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New Dog Hauler - '55 Commander Conestoga

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  • #31
    It's a good thing you bumped it while working on it vs hitting a bump later , and having it fail going down the road. Great looking car. I'm jealous.
    Tom Senecal Not enough money or years to build all of the Studebakers that I think I can.

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    • #32
      [QUOTE=mbstude;1083217]
      To be "correct", this engine should have silver valve covers and air filter assembly. Silver is my least favorite color, so those parts are getting painted black instrad.
      /QUOTE]
      Matt, welcome to the dark side. Next you'll be installing a belly button motor in it. <G>
      Jerry Forrester
      Forrester's Chrome
      Douglasville, Georgia

      See all of Buttercup's pictures at https://imgur.com/a/tBjGzTk

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      • #33
        Originally posted by Jerry Forrester View Post
        Matt, welcome to the dark side. Next you'll be installing a belly button motor in it. <G>
        Nah, I like the Stude engines too much. And I might lose my key to the shop if I tried that.

        Replaced the front bumper this morning with a nicer used one. I think it's from a GT Hawk; has 6 bolt holes versus 10. Added a tag bracket and 1955 Alachua county (where I live) license plate that I found on ebay.



        While I was at it, I put on an NOS rear bumper and NOS taillight assemblies. The taillights are for a '53 sedan, but I like the little chrome bars on the lenses.

        Last edited by mbstude; 11-19-2017, 02:31 PM.

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        • #34
          Here's the build sheet. Everything matches up except for the power brakes; there's no sign of the car ever having a Hydrovac setup.

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          • #35
            That Saginaw green must have been pretty popular in 1955 - 15 years ago, my cousin would have given you an early '55 Commander sedan that he had picked up for almost nothing because the previous owner was going to crush it. It was Saginaw green, 3 sp/OD, and something like 45K original miles. Eventually he traded it for some work on another of his Studebakers.

            I did not realize signal light were still an option in '55

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            • #36
              Originally posted by 62champ View Post
              That Saginaw green must have been pretty popular in 1955 - 15 years ago, my cousin would have given you an early '55 Commander sedan that he had picked up for almost nothing because the previous owner was going to crush it. It was Saginaw green, 3 sp/OD, and something like 45K original miles. Eventually he traded it for some work on another of his Studebakers.

              I did not realize signal light were still an option in '55
              I'd like to have that today. A 3 speed overdrive swap is on the "someday" list.

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              • #37
                Been busy the last couple of days and the box of new parts is getting lighter. No pictures, but none of this stuff is too exciting anyway.

                Things that have been done:

                New water pump, radiator hoses, thermostat, and fan belt.

                New transmission mounts and U-joints.

                Dual master cylinder conversion done, with Jim Turner's bracket and a new AMC master cylinder. New NiCopp lines front and rear.

                Should be able to get the shoes, wheel cylinders, and rubber lines replaced tomorrow, and the system bled and adjusted.

                The rebuilt WCFB should be in the mail to me early next week. Assuming there's no hangups on the brake job tomorrow, next weekend it may get a 4 barrel swap.
                Last edited by mbstude; 11-24-2017, 04:23 PM.

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                • #38
                  Brakes are done. New shoes, wheel cylinders, and rubber lines all the way around. Someone not too long ago put 4 NOS brake drums on it, they still have the part number stenciled on the outside and looked brand new inside. The guy I bought the car from said he never did anything to it, so it must've been the owner before him. Either way.. A very pleasant surprise.

                  Pulled the axle shafts, greased the bearings, and replaced the inner and outer grease seals. Did the same for the front wheel bearings.

                  Got it all together, adjusted the shoes, and bled the air out just as the sun was setting. Drove it around the yard a bunch of times and did a lot of panic stops.. It stops straight, easy, and good enough to put your head through the windshield.

                  That's it for this weekend.. More later.

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                  • #39
                    So with the "new" drums, does that mean the disc conversion is on hold?

                    The first thing my father did in 1961 with his '53 Commander Starlight and my Uncle did with his '52 Commander hardtop in 1958 (or so) was to go to a local wrecking yard and pull the brakes off '54 or later Stude's and replaced the originals on those two vehicles.

                    Did you take the plunge and go Dot 5 or stay with the conventional?

                    Keep up the great work and I am patiently saving up my data for a couple Youtube videos

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by 62champ View Post
                      So with the "new" drums, does that mean the disc conversion is on hold?

                      Did you take the plunge and go Dot 5 or stay with the conventional?
                      While I think the pre-'54 car and half-ton truck brakes leave a bit to be desired.. I've always felt the 54-66 V8 car brakes were great, as long as everything is in good shape.

                      A few months back, I bought the front disc and dual MC setup from Jim for a C-Cab truck. When I decided to mothball that project and hunt down a nice Conestoga, Jim was nice enough to swap the truck parts out for car parts. I had no plans to convert a car to discs, but since I'd already paid him, I asked him to send the parts instead of giving a refund.

                      So, if anyone wants a car front disc brake setup (just the brackets and hardware, no rotors or calipers)... I'll make you a deal on it.

                      I've never had a bad experience using Dot 3, so that's what I went with.

                      I've been following your saga with your Champ truck. Good to see another Stude project being worked on, there aren't enough people posting project threads. Keep up the good work.
                      Last edited by mbstude; 11-25-2017, 07:02 PM.

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                      • #41
                        Not much to report this weekend, I only spent a few hours on the car this afternoon. I pulled the intake and swapped on the rebuilt WCFB setup. It runs great... George in Tallahassee did a fantastic job on the carb.

                        The '55's had a screen door spring instead of solid throttle linkage. I modified the throttle bellcrank to accept the later style rod linkage. Everything went together just as it should.

                        I'd found a correct 4 barrel air cleaner for the car, but when cleaning it up for paint I discovered that the whole thing was filled with a mouse nest. I cut a hole in the bottom and cleaned it out, but still decided it wasn't worth the risk of trash getting sucked into the engine. So.. I used an old Offy adapter and put the original 2 barrel air cleaner back on. It'll work until I can find the right one.

                        Last edited by mbstude; 12-03-2017, 05:54 PM.

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                        • #42
                          The car had an Airtex fuel pump on it, not my first choice so I rebuilt an original Carter pump and installed it today.



                          Stephen was around the shop working on some of his cars and couldn't resist jumping in. He put a new voltage regulator on which solved the charging problem. I went ahead and did an oil change and drove it on the road for the first time.

                          It runs out great but still plenty of little things to tend to. But, progress!

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                          • #43
                            Originally posted by mbstude View Post
                            It runs out great but still plenty of little things to tend to. But, progress!

                            One of the best views out there...

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                            • #44
                              Nice wagon. It sure looks to me like it's worth the effort you intend to put into it. Enjoy. I know I would.

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                              • #45
                                Looking great Matt, glad someone put this car in the shape it deserves. Good Conestoga's are so rare.
                                101st Airborne Div. 326 Engineers Ft Campbell Ky.

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