'64 (and possibly '65 and '66) glove box door - ever right?

[62champ]

Have seen a lot of '64 Studebakers in my time (first car ride ever - from hospital to home - was in a 4dr Commander) and always have wondered if the glove box doors ever lined up the right way.

Drove a 20K mile original '64 4dr. Daytona 10 years ago and it was off - have a good friend that is obsessed with '64s and he said that is just the way they all seem to be.

Even this very nice car on E-pay is off like one always sees...



Badly designed hinges? Mounting hardware not up to the task? Dash pad material too soft to stay in place over the years? Any other thoughts?

[53k]

Have seen a lot of '64 Studebakers in my time (first car ride ever - from hospital to home - was in a 4dr Commander) and always have wondered if the glove box doors ever lined up the right way.

Drove a 20K mile original '64 4dr. Daytona 10 years ago and it was off - have a good friend that is obsessed with '64s and he said that is just the way they all seem to be.

Even this very nice car on E-pay is off like one always sees...

Badly designed hinges? Mounting hardware not up to the task? Dash pad material too soft to stay in place over the years? Any other thoughts?

My '64 Daytona Wagonaire with 130,000 miles has a pretty straight glove box door and so did the '64 Daytona convertible I sold several years ago.

[Warren Webb]

Both my 66's are misaligned too. I think it's a combination of the inner frame of the glove box door & the outer covering. I haven't tried doing anything with the 66 Cruiser yet but the Daytona had me going & it still is misaligned.

[63t-cab]

Now that you mention it,every one I ever saw (and quite a few 64-66) did not fit right either.

[2R5]

[BRUCESTUDE]

Yeah, my '64 Daytona is not perfect either! As a side note, my wife and daughter (19) both love the pull out vanity mirror, and use it! One of those little things that make old cars fun........

[wittsend]

What? You can actually get your glove box to close - to see if it is misaligned? Really? Count yourself fortunate.

Tom

[Corvanti]

wouldn't a few strategically placed washers to use as "shims" on the hinges, and adjustment of the lock/lockbar apparatus bring it back up to a "normal" appearance?

similar to adjusting a car door that has "sagged" over the years. BTDT with the Avanti - door and glovebox.

[Chris_Dresbach]

Over the years I've seen a lot of '64-'66s and have noticed the glove box door problems. I have never seen one that is perfect, some that are very close, but never spot on. I think that the glove box doors were probably doomed from the start. In those years Studebaker was hurting for money, they needed to assemble cars as fast as they could and an issue like that just wasn't as important as something like making sure all the doors close; so it never got resolved. I've looked at several NOS glove box doors and I believe the problem lies in too soft of material being used and weak hinges.

[stude dude]

I think the hinges are pretty strong. But attaching an aluminum moulding to a moulded foam/vinyl padded door can create a lot of variations in fit. I spent a lot of time trying to get it right on my 64 Daytona and am pleased with it, even if it isn't perfect. My 66 Commander was easier since they don't have the short outer moulding to line up, and the pads seem to be of better quality.

But I have noticed that there are also 2 slightly different size radio bezels for these models. One is slightly shorter, perhaps to allow for the 'overhang' of a badly aligned glove box moulding??

Chris.

[2moredoors]

My '64 Commander glove box lines up fine but the '66 Cruiser does not. It came from the factory (i'm sure) that way. I think most if not all '66's came with misaligned glove boxes. We should not be "docked" points if it came that way from the factory.

[WCP]

The hinges do have slotted holes for the mounting screws, and once adjusted, the screws won't be evenly spaced in those slots, but acceptable alignment can be achieved. At least mine did.