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48 Business Coupe
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It took me six years becoming very intimate with mine as I took it apart and reassembled it. That one looks good in the pictures, but...I know where the tin worms hide. These are very neat little cars and worth saving. However, before buying, due diligence with a magnet, flashlight, and a top to bottom close examination could save a future owner much frustration and heartache. Close examination behind the rear compartment panels, rear fender mud baffles, A pillar post where the front fenders attach, pull the carpet up, check around the vent openings with a magnet, rear fender front lower section, and lower door skins with a magnet. You can be very amazed at how much Swiss cheese type deterioration from oxidation can be covered with artful application of body filler and paint.
I love mine and enjoy it as I can. It is a quaint little ride. They require a good bit of tinkering to keep them roadworthy and perform adequately for an alert attentive driver. They certainly are not interstate passing lane dominators. However, as long as you know the limitations and drive them with realistic expectations...a true joy of an experience.John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975
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John,
Maybe it's where I've lived during my Studebaker years, but I confess I've never taken a magnet to these old beasts. Most these cars have seen boo-boos since they left South Bend, and lotsa repairs get done shoddy-like. Maybe we're lucky that Studes never had inner fenders, cause a quick glance at the inside of fenders can reveal gobs of filler or deformations that have been re-sculpted with filler. And IF the "repairs" have been done right, and the finish looks nice, the car's worth buying. If I can't rest until I know in my heart that there's not so much as a button's worth of bondo on my car, I'll set about making it right after I've just enjoyed it a bit.
Ol' Pete's had filler in some bruises all the 23 years he's been mine. I've never loved him less because of it. And since the stuff isn't really evident, I've not been beseiged with folks saying less than flattering things about the old boy. All he ever gets is: Wow! That's a beauty!No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.
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i can live with a "little" bondo on the body done right. what i can't deal with is "cancer" in the frame, hog troughs, etc. - something i've learned the hard way since moving to NC from so-cal many years ago. and now with ebay & other sites, it's hard to tell where the car has been for it's whole life without documentation.
the best thing i've learned is to see everything underneath, or a trusted SDC member nearby to take a look.
this vehicle looks really nice, but without the bottom pics (and being advertised in the north "rust belt" area), i'd had to have more info. no mileage listed either. won't go in to mentioning the interior originality.
just my $0.02Kerry. SDC Member #A012596W. ENCSDC member.
'51 Champion Business Coupe - (Tom's Car). Purchased 11/2012.
'40 Champion. sold 10/11. '63 Avanti R-1384. sold 12/10.
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LOL! I'm three years older than this Champion. I'm sure to heck happy that I'm loved IN SPITE of my upholstery not looking like it did 65 years ago. I'm also, I guess, lucky that i have folks that care for me in spite of my ugly legs that were disfigured by infection 25 years ago. Guess I'm lucky no one's ever taken a magnet to my disfigured carcass!No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.
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Originally posted by Roscomacaw View PostJohn,
Maybe it's where I've lived during my Studebaker years, but I confess I've never taken a magnet to these old beasts. Most these cars have seen boo-boos since they left South Bend, and lotsa repairs get done shoddy-like. Maybe we're lucky that Studes never had inner fenders, cause a quick glance at the inside of fenders can reveal gobs of filler or deformations that have been re-sculpted with filler. And IF the "repairs" have been done right, and the finish looks nice, the car's worth buying. If I can't rest until I know in my heart that there's not so much as a button's worth of bondo on my car, I'll set about making it right after I've just enjoyed it a bit.
Ol' Pete's had filler in some bruises all the 23 years he's been mine. I've never loved him less because of it. And since the stuff isn't really evident, I've not been beseiged with folks saying less than flattering things about the old boy. All he ever gets is: Wow! That's a beauty!
Years ago, a guy I know showed up at a meet with a knock out beautiful coupe. He won best of show at that meet. Two years later, I saw the car and couldn't believe it. Paint was bubbling up all over the car on all sides. Some of it had even cracked and fallen off. Bondo was over a half inch thick in places. He had kept the car garaged and out of the weather. For me...that was a good lesson in how important proper procedures are in restoring these cherished old machines. My main intent for the earlier comments was to emphasize the importance of evaluating and establishing the true value of a vehicle before taking the plunge.John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975
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