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'56 President two door

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  • #31
    You're flingin' a cravin' on me, Matt. It's been a while since I've taken on a project like this, and I'm missing the action.

    Good show!!
    sigpic
    Dave Lester

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    • #32
      Originally posted by Studedude View Post
      You're flingin' a cravin' on me, Matt. It's been a while since I've taken on a project like this, and I'm missing the action.

      Good show!!
      Put Sheba on a trailer and drag her 3000 miles across the country in November. You'll have plenty to clean up.

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      • #33
        If the delivery truck ran over a substantial amount of salted roads, you want to make sure you get it all gone - that stuff will work its evil in all those unseen places. In the spring after the last salt has hit the road around here, even after four or five washes, there is still salty water trails running after the washing is done...car looks great

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        • #34
          They are just pure class!

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          • #35
            Extremely nice.
            Mike - Assistant Editor, Turning Wheels
            Fort Worth, TX

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            • #36
              She fought me all day yesterday.. The starter drive is bad and was taking too long to unwind. I borrowed a friend's starter from his 4 speed Lark project, changed out the nose cone to a longer automatic one, and installed it until I can get my original starter rebuilt. Sweet.. Everything works great, car starts up perfect, good to go..

              One thing leads to another. Next on the list.. The speedometer (the silly "cyclops" on top of the dash) was shot, but the seller threw in a couple of extra speedo assemblies he'd picked up over the years. One showed fairly low miles and seemed smooth. I pulled the guts out, removed the oil cap and lubed everything, put a cable on it and spun it up with a drill.. Sweet, we're good to go. I crawled under the dash and noticed some "backyard" wiring repairs, but didn't worry much as everything was working.. (Famous last words?)

              I changed the speedometer out and had a HUGE electrical draw when I hooked the battery cable back up. It seems I "disturbed" something and it was no longer happy.. I got under the dash and while George K. momentarily hooked up the battery cable, I saw the cloth dome light wire "jump". I'll unhook it and put a heat shrink tube over it to cover the bare spots today, but in the meantime I moved it away from touching anything and viola.. No more draw when the battery is connected. Went to start the car, and suddenly the starter solenoid didn't seem to be working. It looked new and thinking maybe it was a bad Chinese one, I swapped it for a known good one.. Same problem. The starter would "click", but not fully engage. When I swapped the starter out I noticed that the starter wire was a little worn and had some bare spots, so just to rule it out I replaced it. Same problem... Still no start.

              I pulled the ignition switch (brand new reproduction) and one of the terminal nuts was loose. Ah ha! In checking to make sure all the others were tight, I found that the ACC terminal wasn't tight in the switch housing. I dug around the shop and found a used switch in an old Hawk dash, changed out the cylinder, and put it in.. Worked perfect. The car started up and everything seemed cool, and then I noticed the amp light was shining, and the gas gauge wasn't working.



              I took another look and with the help of George explaining how the wiring diagram is read (I never have been great at electrical stuff), we figured out the problem areas and what was "rigged", and have a tentative solution and what I need to rewire to fix it. After that, I think I'll be good to go..

              Push comes to shove, the seller included a brand new Studebakers West main wiring harness (wonder why. ). I'll pull the dash and rewire the car at some point, but that can (hopefully) wait a bit.

              One thing's for sure, it's great having friends that do this stuff everyday.

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              • #37
                Thanks Matt...one of the great things about the forum, is the opportunity to console, inspire, comfort, and encourage each other. Young, old, rich, or economically challenged, this forum offers an opportunity for us all to meet in common interests, across the world, and societal barriers. (Age, ethnicity, education, rich or poor.)

                Your tale of challenges with your car was a comfort to me. It lets me know I'm not alone. Yesterday, I went out to install a new (to me) trunk ornament/latch on my '51 Land Cruiser. Simple process...right? I began the process in the chill of morning. By noon, I had moved from the sun into the shade because, the chill of morning had become the heat of day. At some point in the afternoon, I moved back into the sun, because the breeze brought back the "chill." I took a break to eat a snack and retrieve a warm "hoodie." Finally, a little after nightfall, with cold fingers, I managed to get the last flat washer, lock washer, and nut in place, the car backed into the man cave, and staggered into the house, thoroughly exasperated that such a tiny task, had consumed so much time.

                Like you mentioned, "one thing led to another." Removing the latch revealed a lot of dirt accumulated under it, and the gasket. That led to a "cleaning" project. Next, was to make a new latch gasket (searching for material, making a pattern, cutting, and punching holes.). Then, discovering that the new latch was missing mounting bolts, and the original one was missing a couple. That led to another project of making new mounting studs, chasing threads, gathering nuts, washers, etc. During this process, there was the rusty license plate bracket. Had to be cleaned, primed, and painted. Next, came the process of transferring the guts of the old latch into the new. In addition to cleaning and installing the license plate light, was the cleaning and lubricating the latch mechanical components. Except for what I thought was excessive time, all was going pretty well. Until...I made the mistake of pulling the key from the "latch cylinder." Up until then, I thought I had been doing pretty good, using a tiny allen wrench to release the latch cylinder, and handling the delicate process with the dexterity of a master watchmaker. That was when I really screwed up. I pulled the key out and those tiny little brass latch tumblers fell out. In the fading light of the day, I spent about an hour, on my knees, with a magnifier, searching through dead grass, for those tiny parts. Somehow, I got it back together, and managed to get it to lock/unlock.

                Back to your post Matt...it was comforting to me, to know that a youngster like you, can be the victim of "mission creep," or "project expansion," and that my 72 years of age is not the only cause. Even with all the tedious work, dragging out a wagon load of tools, energy & stress extended...I had a blast! A day well spent. I'm enjoying your enthusiasm with your new acquisition. Best wishes for you and your car!
                John Clary
                Greer, SC

                SDC member since 1975

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                • #38
                  One things for certain when it comes to Matt. He can take a piece of coal & turn it into a diamond. Through the years watching his posts the efforts he puts into a vehicle not only show what he is capable of but it reflects the upbringing his family practices. I'm an admirer for sure!
                  59 Lark wagon, now V-8, H.D. auto!
                  60 Lark convertible V-8 auto
                  61 Champ 1/2 ton 4 speed
                  62 Champ 3/4 ton 5 speed o/drive
                  62 Champ 3/4 ton auto
                  62 Daytona convertible V-8 4 speed & 62 Cruiser, auto.
                  63 G.T. Hawk R-2,4 speed
                  63 Avanti (2) R-1 auto
                  64 Zip Van
                  66 Daytona Sport Sedan(327)V-8 4 speed
                  66 Cruiser V-8 auto

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                  • #39
                    John, it's funny how easily it is to fall down that "slippery slope".. Projects that should take an hour, turn into days and lead to things that weren't even on your mind.. But, that's part of the fun. At least, that's what I'm telling myself!

                    Thanks, fellas, for the kind words.. I'm just a guy that loves this hobby and is happy to finally be back behind the wheel. While I have no desire to tackle any major projects, I do get a lot of enjoyment (and sometimes frustration) out of learning something new and fixing something the right way.

                    I spent a couple of hours under the dash again this morning, and made a new sub-harness for the 4 gauges in the cluster. I removed the previous "rig" and started fresh.. And now, everything is working just as it should be. Gauges work and read correctly, lights all shine bright, the speedometer works flawlessly, and the car starts with a slight bump of the key.. Happy boy.

                    Time to enjoy the rest of my extended weekend before heading back to work tomorrow.. A lot of my coworkers are anxious to see the '56, and I'm looking forward to showing it off.


                    Last edited by mbstude; 11-27-2016, 11:43 AM.

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                    • #40
                      Matt,
                      Looks like you got a sweet one, ready for go & show. But I do not envy you in tackling those door panels. The flared armrests are a real PITA. But odds are, only the lower 6" or so of the fiber board is toast, and maybe the worst of the panel is below the stainless steel strip. Hopefully, you can do some creative grafting down low, and salvage the upper parts. Or maybe just drive it as is, and be careful with it

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by JoeHall View Post
                        Matt,
                        Looks like you got a sweet one, ready for go & show. But I do not envy you in tackling those door panels. The flared armrests are a real PITA. But odds are, only the lower 6" or so of the fiber board is toast, and maybe the worst of the panel is below the stainless steel strip. Hopefully, you can do some creative grafting down low, and salvage the upper parts. Or maybe just drive it as is, and be careful with it
                        The whole cardboard panels on mine were wet and moldy.. I basically transferred everything to ABS sheet, including the sculpted armrests. The panels are now sturdy and intact, but I sure would like nicer ones. But at a glance, they look fine. I'm just being picky.

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                        • #42
                          I love the 56 cars, but those sculpted cardboard arm rests are the worst things to repair!

                          What were the designers thinking?

                          I know - money. Making tooling for sculpted or water-formed cardboard is pretty cheap/easy/quick.
                          RadioRoy, specializing in AM/FM conversions with auxiliary inputs for iPod/satellite/CD player. In the old car radio business since 1985.


                          10G-C1 - 51 Champion starlight coupe
                          4H-K5 - 53 Commander starliner hardtop
                          5H-D5 - 54 Commander Conestoga wagon

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                          • #43
                            Originally posted by RadioRoy View Post
                            I love the 56 cars, but those sculpted cardboard arm rests are the worst things to repair!

                            What were the designers thinking?

                            I know - money. Making tooling for sculpted or water-formed cardboard is pretty cheap/easy/quick.
                            The designers thought that they looked good/streamlined in 1956 - which they did. No one planned on them still looking good 60 years later (Do you look as good as you did 60 years ago <G>?).
                            Gary L.
                            Wappinger, NY

                            SDC member since 1968
                            Studebaker enthusiast much longer

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                            • #44
                              I've put a couple hundred miles on the Prez over the last week.. The thing runs and drives great; these cars are so much fun when they're the way they should be. And it really feels nice to be behind the wheel of a cool old Studebaker again. Still a couple of quirks to address, but nothing that's slowing me down.

                              It sure gets the attention!

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                              • #45
                                The blended armrest are among the best looking interior features of that time period used by most every brand of car. The 1956 Studebaker interiors are the best looking of any year in my memory. My 57 clipper which has them still has the original cardboard backing still not deformed because the original owner used the car very little.

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