New to the Studebaker world!

[62studey]

Hello all! My wife and I just got a killer deal on this 62' Lark! We got it from a family friend and I don't konw much about these cars at all so this is why I'm here! It's been repainted, was originally white and interior has been redone. It needs a tune up and new water pump but those things wont be hard to do. I'm lookin into putting some new wheels on it and lowering the front end about 2". Only thing I need to konw right off hand though is what brand and weight oil do you guys suggest? V8 259 auto. Not sure what has been done for sure as far as tuning up over the years. It seems to run good, but smokes a little as it's been sitting more than driving since 2004. Any suggestions as far as what kinda things I should look at or do right off hand? Thanks!

[Skip Lackie]

Here's a start:

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/tech_things2do.asp

[Kurt]

Welcome. That is one sharp looking Lark. Just use an oil that has enough ZDDP for these old flat tappet engines.

[Avantidon]

Well Hello Mr and Mrs. 62Studey!!! Welcome to the wonderful world of Studebakers. Look at the website suggested above by Skip Lackie a great resource of wisdom and find a local SDC Chapter near you. Also please join the National Organization which can be done through the above site also and then you will begin receiving the Award Winning National publication TURNING WHEELS. I promise you you will not regret these moves.

Again WELCOME!!!

[warrlaw1]

Welcome aboard. Parts and know-how are at your fingertips. The more you drive it, the better it will perform.

[62studey]

Thanks for all the info. I've already got alot of great info from joining this site in less than 24hrs! Cant wait to start tuning the old Lark up and hopefully get her entered into the big car show coming up next month! Thanks again!!!

[JimC]

Welcome! You've got a beautiful car on your hands. I imagine that you'll enjoy it a lot.

As far as oil, I really love (as does my '63 Lark) 15w40 Rotella T. The ZDDP additive debate has been going on for ages, and if you do a forum search you'll see that there's no end to the debate. I personally add a bottle of STP to my oil, mostly out of habit.

Watch out if you change too much on those wheels. Tires rubbing the body is a big challenge. It's best to do a lot of research first.

Post more pics. Love the car!

[62studey]

Thanks! I read that Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15w-40 will work and you don't have to add and ZDDP. Only thing is I'm not sure if you can get that through a local parts store or not. I'll get more pics up asap. I've got my mind set on these from summitracing.com, with 205/70/15 tires. They have a +12.00 offset. Think I'll be ok with these?

[jclary]

Hey, welcome aboard! Once you get the water pump replaced, just get out and drive the little Lark a hundred or two miles on some of those long Kansas rural roads. I once bought a Hawk that had been sitting for a few years and killed all the skeeters along the seventeen mile route home. I was convinced the engine needed a complete overhaul. But after a good long ride the smoke cleared up and the car was still running great when the new owner drove away about ten years later.

As far as lowering...hold your guns...most Larks by now have self lowered! Depending on how big you are...drag racing might mean something else.

[ddub]

Tires and wheels are an endless source of conversation here. Use the search function and get a little background. If you're like me you'll end up with more questions than answers but it is interesting.

[Jim B PEI]

My 63 259 V8 wagonaire smoked hard out of both exhausts, and leaked hard too, when I got it. About 500 miles of driving, a few dozen each day, and an oil change cleared that up, and the leaks more or less stopped too--the seals can get dry from not being used. Do some research on options before lowering a Lark sedan further. Larks came with tall skinny bias tires on narrow rims. Using wider rims can be not straight forward due to the Studebaker offset and space issues, especially up front. As nice as some new rims would look, they might be doing you no favours at all as far as it runs on the highway, and handles/steers around town. If you go with Ford 5 inch (LTD up to 92?) they are a great fit on Studebakers for wider radials, the Studebaker kingpin front suspension and a Lark fender, as long as you use the FORD lugnuts, not the Studebaker lugnuts (size issue!). The problem with going much wider is that it will be a bear to steer, especially if it doesn't have power steering. The problems with going much shorter and lower is that the speedo gets way off, and it will get very busy at highway speed. The closest sort of tire size to original for the gearing etc would be 215/75/R15 but 205/75 or 215/70 or 205/70 work.

I'd try to borrow some Ford rims with wider/lower aspect tires (ie, than the 3 sizes I mentioned above), and see if you like the effect both in looks and feel before spending too much money. Measure that offset--Studebaker was a bit different. Putting wider tires on those old 4.5 inch Studebaker rims isn't a good idea--they are old rims, made for skinny non-radial tires and you would be putting a LOT of stress on the rims driving it to radial tires capabilities.

As far as oil, you can go the Shell Rotella (ie, the formulation for diesels) route, or regular oil with ZDDP, or even the Valvoline VR1 racing oil. I use all three on my Studebakers, and all cost net about the same, and there are other choices as well that are good for flat tappet engines as they have the right ingredients. I'm not up on that Mobil one...

[53k]

Hello all! My wife and I just got a killer deal on this 62' Lark! We got it from a family friend and I don't konw much about these cars at all so this is why I'm here! It's been repainted, was originally white and interior has been redone. It needs a tune up and new water pump but those things wont be hard to do. I'm lookin into putting some new wheels on it and lowering the front end about 2". Only thing I need to konw right off hand though is what brand and weight oil do you guys suggest? V8 259 auto. Not sure what has been done for sure as far as tuning up over the years. It seems to run good, but smokes a little as it's been sitting more than driving since 2004. Any suggestions as far as what kinda things I should look at or do right off hand? Thanks!

If the smoke you are seeing occurs when you let up on the gas and coast a bit, chances are the valve guide seals are worn. In my observation many Studebnakers were junked years ago because the owners thought the smoke indicated that they were worn out. Anyhow, valve guide seal replacement isn't a major or expensive job- can be done in the car with very little disassembly. Or, if the smoke is minor, don't worry about it for now.

[JBOYLE]

Welcome...you have a great car.
This forum, Turning Wheels (articles and ads) wil help you enjoy your auto.

[JRoberts]

Glad to have you with us. As you already know lots of information is available here. I think somebody already mentioned this but let me do it again. Join the SDC. I think you'll find the Turning Wheels magazine well worth the dues. Also once you have joined the SDC find your nearest local SDC chapter and join that too. Just go to the SDC homepage and look at the list of stuff in left margin. Click on Local SDC Chapters and you can find what is available in your area. Good luck with that very pretty Lark.

[irish]

Welcome to the forum and to Studebaker ownership! I like the color of your lark, and congrats on getting a V-8! Studebaker V-8's are very strong and reliable engines. By the way, if you don't already know this your automatic trans is a 3-speed, but they start out in 2nd gear if you put the selector in 'D' try putting it in 'L' and it will take off in 1st gear, you will feel the difference when you take off! Enjoy your car!

Joe