Northwest

[Ed Peek]

Can anyone explain why there seems to be more Studebakers in the northwest than other parts of the country. Did Studebaker target certain areas more than others?

[PackardV8]

From experience, the closer to South Bend, the more Studebakers were sold. However, east of the Rockies, they rusted out within just a few years. That there are seemingly more in the PNW is just a factor of less rust.

jack vines

[Hallabutt]

Pre 1980, when Detroit began to get their act together and rust became less of an issue, our cars just lasted longer then in most places. Salt was not a factor until about a decade and a half ago. But even salt on the west side of the mountains has a limited effect on cars. That's because half of our rain, on the wet side of the mountains, falls in the months of Nov. Dec. and Jan. This means that the salt that is applied washes off the roads pretty fast.

There is a second part of the equation which comes into play when longevity is considered. Our mild climate on the west side of the mountains, means that temperature and humidity is seldom extreme and we have limited sun exposure. All of which means that interiors, rubber, paint and wiring just don't degrade as fast as it does in most places. There are exceptions and I could go on, but I hope that you get the message.

[StudeRich]

The "Other factor" is, people on the West Coast DRIVE more year round, and More Cars per capita were sold on the West Coast than a lot of places, plus we had our Own Factory nearby in Los Angeles (Vernon Neighborhood) Calif. until 1956 !

[M-Webb]

Pre-1980? I think that is being generous on the rust issue. I think it was more like late 80's to early 90's before a lot of manufacturers really got serious about sheet metal rust prevention, especially the domestic ones. Not sure about anywhere else, but I still recall in the mid 80's stuff rusting up pretty good and fast in the mid Atlantic area at least. Road salt probably a lot of that, maybe some ocean air, but let's also not forget about good old acid rain. Remember that stuff? The wholesome PNW rain was maybe a bit more cleansing and therapeutic. But on the east coast, it caused vehicles to rust live pretty much in real time when it was coming down. Being a broke teenager, my old crappy cars were always a bit more rusty after every rain. And because of rusted out window channels, wet on the inside too, not just the outside. I use to dread when it would rain because I knew what was coming along with it.

[BRUCESTUDE]

Not to mention we here in the PNW are hip to what’s cool!🤓

[Hallabutt]

Pre-1980? I think that is being generous on the rust issue. I think it was more like late 80's to early 90's before a lot of manufacturers really got serious about sheet metal rust prevention, especially the domestic ones. Not sure about anywhere else, but I still recall in the mid 80's stuff rusting up pretty good and fast in the mid Atlantic area at least. Road salt probably a lot of that, maybe some ocean air, but let's also not forget about good old acid rain. Remember that stuff? The wholesome PNW rain was maybe a bit more cleansing and therapeutic. But on the east coast, it caused vehicles to rust live pretty much in real time when it was coming down. Being a broke teenager, my old crappy cars were always a bit more rusty after every rain. And because of rusted out window channels, wet on the inside too, not just the outside. I use to dread when it would rain because I knew what was coming along with it.

Michael I don't want to come off like a know it all, especially since my comment was off the cuff, an a product of a fading memory. So I did some research because I really couldn't be definitive. It seems like use of galvanized steel has been around since the early days of the automobile. But the first manufacturer to dip a whole body, at least in the US, was AMC in 1957.



verdegrrl
•6y ago

It varies by manufacturer. Most started doing at least some of the car in the 70's, with ever increasing portions getting dipped as time went on. The composition and layers have changed too.

The dip helps a lot, but remember that rock chips can go through to bare metal and friction can wear through (think suspension parts) the coating. There is a reason rust is called cancer. Even the smallest bit can spread once it gets under the coatings.