56 Wagon is alive again, but screaming at me

[sals54]

Well, I finally drove the 56 Wagon again. Holy Moly that was tooooo long ago. Summer was so crazy busy at the shop I hardly had time to play with the cars. And then when I did, I found one glitch after another. In the short bursts of time to play with the wagon, I'd run into a problem evertime I would try to start it and drive it.
Trans leak. Pulled the tranny and replaced seals. Pulled pan and cleaned screen and replaced gasket. No more leaks. But now it won't run.
Coil bad.... replaced it. Still not running.
Dist not working.... finally found shorting wire on the plate.... fixed it. Still not running.
Fuel pump went out. Replaced it. Still won't run.
Starter solenoid had gone bad. Replaced it. Still won't run.
Battery won't take a charge.... WHY??????????
When pulling the battery, the ground cable came apart from the battery clamp. Give me a stinkin break, eh? Replaced it.
(And now I'm highly suspicious of the how and why the other parts failed)
But at least it wasn't the battery. Now it works.
Then.... it happened...... it STARTED ! ! ! ! ! FINALLY ! ! ! !
Now, why won't the tranny engage ? ? ? ? ?
Topped off the fluid. No change. Checked level again. Low. Topped off again. Still no. Topped off again..... and..... suddenly...... I felt the earth move. The trans engaged ! ! !
Took it around the block with a very loud SCREECHING sound the entire time.
Any one know how to get the speedometers in these 56s to shut up?
That is the loudest, noisiest, screechiest annoying sound I've ever heard come out of a dash.
But I really enjoyed driving it again. Awesome.
And I may have a new front seat for it tomorrow. Koooool

[studegary]

Sometime it is a cable kink and sometimes it is just calling out for lubrication (of the speedometer head and input bushing).

[70Avanti2]

The only cure for your problem is driving and fixing. Fixing and driving. Then driving some more.

[sals54]

Yeah. I dig that. At least now I can start driving it. Back to the chop shop next week for the glass.

[studeclunker]

If you figure out how to get up into that speedo head and lube it, let me know. Mine is doing the same thing and has been doing so for years. However I can't figure out how to deal with it. So no speedometer. It would be nice to have one again.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Probabley the speedo cable. Graphite cable lube is often recommended but I've used 3in1 oil and have seen others use ATF - successfully . I put a drop of oil on speedo where cable attaches. If you put on some ear muffs and drive around some more it might quit --or seize up and break. In either case it'll quit!

[Mrs K Corbin]

I would think on a 56 you'd end up taking the speedo out to lube it.

[RadioRoy]

The speedometer is a standard design, but it is standing on edge, so any lube in the cup drips out. You will have to take it out and lube it on the bench. Looking up under the dash, there are four 1/4" hex head screws. Remove them with a nut driver and the whole speedometer and hood come off. You will have to pull the cable and the light sockets first. Disconnect the battery too.

[sals54]

The speedometer is a standard design, but it is standing on edge, so any lube in the cup drips out. You will have to take it out and lube it on the bench. Looking up under the dash, there are four 1/4" hex head screws. Remove them with a nut driver and the whole speedometer and hood come off. You will have to pull the cable and the light sockets first. Disconnect the battery too.

Thanks for the "heads up" on all this. I did try a 1/4 driver on the screws. I think they may actually be the 9/32 screws that Studebaker so much loves to use. They are also 9/32 screws on the back of the grill surrounds on my 54.
Question is... WHY ????? WHY ???? WHY ????
If they can't see the foolishness of using such obscure screw sizes, how did they ever plan to simplify and profit from building and selling cars? I know it's a leap, but it's symptomatic of many Studebaker decisions.
Another one just recently discovered is the front seat of my Wagon.
I found a nice looking front bench seat from a Coupe. It was quite inexpensive, so I bought it.
It was also, already blue.
It was also, already a bench seat for a 2 door car.
It was also, a great candidate to replace the dilapidated fabric on my existing seat.
Well, well, well. Not so fast.
I realize it's only been 48 years of Studebakering in my life, so there's no reason for this to ever have been discovered before, but I found out that the bench seats of the sedan and the Coupes are just a measly couple of inches different in width.
Question is... WHY ??? WHY ??? WHY ???
So now the Stude factory has to have tooling, fabricating, upholstery patterns, upholstery stocks, seat frames, seat backs, brackets, et al, for two different seats???? Two seats, that in all other respects look identical???
And for what??? A couple of inches of width???
So, I did find that the Coupe seat will barely fit between the closed doors of the Wagon, but only if I bend, reshape and modify the release lever that sticks out the side of the seat, and move it to the front. Which just happens to be the location of many of the other release levers on other Studebaker seats.
WHY ??? WHY ??? WHY ???
OK. I think I've had my say. I took my 3 Zanax, 5 aspirin and 4 shots of whisky, so I think I'm starting to calm down now.
I think a nap will help.

[52-fan]

I have wondered about the size of some of the screws too, but it could be that they were using a cheap supply of war surplus fasteners. The seat size is a mystery, but it must have made sense to someone.

[sals54]

I have wondered about the size of some of the screws too, but it could be that they were using a cheap supply of war surplus fasteners. The seat size is a mystery, but it must have made sense to someone.

You're probably right. I'm just barking at ghosts.

[mbstude]

On a 56 sedan/wagon, there are 4 screws that hold the speedometer housing on top of the dash board. It’s a whole lot easier to remove than some others I’ve worked on.

I remember putting a new speedometer in my ‘56 President. Had it done in an afternoon.

[sals54]

On a 56 sedan/wagon, there are 4 screws that hold the speedometer housing on top of the dash board. It’s a whole lot easier to remove than some others I’ve worked on.

I remember putting a new speedometer in my ‘56 President. Had it done in an afternoon.

Yeah, thanks. I was just griping about the choice of screw sizes. And that lead me to the disfunction of the seat situation. I'm almost over it. Therapy class starts in a few minutes.

[tim333]

You must have pretty small hands, I had a heck of a time getting a tool on those screws with the tight clearance.

[StudeRich]

I find it VERY hard to believe that the Coupe/Hardtop Seat would be the SAME exact Height as a Sedan or Wagon.

So with the different Car width, it HAS TO BE a Different Seat.