'63 Lark V8 - Value Assesment Help? Northern VA

[kaleomax]

Hoping someone here can give me an Idea of what this car is worth... So I inherited a 63 Studebaker Lark (V8 - Green) from my father who passed away in 2013. It was my grandmothers who passed it on to him (she bought it new) It has a good bit of rust, and the interior is not the greatest, however the original engine was rebuilt back in roughly 2002. Up until October of 2014 it started right up, but at the moment the alternator belt needs tightened, and the battery needs charged Ive included a few pics. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Added More Pics, Engine shots, Dash - in fair condition, however there are 2 small cracks as illustrated. Tach... 62487, yes this is the original mileage

[BobPalma]

Hi, Paul; welcome to the sandbox.

The car you inherited is a Green Mist 1963 Studebaker Lark Custom 4-door sedan. Thankfully, it has a V8 engine, which helps the value a bit over a six.

The driver-side floor mat looks like it is sinking through an open hole in the floor below, so we may assume it has the normal or worst rust component; not good.

It is difficult to assign a value to the car without hearing it run and driving it. One way to research/determine a potential sale price is to know that you could probably buy the best 1963 Lark Regal V8 four-door in the country, one needing virtually nothing, for maybe $12,000.

From that, you can subtract the costs of making this one the nicest one in the country. If you do so, you'll come to the conclusion that the selling price for this one, assuming it runs good, would probably be no more than $1,000, and probably somewhere in the $800 range, if auctioned through e-bay or some such.

Others may have differing opinions, of course. BP

[wolfie]

Welcome! From the pics it looks like at least the front floor is toast. How far back is it gone? Both sides? How about the trunk floor? I do see LOTS of good stuff left and it certainly looks savable. As for value I will leave that to others but a 4 door Lark is not a highly sought after high end vehicle, even by Stude standards. Steve

[candbstudebakers]

I just passed on one here in California in better shape and a good running V-8 and auto, no power steering or brakes for $400.00 so one can take it from here on what that one is worth. when sold we will now the worth.

[kaleomax]

Thank You Bob!, those are exactly the figures I was rolling around in my head after doing some research, but I wanted to hear from somebody that actually knows. that helps alot! Thanks!

PT

[kaleomax]

Thanks Steve, yeah its pretty toasty as far as the metal goes all around but you're right there are a lot of good bits left. Thanks for the input, it helps!

PT

[kaleomax]

hehe, yeah thats what it comes down too.. let the games begin..

[rusty65]

PM has been sent.

[apexautorestoration]

1963 in Dulles, Va

Hoping someone here can give me an Idea of what this car is worth... So I inherited a 63 Studebaker Lark (V8 - Green) from my father who passed away in 2013. It was my grandmothers who passed it on to him (she bought it new) It has a good bit of rust, and the interior is not the greatest, however the original engine was rebuilt back in roughly 2002. Up until October of 2014 it started right up, but at the moment the alternator belt needs tightened, and the battery needs charged Ive included a few pics. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Paul,

My son Michael bought a 1963 4 door V8 last summer as his first car. The previous owner let him make payments on it so he paid for it himself. His car is a running and driving vehicle.
He paid 2000.00 for his which he earned by working in the shop with me last summer. His has a old Earl Scheib paint job on it that is faded, but someone had the seats reupholstered,
and put in a new headliner. We put a dealer tag on it, checked all the fluids, (especially brake) and drove it to the shop some 30 miles from off weather mountain in Bluemont, Va.
Since then we have gotten regular tags for it, insurance, and inspection, and drive it regularly. When I come out to the shop on Saturdays my kid farts around with it and drives it around.
We got a few parts for it this past weekend at York, and will put them on this weekend, and start driving it regularly.

Sorry I got off the track of value. From a collector stand point they are not worth a whole hell of a lot. But to a 17 year old kid who purchased it with money he earned, teaching him the value of a dollar, working on it yourself, plus since he paid for it himself he more likely to take care of it. PRICELESS.

Ray Krukowski

[BobPalma]

Hi Paul,

My son Michael bought a 1963 4 door V8 last summer as his first car. The previous owner let him make payments on it so he paid for it himself. His car is a running and driving vehicle.
He paid 2000.00 for his which he earned by working in the shop with me last summer. His has a old Earl Scheib paint job on it that is faded, but someone had the seats reupholstered,
and put in a new headliner. We put a dealer tag on it, checked all the fluids, (especially brake) and drove it to the shop some 30 miles from off weather mountain in Bluemont, Va.
Since then we have gotten regular tags for it, insurance, and inspection, and drive it regularly. When I come out to the shop on Saturdays my kid farts around with it and drives it around.
We got a few parts for it this past weekend at York, and will put them on this weekend, and start driving it regularly.

Sorry I got off the track of value. From a collector stand point they are not worth a whole hell of a lot. But to a 17 year old kid who purchased it with money he earned, teaching him the value of a dollar, working on it yourself, plus since he paid for it himself he more likely to take care of it. PRICELESS. Ray Krukowski

Ray makes a good point, Paul: This would be an excellent "first car / first driver" for a young person starting out in the hobby, rather than a person seeking a scoop-to-nuts restoration project to build a high-point collector car.

The reasons it is a good car for that are that it is easy to work on, the V8/Flightomatic combination is as bulletproof as you can find in a car of that era, and parts are readily available and not obnoxiously expensive. Hopefully, although we cannot tell from the pictures provided, the car would have enough structural strength remaining that it would provide an acceptable foundation for such an endeavor.

(Good observation, Ray.) BP

[kaleomax]

That's awesome! I think its great that he's taken the initiative! I was actually holding out to sell it to a friend of mines son (he's 20) was interested in buying it as a project car for him and his father could work on it. He wanted to (you and many other may cringe at reading this) turn it into a Rat Rod, but ultimately decided to go into the military, so its back on the block

[kaleomax]

I'm all for it (see my post to Ray) and that's where it was headed, but the original intended recipient has begun concentrating on his future and opted out, that's why I haven't really pursued it until now, so its back in the mix any takers?

[Neil]

63 lark

I'm all for it (see my post to Ray) and that's where it was headed, but the original intended recipient has begun concentrating on his future and opted out, that's why I haven't really pursued it until now, so its back in the mix any takers?

How about a shot of the engine bay? Does it have power steering?

[kaleomax]

Don't believe it has power steering I'll post a shot of the engine bay, and the mileage later today

[mapman]

The dash in '63s is unique and if it is in good condition (no cracks, soft foam) it could be worth more than the rest of the car. If it is good post some good pictures of it and someone will probably make you a good offer.
Rob