Speedster Saved

[mapman]

Well, I saved it. Now what? How big of a project do I need?

[mapman]

See works this time?

[64studeavanti]

You need to provide pictures and a description of what you have. Speedsters are some of the rarest and most valuable Studes. However, depending on condition, can be very expensive to restore. A correct interior can cost upwards of $6,000 and the wait times are not trivial. Much of the trim is particular to that one model. As with all 55s, there is an abundance of chrome.

They are susceptible to the same rust problems as other CK Studes.

Just curious, did you get this in Meridan?

[mapman]

And the other side. It came from a horder's estate.

[64studeavanti]

If you need any parts, I have a contact in Meridan. P.M. me for info.

[bensherb]

Well, I saved it. Now what? How big of a project do I need?

It looks like you already have a big one!

[Hallabutt]

Rob,

Better you then me! Been there done that! I'm all in as a worthy project, but it'll take someone younger then me to get it done. As you may know I've had more then a few of these over the years. If you're really going to do the project, I could be tempted to let go of some parts that stashed decades ago. The parts are only available if you are going to do the car. I don't want them just going into another store of parts. I want to see them go into a car, and I don't really care if I sell them or not.

Just off the top of my head, I have a beautiful trunk lid, decent rust free hood, front bumper, maybe a front grille, some really decent stainless trim, and some other stuff that slip my memory. I also might consider passing on my Speedster uncracked dash. If you've been around Speedsters as long as I have you will understand why this is important, but it wouldn't come cheap. I get choked up even thinking about offering it.

Bill

[mapman]

Rob,

Better you then me! Been there done that! I'm all in as a worthy project, but it'll take someone younger then me to get it done. As you may know I've had more then a few of these over the years. If you're really going to do the project, I could be tempted to let go of some parts that stashed decades ago. The parts are only available if you are going to do the car. I don't want them just going into another hoard of parts. I want to see then go into a car, and I don't really care if I sell them or not.

Just off the top of my head, I have a beautiful trunk lid, decent rust free hood, front bumper, maybe a front grille, some really decent stainless trim, and some other stuff that slip my memory. I also might consider passing on my Speedster uncracked dash. If you've been around Speedsters as long as I have you will understand why this is important, but it wouldn't come cheap. I get choked up even thinking about offering it.

Bill

Thanks for the encouragement. I will still need to clean it up and decide whether I have the wherewithal to finish it and can get a title for it. So far it has surprisingly little rust but does have a bent frame. The first thing I will do is get the manuals.
Rob

[Robert Crandall]

Hoarder sounds so negative. We can have now only what someone before us kept. Someone reviving what was kept will make an interesting story for those of us who are not reviving anything now.

[Hallabutt]

Robert,

I apologize for even mentioning the word hoard. I don't like it any more then you do. It reflects the animus that exists within the old car community. I was surprised that I used it. Maybe it was because the original poster used it and it was fresh in my mind. It has an implication of intent, or lack of it, and it fails in every way of to promote the understanding the true nature of the character of owner or the substance of his collection. Ironically that is the very same reason I just responded the way that I did to another thread surveying forum members about their car collections. I will edit my last response by using a more neutral term.

Bill

[Hallabutt]

I guess the first thing I would determine would be the availability of an old school frame an alignment shop in the "Inland Empire."

[mapman]

I don't know what the definition of a hoarder is specifically but when the estate owner died he had a house, a couple commercial sized shops, numerous sheds and outbuildings, buses, and trailers full of odds and ends that were just tossed in and he would never sell anything. The speedster was his high school car. On the lot were cars just driven in and parked. He had machinery and semis in various states of decay. These two Studebakers were saved along with another half dozen or so complete cars. The scrapper was just cutting everything up to clear the lot. 2 semis were sold for $200 apiece and the new owner drove them off the lot. Nothing was being saved until the new owner shut it all down. There is still a running D7 sitting there. I don't know what they got for it. I guess the county just gave them a year to clear it all away. These were the only Studebakers I saw any trace of.
I believe this was a hoarder.
Rob