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It was SUPPOSED to be a nice drive in the country

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  • It was SUPPOSED to be a nice drive in the country

    The weather was nice for a change, the streets were clear and dry. Time to unwrap the Stude and take her out for a drive. Convinced the wifey (aka the boss) to come along and let the clothes washing go til another time. And off we went, windows down, tank full of petrol, the finest blues around playing in the cassette player. Life is good.

    Eight miles out and the Stude bucked a couple times and promptly died. Coasting to a stop in an turnout, I ascertained that for reasons unknown, fuel was not getting to the carb. Surely can't be the fuel pump, as that was just replaced with one of those hi-priced super duper Carter fuel pumps in the fall.

    Not because it NEEDED to be replaced, but simply because the one on there was of unknown vintage and it made a lot of racket at idle. So I got me a spanking brand NEW one and put it on....and voila, no more noise.

    Anway, here we are stuck out in virtually the middle of nowhere and THEN we find out that neither of us has our cell phones with us. Ok....lock up the Stude and start hiking back to civilization to look for a pay phone.

    Finally find one.....but no phone book with it (figures). Eventually convinced the operator to look in HER phone book and give me the number of a tow service in the general vicinity (she insisted I give HER the name of a towing service...whatever happened to common sense, anyway?)

    Ok so I call the number and get this nice young lady on the other end who promises me there will be a tow truck out there in 45 minutes. So off we go BACK to the stranded Stude and wait....and wait....and wait.....

    An hour and a half later I tramp back to the pay phone and call them back and ask what happened to the tow truck. The dispatcher says oh he was there but couldn't find the car, so he left and is now changing a tire for another customer. It'll be another 45 minutes before he can get back out to you.

    Ok, whatever......so we wait again, and again, and again....and still no tow truck.

    So an hour later, I tramp BACK to the pay phone and see what the hell is going on. I get the owner this time and he says to me, the driver was there again and could not find the car. He asks me exactly where I am located and what kind of car is it.

    When I tell him it is a 62 black Studebaker GT Hawk, there is a bit of silence, and then he says STUDEBAKER?......the dispatcher said it was a Le Sabre.....some kind of Buick....she said you sounded like you were a bit, shall I say, "tipsy" and had slurred the words a little.

    I didn't know whether at that point in time if I should yell at him, laugh, or simply cry. "Le Sabre"...."Studebaker"......ummmmm, I supposed there is a sort of similarity there, if the receptionist was "tipsy", maybe.

    Anyway, to make this rather long an uninteresting story come to an end, after another agonizing 30 minutes the tow truck finally showed up and we got back home once again, where I checked the old Stude out and discovered the brand spanking new super duper hi priced Carter fuel pump had failed me.

    I unbolted it and put the old "questionable" noisy one back on and it promptly fired right up and now runs smooth, albeit a bit clattery, once again.

    I suppose there is a "moral" there somewhere to be found.....it just seems to have escaped me at the moment.

    Ahhh, the joys of being the proud owner of a vintage Studebaker. (Le Sabre, indeed!)

    Karl


    1962 GT Hawk 4sp

  • #2
    UGH, that sucks[}] If you search the forum a little, you'll find some threads about people having problems with new fuel pump failure. I'd find them for you but it's way too annoying to do on dial-up[xx(]

    At least you eventually got it home safely, and found what my Dad used to call DPT (Definite, Positive Trouble)



    Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
    Parish, central NY 13131

    "Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

    "With your Lark you're on your own, free as a bird, alive as a Lark. You've suddenly discovered that happiness is a thing called Larking!"



    Comment


    • #3
      Incredible!!!! It's amazing how shallow some people are.
      Too bad you had to wait so long for assistance just because some mental midget thought Studebaker sounded like LeSabre.
      Good thing you finally got home safely.
      It might be a better idea if you just rebuild the existing fuel pump.
      Rog

      '59 Lark VI Regal Hardtop
      '59 Lark VI Regal Hardtop
      Smithtown,NY
      Recording Secretary, Long Island Studebaker Club

      Comment


      • #4
        And- you said you were "in the middle of nowhere"... so it amazes me that the tow truck driver didn't have the common sense to figure out that the dispatcher must have misspoke the car name after getting way out there and finding only one non-running car anywhere around... TWO DIFFERENT TIMES...



        Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
        Parish, central NY 13131

        "Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

        "With your Lark you're on your own, free as a bird, alive as a Lark. You've suddenly discovered that happiness is a thing called Larking!"



        Comment


        • #5
          Here is a good thread on fuel pumps:


          My advice....rebuild rather than buy!



          glen Brose - Perkinsville, AZ

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          • #6
            I'm one of those many people who have experienced new electric fuel pump failure, about three weeks after it was installed. It just quit, no particular reason. I was one of the lucky ones, though-I was HOME when it happened! I got in, turned the key-no electric fuel pump sound, and of course, the car would not start. I got out, flipped open the hood to listen and be sure, and I was right the first time. That fuel pump was deader than the proverbial doorknob. An old mechanic guy who messes around with cars had a fuel pump of a different model and came and installed it, and it's worked fine ever since. I'm just glad that I wasn't stuck out in the middle of nowhere, or even a somewhere that required having to have the car towed...again!

            pitbulllady

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            • #7
              Theres an old saying.-----If it ain't broke don't fix it-----it'll get you every time.

              studedick from the lower Ozarks

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              • #8
                As Jack Benny would say, "Well!!"

                My 54 LC not only has the factory fuel pump on the niftly little Cruiser 289, it has an electric fuel pump, too. AND I have one of those niftly little "hi-priced super duper Carter fuel pumps" in the trunk for a spare. So if it does DIE from lack of fuel, I'm probably just O-U-T!!

                John

                Comment


                • #9
                  quote:Originally posted by Dick Clemens

                  Theres an old saying.-----If it ain't broke don't fix it-----it'll get you every time.

                  studedick from the lower Ozarks
                  Hah! Ain't that the GD'd truth! And the half of it is, the little woman, who isn't all that crazy about old cars in the first place, didn't get home in time to finish her "normal" weekend chores (as I had promised). Needless to say she was "mildly" peeved.

                  Those who are suggesting I get the (old) pump rebuilt......are any of you recommending I attempt to get this Carter rebuilt?....or just 'file 13 it' and concentrate on the one that's on there now?

                  And another asked.....how come the driver couldn't spot me if I was the only vehicle anywhere around on the road....it WAS a well traveled highway and I saw a number of tow-trucks going to and fro, many with disabled vehicles in tow. Who knows if he was one of them. I'd feel really foolish if I attempted to flag one of them down and it wasn't (my) driver.

                  The only thing I can think of is he was seriously looking for a Buick (Le Sabre), and Black "Studebaker" never clicked in his brain, he was only in his early 20's.

                  Karl '62 GT Hawk 4sp

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    quote:Originally posted by MagikDraggin



                    And another asked.....how come the driver couldn't spot me if I was the only vehicle anywhere around on the road....it WAS a well traveled highway and I saw a number of tow-trucks going to and fro, many with disabled vehicles in tow. Who knows if he was one of them. I'd feel really foolish if I attempted to flag one of them down and it wasn't (my) driver.
                    Agreed... my point is, if you're sent on a call on a highway, and there's only ONE disabled car on the road, how does common sense not tell you to stop and see if that might be the one?? Sheesh...

                    Not your fault in the least... and kudos for not ripping the driver a new one[B)]



                    Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
                    Parish, central NY 13131

                    "Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

                    "With your Lark you're on your own, free as a bird, alive as a Lark. You've suddenly discovered that happiness is a thing called Larking!"



                    Comment


                    • #11
                      When my wife and I were dating, I had a flashy Pimento Red SCCA spec Triumph TR6 we'd go out in dates with... ofcourse that was my only car for three years... so I didn't have a choice LOL.... Anyway, we had "big" plans to take it to downtown Austin to eat at Hut's, a famous burger joint that hasn't changed since the 50's. We get to stop and go traffic and it starts running hot. The only performance item I DIDN'T upgrade was the radiator. The lower radiator hose bursted in stop and go traffic and I was forced to drive it through a muddy ditch with standing water where I almost got it stuck. The only place to pull into before the engine went nuclear on me... was "Mardi Gras" strip club. So there we sat with car steaming, just sitting inside the TR while watching the strippers switch shifts and strut through the parking lot. My "future" wife was not pleased about that.

                      Things get better.

                      I was still living with my parents at the time... the neighbor across from their cattle ranch just so happened to be driving to down town Austin with his wife for a nice dinner when he spotted us. He pulled over just to make sure we were having car trouble. The old rancher looked at us and said, "I didn't think ya'll were the type to go to a strip club for a date". We didn't stop laughing for the rest of the night and we all ate together. [^]

                      Side note: I was able to limp it to a gas station, bought a roll of duct tape and 5 gallons of cold water. I duct taped the hose (which AMAZINGLY held) and limped back home safely.

                      Trust me... I know all about classic cars making dates "interesting". LOL

                      I won't even go into our very first date... 24ish degrees... ice storm... driving to dinner in the TR with no top. That car never had a top.... AND SHE STILL MARRIED ME!

                      Chris Salisbury
                      Hutto/Austin, TX

                      1958 Commander Starlight Hardtop

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                      • #12
                        ....new / different gas blend ?? note: with gas/diesel at these prices don't expect any tow truck to be in a hurry to get to you. Especially if you have AAA............

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                        • #13
                          You know, it doesn't matter if you said it was a Hupmobile. Your problem was location specific, not brand specific. The guy just didn't want to go that far.

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