Pretty Cheap '56 Golden Hawk on Hemmings

[EssexExport]

Just one picture. Something of a mystery.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/studebaker/golden_hawk/1735329.html

[warrlaw1]

A Stude guy would know how to spell Packard. Could be a good buy from someone that doesn't know Studes.

[6hk71400]

I can't tell from the picture if it has the correct 56 hood or another later hood on the car. If I were to lay out 20 large, I would want to see more than one picture, especially of the hog troughs frame etc just to get my interest. Great color combination.

Bob Miles
Tucson AZ

[brngarage]

Good catch Bob! I "stretched" the picture and it does look like a later hood.

[SN-60]

This Mocha/Doeskin factory paint combo really looks nice on these '56 Hawks and also the lwb President Classics!

[JoeHall]

This Mocha/Doeskin factory paint combo really looks nice on these '56 Hawks and also the lwb President Classics!

Ed,
I agree on the doeskin & mocha combo. My brother-in-law had a 56J those colors, and it was very pleasing to the eye. IIRC, according to the production numbers on the '56J Only' site, it is the second most common color combo, with green & white as first. But then, it seems all the 56J colors look better in person than in pix.

As for the possible incorrect year hood, if so, IIRC there was a doeskin & mocha 56J for sale in SB about 10 years ago, with incorrect hood. If restored in the 1980s, before the internet, parts were not as readily available. Back then, I once drove from SoCal to Salt Lake City to pick up a 56J hood. I drove the 62GT up there, with a junker hood on it, and swapped it with the 56J hood, and left the junker there for the guy to dispose of. Once back in SoCal, I swapped the 62GT hood back onto it, and put the 56J hood onto the project 56J. Whew, I sure had a lot of energy back then, wish I had half that much now days

[JoeHall]

This Mocha/Doeskin factory paint combo really looks nice on these '56 Hawks and also the lwb President Classics!

Ed,
I agree on the doeskin & mocha combo. My brother-in-law had a 56J those colors, and it was very pleasing to the eye. IIRC, according to the production numbers on the '56J Only' site, it is one of the top three most common color combo, along with sunglow & white, and green & white. It seems all the 56J colors look better in person than in pix.

As for the possible incorrect year hood, if so, IIRC there was a doeskin & mocha 56J for sale in SB about 10 years ago, with incorrect hood. I am pretty sure it was from IL also. If restored in the 1980s, before the internet, parts were not as readily available. Back then, I once drove from SoCal to Salt Lake City to pick up a 56J hood. I drove the 62GT up there, with a junker hood on it, and swapped it with the 56J hood, and left the junker there for the guy to dispose of. Once back in SoCal, I swapped the 62GT hood back onto it, and put the 56J hood onto the project 56J. Whew, I sure had a lot of energy back then, wish I had half that much now days

[SN-60]

A 1956 factory color combo that is hardly ever seen, but to me always looked exceptionally nice on the Hawks is Yellowstone / Sunglow Gold,....with the Sunglow Gold down the middle of the car

[SN-60]

We don't see too many solid red ones either! (Romany Red)

[black56hawk]

Ed,
As for the possible incorrect year hood, if so, IIRC there was a doeskin & mocha 56J for sale in SB about 10 years ago, with incorrect hood. I am pretty sure it was from IL also. If restored in the 1980s, before the internet, parts were not as readily available. Back then, I once drove from SoCal to Salt Lake City to pick up a 56J hood. I drove the 62GT up there, with a junker hood on it, and swapped it with the 56J hood, and left the junker there for the guy to dispose of. Once back in SoCal, I swapped the 62GT hood back onto it, and put the 56J hood onto the project 56J. Whew, I sure had a lot of energy back then, wish I had half that much now days

In 1961, my ten-year-old self popped the hood to show our 56J's motor to my cousins. Next time Dad drove it, the hood flew up - not even a quarter mile down the road. Guess I didn't latch it too well. . . .

Anyway, the body shop replaced the hood with a new hood from Studebaker. It was the later version. Not sure if the 56 hood was no longer available new (likely) or the body shop simply ordered the wrong hood (possible).

Made the same mistake 50 years later with my own 56 J. Wasn't as bad as it sounds, because the hood had already flown up once before I acquired it and so was already kinda beat up. The second time pretty much ruined that hood. I found what I thought was a decent used 56 Hawk hood. Three thousand dollars worth of body work later, I have a nice looking original 56 hood on my 56J. Also have a safety clip on the latch.

[6hk71400]

The 56 Hood does pop up from time to time at swap meets and other places. I guess it depends on how authentic you want to go with a car, and the subsequent pitn (or pita) you want to put up with and also the years you want to spend doing that and not having the car on the road. It also pops up if you don't latch it correctly! Had that happened to as well around 1969.

Bob Miles
Tucson, AZ

[packard352]

Yes, it's the correct hood - how boring