What's this heap worth?

[nullset]

The heap is now at Freeside and ready for work!

Sorry for the long time with no updates.

We had trouble getting it towed because it wasn't registered, but that's taken care of, and we accepted delivery last night.

The rear drivers side wheel is locked up. That's probably the first order of business.

Anyone in the Atlanta area that would like to help out or look her over, let me know.


--buddy

[mbstude]

Where at in the Atlanta area?

[nullset]

It's in the West End, near the Georgia Dome. http://freesideatl.org for directions and a map. There's an open house tonight and every Tuesday, but I or one of my teammates will probably be around more often than that, and would be happy to show the car off any time.

[kurtruk]

Make sure you know how the drums come off a tapered axle. Although you're probably not re-using the drums, some one might need them. They're not easy to come by.

[nullset]

We are planning a work day on Saturday. We will mostly be cleaning off the rust and loose debris.

Anyone interested in dropping by?

--buddy

[nullset]

It was productive work day! Most of the glass, other than the front windshield, was removed. The interior was stripped, and we removed the hood and worked on the engine a bit.

There doesn't seem to be any compression on cylinder 3. Theories are that it is most likely a stuck valve. We aren't completely sure. Any suggestions? (Should I post this in the technical forum?)

We found an Astre that I believe has the same wheel pattern. It's 4 x 4", right?

All of the wheels except the rear driver side are turning. That's on the list of things to do.

In good news, she made smoke! We got a few fires out of it using starting fluid. A 1941 Hobart that was a wonderful welder/generated graciously provided a new set of points and a few other bits.

--buddy

[cultural infidel]

What ever happened to this project?

[nullset]

It's coming along. We got the stuck wheel unstuck. We got the engine firing a bit, but not anything I'd really call success. Next, we pulled the head and found that one of the exhaust valves was stuck. We made the decision to go ahead and pull the engine and transmission.

I was amazed how small the 3 speed transmission is! It's tiny!

We are lucky to have found someone willing to help us tear down, clean up, and rebuild the engine in his very nice, very clean shop. We will be taking it to him shortly.

My personal goal is to have her racing by September, which is the last 24 hours of lemons race of the year. If we magically finish earlier, then we might shoot for a race before then.

[Peanut]

If you post new pics of the construction, please post a link to them here. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to follow your progress! And I agree with a previous post that you should definitely be writing about your trials and travails for an article in TW. Good luck with the build!
~Matt
Jefferson City, MO
'59 Lark 2-door

[nullset]

I created another thread with some pictures, but here's a link to the photos I have so far: https://picasaweb.google.com/1070985...898/Studebaker

Anyone in Atlanta is welcome to come by and see the car. Just PM me for details.

[warrlaw1]

Great shots. Car looks better than mine did when we tore it down. Funky and cool!

[nullset]

1949 Lemons Racer update

Hi all.

When we last tried turning the engine over, we noticed that there was no compression on cylinder 3. After messing with it for a bit, it started getting more sluggish to turn by hand, so we decided to pull it and take it to a rebuilder.

This Saturday, we took the engine up to Doc Slick's (a Harley shop in Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta). He spent the day teaching us how to correctly and carefully tear down an engine. He's related to one of our team members, and we trust his engine knowledge far more than any of our own!

We stripped it down to the bare block, and I'm waiting to hear back from him about what we need to do next before putting it all back together. It was very good news. The only trouble we had was that the #3 exhaust valve had mushroomed and wouldn't come out. We carefully ground it down just enough to get it through the guide without destroying anything. Obviously, that valve will be replaced. Everything else on the engine seemed somewhat serviceable. We were all quite impressed at how good it looked on the outside.

Link for photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/1070985...898/Studebaker

Things to note:

- The transmission bell housing was full of mud.
- The oil pan was full of sludge, with three layers: sort of oil like, sludge, and peanut butter consistency. It was pretty gross!
- The car seems like it may have been submerged at some point. There was a water line behind the clutch, visible on the engine after we pulled the flywheel. Fortunately, it did not go above the oil pan.

[cultural infidel]

glad to see that you are still updating here. Can't wait to see vids of this car on the track!

[kurtruk]

I see Car and Driver is now a major sponsor of 24 Hours of LeMons.

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

[(S)]

The was a free engine in Texas on the forum. Is it still there and is anyone heading that route?

Nullset, I sent you a PM through the forum about other engine parts.