Stude Body over which modern chassis????

[sals54]

Wow, John. I've been cooking that brew through my head for some time as well. I got the idea of using a Lark body over a donor chassis. I was thinking of a BMW 3 series of the 90s or early 2000 era. The wheelbase could be matched and appropriate reinforcement of the body shell of the BMW without the canopy, just might be a handy little road rocket. Fine handling and sublime road manners.
Then I thought the same Lark over the top of a similarly modified Subaru WRX would be quite fun as well. All Wheel Drive, turbo powered 300 HP. Some fun.

Anyone else have thoughts along these lines???

[merv]

i have all the parts for a 54 starliner on a mark viii linclon but other projects keep getting in the way

[studegary]

One of the problems is that most modern cars are unitbody and do not have a frame type chassis to mount a car body on.
I have seen a Studebaker body mounted on a truck chassis, but do not care for the result.
I saw a Studebaker mounted on a Crown Vic. chassis. The idea was ok, but the builder did not go far enough. The car still had the modern dash etc.. Of course, it still had air bags that way.
I can not think of any newer (less than ten years old) car that is of the correct measurements to mount a postwar Studebaker body on.
I think the best way is to just get a custom built chassis with modern components designed to mount a particular Studebaker body on. I would like a 1953 Starliner built like this.

[warrlaw1]

What would you register it as? I imagine each state has different regs and criteria. One advantage of driving a 60 year old car is the lack of regulation.

[Studeous]

I would Register it as a J. Cash Cadillac.

[Milaca]

Keep a Studebaker on it's original frame but cut the front of the frame off and adapt the subframe/engine cradle from a 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP to it. Front wheel drive, good power and fuel economy. I dont know if it would fit, just an idea.

[JBOYLE]

If I had Jay Leno money (and mechanics), I'd love an Avanti with the drivetrain of a late 90s-early 2000s Mercedes CLK....they're about the same length.
If that wouldn't fit since the Avanti is so narrow, how about a mid-90s C-Class? If that still wouldn't fit, a early 90s 190.

[jclary]

Think of a late pre-war or early post-war coupe sitting on one of the small V6 truck chassis. It might require some tweaking of the frame length, but with the power some of these small lightweight V6's, it could be a great combination. The challenge would be adapting the metrics with the nominal.

When it comes to unibody chassis...the challenge would be in figuring out how to mount the vintage body in a manner that accomplishes the same rigidity of the one cut off. As in any custom, there is always a point where the difficulty in the build outweighs the reward of doing it.

Here's the problem ...if there was a vehicle out there, that is found to make this kind of project easy...and it catches on as a popular trend...demand would make it only feasible for the first few to accomplish the task. Soon the prices for the target vehicles and associated parts would soar. Like finding cheap SBC's, early Hemi's, or steel Model-A body's for building rods.

[Flashback]

Merv, in post #2 has the right combo. This is almost the "perfect storm". I have had two of the Thunderbird SC's, and this is close to the Mark series. I would like a '90 Thunderbird SC to be the donor. Talk about handling at speed and getting great gas milage!!!!!!! Also with a great ride overall. Think about 150 MPH if you desire and comfort. Then add in, it not being expensive to drive. I would consider going to alternate power on my next build (not on "The Saturday Night Special") if I could afford this build.

[sweetolbob]

My choice for No $ Limits, latest series Corvette. Wheelbase is close to Larks and Avanti and for $ I'll get the wheelbase lengthened to fit the C/K/Hawks. Track is a little wide but I know a great body guy.

Last time I looked, one was making a Ferrari driver say something foul in Italian.

Bob

[Carl Purdy]

Lark on Jeep frame and running gears.

[jclary]

Lark on Jeep frame and running gears.

Well...after all my pontificating about sensitivities, the art of civil discourse, etc.

...and here's a test for both of us.

I have seen pictures of this machine before. I like it. However, when I had a Jeep ('79 CJ5), my running joke was that it was like a street legal John Deere! 'Cept the ride wasn't as good. The short wheelbase of the CJ5, coupled with the weight and power of their 304 V8, made it probably one of the most unbalanced, "swap ends in a skinny minute," unstable, dangerous, rough riding, vehicle on the road! In fact, I finally traded it for an old tractor. At least, now, I can plow without having to pay insurance on a vehicle that sets in the barn most of the time!

Yours has to be a Jeep other than a CJ5, or the wheels would be under your front door! So what model and year Jeep is it? Since "Super Lark" is a name already taken, how 'bout "Tyrannosaurus Lark!"

[PackardV8]

1. All the "modern chassis" mentioned don't really have a chassis; BMW, Subaru, Thunderbird, Mercedes, are unibodies. There no there there to swap in.

2. All those mentioned are substantially track than the Studebaker and/or have to have a framework to which they'd be bolted. Take out the Stude frame and there's nothing for the sub-frames to bolt on.

3. Agree with Sal; putting a Studebaker on a Jeep frame, other than getting disc brakes, would be a huge retrograde.

4. In the sixty years since the C/K body debuted, if a frame transplant were easy, affordable and an improvement, wouldn't someone have found the sweet spot and we'd all be going that way?

Bottom line - when I was building my custom Hawk, I looked at every frame and subframe I could find. Nothing I could identify would fit and be an improvement. (There have been two or three front suspension swaps I've driven which were demonstrably worse than the stock Stude. Suspension engineering isn't easy.) In the end, I boxed the Stude frame, did a few minor tweeks on the suspension, added discs front and rear.

jack vines

[Flashback]

Ah, come on Jack, don't be a old hard tail, we're dreamin' here. we all know bout half we do after 65 is dreamin' , LOL LOL LOL

[Corvanti]

the Avanti i purchased (and sold later) had a '89 C4 Corvette drivetrain and suspension grafted into the Avanti. the '89 engine- according to the engine # - had been switched to a carb/intake. some pics of the "graft"were requested by Mr. Johnstone and are here: http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB1...1384x1110.html

the rear wheels set out a small bit and i was going to go with new wheels/tires to correct that, and look better! she handled/was faster than my tuned and "de-smogged" '80 C3 i had at the time.

apparently some folks have gone with the 80's/90's Ch*vy S-10 pick-up as a base for a Studebaker body...