Studebaker Firsts

Many say that Studebaker was ahead of its time. There is truth to it, and the motto "give them more than you promised" always seem to fit well with the Studebaker philosophy and products. Here are some of the innovations the company can claim, setting the pace for the automotive industry:

• First to cast six-cylinder engines in block; first to produce a car with crown fenders.
• First to produce a six-cylinder car to sell for less than $2,000 ...to produce a seven-passenger four cylinder, 40 horsepower touring car to sell for less than $1,000.
• First extensive use of pressed steel throughout; to cast the intake manifold in the detachable head; to use (and invent) the internal hot spot...to use 20° inclined silent operating valves, and use the mechanical fuel pump.
• First to develop and patent molybdenum steel and to produce a car in which it was used. First to use a hydrostatic gas gage; ball bearing spring shackles; carburetor silencer and rubber covered steel core steering wheels. First full power (straight-through) muffler.
• First to use thin steel-backed main bearings, adopted from aircraft design.
• First to use free wheeling--the greatest step forward in automotive history since the adoption of self starters.
• First to use the automatic spark control, and helical gears in transmission (high and second).
• First to use "heat-dam" pistons; celeron spoke-type camshaft gear; planar wheel suspension and valve spring vibration dampers.
• First to produce a six-passenger sedan.
• First to use the automatic hill holder. First to use non-scratch piston rings. First to use Hancock rotary door latches, and the variable ratio steering gear.
• First to use Climatizer--combination heater and ventilator under the front seat.
• First to introduce postwar automotive styling, the "fenderless"slab side design.
• First to use self-adjusting brakes.
• First to use "back-lighting" for its instrument panel.
• First to use nylon upholstery.
• First American production automobile with disk brakes.

Studebaker engineers also tested, improved and were among the first to adopt:

• Built-in windshield defroster.
• Streamlining. Metal spring covers.
• Electro-plated differential gears
• Non-spill battery.
• "Stepped" cylinders for hydraulic brakes. Safety glass as standard equipment; radiator grills as part of the front-end design.
• Cast one-piece cylinder block and crankcase.

There are many theories on why Studebaker finally failed. Perhaps it was because of a reluctant public to accept such "innovations". If there is truth in that, then Studebakers were in essence testing platforms for the other manufacturers of automobiles.
Will

1938 Chevy Street Rod

This is Chuck Long's 1938 Chevy Street Rod, which George Thompson and I designed and built. It appeared on "My Classic Car" television program for a year. It was shown as a lead in shot for the program, and the hoods were shown opening and closing.

All electrically controlled apparatus was designed and built by George Thompson and me:

Hoods open and close electrically
Trunk opens and closes electrically
Doors open electrically
3 inch exhaust system on both sides open and close electrically
License plate retracts when ignition is turned off.

It has a high performance 350 Chevy engine, Plymouth front end with torsion bars, and Lincoln Versailles rear end. My wife calls it "The James Bond street rod." 

'54 Studebaker Pick Up Truck

This '54 Studebaker half ton pick up is in one of my favorite colors-primer! It has a 383 stroker CID Chevy engine, 700 R4 transmission with lockup torque converter and overdrive, Plymouth Volare front end, Lincoln 9" rear end. It features power steering, 4 wheel power disc brakes, automatic transmission, torsion bar suspension, AC/Heat and seat belts. All components are stock equipment from other vehicles, no custom built items. All work done by Will Sanders.

This is the link to Studebaker truck rebuild pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sharonsanders9/54StudebakerTruckRebuildBlog#

The Studebaker Commander and Dirty Rice (don't try this at home!)

In the Fifties, I sold Studebakers for Matassa Motor Company in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

At that time, The Donaldsonville Police Department had a 1952 4 door Commander for a patrol car, and the engine was overhauled by an independent shop after it had well over 100,000 thousand miles on it.

The car performed well for many more miles after the overhaul. Then one day, the officer gave chase to a speeder and discovered that the Commander could not go faster than 45 miles per hour.

The car was checked by both the shop that did the overhaul, and by our Matassa shop mechanic, and neither could find anything that would cause this problem.

I contacted the Studebaker Service Rep and explained the problem. He said that he would be in our area the following week , and he would check the car. When he arrived, he conferred with both the independent mechanic, and our shop mechanic, and concluded that they had done all of the right things in attempting to correct the problem.

He then gave our mechanic some money and asked him to buy a pound of raw rice. When the mechanic returned with the rice, the Studebaker service rep asked the mechanic to remove the air cleaner and start the engine. The rep then scooped up a handful of the rice and accelerated the engine. He then began pouring the rice into the carburetor at a rate that would not kill the engine. The engine began to run stronger as he continued, until all of the rice was used up.

Pieces of carbon and burnt rice were coming out of the exhaust at a surprising rate. After the rep finished, he asked our mechanic to put the air cleaner back on. The police officer, our mechanic, the rep, and I, all took a ride to see if the Commander would run better. When the car reached a speed of 100 mph, the officer said that was good enough for him!

This was the day that I discovered a new use for rice in Louisiana.