I was going through 60 years of old photos and ran across this one of my first Studebaker. It started as my dad's '55 Commander. He had done extensive work on the engine. He worked at Valley Ring & Rebore in Van Nuys California and so had access to some of the best engine builders in the area. He had the engine bored to 304.5 and it was blue printed, balanced and equipped with an R1 cam that he had obtained from the Granatelli brothers in LA. It was also equipped with Janz racing pistons. The intake and exhaust manifolds were ported and polished and a Holly 4 bbl added. The DG 250M transmission was beefed up and the differential was a 3:31. He had it painted with gold lacquer. It was converted to 12 volt and a Hawk dash was installed. This was a road ripping terror in the San Fernando Valley for a time.
After dad got it all set up he found a '57 Golden Hawk and turned the keys to the '55 over to me. I was dumbfounded. I added the chrome wheels. The car became well known on Van Nuys Blvd cruise nights (Every Saturday). I happen to be another one of the guys who wishes he had his first car back.
Here is the photo:
After dad got it all set up he found a '57 Golden Hawk and turned the keys to the '55 over to me. I was dumbfounded. I added the chrome wheels. The car became well known on Van Nuys Blvd cruise nights (Every Saturday). I happen to be another one of the guys who wishes he had his first car back.
Here is the photo:
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