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  • #16
    quote:Originally posted by mbstude

    JP, ours is the car that Pat Skelly owned. After doing tons of research, we have more reason to believe it is a Frick car. Read all about our findings in a future Turning Wheels.

    Matthew Burnette
    Hazlehurst, GA

    Most Caddy swaps won't have the correct year 331 Caddy, early Hydromatic or CadLasalle stick and resistor pack, but the experts can tell you for sure. Even if the car was updated from the twin battery six volt, you'll still have signs of where they were mounted. Back in South Bend, there were a few dozen locally made cars after the magazines showed how to build a "Studillac". I helped make 2 myself, but one was in a 52 Starliner HT.
    BTW, your Studillac web site is a excellent clearing house for these rare cars, keep it up.

    JDP/Maryland
    JDP Maryland

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    • #17
      As you might remember JP, this car does have a 1953 331 and the LaSalle 3 speed. Where were the resister packs located? I glanced under the hood of our car today, but didn't look for anything like that. It has a 12V battery, relocated to the pass. side fender.

      Who is the "expert" on these cars? I've talked to everyone I know of that might have some clues. While our car has a million clues that point it to being a Frick car, there's nothing that absolutely pins it down. Just recently my uncle was poking around and found a filled hole for a spotlight, which was also an option Frick had available.

      Thanks for the comments on the site. I need to update it again as I do have some new info. I was just recently told of a car in NY with a Frick builder plate under the hood. I need to call that guy and see what the story is.

      I'm really hoping that the TW article will hopefully bring some information out of the woodwork. The PO owned this car in college back in 1965, and kept it until he passed away 20 years ago. He fully restored the car in '89.

      I have decided that if this car is not a Frick car, it's one VERY close, well built copy.

      BTW.. Does anyone have any pictures of the frame from Bob Bee's car? I'd like to compare engine mounts to the ones in our car.

      Matthew Burnette
      Hazlehurst, GA

      Comment


      • #18
        quote:Originally posted by mbstude

        As you might remember JP, this car does have a 1953 331 and the LaSalle 3 speed. Where were the resister packs located? I glanced under the hood of our car today, but didn't look for anything like that. It has a 12V battery, relocated to the pass. side fender.

        Who is the "expert" on these cars? I've talked to everyone I know of that might have some clues. While our car has a million clues that point it to being a Frick car, there's nothing that absolutely pins it down. Just recently my uncle was poking around and found a filled hole for a spotlight, which was also an option Frick had available.

        Thanks for the comments on the site. I need to update it again as I do have some new info. I was just recently told of a car in NY with a Frick builder plate under the hood. I need to call that guy and see what the story is.

        I'm really hoping that the TW article will hopefully bring some information out of the woodwork. The PO owned this car in college back in 1965, and kept it until he passed away 20 years ago. He fully restored the car in '89.

        I have decided that if this car is not a Frick car, it's one VERY close, well built copy.

        BTW.. Does anyone have any pictures of the frame from Bob Bee's car? I'd like to compare engine mounts to the ones in our car.

        Matthew Burnette
        Hazlehurst, GA

        JDP Maryland

        Comment


        • #19
          Well crap, JP... Our car has a modified trans tunnel too.



          The mystery continues...

          Matthew Burnette
          Hazlehurst, GA

          Comment


          • #20
            When optioning a Studillac with a floor shift the stick sat
            so close to the front seat so Bill had to do a cut out in the seat.
            Without it you couldn't shift gear. The way this shifter is placed is
            not the way Bill built them. If you look at the pictures posted
            on this forum earlier on a 1955 Studillac from the South Bend area
            that's the way Bill did the cut out in the seat.

            Michael Bostedt
            Gavle, Sweden

            Comment


            • #21
              quote:Originally posted by Michael

              When optioning a Studillac with a floor shift the stick sat
              so close to the front seat so Bill had to do a cut out in the seat.
              Without it you couldn't shift gear. The way this shifter is placed is
              not the way Bill built them. If you look at the pictures posted
              on this forum earlier on a 1955 Studillac from the South Bend area
              that's the way Bill did the cut out in the seat.

              Michael Bostedt
              Gavle, Sweden
              That shifter seems way too far forward for any of the LaSalle stick installations I've ever seen.

              JDP/Maryland
              JDP Maryland

              Comment


              • #22
                I once saw a genuine Studillac. This was circa 1960 so my memory could be jaded. I seem to recall a tag, under the hood identifying it as such. This was at a Shell station in west Dearborn Michigan. I would occasionally hang out there and was probably enjoying a small bottle of Coke. I never saw the car again. Around that time, there was a '53 cad powered Stude, that lived in Ecorse. The builder was kind of a guru to the teenagers, in the neighborhood. I sold my '55 President to him and it was to be built for one of these kids, with same treatment; Caddy engine, '53 front end sheet metal. I have reoccuring dreams that I get this car back. I want to think some poor widow is stuck with it in the garage. If anyone knows about this car, let me know. Give me first dibs, OK?

                Gary Hildebrandt
                Gary Hildebrandt

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                • #23
                  The guy that once owned that '55, wrote several letters to the owner of our car. My uncle has all of them. Included are detailed descriptions of the shifter and seat cutout, as well as hand drawn images.

                  Heh, maybe Frick was still learning all the tricks when he built this one. [)]

                  Matthew Burnette
                  Hazlehurst, GA

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Hey Matt,JDP says you have a website for them, can you post a link?

                    Dylan Wills


                    '61 lark deluxe 4 door wagon
                    Dylan Wills
                    Everett, Wa.


                    1961 Lark 4 door wagon
                    1961 Lark 4 door wagon #2 (Wife's car!)
                    1955 VW Beetle (Went to the dark side)
                    1914 Ford Model T

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                    • #25


                      Matthew Burnette
                      Hazlehurst, GA

                      Comment


                      • #26


                        Found in the stack of letters and paperwork that came with the car. Mel had written the owner several detailed letters about his '55 Speedster Studillac, the one that was posted on here recently.

                        Matthew Burnette
                        Hazlehurst, GA

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          When I built mine back in the 50's, I used a 37 LaSalle transmission.. The picture represents where my shift lever was at.. The shift lever knob was at eye level.. My transmission crossmember was a piece of 3 inch wide channel iron bolted to the frame with 4 3/8 X 6" bolts.. Took a 57 Olds 2 piece drive shaft and made a 1 piece shaft(no slip yoke on trannie) Used 1949 Caddie engine mounts and redrilled the frame perch.. And that was just the start..

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Matt's article in the Jan. 2010 Turning Wheels about Bill Frick and Studillacs was very interesting. A recent letter from a friend, John, who grew up in the NY/NJ area shared a story about a family car. His dad's 1953 Jaguar Mark VII had recurring engine problems and it was in the shop frequently while still under warranty. He said his dad tied a string to the accelerator pedal, so he could pull up on it when it would stick. Today, Toyota is looking for a different remedy! John said his brother wrote to Bill Frick regarding an engine swap. Frick responded with prices for swaps with either a Cadillac or a Studebaker engine. I would guess he had a lot of Studebaker engines on hand. I had friends that had a new XK120 in that era and it was a trouble-free car and one of my favorites for its design.

                            "It's like deja vu all over again."--Yogi Berra
                            "Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional." author unknown

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              I stumbled on Bob Bee's '54 Studillac just after he had bought it, but before he picked it up. It was in an open lean-to of a barn on a very remote farm in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont, Maryland (not too far from Camp David). I had gone to investigate a story that some weirdo had salted away about 20 bulletnoses in the woods behind the barn. I took quite a few pictures of the car and I clearly remember the Studillac emblems on it. It was pretty rough overall. As I remember it had two four barrels with one air cleaner off to the right and the other off to the left. I think it was a Hydramatic car. The tach went where the clock would normally be. I don't remember a resistor bank, but it could have been there. The pictures I took in those days were 35mm slides. If I get a chance I'll try to find them, but it will be a BIG job.
                              Oh yeah, the weirdo. He did have 20 bulletnoses, all driven in to the woods over the years. He had '50, '51 and '52 Commander convertibles. The top was gone on the '51 and a tree was growing through the floor of the '52. Weirdo's daily driver was a '50 Land Cruiser with a 283 and Powerslide.[V][V]



                              Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. '64 Daytona Wagonaire, '64 Daytona convertible, '53 Commander Starliner, Museum R-4 engine, '62 Gravely Model L, '72 Gravely Model 430

                              Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
                              '64 Daytona Wagonaire, '64 Avanti R-1, Museum R-4 engine, '72 Gravely Model 430 with Onan engine

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                I found that Studeliac in 1982 when at the Gettysburg SDC national meet. I heard that there was a 41 at a salvage yard in that area and made a trip. They did not have any Studes but told me of the guy in the mountians. I did find all those bullet noses and the studeliac.I had no interset at the time but did take a couple photos. I had my wife hold the hood open when I took the photo of the motor. A mouse ran down the fender but I did not tell her or she would have dropped the hood. I also shot the fender nameplate. Years later I told Bob Bee it was there and he and bought it. The photos were used in TW at one time.

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