1940 Commander

[Jimmy]

I found my Studebaker by accident. A friend called me and told me about an old car in a barn. When I went to look at it I decided to take a chance and I hauled it home. I have never been into old cars but growing up poor in ohio made me a pretty good mechanic. For two months I have been replacing seals and bearings and just fixing up.

The car has 37,000 original miles and is in great shape but setting for the last 25 years has taken a toll on it. Every rubber part on the car seems to have turned to crust. I have fallen in love with the car but I don't trust it anough to drive far. Every time I take it for a ride I find a new problem. If I changed to a ford front end with a chevy drive train I could take it anywhere.

My question is how far can I go with new parts before it's not a 1940 Commander anymore? If I paint the dash and interior trim to make it look new, will it be ruined? I don't want to be driving a chevy/ford/packard with a Studebaker body but I would like to go for a hundred mile ride without the toolbox in the back seat.

[N8N]

Jimmy,

this is just my opinion and is worth whatever you paid for it, but if your car has a 3-speed/overdrive trans I would try to restore it before giving up and going to a motor swap. The Commander six is not a bad engine; unless you are going for a hot rod it should be more than adequate and is one of the longest-running engines in American automotive history (it was introduced in the 30s and was used in trucks up until 1960.) It's also very torquey and smooth, even if it isn't exactly a rev monster. Unfortunately parts are a little difficult to find but if you post a list of what exactly you feel it needs maybe we can help. Some stuff is readily available; if you want some more esoteric stuff like an aftermarket aluminum head be prepared for a long search.

As for the rubber, Bill Fennessey is the source for a lot of the repro rubber on the market; I think Studebaker International sells a lot as well. You might be able to find some NOS from SASCO but if you do that be prepared to let the pieces sit in the sun for a good long while before attempting an install.

If you haven't already, you should get the parts books (both chassis and body) for your car so you can look up parts on SASCO's web site. SASCO should sell the books, along with other vendors. You should also get a Studebaker International catalog as they sell some stuff that SASCO doesn't. Other helpful vendors are Stephen Allen's in Florida, Chuck Collins (studebakerparts.com) and Bill Cathcart (even though he specializes in the smaller Champion six he may have some Commander six parts.)

more parts suppliers here:

http://studebakervendors.com

good luck,

nate

PS - nice find; I like the body styles from that era. Which body style is your car?

--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[Roscomacaw]

Jimmy,

How serious are all these "problems" that seem to crop up on every drive? See, bringing an oldie out a long slumber like this - you GOTTA expect it to reveal some aches and pains. Imagine YOU, laying in a bed that long and then someone expecting you to toddle around your bed a few steps and head out on a marathon![:0] It's an unrealistic goal.

I don't know how much you've done to this thing but the right way is to go completely thru the brakes, change anything rubber (belts, hoses, lines, bushings, etc.), clean and seal the fuel tank, clean, fix or recore the radiator, change ALL fluids - front to rear and find and THOROGHLY grease every zerk fitting on the car (there's LOTS of them hiding in grease buildup and out of sight places!)

Check the compression, do a complete tune-up and THEN drive the piss out of it.[}] You'll not have to plan any trip around the localities of auto parts stores if you do it right to start with.

Further, if you'll prepare a shoebox with a fuel pump, a water pump, belts, hoses and a few tools, and keep this "spares kit" stowed along with a few basic hand tools, you'll be on your way should a problem arise - faster than it would take you to trek to NAPA and get a comprable item for a bow-tie motor.

BTW, the crispy rubber was probably well on it's way to being so before the last time it was parked. Rubber's organic - it's doomed to break down over time.

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[Jimmy]

Sounds like good advice guys.
I put 120 miles on the car yesterday with no new problems. I have rebuilt the fuel pump, brakes, new tires, new points and condenser, spare coil, fluids change, repacked wheel bearings, carb cleaning and grease job. I ordered a new water pump and have found a spare clutch. I still have some minor problems like the headlights going out on me but I think if I keep at it and work through the bugs I'll learn to trust the car. The car has only had three owners (I'm #3) and the first owner installed a new engine at 35500 miles. It now has 37120 on it so I can probably trust the engine. I've decided to stay original and avoid the temtation to use modern parts.

[railway]

That front spring can be rebuilt. We have a 40 President and a 41 Commander. They both ride and drive great after we took the spring apart and cleaned and lubed. wasn't an easy job, but sure makes a difference. We also did the rears, I marked each leaf so they went back the same way. The tin dust shields were a bitch to get off and back on.

Ebon...
[img] http://jnautoair.com/images/logo2-3.jpg [/img]

[Transtar56]

You mention the headlights going out,have a good look at the wiring. If its original on a car this old you better re-wire the whole car or your in for a world of trouble,and might even burn the car down.
Ive had some close calls with ratty wiring.