Okay so most of you have probably heard of my 53 coupe by now with all of the questions I’ve been asking lol, but the plot thickens even more… So I knew my car was strange from the start. It’s an early 53’ coupe (judging by the fact that it’s covered in Tri-Star logos and has the 53 grille inserts) but was strange because it had what appeared to be the “Spring Special” package vinyl interior (recovered with cloth in the 70’s) and cream colored dash which wasn’t an option in 53, but was in 54. Well… I was digging around under the front seat where I found the original Studebaker inspection tag hanging from the seat frame… saying that the seat was indeed originally vinyl, but with an inspection date of December 1954???. So what I think I’m beginning to put together here, judging by a few other things I’ve found, is that in the 70s a member of the Studebaker drivers club (judging by the barely legible remains of a sticker on the windshield) bought a very run down 53 coupe, and then mashed it together with a LOT of parts from a 54 coupe? At least that’s what I’m gathering. Im guessing that mine was a “Deluxe” and the 54 they took parts from was a regal, because the extra chrome trim that came with the Regal is very crudely drilled and screwed into the doors on this car that does not look factory to my eye, or at least repaired at some point. I know they must have taken a lot of parts from the 54 because most of the right side of the car (under the current paint) is a different color than the original color on the left side of the car. I just thought I’d give an update on this apparently Frankensteined machine 😂
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Also, a lot of the chrome is rustier than other chrome right next to it, would suggest the rustier more degraded stuff is original to the car because of the 1953’s infamous chrome rotting, and the still well preserved stuff being from the improved chrome in the 54’s. Unless this car is a 54 that someone tried to make into a 53 🤷♂️ -
The Production Order should be able to answer all your questions. It will show trim level, exterior color, interior trim, and any 'special order' or 'deviation' items on your car.
I'd order that from the Studebaker National Museum, if you have not already.
CraigComment
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Matt, you are probably right. A 70-year old car can have a lot of changes over the years.
Think of a 2003 model car today - someone buys it, the interior is very poor, so they cruise the local Pick-a-Part listings and find a one year newer low mileage car that has a beautiful interior, way fancier than the base vinyl in their current car. They zoom over, pull all the interior stuff out, and in a weekend they have a fancy interior that the girlfriend just loves
. The next weekend the guy goes back and gets the rear and front upscale fascias and fancy alloy wheels to update the car even more. Fancier car for a few bucks and a couple of weekends work.
The same thing could have happened to your car in 1974. It was just a 20-year old car then, not a collectible like now.
Paul
Winston-Salem, NC
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Hi Matt, I can empathize with you! I bought a '56 Commander last year that has turned out to be a real Frankenbaker as well.
Hopefully you, like me, are not looking to make a show car out of it. I got mine to be a driver as the body and interior are in really good shape, with no rust anywhere. I knew when I bought it that it had a newer model engine in it, which I've since learned (from the engine number) is a 289 from a '62 model.
The surprise on mine was the transmission. It came with an automatic, which I assumed was the original Flightomatic. The column shifter looked factory and I didn't realize that the dipstick/fill port was on the wrong side. When I changed the starter I took a look at the transmission nameplate, as I intended to get it re-sealed. To my surprise it said "DG-200"! Through the forum I determine it was from a Commander, but is likely from a '53 (from the serial number). Surprise!
It got better when I got the factory build sheet (a GREAT suggestion from 8E45E) and found my car was built with a 3-spped manual with OD! Someone did a lot of work swapping the engine, transmission, steering column, etc, and made it all look like it was factory. Even the single brake pedal. But it's all part of the adventure of buying a 60+ year old car!
The DG-200 leaks like a sieve, and while it does shift OK, I don't trust it to drive cross country, so I plan to upgrade it to a 200R4. The journey continues!
Hope you enjoy your "Frankenbaker" as much as I do mine.Comment
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The chrome that did not hold up well is on American cars from 1951 through early 1955. Called "Korean war chrome" it was made with only the slightest amount of copper. Not sure how much nickel was in it, either. The 1954 chrome was no better than the 1953 chrome. Some of what you are calling chrome may actually be stainless steel.
The Korean war (conflict) started only five years after the end of WWII, so the material resource board (or whatever the proper name was) immediately clamped down on "vital" materials that might be required for military use if the war got out of hand.
Remember that for many, many years before your car became collectable, it was just a crappy old Studebaker that few people felt love for and even fewer cared about accurately restoring.
And didn't Matt tell you that the ivory dashboard was a spring time color offered on some 1953 Regals??Comment
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Back in January, I mentioned that it sounded like his car was “pieced together”, but he didn’t believe me.Originally posted by RadioRoy View Post
And it isn’t a bad thing. Some of my favorite drivers have been cars that were put together with random parts.
My guess: Someone “fixed up” your car in the 1970’s and took a few liberties with colors and upholstery materials. Studebakers were cheap and nobody cared.
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Back in the 60's and 70's we never heard of things like matching numbers or survivor cars. It was just assumed that if a particular part was interchangeable with what we had and better parts were available we made the swap. This was especially true of engines swaps. Wrecking yards were everywhere and most had lots of Studebakers. Paint and upholstery were cheap and we were young and energetic. Every single part of the last two lines are completely turned upside down today.
The first time I realized that things like originality might make a difference was when a friend, and noted Avanti restorer, began to talk about the number one Avanti produced, then number two etc. Gary had some of these cars and knew where other important Avantis were. Among the special Avantis was the Home Avanti which has received a great deal of notoriety over the last several years, as it was restored with mostly volunteer help, in the PNW. It now resides in the LeMay America's Car Museum in Tacoma. That was the mid 70's and I remember thinking that car is such a mess who cares!
Even in Classic car circles much of the mainstream ownership was still not dedicated to the doctrine of originality. Gradually car history and the story of a originality began to become a focus. I remember reading in CCCA newsletters about particular Classic car. The whole history of ownership, how it been used and the work done to it was all laid out like a chapter in a book. How cool was that! I remember thinking that it was a shame that we hadn't done a little better job of maintaining more of our own Studebaker car history. That would have been in the late 80's, henceforth I made it always a priority to search out the history of every car that I bought or was interested in.
I know that to many here this is just a rehash of stuff that you already know. Thank you for staying with my whimsical, over wordy, look back at my own growth in the hobby. In my 63 years of car collecting there have been a lot of changes. It's been a great ride!Comment
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Back in the 70's and 80's when I was buying cars, I always went for the ones that had the fewest previous owners.
My reasoning was that neglect is much easier to fix than the cobbling/molesting done by past hammer mechanics. It seemed like most previous owners had more energy than talent, or thought that their particular "artists touch" made the car better somehow. In reality, it usually just made them harder to repair.
A friend joked that my favorite old car condition was "ratty original."
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