New (to me) '55 Studebaker Wagon

[Hallabutt]

Dave,

I'm sorry about your father's passing. What you have been bequeathed is a little piece of your father. A scant few of us are given the ability to continue a life that our father loved. I hope that you will treasure the 55 wagon, it's a good one.

Why is this a good one? 1954/55 was the start of something new for Studebaker, their first ever wagon. Conestoga as it was called, was given the name to pay homage to the covered wagons that Studebaker had produced beginning in 1852. They were the wagon of choice for the long journey from St Joseph Mo. for points west. There were 11,685 wagons produced in 1955 to go along with 11,774 that were produced in 1954. Midway through the 1955 production year Studebaker introduced a rap-around windshield on it's sedan and wagon models. Your car is one of the late arrivals.

Wagons were beasts of burden, and for the longest time were not coveted by car collectors. That meant that fewer of them have survived than some of the more prized models. That dynamic has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Today this is a car that is seldom seen, for that reason and because of it's styling, it just stands out in any vintage car assemblage.

In my collection I happen to have a 1955 Commander, Conestoga. I want to welcome you and invite you to visit one, or all three Puget Sound chapters of the SDC (Tacoma, Seattle, North Puget Sound). I hope that you will find one of the chapters to your liking. It's not necessary to have the car to check out the meetings. Just stop in and introduce yourself.

Bill

[Spamcan]

I want to welcome you and invite you to visit one, or all three Puget Sound chapters of the SDC (Tacoma, Seattle, North Puget Sound). I hope that you will find one of the chapters to your liking. It's not necessary to have the car to check out the meetings. Just stop in and introduce yourself.

Bill

Thank you for the details Bill, I’m learning so much here!!!

and thank you for the invite. I’m still trying to get a hauler to transport the Conney home to Seabeck. I surely want to check these out, likely the Tacoma one.

[StudeRich]

It is now verified to be a 1955 "Commander" Conestoga. Yes the Model always comes before the Body Type.
It has the 1373rd BODY welded up of that exact Model in 1955.

As you probably already know, it is also a LATE 1955

A 16G8 is a Commander, the V8 Engine really didn't Prove that, since there have been SO many years pass since it was new and many Champion 6's have had V8 Transplants; Stude. and Others by now.

[t walgamuth]

I speculate he means pump the gas pedal. To me Patting suggests hitting lightly with an open hand.

[Noxnabaker]

As Rich wrote; it's a late -55 & that equals "Ultra Vista" for the wraparuond windshield.
Nice one!

[Dwight FitzSimons]

I speculate he means pump the gas pedal. To me Patting suggests hitting lightly with an open hand.

Or, we might say: "patting it on the gass"
-Dwight

[Spamcan]

The Conney has made it to its new home in WA. Was quite the endeavor working with the hauler. I’m now concerned that I may not be able to keep it at the house. We have ample garage space, but the fumes are overwhelming the garage (which is also where my office is, a walled workspace in there), and even coming into the house. And I surely don’t want to park it outside (even under a cover) with the moisture.

I need to validate the aftermarket “Dolphin” gauges (which I know the fuel gauge doesn’t work, found out the hard way 😉)

I cannot get above maybe 40mph, seems the tranny not shifting past 2nd or maybe 3rd. So additional work to be done there.

[Hallabutt]

What kind of fumes?

[Spamcan]

Seems like gas though could be burnt oil (there’s a minor oil leak somewhere, proof drips on the floor). I don’t see fuel leaking anywhere. It somewhat burns the eyes and nose.

[Hallabutt]

It's probably the fuel in the carb vaporizing. We all have to put up with it. After a run with one of the cars it has a tendency to really stink up the place for about an hour after shutdown. Mary's shop is 2400 sq' and it still takes a while to dissipate. If it smells while stationary and not having been driven look at the rubber hose between the gas filler neck and the tank, the tank, as well as the fuel line for leaks.

[Noxnabaker]

Could it be the oil pressure line that's leaking..?

[Spamcan]

It's probably the fuel in the carb vaporizing. We all have to put up with it. After a run with one of the cars it has a tendency to really stink up the place for about an hour after shutdown. Mary's shop is 2400 sq' and it still takes a while to dissipate. If it smells while stationary and not having been driven look at the rubber hose between the gas filler neck and the tank, the tank, as well as the fuel line for leaks.

This seems the likely cause. After a day it is mostly gone. So I’ll maybe plan a “vent period “ after a drive to let things air out. Maybe even take off the air filter from the carb to air out faster. It’s been a long time since I’ve owned a carb car. And as I’ve said before, lots I’m learning about this car.

my biggest concern now is why am I only able to get up to 40mph?! I only sense 2 gears, at 40-ish it’s revving pretty high. Not that I’ll hit the highway often, but do want to for getting to car cruises and shows.

[Hallabutt]

It's the fuel today, it's just not like the old stuff. That's one of the reasons that our cars can be hard to start after sitting for a week.

[Corbinstein0]

Do you have a tachometer to determine actual RPM? That will help determine if she's shifting correctly.

As for the fumes, that's just something we tend to live with. Might could be vented somehow, depending on the leak. However I'm not a fan of having my antiques in the garage connected to the house. Kinda like having all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

[Spamcan]

Do you have a tachometer to determine actual RPM? That will help determine if she's shifting correctly.

As for the fumes, that's just something we tend to live with. Might could be vented somehow, depending on the leak. However I'm not a fan of having my antiques in the garage connected to the house. Kinda like having all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

it does have a tach, I’ll note shifts/RPM changes on the next drive (raining today).

I wish I had an option for garaging it elsewhere. Will see how it goes now that I’m aware of the cause.