I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.

[JimC]

Anyway...

Tomorrow evening I'm heading out to pick up a Lark that actually runs and drives! The car belongs to another forum member, tutone63. It's got a mixed bag of quirks here and there, but I saw the thing, and drove her, and fell in love with her.

While I'm still going full steam ahead on my restoration, getting a Studebaker of my own that I can actually drive has been a dream of mine since I was probably 6 or 7, so this is a has made my month.

'Course, there are a few issues I have to address right away, and a few that I should address not too far from now, but in all, I'm beyond very happy. Here are a few shots tutone63 shot of the car, and I'll post some of my own tomorrow when I get her home.

[John Brayton]

Wow!!!! not only beautiful but it RUNS...... congrats!

Regards,

[jasontaub9]

Nice ride! but I'm looking for the "like" button on this forum.

[JimC]

One more pic from his collection, just for the heck of it.



Now I must go and try to get some sleep, but like I said, I'm pretty psyched about this

[new2drive]

Excellent! Another car to a good home! Congratulations on the buy! And that is a pretty car, I like the colors!

[Roscomacaw]

Congratulations! Please - share what it's like - DRIVING your latest Stude aquisition the same day you buy it. An experience I've never known.

EDIT: After posting, I remembered I DID once buy a Stude I could take right out on the road. It was a '55 President sedan and the year was 1975. But still, I've forgotten what that experience was like.

[raprice]

From here, it looks like a really nice looking car. I even like the two-tone paint job on it. Best of luck.
Rog

[Pat Dilling]

Congratulations! Nice looking car. Have fun!

[Michidan]

Sure, we know that car. Tutune63 is/was a frequent forum commenter. Always thought it looked good.

[dean pearson]

Nice one ! Looks like a lot of fun and it fits in here cause we are all just a mixed bag of quirks right ???

Dean.

[JRoberts]

Congrats! I really do like the paint scheme. Have fun (but then I know you will).

[JimC]

Nice one ! Looks like a lot of fun and it fits in here cause we are all just a mixed bag of quirks right ???

Dean.

Well, I wasn't going to say anything...

Congratulations! Please - share what it's like - DRIVING your latest Stude aquisition the same day you buy it.

Absolutely!

My initial impression was to be impressed. What a fun car to drive! I've driven a couple Studebakers in the past, but they were basically lot-driven or just taken over a short distance. This was the first time I had the chance to get out on the open road and really experience a Studebaker at cruising speeds for any given amount of time. For 50 years old, the ride is smooth, too. I'd say that the hardest part of driving the car was just getting my stinking fingers to quit bopping the horn ring when I went around corners. Man, is that ring touchy!

During the drive, I was actually pleasantly surprised at the ergonomics of the car. I am a much bigger than average guy. I was a bit concerned that I might not fit well in a little lark, but it was actually very roomy and comfortable. I LOVE the seats! Something about those old spring style seats just feels better than the foam pad seats they use in cars today.

Compared to my heavily insulated minivan, the ride was noisy, but it really wasn't bad. I actually spent most of the time listening to the sounds of the car. I could hear a little whine from the rear diff, which has a leak that tempts me to swap it with the Dana 44 on my Hardtop which is functional and non-leaking. The motor has a really faint tick from one piston that I'll have to further look into. I also suspect that repacking the bearings might not be too bad of an idea. The thing I really liked was that I felt connected to the car. Driving a modern car hardly allows you to feel the vibration of the road, let alone experience the car's mechanics.

I also really noticed some of the quirks I talked about in a recent post. The car itself pulls just a hair to the left, and could use an allignment. but the brakes decidedly pull to the right. Given that, and a leaky master cylinder, some brake servicing is pretty high on my list.

Tutone63 here on the forums (who sold me this devilishly handsome car) told me that the car has a fuel issue where after about a half hour of driving, it starves for fuel and dies. After hearing this information, I mapquest'ed the distance from my driveway to his. When they figured in traffic, it was almost exactly 35 minutes. Knowing this, I stopped and had lunch with my mom about five minutes away from his place (I went to a Sonic, figuring it would be a fitting first meal in the car), and we were off. I was going to stop for a bit halfway home to let the car catch it's breath, but I figured hey, just run the gauntlet, and I took it all the way home. About 30 minutes later, I rolled into my parking space, and she was still running like a top.

In all, it was a magical experience. I have a crazy week ahead of me, but as soon as that's over, I plan to start going into the car and knocking out some of the projects on the to-do list. Here are a couple photos from today. If you want more, you can see them on my blog.

[55champion]

Enjoy your ride....

[clonelark]

The AMC wheels look good on it too. Larks are drivers, fun car to take out and enjoy.

[JimC]

Yeah, I like the wheels. They have some minor clearance issues, but nothing that can't be solved by taking slightly wide turns

I'm thinking of taking the wheels from my grandpa's lark, throwing some ww tires on them and getting some 63 hub caps, just in case I ever want to go for a more Lark appropriate look, but with I definitely plan on keeping these rims for daily use. And she will be used daily (or at least regularly). A car this pretty deserves to be seen.