Production order questions

[lelshaddai]

I received my production orders on the 51 and 53. If read read them right these were fairly stripped down cars. Is it common to have no special features?
My 53 looked like it did not have a climatizer or heater. The 53 has a power steering box, would this not be listed. Who buys a car for Wisconsin without a heater

[mbstude]

A lot of times, the dealership would add the heater (or other accessories) so that they could make money off of selling and installing them.

My old '53 had power steering. It was listed on the build sheet.

[StudeRich]

Hmm, I see that the Maui Blue '53 Commander Coupe 8336948 was LOADED!
Automatic, a AC-2342 Climatizer, White Wall Tires, Wheel Discs, Directional Signals and Wet Air Cleaner!

It's only missing a Radio.

The 7/16/53 Build date is a very Late '53 and it's a Top of the Line C5 Coupe with a V8.

Automatic Coupes must have been "Cupids" as they both are!

[lelshaddai]

OK, so that is loaded. Good to know. Interesting it has the power steering box in it. Is still does not have a radio or heater,. It does have an 8-track sitting in the trunk. It is a Regal after all.

[E. Davis]

I worked at a Chevrolet dealership in 1953 and 1954 and the owner always ordered the new cars without factory installed heaters and radio. We installed them at far less pay than the factory workers received and he put the difference in his pocket.

[Xcalibur]

Also, and I hate to bring this up... but, some have reported that the retyped Production Orders sold now are not always accurate. There have been some who have the old photocopied originals who, for one reason or another, bought the latter products only to find discrepancies. Probably not the case, but a consideration when the car and the order do not fully match and the car is a know quantity.

But, as stated, some common factory options today were only added at the dealership if needed for the sale. Let's face it, many Studebaker buyers, even back-in-the-day were CASOs!

[StudeRich]

The Pre-1960 PO's as these 2 are, have been made by actually COPING the original Paper File Copies, so the only errors are those few "Factory" errors not current "Typos".

[acolds]

Remember back in the old days people bought cars that were equipted the way they wanted them not how factory wanted . I remember back in late 1960's maybe 1969 a older guy I worked with bought a new car and he said it was loaded having " radio and heater and automatic transmission " it was to be his last new car as he was about to retire after working for the same company for over forty years. A lot of these guys who had been raised in hard times did not part with hard earned money over things they felt were not needed
I remember back then lots of cars had Allstate radios and heaters rather than factory installed. My dad had a very used Henry J he bought as a work car which had no radio he found one from a old Packard which was signal seeking and installed under dash. These guys would make do and used old stuff rather than throw it away.