new to the forums...

[Lark_Looker]

Hi,

First I would like to say "THANKS" to all the Veterans on the page!

New to the forums, have been looking for a Stude for some time now, ever since I drove a 59 Lark about 10 years ago. I had helped on a minor restoration and was amazed when I was asked to drive it back to the owners home how well it handled and the pep in the little v8!.
There are a lot of nice Studebakers for sale and after doing some research I have not been able to make up my mind on what to get!! Of course a Lark, or Daytona would be real nice. There are some nice ones on ebay, and on some other sites, of course depending on the price i would sure like to get my hands on one that has the supercharger on it. They seem to be very rare and what I am wondering is having to get replacement parts on whatever i decide to get.
For all of the experienced owners out there, does anyone use there vehicle(s) as a daily driver?

Thanks for the help,

Troy

[kmac530]

Welcome LL. Glad to have you here.

I am a truck guy mostly so I can not speak to parts issues on Larks/Daytona's, but this is THE site for that info.
Warren Webb, Roscoemacaw, and a number of others are way up on your cars. I do know that most parts are available for a Lark model and even most models.
Troy, you will love it here, VERY helpful bunch and a close knit group.

Kelly

[Bullet]

There are many of us that drive our Studebakers on a daily basis. I for one. I drive a 64 Cruiser. GREAT car and tons of compliments everywhere. Parts are available and newer modifications for replacements are options. Plus theStudebakers vendors have just about everything.

Others will chime in, I know. Do it you will enjoy it!

Mark

[oldguy]

Not one of the "veterans", but experienced enough to know, parts are not a problem. Way better than any other car of the same vintage.
A TIP. Buy from one of the forum members. Generally priced right with accurate descriptions. Random ebay ads are often erroneous and misleading.
You can probably get one of the Veterans to check out a car before you buy it. They are everywhere.
Welcome aboard. Coming here first is a very wise move.

[kmac530]

Im with oldguy on the buy from SDC members when possible comment. I have have awesome success with the member businesses here. If they were deceitful they would loose alot of business here, so honesty and clarity seems to be the normal way here.
The group is big enough to offer worldwide help and info and alot of experience, yet small enough to still keep a sort of family/friends feel to it.

[mbstude]

Welcome to the Forum. Where in Georgia are you?

[Bob Andrews]

Welcome, Troy. Your name caught my eye, since my favorites by far are the Larks. They're good cars, fun to drive, easy to work on, anything they'd need is readily available, and they're not very expensive to buy, compared to comparable Big Three cars. Of course, the exception is the supercharged cars; they are pretty pricey, but I know of some for sale if you want to spend in the $10-20K range.

Let us know your preference, someone here probably knows where there's one waiting for you!

[Sdude]

Get yourself a Studebaker International Catalog. You will be amazed at the parts that are available for these cars. And do we use them as daily drivers? - You Betcha.... That's why we call this the Studebaker Drivers Club.

Join the SDC and start getting the Turning Wheels magazine if you haven't already. And find a local chapter and go hang out with us. You may just get hooked like I did. I now own two Studebakers and drive them all the time. (well, not my truck at present, but will when I get it finished)

[StudeRich]

Troy, Welcome to the SDC and to the SDC Forum!

Larks and Lark Types as I prefer to call the '64 to '66's are the BEST drivers.

Here is my new daily driver:















It is a '66 Cruiser with a GM Mckinnon Motors Canada 283 V-8 and a Studebaker/Borg Warner H.D. 3 Speed Automatic, with a Dana Spicer Model 44 Twin Traction (limited slip) 3.07 ratio rear axle with flanged axles.

The late '64, '65 and '66 Models were only built at the Hamilton, Ontario Canada Plant after the larger South Bend Indiana Main Plant closed.

[kmac530]

See what I mean Troy...great guys. These last 3- Bob A., Matt {mbstude}, and Jon {Sdude} are all awesome guys and have been crazy helpful for me. I have only been on here for a few months, so I can speak freely as a newer member who has had alot of needs, these guys {and tons of others} have helped me move alot forward on my project.

Post up what your budget for a purchase is {not trying to be nosey} so that people can help get a feel for what you can get out there and how nice or how in need it will be. Here is a link to the SI website where yuou can order a catalog

http://www.studebaker-intl.com/

[Bob Andrews]

Nice of you, Kelly, but you meant a different Bob, 'Roscomacaw', who hooked you up with your engine. I contribute comic relief

[Corvanti]

welcome aboard!
you have a lot of knowledgeable folks in your neighborhood wherever you are in ga, from near savannah, around atlanta, not to mention hazlehurst!
on the forum, you'll have worldwide folks just waiting to help!!!
do join the SDC, you can do that right here on the forum. the magazine, "Turning Wheels", alone is worth it!!!

[Lark_Looker]

Thanks for the responses! I know that I should be able to find something with in my budget (10-15k) that I will be proud to drive. I even found a station wagon thats for sale that has an R2 (on ebay) in it and asked the wife if she would mind driving an older model car ( I didnt tell her it was older than either of us ). She said as long as its a manual trans shes in! The more I look, the more Studebakers I see that I think would be a great addition. I am also interested in a Lark thats in NC and a Daytona thats in CA. Being in Augusta though I can probubly find something closer that would be a great fit. I will definatley get some of the magazines and the catalog.
Thanks for the help,
Troy

[pdrnec]

Welcome aboard - I might suggest that you try to get a ride in a supercharged Stude before you commit to finding one - they look awesome under the hood, the Paxton has a most satisfying whine when it spools up - but if you're expecting to get rocked back in your seat when you step on the gas, you'll be disappointed. 5# of boost isn't much, and you might find that a 259 or 289 with the right cam and carb will get you down the road just as fast. In my experience 'Supercharged' sounds a lot faster than it really is. There's a reason Mr Harbit had twin turbos on the Chickenhawk instead of a brace of Paxtons.

[Bob Andrews]

I even found a station wagon thats for sale that has an R2 (on ebay) in it

We know that car. The owner has been an infrequent poster here. It's been on eBay a few times. That is a very special car, and I THINK he had a BIN of about $16K on it.

If you'd prefer other than a wagon, our friend Steve Doerschlag has a few supercharged Studes for sale, all nice cars. Here's one he just had on eBay but it didn't sell:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1963-Studebaker-Lark-R2-Supercharged-Muscle-Car-/200664855574?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2eb88eb416

You might drop him a line and tell 'em we sent ya!