Australia's Finest

[packardHawk58]

[IMG]http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae194/packardhawk58/0052.jpg[/IMG]

I thought this might be of some interest to members what an unmolested Auzzie police car might look like after being parked for 40 years.
I acquired this vehicle this week after a forum member recommended I might be interested in having it and the original owner had to have it moved from it's location where it has been parked since 1977 where it was a regular landmark for Studie lovers to view in the middle of our main city, Melbourne.
it appears to be a highway pursuit car or an unmarked car for it doesn't look like it ever had lights or a siren fitted, I am sure Jim Quigley will be able to enlighten us on how it was fitted out for police duty.
Most of them had 289 cloverleaf engine blocks and saginaw 3 speed gearboxes with floor shifts which have a shifter setup moved across towards the driver.
Anyhow they are getting rather rare so I will have to workout what I am going to do with it, the body shell is pretty much rusted out, but one can always reshell it, I think a Forum member is trying to sell a good 6 cylinder car at the minute which would make a good doner!

[HAWK64]

Brian,
If you have the original registration number amongst that basket case then I believe I can give you some background on that ex police unit.

[BobPalma]

That's a cool car!

'Maybe showing my international ignorance, here, but I note the speedometer calibrated in what appears to be Miles per Hour, not Kilometers per Hour. True in Australia at the time? Still true today? BP

[kmac530]

Side bar question: On right hand drive cars like Aussie or UK is the shift pattern the same as it is here in the US? With 1st gear all the way to the LEFT and progressing to the right as you up shift? Is it that way on all stick shift cars even modern cars?

[candbstudebakers]

[IMG]http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae194/packardhawk58/0052.jpg[/IMG]

I thought this might be of some interest to members what an unmolested Auzzie police car might look like after being parked for 40 years.
I acquired this vehicle this week after a forum member recommended I might be interested in having it and the original owner had to have it moved from it's location where it has been parked since 1977 where it was a regular landmark for Studie lovers to view in the middle of our main city, Melbourne.
it appears to be a highway pursuit car or an unmarked car for it doesn't look like it ever had lights or a siren fitted, I am sure Jim Quigley will be able to enlighten us on how it was fitted out for police duty.
Most of them had 289 cloverleaf engine blocks and saginaw 3 speed gearboxes with floor shifts which have a shifter setup moved across towards the driver.
Anyhow they are getting rather rare so I will have to workout what I am going to do with it, the body shell is pretty much rusted out, but one can always reshell it, I think a Forum member is trying to sell a good 6 cylinder car at the minute which would make a good doner!

Brian I have a rather nice body 63 2 door at the shop now also a 6 cyl. nice original style interior and owner want to sell it for $2000.00 runs but need carb. work, also if interested I have rear fenders and doors for that car....Bob

[Blue 15G]

Put a battery in it and drive it!

[StudeRich]

/Cut/Most of them had 289 cloverleaf engine blocks and saginaw 3 speed gearboxes with floor shifts which have a shifter setup moved across towards the driver./Cut/

Are you sure Brian? A GM Saginaw? They were not fitted with Studebaker/Borg Warner Transmissions?

[dictator27]

Simple answer is yes, the shift pattern stays the same. Having said that, I'm obviously not in Oz, but the likelyhood it's different is remote. The only RHC car I have ever seen with a mirrored shift pattern was a Morgan trike with an English Ford four cylinder flathead and 3 speed trans.

As an aside, Austin's used the same BW Model 35 auto trans Studebaker did. We all know that Stude's quadrants read PNDLR left to right. RHC Austins read RLDNP left to right, so that the shift lever is all the way up when in Park. The kicker is that LHC Austin quadrants do as well, so Park is all the way DOWN to the right. Morris, Wolseley, Riley and MG cars were all the same.

Terry

[Bob Andrews]

Oh man, that would be a fun and unique car to have! And finding a good donor shell wouldn't be hard. Send 'er over here in a Vette container next time you come for a load!

[1962larksedan]

On manual transmissions cars and trucks: the H pattern as well as the clutch/brake/accelerator pedal sequence (L-R)is the same regardless of the steering wheel location. Note I've aligned several RHD vehicles including one with a 5 spd.

Back to that RHC 1963 Aussie Stude: I've seen pics of it somewhere; maybe here through the Forum. If it proves to be an ex police vehicle; it simply 'must' be restored IMHO.

Somewhere in the 1970's; Oz along with Canada and RSA went from the Imperial system to the Metric system.

[avantilover]

Metric conversion here in OZ was in 1973, thought this post was about the Packard Hawk, will be nice to see that once done.

[martincl]

The box is a Stude T86 3spd. The shifter is a modified Stude 3spd. This Aussie mod in the photo was done by the police to position the shift lever on the RH side of the transmission tunnel as seen in Brian's photo. It mounts to the upper extension housing bolts.

[Bob Andrews]

Wow, very interesting, Martin! But today it's much simpler to convert a T86 to top-shift with a T90 shifter assembly. Almost a direct bolt-in save for a couple small modifications.

[Milaca]

Why do the front fenders (mudguards in Aussie speak) have so little rust? As rusty as the rear fenders are, the rear of the front fenders should be non-existent. Perhaps the front fenders were replaced at one time due to a front collision?

[Aussie Hawk]

Pity it's a Lark..... I bet the cops never caught a Hawk with that... ;-)