vines
            Would this project not be termed a "restorod"? I thought that a restoration was pure to the original, but that a "restorod" was a restored car that's extensively performance modified turning it into essentially a hot rod restoration such as this one. There's another category isn't there - "restomod"? That's where the restorer keeps most of the car pure to the original, with the same basic engine and transmission and performance characteristics, and the car outwardly looks original, but where the other mechanicals - brakes and suspension and sometimes even the chassis - are replaced with modern components in the interest of safety and reliability.

            Maybe I misunderstood these concepts.

            Mike O'Handley
            Kenmore, Washington
            hausdok@msn.com
            Mike O'Handley, Cat Herder Third Class
            Kenmore, Washington
            hausdok@msn.com

            '58 Packard Hawk
            '05 Subaru Baja Turbo
            '71 Toyota Crown Coupe
            '69 Pontiac Firebird
            (What is it with me and discontinued/orphan cars?)

            Comment


            • #7
              There are many monikers out there on altering an automobile during restoration....ie. as you state.... restorod, restomod being two specific opnes. You may call what I am doing either. I think what I am doing is a cpmbinatio of restoration and refitting. Let's call it a restorefit. I kind of like that. Hotrods to me are cars with an absurd amount of horsepower and torque that shortens rear tire life due to the rubber left on the tarmak. The motor I am putting in my Hawks are but 75 additional horsepower, 350 vs 275 HP. My goals are simple.....a reliable, dependable and a safe vehicle that does not leak oil all over my concrete drives.
              Last edited by mike super; 11-17-2011, 01:03 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by mike super View Post
                Am presently restoring a very solid Golden Hawk I was fortunate to buy from Roy Pearson. I have posted photos at the following URL.....

                Store your photos and videos online with secure storage from Photobucket. Available on iOS, Android and desktop. Securely backup your memories and sign up today!


                This is a ground up project. To date the car has been disassembled. All parts not going back on the automobile have been sold to Dwayne Jacobson of Midwest Studebaker. The chassis and the body {partially stripped of paint on all flat areas} have been sandblasted and primed with two coats of epoxy paint. Used John Deere Blitz Black, two coats, as finish paint on chassis and all none exposed parts of the body. Used a brushable undercoating product on the underside of the body....the inner front and rear quarter panel areas....and the cabin floor. Used one gallon, three coats. This product uses Dupont Kevlar in the formula. It was a pleasure to use. I highly recommend it....manufactured by Duplicolor at 62 bucks a gallon.

                Am using Slick Street Stuff's bolt on IFS, with new coil over design, enlongated a-arms and the new frictionless Afco ball joints, and 11 inch disc's, with a dual master cylinder on the firewall and hanging brake pedal. Next week we will install all aluminum LS1 and 4L60E trans in the rolling chassis while using a twin traction Dana 44 out of a Gt Hawk for the rear differential. Will continue to post progress photos to photobucket as we continue the process.
                Dwayne J. stopped by my shop in South Ga. yesterday. I wasn't there so I didn't get to visit with him. Hate I missed him.
                Neil Thornton

                Comment


                • #9
                  Dwayne gets around Neil.....Georgia one day, Texas the next. I bought the 56J he was keeping for himself a few months back. I think he is also stopping at SPS Engines there in Norcross. Johnny Tucker owns the company and they do engines right. I buy all my requirements from him. Too bad you missed Dwayne ...will tell him you were sorry you missed him when he calls me. One of the drums on a 63 GT dana 44 twin traction he sold me was bent.... he was looking to see if he had another the same size.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    What headers are you planning to use with the LS motor?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Have gone over Pat Dilling's LS1 swap in his 54 stude where he had Sanderson special cut his headers to get around the saginaw steering in his car. They are a long term purveyor of quality headers. I don't know yet if the stock ones will not work. We shall see. But I will not have the problem Pat did in that I am using Rene Harger's Bolt up Ifs with the rack and pinion set up from Flaming river.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by mike super; 11-19-2011, 04:24 AM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I am preparing to install an LS in my 54 Coupe with an Industrial Chassis front clip so I will be interested to see what you use. Keep us posted.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Do I uderstand correctly? You are using Chevy drive train and expect no leaks? How do you do that?
                          I have 3 Chevys and they all leak! especially the transmissions. If I don't drive them regularly, they will dump what looks like a gallon of trans fluid on the floor. Except for my diesel dually, it just goes drip,drip,drip...
                          Neil Thornton

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            How about some more pix as you progress............please.
                            sigpic

                            Mike Barany

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by woodysrods View Post
                              Nice job on your trans x member and batwing for dual exhaust .
                              Please tell me more about this or send pictures of modification.
                              Thanks
                              Brian
                              After reading more of your posts it just dawned on me that your batwing may be "Stock" Golden Hawk???
                              Is it?
                              Brian
                              Brian Woods
                              woodysrods@shaw.ca
                              1946 M Series (Shop Truck)

                              Comment

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