51 Champion Adding Turn Signals

[cbonner757]

Good morning. Thanks to all who answered my earlier posts. I bought a different Stude, a 51 Champion 4-door with a 6-cyl automatic. It runs sweet, and with some brake work and few other things, will be a nice daily driver to work, local SDC meets and cruise nights. An amateur 20-foot paint job and nicely done but non-original interior but that's okay.

As a daily driver (leaving at 0530) to work, I want to add turn signals and seat belts.
I found some turn signal parts at Studebaker International but not a whole setup. Anyone know of a vendor who sells a complete aftermarket setup? It is still 6-volt. I do anticipate changing to 12v, but first I want to get it safely drivable.

I plan to add a set of Stude or aftermarket Stude fog lamps on the front bumper and wire those up with amber bulbs as signals, keeping the marker lights as markers. They are too small and dim for other drivers to see. For the back, I want to hook into the existing brake/stop lights, and will add a small light bar in the back window so modern drivers who are used to looking up high don't run into the back of it.

Any help on sources of turn signal kits or fog lights would be appreciated.

Here is the car:

http://martinsburg.craigslist.org/cto/1274733560.html

Regards,
Clarence in Virginia Beach

[nvonada]

Nice looking car! If that body is solid you got a very good deal. 6V turn signal kits turn up on e-Bay all the time. I think the 12V kits are the same except for the flasher and indicator light bulbs so if you can probably make either work.

I agree with the marker lights being too dim. I have a kit installed on my car but between the dim lights and the lack of a canceling feature I feel safer with hand signals.

Nathan

_______________

http://stude.vonadatech.com

[vegas paul]

Clarence - I put a SignalStat kit on my 51 Champion... Google them and you can order from several sources. Instructions are good, and they work for 6 or 12VDC. They are a reasonably priced alternative if you don't require all-original. My Business Coupe did NOT come with signals (optional equipment!), and my steering column is the skinny one that does not easily accommodate extra stuff. Evidently, the Deluxe/Regal models come with a larger column. The SignalStat works on either column.

Las Vegas, NV - Stop by, coffee's on!
'51 Champion Business Coupe G899965 10G-Q4-1434

[cbonner757]

Thanks, Paul, that sounds like a great start. Eventually I do plan on changing to 12V to have brighter lights and eventually see if I can
install an AC since this will be a daily driver for the short trip to work. I will keep it as stock-appearing as possible but want a
couple of safety features and comforts. Really just AC, hook a portable radio/CD through the stock radio, and add seat belts and
signals, and probably make the wipers electric. No huge changes.

Nice car, by the way!

Regards,
Clarence

[cbonner757]

Paul, I also want to put a set of amber or amber-bulb period fog lights on the front., hooking those up as signals and leaving the marker lights as markers. This will help other drivers see me better. I will advertise in the Parts Wanted for a decent set of fog lights with brackets.

Regards,
Clarence

[cbonner757]

Thanks to you as well, Nathan, I much appreciate it.

Regards,
Clarence

[rockne10]

They are sealed beams.
Unity still makes them, Kanter markets them.
The smallest I see on their web site is 5".
The fog lights on my '51 are 4" with clear bulbs; my '53 has 4" with amber bulbs.

I would contact Unity or Kanter and see what they've got.

http://www.kanter.com///productdetail.aspx?Tg=1406710&Mak=Studebaker&Yr=51&Dv=1&Dpt=1000&Sb=0&Vdr=&Itm=&MDv=1&MDpt=0&MSb=0&Cat=37&Prc=174

I would be more concerned with folks behind you knowing you were turning. Folks in front of you don't really need to know unless you are planning on pulling in front of them at the last second.

The front park/turn lights on the '51 are plenty bright if you have good connections and have painted the cup white.


Brad Johnson
Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
'33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight, '53 Commander Starlight

[Skinnys Garage]

On a '50 Champion street rod I converted the front park lights to dual filaments for turn signals. I also doubled up the sockets in the rear for better visibility with the stock lens. This system looked stock and worked great (nice and bright all around), but it was 12V.


Skinny
Watertown, SD

[cbonner757]

Many thanks to alll. That gives me several good ideas. I'll dig a little further before deciding which way to go. Much appreciate the help.

Regards,
Clarence

[PVacco]

Clarence

Like you I recently (last Nov) acquired a 51 Studebaker Starlight Coup although my car came with a after market turn signal it was not self canceling and didn't work all the time so I wanted to replace it.

What I found unique about my car is that a previous owner had actually added a second bulb socket to the rear tail lights (just above the factory bulb) to be used strictly for the turn signal; thus the wiring was not identical to the factory.

What I finally ended up doing was acquiring a turn signal switch for a 52 Stude (Self canceling and mounts directly to the steering column; I was told except for the painted arm, it matches what was used in 51) and wired it to the flasher unit and then to the tail signal lights. (Note: Since I had a separate set of bulbs, I didn't wire the brake lights through the switch. (just left the brake wire on the switch alone.) When I turn on the signal and brake the car both the brake lights light and the signal lamp blinks in the direction I am making the turn.)

As for the pilot lights on the dash, again since my car was not following the factory wiring scheme I purchased a couple of inexpensive snap on instrument panel light sockets from Advance Auto and merely tapped off the wires going to the front turn indicators (By wiring it this way I did not use the pilot light lead from the blinker.) While I have to manually check to see if a bulb is out, the blinkers work fine, the pilot lights flash, and the signal self cancels when I turn, so on a scale of 1 to 10 I consider the modifications a 8.5.

I hope this helps you.

Phil

[cbonner757]

Thanks, Phil. I am awaiting a pigtails from Stude In'tl to do the rear as second-socket independent turn signals. Wiring into the markers was easy and I used 18ga stranded copper wire with a PVC inside but cloth-covered outside (I use it inside tube radios, too). If it acts up, I will switch it out to an original swtich (If I can find one). I'm still hunting a 6V wiper motor and switch, but no one wants to give one up, so it may also be tough to find someone willing to give up an original signal switch. I didn't try anything yet with the dash turn signal indicator light, but I may later on. My aftermarket switch has a red light on it. I was able to get original bulb sockets (attached to the brackets) but without guts, hence the Stude Int'l order for a pigtail. I tried a pigtail from Advance Auto Parts, but the insulator had a tab that aligned with the socket slot that resulted in the contacts inside not aligning with the bulb contacts, so I'll have to try something closer to original. I could have made it work if I'd had just the insulators and pushed the pigtail wires through that.

On an unrelated question, I found my Champion has 11-inch brakes that adjust with a star wheel in front, but 9-inch that adjust with eccentrics and a contact plug in the rear. Is this typical, or has someone upgraded at some time?

Regards,
Clarence

[Dick Steinkamp]

Clarence, somebody has upgraded your Champion's front brakes to later model V8 car brakes. I would be concerned that your front/rear brake balance is now way off what it should be. For a given amount of line pressure, the front brakes will be way more effective than the rears, and will wind up doing closer to 100% of the braking, instead of the 60% that front brakes typically do.

There are several fixes. you could install an adjustable proportioning valve, so that line pressure to the front and rear brakes could be altered in favor of the rears, or you could install a matching set of 10 inch rear brakes, or you could install wheel cylinders in the front with a smaller bore, to make their line pressure requirement more compatible with the rears.

While we know the second option hasn't been done, neither the first or third would be immediately apparent, and MAY have been done by the previous owner.

I'd recommend the 10-inch rear brake option myself. Worked for the factory on V8 cars.

Gord Richmond, posting from Dick's computer.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA

[cbonner757]

Thanks, Gord, I have measured the fronts while only eyeballing the back without a tape measure. The style of brake (from looking at the eccentrics adjusters on the backing) plate is what I was going by. So maybe they are eccentric-style ten-inch. The new shoes left in the trunk by a previous owner also have the contact plug. I'll see if I do really have to have a hub puller to remove the hubs (don't have one) or if adjusting them in lets me take the hub off. I don't have a hub puller but have feelers out with the local SDC chapter to see if I can borrow one. I'll try and measure across the back for size, though, and I appreciate the heads-up. If they are in serviceable condition, I'll refurbish them (hopefully with an observer who is more familiar with that odd style of brake and how to file the contact plugs). If not serviceable, I'll go to Tucker for a disc brake conversion kit. Looks like it is almost, but not quite, a bolt-on conversion (may need some modification to make it fit). The cost is about the same as new hubs and hardware. assuming you can find hubs. I am fairly familiar with the 11-inch brakes from the Lark I had years ago, but I'm not with this style.

Regards,
Clarence