64 hawk - no fire

[wiley]

Ok guy a novice tinkerer needs some expert advice. The hawk i purchased a few weeks ago turns over nicely but it won't fire at all. I have replaced the coil and coil wire. have cleananed up the connections and have continuity through the external resister. Cleaned up the points as well. When I turn the key on The front turn signals will light up,the radio has power and the wiper motor works. however nothing else does. Someone on this board told me that he car was an original automatic and had the base 2brl v-8 based upon the vin # which is 64v- 12807. The car currently is a 4 speed and gas a 4brl v-8 with chrome valve covers and no serial # on the engine. The radio is after market and it looks like wiring has been jacked around with. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[jd-stude]

You can run a wire from the battery straight to the coil and use a bump switch or wire to activate the solenoid. That takes the wiring harness out of the equation. Just be sure to be able to disconnect the coil wire easily as that is your only shut off. I would also pull the coil wire from the distributor cap and check for spartk to ground when cranking. Becarefull of shock and fire hazards when doing this or substitute a longer coil wire to avoid trouble. Also check firing order of the wires and the distributor timing. More and better advise will follow from others.

Ken

[StudeRich]

Welcome to the SDC and to the SDC Forum Wiley.

You need to check the power wire from the Ignition Switch to the Coil. If it is the Pink factory wire in the original harness, it is a Resister wire, so since you are running a Resister on your Coil, you do not need 2 of them.

Also the Pink wire being fragile carbon (string) may be dead. So either way, a new solid copper 16 ga. wire will be required if you continue using the external resister.

Oh, the other wire that should be on the + side of the Coil is the Green wire that goes to the Solinoid "I" Term. to allow 12 Volts in "Start" mode.

Do not pay any attention to what someone else said about their '64 GT Hawk, as each one was built differently by Factory, Dealer or Customer order. The Serial Number is not a actual VIN # so it tells very little about the car except Canada or U.S Plant, Year model, 6 or V-8 Engine and line sequence built.

If you want detailed info on your car including what Engine it actually came with you need to go to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, IN Website, to call, mail order or whatever the Production Order by the Serial Number on the drivers door hinge post.
here is their Website link: http://www.studebakermuseum.org/

[Dwain G.]

[QUOTE When I turn the key on The front turn signals will light up,the radio has power and the wiper motor works. however nothing else does.[/QUOTE]

So no noise at all when you try to crank? Is the original shift collar (where the column shift lever was) still on this car? See if it will rotate counter-clockwise, hold it there, and try to start.

[studegary]

Hopefully, you are trying to start it with gasoline that is not more than three months old (modern fuel goes bad/stale rapidly).
First, you need to determine if you have an ignition or fuel problem. Check for spark at a spark plug. If you have spark, try to start it briefly with starting fluid.