Frame / Springs: gt hawk frame

[swvalcon]

My replacement frame has a pipe about 1-1 1/2"mounted just in front of the trans mount cross member and looks to be stock or very well built. Runs from one frame rail to the other and mounts with a plate bolted to the bottom of the frame. Now my old frame does not have this. Hard to see in the picture but it's the first thing you see behind the front cross member. Any one ever seen this and should I remove it. I can get better pictures.

[63 R2 Hawk]

My '63 doesn't have that, but it's probably a good thing to have, I would leave it unless it's in the way of something or you are building a high point show car. Every time I put my car on my lift, I'm amazed at how much the frame flexes.

[StudeRich]

There is NO way Studebaker would EVER have put a crossmember in the way of the Left Exhaust Pipe and the Bellhousing, you MAY have to unbolt it, sand/grind the Frame down and re-powder coat or Paint it.

On a Hawk, the Engine support Crossmember bolts in right about where that is.

[JoeHall]

All of mine have that pipe, including the 56Js.

[doofus]

A conundrum for sure, worked in a Stude restoration shop for years and never saw the likes of that. And it was put there for a reason, HMMMMMM. Doofus

[StudeRich]

All of mine have that pipe, including the 56Js.

I could believe that MAYBE a '56J does, but you might want to look at those "other" Cars again Joe.

[swvalcon]

This frame came off a 62 gt out of CA. I picked up two cars in AZ and this one had no motor or trans but did have a auto shift. The other one was a 289 4 sp but 4 sp setup was long gone. It had mounts for traction bars but was just a bare frame and didn't have this pipe set up. So my guess is someone added it from a older frame.

[1962larksedan]

This frame came off a 62 gt out of CA. I picked up two cars in AZ and this one had no motor or trans but did have a auto shift. The other one was a 289 4 sp but 4 sp setup was long gone. It had mounts for traction bars but was just a bare frame and didn't have this pipe set up. So my guess is someone added it from a older frame.

Supposedly Studebaker did beef up the 1962+ Hawk frames which may've negated the 'need' for that tubular crossmember being discussed in this thread.

[JoeHall]

I could believe that MAYBE a '56J does, but you might want to look at those "other" Cars again Joe.

Actually, all the ones I have seen had a pipe quite a bit larger than that one. Mine are right around 3" in diameter, IIRC.

[bensherb]

My '62 GT doesn't have it. It would be running right through my exhaust.

[bezhawk]

Usually there is a bolt BETWEEN the rails cross member. I have never seen an UNDER frame tube bolted there.