When repairing one thing turns into many....

[DewayneP]

Because of the Virus and subsequent shutdown of the New York DMV I am unable to register my new to me Studebaker and therefore unable to drive it. This has given me the chance to repair a couple minor things that bugged me on the car, mostly a couple of exhaust leaks. The first was the heat riser on the exhaust manifold. After spending what seemed like an eternity filing the mating surfaces of the heat riser valve and exhaust manifold to ensure a leak free seal I was then able to move on to the other exhaust leak at the back of the car. This is where I may have gone off the rails a little bit. It all started with the poor fitment of the tailpipe. If you look at the pictures you can see it was hitting both the spare tire well and the leaf spring. Also, unpictured, the tailpipe was rubbing on the brake line over the differential housing and very close to the shock.
More to come...

[DewayneP]

The exhaust repair turned into checking out the axle seal leak. After I removed the drums and checked out the seal leak I figured I might as well rebuild the wheel cylinders while I'm in there. That turned into pulling the backing plates off and cleaning/painting them. That turned into taking the rear-end out and cleaning/painting it. That then turned into removing the shocks because they were loose in the upper mounts. Of course that turned into removing the leaf springs to replace all of the shackle bushings. That then meant that I had to remove the fuel tank to gain access to the frame leaf spring bushings. Of course that led to cleaning and painting the fuel tank and replacing the leaky sending unit gasket. All of this, of course, will mean I HAVE TO de-rust and paint the frame and floor pans. How much further can this go?

[Noxnabaker]

It can go as far as it takes, feels real good when done!

(I got crazy for building exhaust system because it's so cramped behind the axel, so second time I let the pipes go under... But then I needed to get new rear tires so now I've just finished letting the pipes bend out in front of the rear wheels...)

[62champ]

Can see the headlines now - "Local man emerges from Covid lock down in what seems to be a completely new 1953 Studebaker..."

[dpson]

What's that old saying about changing a light bulb...

[frankenworks]

Love it keep going!!

[JayBird]

I can solve your problem for you. Just send me that nice lift and transmission/rear end jack and it won't be as easy to get to those things that need fixing.

[jclary]

Welcome...it just proves...YOU'RE OFFICIALLY ONE OF US! Around 1984, I found a 1948 Studebaker Business coupe parked along the side of a road. No one was around, but I stuck my business card on the horn button. A few months later, I get a call from the owner. Made a deal, and drove it home. I had wanted a business coupe (any brand) since I was a kid. I thought I would make this one a "knock around car." No serious work intended. I think it's the first time I seriously began to use the term, "Mission Creep."

First, I thought that the engine skipping could be solved with a tune-up. So, I put new plug wires, points, condenser, and spark plugs. It still skipped. Off came the engine head. OOPS! You could drop toothpicks through the cracks in the valves. Next, in preparing to pull the engine, I decided the hood, fenders, grille, radiator...(You know the rest) had to come off...Six years later, I got to drive it. YEP...full restoration!

I think, to some degree or another, we've all been there. MISSION CREEP...Kinda like when my wife says, "Honey, pull into the grocery store here...I need a couple of quick items. An hour & half later...we emerge from the store with an overloaded cart and $200 worth of (a couple?) items...MISSION CREEP

[DewayneP]

I can solve your problem for you. Just send me that nice lift and transmission/rear end jack and it won't be as easy to get to those things that need fixing.

The lift was one of those purchases I had put off for years. Finally bit the bullet and bought the cheapest 4 post lift I could find a couple years ago. It's been a great lift, I think all in it was around $2500 with one sliding jack. Well worth the money.
As for the transmission jack, well that one was purchased on vacation before I ever thought about having a lift. We used to visit my wife's Aunts in Virginia Beach every year. Near their house was a Northern Tool store. I went there the first day of our vacation to drool over the cool tools and buy a small item or two. Well, the day I went there I checked out the clearance section. Would you believe that transmission jack was in the clearance section, all shiny and new but missing the fill plug on the jack cylinder. Because of the missing plug it was on clearance...... for $8.88! Even though I didn't have a lift at the time (and it turned out I didn't have a lift for another 16 years) I bought that jack and dragged it home in a van full of kids and luggage. It was probably one of the best purchases I've made.

Quote: " I thought I would make this one a "knock around car." No serious work intended. I think it's the first time I seriously began to use the term, "Mission Creep.""

I hope this isn't mission creep that turns into a full restoration. I want to drive this thing someday soon!

[Noxnabaker]

Don't worry; you'll be driving it soon, I was in the same position when I bought Josephine (check it out on the racing site) but engine, gearbox & rear axel was scrap so it took me a bit more than the few months I had planned but I'm still happy!

[Brianbo]

The British car boys call it Shipwrights disease.

[tj4ndirish]

The exhaust repair turned into checking out the axle seal leak. After I removed the drums and checked out the seal leak I figured I might as well rebuild the wheel cylinders while I'm in there. That turned into pulling the backing plates off and cleaning/painting them. That turned into taking the rear-end out and cleaning/painting it. That then turned into removing the shocks because they were loose in the upper mounts. Of course that turned into removing the leaf springs to replace all of the shackle bushings. That then meant that I had to remove the fuel tank to gain access to the frame leaf spring bushings. Of course that led to cleaning and painting the fuel tank and replacing the leaky sending unit gasket. All of this, of course, will mean I HAVE TO de-rust and paint the frame and floor pans. How much further can this go?

DewayneP I'm sitting here laughing my butt off!!!! I was given a 59 Lark. Started, just wouldn't drive. I started under the hood where there was spray foam insulation to help prevent vapor lock. I had to pick and cut it all off just to get to the fuel pump. The car sat for 6+ years, so I was talked into going through the fuel system. Well first it was the gas gauge sending unit because gas gauge wasn't working. I then emptied the tank and dropped it and did the cleaning and etching and sealing it. While waiting on the sealer to arrive, what else can I do? I took a wire wheel put it on the grinder and cleaned the outside of the tank. Once that was done I used a rust reformer on it and then an undercoating on the bottom. Then, took the carb off to clean it, the metering rod retaining clip was broken. Had to order new one. Then the leather around the plunger was dry rotted so had to get a rebuild kit. I had already set my sites on new leaf springs as the driver side is almost straight. So had to have some made (still waiting on them). Well, the leaf springs are coming off, lets look at the shocks, pretty rusty, might as well replace them. They came today, thanks to JoeHall I have to do a couple of modifications. While I'm waiting for some more parts, decide I'm going with an electric fuel pump, again thanks to JoeHall ordered one that came over the weekend. In between the parts arriving and not watching my pole barn being built, I used said grinder and wire wheel to knock off the rust on the frame. I'm hitting small sections of the frame and painting with the rust reformer and then the same under coating. So yes, I had to laugh!!!!

[DewayneP]

Thanks tj4ndirish. A recent addition to the story (there have been a lot of additions that I haven't mentioned) was the fact that, after rebuilding all of the wheel cylinders I needed to access the master cylinder under the floor to fill it with fluid so I could bleed the brakes. Well, after pulling the seat, sill plate and carpet up to get to the master cylinder I figured I may as well scrape the floor (the PO sprayed it with rubberized undercoating, I don't like that stuff), remove the rust and convert the rust and paint the floor. Of course, as I was scraping the original tar undercoating off I found a tiny little rust though spot. That turned into getting the welder out, making a patch and welding it in, converting the rust, painting the floor, etc.... BEFORE I even got to bleeding the brakes. I have to say, I don't mind it, I like tinkering on it but I DO need to get to a point where I can stop and do those types of things over the winter when I can't drive the car.