Numbers Matching?

[SN-60]

'cabforwards' search for the engine which his Golden Hawk '400' was born with reminds me of a similar story..........

Several years ago I sold a really nice '55 Speedster. (serial # 7167047) About two years before I sold that car, I installed an R1 in it, and saved the original engine (#P18138).

Apparently, that Speedster bounced around a bit, being resold a few times, until I learned last year that the car is now in Portugal!

I was subsequently contacted by the mechanic who cares for the car, and he informed me the owner was very interested in obtaining the original 'numbers matching' 259.

(He found out through this Studebaker Forum that I still had the engine.)

I told him that I'd also like to see the 259 re-installed, and offered to swap even for the R1.

We spoke several times, but apparently shipping two engines back and forth across the Atlantic was more than he could handle!

I'll hold onto the 259 though,..just in case he, (or even the NEXT owner of my old Speedster), just HAS TO HAVE that original engine!

[8E45E]

If you have the space and proper storage to do so, absolutely!!

Craig

[SN-60]

Kind of interesting about the R1 engine in my old Speedster....Its serial # is R-201...it came out of a 1963 Avanti....Now, I always thought 1963 Avanti "R" engine serial numbers all had FOUR digits after the "R" or the "RS"......

but that '63 "R" engine only had three.....I checked that '201' carefully when I installed it, and years later when the Speedster was for sale in St.Louis, that three digit engine number was in their advertisement.

Thoughts on this

[rockne10]

I was subsequently contacted by the mechanic who cares for the car, and he informed me the owner was very interested in obtaining the original 'numbers matching' 259. I told him that I'd also like to see the 259 re-installed, and offered to swap even for the R1.

Nice as it would be to have the R1 back, at this point the 259 is just a generic Studebaker engine. I would have sold it to Portugal for a price plus shipping. Makes two people happy.

[SN-60]

Nice as it would be to have the R1 back, at this point the 259 is just a generic Studebaker engine. I would have sold it to Portugal for a price plus shipping. Makes two people happy.

Yes that would be okay....but I figured the owner wouldn't have to come up with any $$$$ (except for shipping!) on a swap deal. All-in-all, the R1, with its hotter cam and high compression pistons is nice, but a good running 259 is more my cup of tea. I just bought into the idea of re-uniting the engine with its original chassis...especially for a car like a President Speedster!

[rockne10]

... I figured the owner wouldn't have to come up with any $$$$ (except for shipping!) on a swap deal.

He's the one who is motivated to reunite the numbers. Why shouldn't that be profitable to you?

[48skyliner]

I have always thought that matching numbers is very important. Whenever I buy a car I always make sure the number on the VIN tag matches the number on the title.

I have owned a lot of cars in the last 60 years, and the ones that were most enjoyable to drive and gave me the most pride of ownership were without exception the ones that had the original engines replaced with something better.

[SN-60]

He's the one who is motivated to reunite the numbers. Why shouldn't that be profitable to you?

Hard to explain,...... but as I get older, a sappy thing like re-uniting a Studebaker engine with its original chassis means more to me than making a few bucks!.....

[TWChamp]

In the interest of preserving Studebaker history, and keeping things the way the factory made them, I like to see matching numbers also. I was glad when I bought my 1950 Champion production order and found everything was original and correct.

[8E45E]

I hope Ed is still able to find his missing engine. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...Engine-RS-1581

Not to mention, Jeff being successful in locating his original GH 400 engine, and Eric for the missing JTS engine.

Craig

[jbwhttail]

As with other makes, as years pass number matching vehicles will demand premium pricing. I have the mindset that if the car is going to be restored then if at all possible keep the original power train. If the car is beyond restoration do what you wish. if I were the guy in Portugal the original engine would be on its way.

[64studeavanti]

IMHO, the numbers matching thing is important and will become more important for the semi collectible studes such as speedsters, golden hawks, avantis, super hawks and larks as well as convertibles. The rest, not so much.

[BILT4ME]

If he had enough $$$ to import the car to Portugal, then he has enough $$$ to swap engines.

[SN-60]

If he had enough $$$ to import the car to Portugal, then he has enough $$$ to swap engines.

Well, who knows?......maybe the Speedster's owner decided he LIKES the extra 'punch' of an R1.......I know that I did!!!!

[SN-60]

Another 'matching numbers' story from the "SN-60 Archives".................

Before buying the President Speedster mentioned above, I drove a fairly nice 1956 Golden Hawk (serial #6030610)...It was one of the somewhat rare factory stick o/d with power steering models.

The car had been raced, and its original Packard V8 engine (#K-1021) was very, very tired to the point of 'giving up the ghost'!

One day I spotted a '55 Packard Clipper Custom on the back of a rollback heading for the boneyard. I followed the truck, and struck a deal on the '352' engine in that Packard, which I was told was in good shape.

(That 'very nice condition' '55 Clipper, like so many other nice condition '55-'56 Packards, was scrapped due to the troublesome Twin-Ultramatic transmission used in those cars)

Anyway, they delivered the Clipper '352' engine to my house,.... I installed it... it ran GREAT!...... and then a few days later they picked up the K-1021 engine, which I traded in.

It didn't take me too long to realize that I goofed by letting that original '56 GH engine go!.....I learned that (90% of the Packard engines installed in '56 Golden Hawks had the "S" prefix, denoting an automatic transmission model, and that "K" stamped blocks were extremely rare. (It was the 21st stick o/d Packard engine installed into a 56J at South Bend.)

I guess it was then that I began to give serious thought about the relevance of 'matching numbers' for Studebakers! (and other makes also!)

That '56 Golden still exists, but K-1021 is long, long GONE!