Potential 24 hours of lemons car….

[nullset]

https://picasaweb.google.com/107098584421702331898/Studebaker

One of my coworkers and potential lemons teammates is very interested in this car. It sounds like we may be buying it soon….

It's a 1947 Studebaker Business Coupe, with an inline 6. Lots of rust thrown in for free!

Are we crazy? Yes. Yes we are.

--buddy

[Dangermouse]

If that costs you $500, then you've overpaid.

By about $499

having said that, I look forward to seeing the progress.

[Dracula]

Nearly any repairs will take you over your budget with that car. The frame design was discontinued after 1950, as well as most of the other components. There aren't a lot of aftermarket solutions and nearly all the repairs to make it a quality car would exclude it from your price range for the event.

I'd suggest you look for a well-worn Cadillac from the '80s.

[nullset]

Nearly any repairs will take you over your budget with that car. The frame design was discontinued after 1950, as well as most of the other components. There aren't a lot of aftermarket solutions and nearly all the repairs to make it a quality car would exclude it from your price range for the event.

I'd suggest you look for a well-worn Cadillac from the '80s.

You're not thinking like a lemon's mechanic.

We've done some research. Brakes, wheel bearings, etc do not count against the budget, nor does fuel lines or a racing approve fuel tank. The rest, we can lie, cheat, and steal.

I think it'll work. It certainly is interesting. If we go over budget and get "BS laps", who cares? We'll try to stay in/under budget, though. Oh, and there's no way we're going to win on laps with this thing….

Oh, and "quality car" is not a phrase that should be used when talking about a lemons car….. that's certainly not the point! :)

--buddy

[Dracula]

I suppose I'm thinking along the lines of a competent restoration, then.

If you're going to lie about it, what's the point? Why not fix it the right way instead of the budget way, then? I still think that there's no way you could make that work for a $500.00 budget unless you got the car for free. Even then, it'd still pose several challenges; like all the 6-volt wiring and equipment. Converting it to 12v would eat up a large portion of your funds and if you don't you're SOL if you need a jump.

[nullset]

Here's some reading that might help.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature/culture/Motive_Culture_When_Life_Gives_You_Lemons_Confessi ons_of_a_Crooked_Lemons_Judge.shtml

Most likely, this car will not be dinged too badly if it looks mostly stock.

If we put on lots of "go fast" parts, then yes, they would certainly want to see all of our budget information. If we go mostly stock except for safety related items, we'll probably not even be asked.

--buddy

[Dracula]

It's still going to take a notable amount of money to get that car up and running, much less driving. I wouldn't try to tackle it on that budget. I'd also imagine that a car of that vintage would attract a fair amount of attention as a result of the age of the car. You'll also lose the ability to have a majority of the parts replaced. If your water pump goes, you're stuck. The same applies to nearly everything else. I'd be concerned about the internals of the engine; given that it's been sitting for a long time.

[nullset]

It's still going to take a notable amount of money to get that car up and running, much less driving. I wouldn't try to tackle it on that budget. I'd also imagine that a car of that vintage would attract a fair amount of attention as a result of the age of the car. You'll also lose the ability to have a majority of the parts replaced. If your water pump goes, you're stuck. The same applies to nearly everything else. I'd be concerned about the internals of the engine; given that it's been sitting for a long time.

The cost of the car and repairs is fairly trivial compared to the cost of the safety equipment. It won't hurt us to buy the car, try to get it going, and if we can't, we can sell it on to someone else or scrap it.

It's been on craigslist for months and no one has been interested. Even the studebaker driver's club have told me to go for it……

We are going to try to purchase it tomorrow, and bring it down to Freeside on Saturday.

--buddy

[sean]

We are going to try to purchase it tomorrow, and bring it down to Freeside on Saturday.

--buddy

good luck, take lots of pics.

[vwdmc16]

sweet project, if you bring that car to the race judge phil will overlook a slightly over budget build.

remember labor is free!

[dvonk]

the condition of that Studebaker reminds me of my very first project car, a 1952 Pontiac Chieftain. i got it on ebay for $200. it looked very similar, except it was in worse condition (no rocker panels or floors). i didnt know what i was doing, but i did learn alot from that hunk of metal.

it never ran, but i was able to free the stuck motor and try my hand at repairs and things i wouldve never attempted on a functional car. i eventually sold a bunch of parts off of it to a guy who was restoring another Pontiac and sold the rest as scrap... i actually made a net profit of like $120. :lol:

i value the experience and confidence i gained more than the money.

5290 5291 5292

[Ryan King]

I quite like the Studebaker! Keep us updated. I would love to see what you guys do with it.

[robvanderveer]

i was watching an episode of CCC (Chasing Classic Cars) on Discovery Channel Europe I believe and it was about the 24 hours of Lemons, very interesting and non-delorean related but I saw this in a split second:

7162

[nullset]

We've done some work.

- Stripped the interior
- Unstuck the axle
- Junker tires and wheels so we can push it around
- Got the engine to make smoke and turn a few times
- Pulled the engine and transmission

Here are photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/107098584421702331898/Studebaker

[dvonk]

holy shit, that gunk in the bell housing is nasty! :vomit_3:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--hAiGJMTy4s/TwkEJrckxDI/AAAAAAAAL1U/9uOpzfrQWKQ/w353-h264-k/IMG_1208.JPG

random question: did the lug studs on the driver's side have backwards (i.e., "lefty-tighty, righty-loosey") threads? my '52 pontiac did.

[nullset]

holy shit, that gunk in the bell housing is nasty! :vomit_3:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--hAiGJMTy4s/TwkEJrckxDI/AAAAAAAAL1U/9uOpzfrQWKQ/w353-h264-k/IMG_1208.JPG


Yeah, I think it's not supposed to be that way…… :)



random question: did the lug studs on the driver's side have backwards (i.e., "lefty-tighty, righty-loosey") threads? my '52 pontiac did.

If only it were that simple. The driver side rear and passenger side front ones are left hand thread…… and I have no idea why.

--buddy
PS: Delorean wheels fit perfectly on the Stude. 4x4" wheel pattern. If it's not exact, it's pretty damn close…..

[dvonk]

The driver side rear and passenger side front ones are left hand thread

hm, i wonder if someone accidentally switched the front lug studs at one point while servicing the brakes... :hmm:

[Dangermouse]

hey Buddy, have you thought about giving her a run at Road Atlanta next month?

http://www.roadatlanta.com/event_detail.lasso?-Token.eventfile=ev_chumpcar.lasso&-Token.id=41

[nullset]

hey Buddy, have you thought about giving her a run at Road Atlanta next month?

http://www.roadatlanta.com/event_detail.lasso?-Token.eventfile=ev_chumpcar.lasso&-Token.id=41

There's no way it'll be drivable by then! :)

We definitely want to take it to a track day of some sort once it's running.

--buddy