Silver Hawk Major Modifications

[sweetolbob]

I like what you are doing.I think we get a little 200 vs 700 happy at times. I have both in my cars.

I'll agree with whitehawk on the install. My 54K has a complete drivetrain from a 1990 Caprice 9C1 Police Cruiser. As a data point it is a 4L60 (700R4) trans and 3:42 posi. The tire spec for the 9C1 is 235 70/R15 to give you some idea about overall ratio. 225's are listed as a option so the trans should be fine with a ratio number in the range as mine with about the same OD tires in it. You may need to massage the tunnel a bit but that will be obvious as you install the setup. One-half ton pickups run up to 4:10 but with 245 to 265 tires and the same tranny.

The local police seemed to be able to do their job with this setup so it can't be all bad. Although as a data point, my setup came from a low mileage County Sheriff's car that mysteriously found a ditch one dark night.

Avanti eerrrr! Hawk, Bob

[Treblig]

I like what you are doing.I think we get a little 200 vs 700 happy at times. I have both in my cars.

I'll agree with whitehawk on the install. My 54K has a complete drivetrain from a 1990 Caprice 9C1 Police Cruiser. As a data point it is a 4L60 (700R4) trans and 3:42 posi. The tire spec for the 9C1 is 235 70/R15 to give you some idea about overall ratio. 225's are listed as a option so the trans should be fine with a ratio number in the range as mine with about the same OD tires in it. You may need to massage the tunnel a bit but that will be obvious as you install the setup. One-half ton pickups run up to 4:10 but with 245 to 265 tires and the same tranny.

The local police seemed to be able to do their job with this setup so it can't be all bad. Although as a data point, my setup came from a low mileage County Sheriff's car that mysteriously found a ditch one dark night.

Avanti eerrrr! Hawk, Bob

Thanks for the info, there's nothing like real life applications!!! Oh, on the steering wheel issue I forgot to add this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3291-Grant-Steering-Wheel-Hub-Kit-w-button-55-57-t-bird-57-8-studebaker-hawk-/201335190788?hash=item2ee0833504&vxp=mtr

As you can see this grant steering wheel adapter fits both the 57 T-Bird and the 57/58 Hawk (it's even written on the box if you look close). I've already found that the steering wheel shaft size/spline changed in 57 on Studebakers so this adapter should also work on 59 and 60 Studes. My point is that the 57 T-Bird spline has to be the same as the 59 Hawk spline or the adapter wouldn't fit both of them!!

treblig

[Treblig]

Update on Major Mods Silver Hawk

Thanks for the info, there's nothing like real life applications!!! Oh, on the steering wheel issue I forgot to add this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3291-Grant-Steering-Wheel-Hub-Kit-w-button-55-57-t-bird-57-8-studebaker-hawk-/201335190788?hash=item2ee0833504&vxp=mtr

As you can see this grant steering wheel adapter fits both the 57 T-Bird and the 57/58 Hawk (it's even written on the box if you look close). I've already found that the steering wheel shaft size/spline changed in 57 on Studebakers so this adapter should also work on 59 and 60 Studes. My point is that the 57 T-Bird spline has to be the same as the 59 Hawk spline or the adapter wouldn't fit both of them!!

treblig

Well today I managed to get the 69 Barracuda shifter assy properly mated to the 2000 Cavalier shifter mounting bracket and console mount. It came out nice and solid. It took quite a few adjustments to get the shifter stroke to match the PRND21 panel on the 2000 Cavalier console. It also took quite a few tries to get the shifter handle moving in a line parallel (and on center) with the Cavalier console slot. Now it shifts smoothly and without effort.

I forgot to mention that before I could slide the Barracuda shifter in through the slider hole(s) I had to enlarge the holes in all the slider plates, I guess the Cavalier shifter shaft is a little smaller diameter than the Barracuda shifter shaft. Anyway, in the pics you can now see the problem I was talking about earlier. With the console in the car the top of the PRND21 display is level but the shifter mechanism is at an angle (see pic where light is shining under console) to properly match the angle at which it moves (front to back).

Now that the console is ready to permanently install I moved on to installing the passenger's electric seat. It was pretty simple but, like the driver's side, I had to tack weld a 1 X 1 piece of box iron to the outside mounting points because the Silver Hawk floor slants down from the tunnel to the door, this way the seat is level in all directions:


I'll have to make another post so I don't put too many pics in at once (I don't know what the limit is).

treblig

[Treblig]

Here are the rest of the pics from today, here's the beautiful evaporator I plan to overhaul and use:
Here is original steering wheel I plan to replace with a smaller diameter wheel (if possible).



Here's what the rough seats look like installed, you'll have to imagine them teal blue with white inserts:



Lastly some good pics of the Silver Hawk, it was a nice sunny day and I had to take some good pics:



10 pics are the maximum allowed, maybe more later.

Treblig

[5brown1]

What vehicle are the seats from?

[Lynn]

My opinions are just that.
Your daughter is lucky to have you building such a cool car for her.
Re: compressors, the R4 isn't that bad, but as noted, sometimes has reliability issues. Seems to be hit and miss. I have seen them go 200k miles, and seen them not make it out of warranty.
I would be surprised if there wasn't a Sanden option for your serpentine belt system.... but then I have never used a serpentine belt system on a hot rod build.

Your work is impressive, and I am sure will result in a fun reliable car.

[Hallabutt]

Treblig,

Just wondering if you have ever owned, driven or maintained a Studebaker prior to your recent purchase? It really sounds like you have focused on change for it's own sake without really understanding what many Studebaker owners have learned about the car's reliability and performance from millions of miles of service. The fact is that no matter how many arbitrary changes to other manufacturer's components you make you still have a fifty five year old car probably no better or more safe then what you started out with.-Bill

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

Treblig,

Just wondering if you have ever owned, driven or maintained a Studebaker prior to your recent purchase? It really sounds like you have focused on change for it's own sake without really understanding what many Studebaker owners have learned about the car's reliability and performance from millions of miles of service. The fact is that no matter how many arbitrary changes to other manufacturer's components you make you still have a fifty five year old car probably no better or more safe then what you started out with.-Bill

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mommas opinion has a whole heck of a lot of sway in Trebligs house.
And in Post #1 Momma had a whole list of changes.
Gotta keep Momma happy.

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

I've always thought that the best safety device is an advanced or a defensive driving class. Or both.
You can't keep the crazies away from you but you sure can learn how to recognize them.

[Treblig]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mommas opinion has a whole heck of a lot of sway in Trebligs house.
And in Post #1 Momma had a whole list of changes.
Gotta keep Momma happy.

Happy wife, Happy life!! If Momma's not happy nobody's happy!!
I didn't make those up, but they do carry a lot of weight. Momma said, "You will not buy a old car for our daughter unless it has a modern engine and transmission, a good modern AC, modern power steering and suspension." Then she said to me, "When you're long gone I want our daughter to be able to take the car to any mechanic and get it fixed without having to order parts and wait a week or two." I don't think there is ONE good Studebaker mechanic in my city and I'm not joking!!! Yes, I could fix it myself but I won't/can't live forever.
Thanks for the support, PREZ!!

Treblig

[Treblig]

On a side note, we took our daughter to numerous new car dealers. My wife was determined to get my daughter to like/love a new car. My daughter drove some very nice cars with wi-fi, GPS TV monitors, heated seats, back up cameras, etc, etc. After driving all these nice "new" cars she said, "all the cars drove really good and have some very nice features but I'd rather have a 59 Silver Hawk!!" . My daughter is 15 and we pretty much gave her a choice of any car at any dealership. My wife didn't want her to have an old car, mostly for safety/repairability reasons. My daughter would say, "But Mom....the older cars are built much better and the older cars hold up much better in a car crash!!". When my wife finally gave in she specified what the "old" car had to have so my daughter could drive it. To tell you the truth, if there was some way to install air bags (in the cab for safety) my wife would have me do it. I looked at many modern steering wheels with air bags but my daughter loves the original steering wheel and won't let me put a newer looking wheel in the car, even the grant steering wheels don't have have that "old school" look like the original wheel.
You gotta do what you gotta do!!!
Treblig

[swvalcon]

Treblig There's a lot more to a air bag system than just a bag of air that goes off in your face. It would be pretty hard to make up a system that would work in a older car.

[Hallabutt]

The fact that you have a fifteen year old daughter, my guess is that you are somewhat younger then the average Studebaker owner. Since you didn't answer my question about previous Studebaker ownership, I assume that the answer would have been no. Since you spoke of wanting an old car for you daughter in a generic way without mention of make, may I ask what your choice of an old car would have been for your daughter's first car?-Bill

[Treblig]

The fact that you have a fifteen year old daughter, my guess is that you are somewhat younger then the average Studebaker owner. Since you didn't answer my question about previous Studebaker ownership, I assume that the answer would have been no. Since you spoke of wanting an old car for you daughter in a generic way without mention of make, may I ask what your choice of an old car would have been for your daughter's first car?-Bill

Sorry Bill, I've been so busy that sometimes it's difficult to keep up with everything. I was born in 1951, so I ain't no spring chicken. Yes, this is my first Studebaker. I had no car in mind because my daughter has always wanted a 57 Chevy, she's wanted a 57 Chevy for many years. My daughter is not one of those wishy washy girls, she knows what she wants and she has no doubt about her decisions. I guess that's a good thing. I had her drive a 57 Chevy here in town, it was nice and they wanted 31K for it. It wasn't perfect but it was nice. I had given my daughter an "Encyclopedia of American Cars", you know one of the really thick books with tons of color pics and descriptions of every car made from the 1920s to the 80s. I asked her to go through the book in her spare time and put a sticky next to the cars she liked. I already knew that she didn't want a new car, she just didn't want one. Well one of the cars on the top of her list was the Silver Hawk (it also has tail fins). So I figured why not. To me it didn't matter too much because there's nothing I can't modify or make/manufacture. She also wanted "Christine"!!! You know, from the movie. But that car was way too long/big for her to drive around school. As much as I would have loved Christine I didn't want to burden her with a gigantic car. It had to have fins and it couldn't be too big so the Silver Hawk seemed to meet all the requirements.
My daughter is on track to graduate from the 12th grade with a College Associates Degree. So she's doing her part. She's only 15 but she's taking 3 College courses this summer. In fact she'll only be 17 years old when she gets her Associates Degree.

Treblig

[Treblig]

What vehicle are the seats from?

2002 Chevy Pick Up.

Treblig