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Was a good day - almost a great day

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  • Was a good day - almost a great day

    We had 3 Studebakers in the Dixon May Fair parade. My two and Jim Goodlands 54 Commander. After the parade, we took them inside the fairgrounds for a car show.

    We achieved a second place ribbon for the parade and my bullet nose won the "Friends of Dixon May Fair Choice Award". All was well till I we drove the Studebakers home. I backed the truck into my single driveway first. I then pulled the bullet nose in and the brakes failed. I had no emergency brake so I placed it in nuetral and hoped it would slow enough. It hit my truck head-on and because the bumper is lower on the car, it slid under the bumper of the truck which whacked the nose of the car.

    We had just replaced the master cylinder on the car because the brakes faded once before. Obviously that wasn't the fix. The brake system is a modern one so if anyone has any ideas as to what may have gone wrong, please let me know.

    Also, if anyone is planning on setting up a vendor booth at the zone meet in Sacramento next week-end, please bring a set of 51 grills and a set of bumper guards. I will be looking for them this week-end. Looks like I'll have to bring my truck instead of the car.

    Here are some pictures for your pleasure and pain.

    Click image for larger version

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    Jon Stalnaker
    Karel Staple Chapter SDC

  • #2
    Geez Jon...sorry 'bout the damage. What's up with the "modern" brake system that don't allow you to have a hand brake? Is it a dual master cylinder? I don't understand how you could have a complete system fail if it has a dual cylinder. Is it possible that the master cylinder cap vent has clogged? I have heard stories where that can cause a vacuum to form in the reservoir preventing the system from building pressure.

    Not knowing more of the mechanical set up you have...aside from repairing the body damage...I'd be working on getting a functioning handbrake. I often practice reaching for mine in hopes that I'll have presence of mind to use them correctly and quickly in a panic situation. Good luck getting it repaired.
    John Clary
    Greer, SC

    SDC member since 1975

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    • #3
      Oh, that does hurt! Good thing you were in your driveway and not the highway. (Did you have your phone with you?)
      Lou Van Anne
      62 Champ
      64 R2 GT Hawk
      79 Avanti II

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      • #4
        The hand brake is there but was not working properly. We had to re-locate it as I could not engage it when the shift selector was in drive. You can be sure I won't be driving it again until the handbrake is functional. Also, The front of the car will be lifted so that it matches the height of my truck bumper. Not sure what's going on the the brake fade. Hopefully we can find what's wrong and correct it. We still had a few things to wrap up but I thought it was safe to drive. I was wrong.
        Jon Stalnaker
        Karel Staple Chapter SDC

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        • #5
          Glad the failure didn't happen "at speed"!
          ~Matt Connor
          '59 Lark 2-door

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          • #6
            Me too. If I had to run into something, I'm glad it was my own. And the truck was unhurt. I had driven it in the parade earlier. Lots of people and children around. Could have been much much worse.

            We'll fix it.
            Jon Stalnaker
            Karel Staple Chapter SDC

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            • #7
              Wow, Jon, Really sorry to hear that. One thing after another. I did have a problem with the master cylinder piston not retracting on mine. I wonder if that is what happened with yours? We can talk about it at the meet. Real sorry to see the damage, but congrats on the award.
              Last edited by Pat Dilling; 05-12-2014, 06:40 AM.
              Pat Dilling
              Olivehurst, CA
              Custom '53 Starlight aka STU COOL


              LS1 Engine Swap Journal: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/jour...ournalid=33611

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              • #8
                Congrats on the exposure and regrets on the damage, Jon; not good.

                Could we have some more details on what constitutes your "modern brake system?"

                That could help with analysis. BP
                We've got to quit saying, "How stupid can you be?" Too many people are taking it as a challenge.

                G. K. Chesterton: This triangle of truisms, of father, mother, and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.

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                • #9
                  Yep...more details on your brake system would be great. I recall my very first (Inter)National Meet. I think the year was 1984 in Orlando Florida. On show day, I learned that we would have a "rolling" judging. I had driven my 1955 E-5 pickup all the way from upstate South Carolina to Orlando for the meet. As we drove into the building where the judging was taking place...our very first instruction was to "STOP" using only the handbrake. Fortunate for me, my truck skidded to a near immediate stop. There was one observer there that was so impressed, he applauded. Then, he proceeded to follow me through the judging stations. When I was finished with the judging, he asked me to pull over and chat before going back to the show field. He introduced himself...none other than Bob Bourke himself. A great moment in my Studebaker life.

                  In addition to the obvious safety reason to have good operating emergency brakes, that day, they played a big role in getting me my first place trophy at a national meet and an opportunity to meet and chat with the very designer of the vehicle I was driving.
                  John Clary
                  Greer, SC

                  SDC member since 1975

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