Similarities between a 62 GT hawk and a 56 Golden hawk

[Hallabutt]

Bob,

Nowhere in the world is a car going to come out of forty years of outdoors storage without massive amounts of deterioration. Forty years of outdoor storage in the Az. sun and you may have some good sheet metal but guaranteed to have nothing else else of much value. Fact is forty years of outdoor storage and you have parts, or thousands of hours of restoration work. Very few who know what it takes to bring one back today, are willing or able to make the sacrifice.

[6hk71400]

Bob,

Nowhere in the world is a car going to come out of forty years of outdoors storage without massive amounts of deterioration. Forty years of outdoor storage in the Az. sun and you may have some good sheet metal but guaranteed to have nothing else else of much value. Fact is forty years of outdoor storage and you have parts, or thousands of hours of restoration work. Very few who know what it takes to bring one back today, are willing or able to make the sacrifice.

Bill,
You and I are in complete agreement. You were more to the point; I was trying to gently point that out. I have long reached a point that I cannot bring a car back that is so down when I can find a better car needing a few things at a better price. I can only speak for myself now. You just have to look and be patient.

That said, I hope Martin can bring the Golden Hawk back. If you look at John Kroulik's car the Whistler and the six years to do the car back to when it was 1963, the six or so pages on the forum and each post . John is youthful in comparison to me and has access to many parts that I have to hunt to find. That, and a lifelong dedication to Studebaker helps. I remember John's father Ivan and the Packard Hawk that he had and now John has. John's wife also grew up with Studebaker being the daughter of Pete and Karen Mensing.

So, Martin, I encourage you to look up the thread started by Bob Palma and the Whistler. It is also on You Tube with Lou Constable. Read the thread first before looking at the You Tube video. You will have a crowd of people here cheering you on so be sure to keep us updated with your progress.

Bob Miles

[Tired iron]

It has been an education, Bob--a much wanted and appreciated one! I come from the world of British car restoration, and much of this is new to me...and lots of fun.

That's very kind of you to offer the idea of bringing one up. Hopefully I'll be able to make this deal in Canada work. I really only need the trunk and have to weigh the hassle of the border and hauling the whole thing on a trailer when I really only want the trunk. And then there's deciding whether to do that vs. Repairing my own . Looking at the three phot os below, which would you do...repair my trunk with a bodyman's nightmare of a crease, or go thru the hasske of bringing down the other one (third photo) from canada?

[JoeHall]

I cannot overemphasize the importance of post #13. If you go to the 56J Only site, ALL of your questions will be answered about ANYTHING related to 56J. Thanks to Frank's efforts, more is known about 56Js than probably any other Studebaker ever made. It's all free, and available at one site. It's unfortunate other model Studebaker aficionados do not have such a reference to draw from. Even the Parts Manuals have been tailored to only list 56J parts, so you'll never inadvertently buy the wrong part for your 56J!!!

[StudeRich]

I think if you could see the INSIDE of that '62 GT Hawk Decklid where the Rust always is at the Bottom edge, you would not bother to make the Trip for just that.
But advertise instead for a Usable 1956 to 1963 Decklid ('56 Preferred) in our Whatcom County Chapter Newsletter: STP "Studebaker Times Post" OR The North Puget Sound Chapter Newsletter: "Stude Road Dust" OR The Greater Seattle Chapter Newsletter "The Washington President".

And OR our Wanted/For Sale Forum right here!

Unless all 4 fenders are usable and can be modified slightly and Repaired to look presentable.

The '57 and later Hardtop Doors could work, but will never look close to correct without the Body Line Scallops.

[studegary]

Besides all of the other single year things, it should be pointed out that the doors for 1956 hardtops (K bodies) are also a one year item.

[Tired iron]

All great points and suggestions everyone. I posted a message today on the 56j forum and, sure enough, lots of friendly folks with good ideas and support...like you people here! So, you ain't getting rid of me.

my golden hawk came the final mile up to my shop this morning. Had to tow it behind my pick up up steep gravel road thru five switchback corners. We had a tow strap, a back up chain and a third just for extra safety cause the hawk has no brakes! Even so, i noticed my buddy behind th e wheel kept the door open a little in case he had to bail.

[56sghor]

Hi Frank, thanks for the info...I'll get on it! Ive watched the video--an excellent resource and thank you for all your hard work with that--but haven't registered the car yet.

If you'd rather not register your 56J with our group, that's OK. All I would really like to have is the Serial #, either 603nnnn (if the car was built in South Bend IN) or 680nnnn (built in Vernon CA). I'll just show it on my records as unregistered, but still resting somewhere on the planet.

[Tired iron]

I definitely want to register it with the 56j website...Ive just been waiting until I could get the engine number--not a simple task on a rusty block. Could they have chosen a more difficult location?! :-)
Anyways, armed with sandpaper and a flashlight, i just got it and will get on over to the site.