Studebakerhardtop.com
This
is the journal I’m keeping for the restoration/modification of my 1952
Studebaker Champion 2 door hardtop. This site will serve to document the
resurrection of my Studebaker, as well as hopefully stir interest in restoring
more of these fantastic old cars. It’s mostly for my own benefit, I admit. But if it can be a source of information for
anyone, all the better. Yea, it is
taking me forever to get it done. But
it’ll get there.
I bought my first car to play around with when I was
16, a 1966 Chevy Nova. It was disassembled and a basket case, but at the
time I didn't know any better. The car had no doors, no front fenders, no
motor, no trans, and no interior. The quarter panels and the dashboard had
been stripped to bare metal, and there were dead mice stuck to the floor. I
struck a deal for this beauty and with the help of my father we dragged it
home. It didn't take long for me
to figure out that there are a hell of a lot of parts to a car, most of
which I didn't have. It took four years to finish but it turned out great.
Midnight blue with a small block Chevy and a 4 speed. There were parts from
23 different cars on this Nova, and I knew every junkyard in the area
intimately. It ran a best quarter mile pass of 13.52 seconds, through the
mufflers. The Nova was nice, but when
you love old cars you always want more.
I had a thing for Buicks already, thanks to my driver ‘66
Special. But I thought first
generation Rivieras were even cooler.
So the Nova got sold and I started looking. In 1992 I bought a solid ’65
Riviera from the original owner in Colorado. It was amazingly stock, but it did need paint and some other
things. Eventually it was show
condition. I had the orignal window
sticker, the original spare, the works.
But car shows get old after awhile.
So I succumbed to my drag racing urges and took the Riv to the
strip. 15.70’s in the quarter from
a pure stock two ton Buick! I love
those old nailhead engines. Still, you can’t beat on a
nice old car like that. It was time
once again to try something different. I needed something that could be drag raced and be trustworthy. But
it had to be older than my other cars, no more stuff from the '60s. It also
had to be unique, no '57 Chevys. The early 50’s was the right era to pick
from. Fat fendered cars look great as hot rods and they are still somewhat
available. I thought an early 50’s Buick would make a wild drag car, but
they are just so big. So of the other makes, the one that caught my eye the
most was Studebaker. The more I researched Studebaker, the more interesting it got. The
company has a fascinating history, and they were made in South Bend, right
down the road from me. I bought some picture books and joined the
Studebaker Drivers Club. My love for these cars was now growing
exponentially. The only problem was which one to get. The
late 30’s coupes, the Loewy coupes and Hawks, the bullet nose starlights,
they are all awesome to look at. The two door wagons are probably the
coolest wagons ever built. But to stay with the fat fendered concept I
finally settled on the year 1952. It was Studebakers 100th
anniversary, and I just liked them the best. I wasn’t sure about whether to
go with a starlight coupe or hardtop, but I was leaning towards the
hardtop. Within a nine month period I was able to locate nine ’52 hardtops
for sale. I checked out a few starlight coupes as well. These cars may be
rare, but they are still attainable. I got a break in the spring of ’97 and
one came up for sale at auction, right in South Bend. It was a perfect
candidate, quite rough and with very few options, but the body and frame
were basically sound. Originally shipped to Brownsville, TN, the car had
spent most of its life in that area. The price was right and I became the
latest owner of a1952 Studebaker Champion Hardtop. The original goal was to run low 12’s, tub the rear for some wider
tires, and not spend an inordinate amount of money. So far so good, I am just finding that
this particualr project coincided with a very busy time of life. I’ve moved twice, jobs, kids, etc. Most anyone can relate. So see the logooks to follow the
progress… Go To:
Deciding on a Studebaker…
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