Cool Afternoon

[kmac530]

In more ways than one.
I know I can not complain about low temperatures when it is only in the high 40s. But anyone who has spent time in different parts of the country may have noticed that there is a difference in thermometer cold and feeling of cold. Wind chill, humidity, and sunlight all play rolls. Then there is also the issue of what you are used to. If you are from the great white north and used to temps in the single digits, it does not seem to bother you. But if you are used to winter being 60s and it is in the 30-40s you feel cold.

It has been cold, clammy and rainy for 2 straight days. Kind of miserable and peaked here at my house at right around 50ish the last 2 days. I know, I know, shut up and quit complaining. But it is cold for us here, and I have friends who just moved here a year ago from Long Island and they are used to winters well below freezing and even they are saying that it FEELS much colder here at 40* than it does there at 30*. Not trying to complain per say, just saying it has not been fun since I have gotten to a spot where a few good days and I may be making some good headway on the truck.

But the real reason I think it was a COOL afternoon, is that I got to spend it with an old friend. And that was COOL. It was cool and chilly out, but I still had a blast hanging out with Warren Webb.

I stopped by to introduce him to my wife and pick up a V8 service manual. I ended up getting to meet 2 of his grand kids and he gave me the grand tour of "Casa De Stude"....well that is what I am calling it.

We had quite a few good laughs, a few at my dads expense...well deserved...lol. He showed me very many cool old parts and pieces and some really nice project cars.

I will get him to sell me his '63 GT Hawk SC car if it is the last thing I do !!! I would honestly take about any of his project cars, they all have so much potential.

We figured out that I have known him {or is it that he has known me} for about 38 years. Sadly we went separate ways when I was in my 20s and had not seen him in a long time. Hence the reason I had to "introduce" him to my wife of 25 years, but it is really great to be back in touch with an old family friend, and I am really thankful to get to call him a friend and brother.

So that makes 4 SDC members that I have met and hung out with for little bit in the 4 months or so I have been on the site and man have I enjoyed all of them. I have known Warren but recently reconnected with him thanks to this site, I met Dean Pearson who lives 10 minutes away and was a really cool guy with a RAD project {when you gonna swing by over here for a beer?} and Of course my good new friend Bob K. who is just a great man and top of my list of helpful and knowlegeable guys, and I got to spend a while talking to Mark {Bullet} at the PSW zone meet a few weeks back.

So I am 4 for 4 on meeting really good folks here. At this rate of meeting 1 member per month I only have to live about 1500 years or so meet all of you.....maybe I need to pick up the pace?

Anyway I just wanted to share yet another great meeting of a local member and express my great appreciation of the loan of the much needed service manual.....Thanks a TON Warren.

[irish]

Glad to hear you had a 'cool' afternoon. I was wondering what part of California you're in, the weather sounds cool to me too. I had lived in Sacramento for a couple of years and while I was there many of the 'natives' loved to ask me about how I was enjoying the warm/hot California weather. They never seemed to believe me when I told them that the summers here (in Cali) were cooler and the winters were wetter than my hometown in north Texas.

Joe

[kmac530]

I am in Southern California. About an hour or so from the Mexican border. I am between Disneyland and Sea World. I live in a town called Lake Elsinore. It is in the south west corner of Riverside county about 15 minutes from the San Diego county line and the same from the Orange county line. I live just inland from Camp Pendalton. So close I can hear them shelling all of the time over there.

Weather wise, it is wierd how things feel to a human. A thermometer may read the same in 2 places, but man they can sure feel different to the human body.

[Sam Ensley]

After the meet in Phoenix year before last, we rented a convertible and drove over to the California coast and then north. The top was up with the AC running while we were in the desert. It was hot, but beautiful country. When we started up the coast, we put the top down and really enjoyed the ride. I rold the wife that it felt as if we were riding in a movie.

[kmac530]

It is usually quite beautiful here weather wise. And like I stated I can not really complain. My main cool part of the afternoon was hanging out with an SDC member and old friend.

[showbizkid]

Time with Warren is time well spent! He is a wealth of Studebaker knowledge and a wonderful guy to hang with.

(The car I hanker for is that little '66!)

[Jeff T.]

I know what you mean by temperature being relative to your region. Today in SE Nebraska it's been around 40, albeit with rain. If the weather was clear I could be working on my Lark since it is parked outside. Any mid December day in Nebraska where the temperature is above 32 without snow or rain is a good day

I also need to make an effort to get better aquainted with Husker chapter members, most of them are up in Omaha.

Jeff T.

[Warren Webb]

I enjoyed your visit too Kelly and really appreciate the grunt force I couldnt do on that sub-frame bolt on the wifes car! I got that sub-frame bushing out of the donor part & if all goes well tomorrow, install the control arm so that when Joy gets home from work, she'll see it together sitting on all 4's again. I'm looking forward to volunteering the assembly of that 289 you have now. Its been almost 14 years (1998 right Rich?) since I've helped on one. I have a 289 sitting in the back room (not the R-1 engine) that I've been debating on if I should rebuild it or put in a 5 cylinder Mercedes diesel into my 61 Champ. I've made some preliminary measurments & although tight, I think its doable. I'd use the M-B auto trans with it too that is if I dont rebuild & stay with Stude power. But having that nameplate "Diesel" under the Champ name might raise a couple eyebrows especially pulling in to a meet sounding like a John Deere. At least the nameplate would be from a Transtar.

[kmac530]

I am all for diesel repowering on a Stude.
Like many, I appreciate someone keeping an original Stude motor or using a V8 stude in an ex L6 car. But I am also just glad to see a Stude on the road wheter that is with an SBC, LS motor, BBC, FwORD 5.0 or even better a good diesel.
There is definately something to be said for making it a daily driver, reliable, and economical car that is out on the road for everyone to see, whatever the power plant is. A MB diesel in a Champ would make a nice economical and reliable truck.

[Dean McHenry]

Hello Warren I have a 63 Champ Pickup with Mercedes 300D power that I built up over the past couple of years in my spare time.. I have had it on the road but still have a few details to finish before it becomes my daily parts getter. Let me know if you decide to do this as there are a few things I would do different the second time around that would make it a lot easier. Remember that Studebaker had a marketing agreement with MB and had Stude been in a bit better shape, a diesel Champ could very well have been built from the factory, at least the engine has a Studebaker connection. DMc

[Warren Webb]

Thanks Dean! I want the 300 engine, especially with the turbo. I installed one in my wifes M/B when the 240D engine bit the dust. I'd never think of that 4 cylinder engine-you'd have to measure 0-60 with a callender it's so slow. Which trans did you go with? I have one here with the 4 speed automatic that I could use but wonder if there is a later one with overdrive. When I get to that point I'll e-mail you. Any pictures that you can post here?