I need information about my 59 silverhawk

[evilhawk]

I bought my 59 13 years ago and never really did much research on it. I was wondering how one can acquire a build sheet or if someone here would have any information about the car? Anyway, the reason Im curious is because it has an interior I havent seen in other hawks and a signal seek radio. I the VIN number from the plate on the firewall which reads: 59v-cb 2674. I will have to look to see what the number on the plate in the door jam reads. I included some pics of a door panel that was removed from the car. It has this shiny metallic looking material that resembles the machine turned dash surrounded with stainless trim. The design continues into the rear panels as well. I also included a pic of the radio.




I would like to know if the car came stock with the interior design or if its custom made and if weather the radio is stock or not.

Any help will be much appreciated and thank you in advance,

Sam

[avantilover]

The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend have production orders archived and available for purchase.

Just fill in your details and go from there. Good Luck. Maybe your car has been modified over the ensuing 54 years, then again Studebaker are known to have done just about anything to obtain a sale. The experts will make comment later.

https://studebakermuseum.org/store/production-orders/production-order-1936-1959_00028/

[8E45E]

Anyway, the reason Im curious is because it has an interior I havent seen in other hawks and a signal seek radio.

Those door panels are correct for a '59, and that signal seeking radio was an option.

Craig

[StudeRich]

Yes those are completely stock door Panels used only on '59's, they match the style of Lark Regals' exactly.

The dash is also totally Stock, but does have a Very, very rare (in a Stude.) signal seeking Push Button Delco/Studebaker Radio.

While it COULD have been Factory Installed, It MAY have been Dealer or Owner Installed, as many Studes. were ordered without Radios, actually just not added, since they were optional like Heaters, Side View Mirrors, Wheel Covers, Tinted Glass etc.

[evilhawk]

Well that answers the question why I havent seen the door panels in any other Hawk, its because they are 59 specific and I havent seen any other 59s around here. Thanks for the help guys! I may order a build sheet to see if the radio was factory installed (I highly doubt it was) and also see what other options were chosen for this particular hawk.

Yes those are completely stock door Panels used only on '59's, they match the style of Lark Regals' exactly.

The dash is also totally Stock, but does have a Very, very rare (in a Stude.) signal seeking Push Button Delco/Studebaker Radio.

While it COULD have been Factory Installed, It MAY have been Dealer or Owner Installed, as many Studes. were ordered without Radios, actually just not added, since they were optional like Heaters, Side View Mirrors, Wheel Covers, Tinted Glass etc.

[Chris_Dresbach]

When you order a copy of the build sheet from the museum, give them the number from the tag on the door post which is the actual serieal number. The tag on the firewall is just the body code and body production number.

[candbstudebakers]

I bought my 59 13 years ago and never really did much research on it. I was wondering how one can acquire a build sheet or if someone here would have any information about the car? Anyway, the reason Im curious is because it has an interior I havent seen in other hawks and a signal seek radio. I the VIN number from the plate on the firewall which reads: 59v-cb 2674. I will have to look to see what the number on the plate in the door jam reads. I included some pics of a door panel that was removed from the car. It has this shiny metallic looking material that resembles the machine turned dash surrounded with stainless trim. The design continues into the rear panels as well. I also included a pic of the radio.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]22270[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]22271[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]22272[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]22273[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]22274[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]22275[/ATTACH]


I would like to know if the car came stock with the interior design or if its custom made and if weather the radio is stock or not.

Any help will be much appreciated and thank you in advance,

Sam

Your cowl tag is really 59 c-6 over 2674

[Santosh]

This is the radio in my 60 Hawk, it is the same, I think- What do you mean with signal seeking radio? You mean radio stations buttons? There is no (automatic) seeking?
It is a very nice tube radio with two speakers (front and back). It needs 1 minute to function, until the tube gets heated.

[RadioRoy]

A signal seeking radio is one in which you push a button or a bar and the radio tunes itself to the next station. There is either an electric motor inside, or a giant solenoid and a spring, depending on the design. GM called this feature a Wonderbar, Ford called it Town and Country, MoPar called it something else.

The Studebaker signal seeking radio came out in 1958 and is essentially the same as a 58 Chevrolet and 58 Corvette radio with a different faceplate, since they are Delco radios. They were pretty rare, and I have only worked on a handful in the past 30 years. They are probably even more rare now, since the Chevy and Corvette guys grab them for parts.

The hole in the Studebaker dash is essentially the same from 58 to around 61, so radios from this period are easy to interchange. Your 59 could have had the radio installed by the dealer, or by some previous owner.

The radios in the postwar period were installed by the dealers, even if they were factory ordered. The radio and wheelcovers were packed in the trunk of the car and the dealer installed them.

BTW, except for some export six cylinder Hawks and the 56 power Hawk, your 59 Hawk is the only year to have a 259 V-8. Studebaker generally put 289s in Hawks, but they didn't make 289 engines in 1959.

[studegary]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]22283[/ATTACH]

This is the radio in my 60 Hawk, it is the same, I think- What do you mean with signal seeking radio? You mean radio stations buttons? There is no (automatic) seeking?
It is a very nice tube radio with two speakers (front and back). It needs 1 minute to function, until the tube gets heated.

Your radio is NOT the same. Your radio has five push buttons for station selection, but does not have a signal seeking bar to push. The area above the dial is a push bar on a signal seeking radio and just decorative on your radio.

[Skip Lackie]

but they didn't make 289 engines in 1959.

Nitpicky correction department: They did MAKE 289 engines in 1959, as 1959 was the only year that the 289 was standard in all models of V8-equipped (non Scotsman) trucks. And I have heard rumors that a few 289-equipped cars were also built for special customers (but never seen any documented proof). And I have never heard a convincing explanation of why Stude made the 289 standard in trucks (only) in the same (only) year when it was not available in cars.

[kurtruk]

Evilhawk,
You'll definitely want to ensure accuracy when you transcribe the number from the doorpost. Wouldn't want to get the production order for some other car. Keep in mind Studebaker used the capital letter "I" for the number "1"
Your body tag is 59V-C6

Santosh,
Look carefully at his radio picture. That is an actual bar that you push on either end (I assume it's like the 57 Pontiac I tried) to "signal seek."

[evilhawk]

I really thought the 6 was a B lol. I'll go over to get the door vin tonight. You guys have been a good help thank you!

[evilhawk]

Well I went to the garage to check the VIN number in the door jam, but I could not find it. I looked at the back side of the jam (the area where the door closes into) and found nothing. I checked both passenger and drivers side door jams, but failed to find it. I know the car was hit once in the front and has a bend in the frame, but now I am wondering if the car has sustained more damage, possibly a roll over as it looks like there was repair work done in both jams. I will have to get some pictures for you guys. It was pretty dark in the garage so I didnt take any snap shots. If I cant find the vin number I kinda think the car may be a lost cause. I dont have a title for the car and if I dont have the VIN I dont think I can even get a title.

[BobPalma]

Nitpicky correction department: They did MAKE 289 engines in 1959, as 1959 was the only year that the 289 was standard in all models of V8-equipped (non Scotsman) trucks. And I have heard rumors that a few 289-equipped cars were also built for special customers (but never seen any documented proof). And I have never heard a convincing explanation of why Stude made the 289 standard in trucks (only) in the same (only) year when it was not available in cars.

Well, Skip, I don't know how convincing it might be, but I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut that keeping the 289 out of the Larks in 1959 had something to do with manufacturing efficiencies. They almost didn't continue the Hawk to keep things simple and get Larks cranked out as fast as possible, and limiting the engine choices to three (one six and two horsepowers of the 259) kept things simpler in the ordering and production departments.

Also, a 289 probably would not have gotten as good a gas mileage as a 259 and they wanted to pitch the Lark as an economy compact, so having, say, 3 or 4% of them running aorund with 289s under heavy driving feet reporting less-than-stellar gas mileage wouldn't have helped the economy campaign, either.

Of course, they would have still been building 289s for service replacement engines, since so many recently-manufactured Studebaker vehicles had been sent on their way in 1956/57/58 with 289s in them. BP