I am kind of a retro-guy-I really like the styles and fashions of the 1950’s. This extends to my possessions-I have a 1952 radio, and I (still) use a 1947 B+W TV set (can’t get cable-there is no jack). Anyway, the one concession to modernity is my car-I currently drive a 1997 Saturn. I appreciate the ease of maintainance, and the reliability of modern cars, yet I would like to drive something more in keeping with my tastes. I have my eye on a 1968 Studebaker Golden Hawk. The car belonged to an elderly widow (it was her husbands) and hasn’t been driven much in the past 10 years. Outside of an automatic transmission, the only thing it has is power brakes-no power steering, or air conditioning. The car is in mint condition, and I would really like to drive something distinctive like this car. My question-will I really LIJE driving a 42-year old car? Is this car going to be a real headache in terms of reliability.
Still, it looks great-there is nothing like this on the road! Who wants a boring Camry or Taurus , when I can have a real piece of automotive history
Your 1950s Studebaker will be easier to work on as long as you are merely doing adjustments and not replacing parts. I could tune a vehicle of that vintage by ear alone, and with some simple equipment it is easy to set timing and dwell and air/fuel mixture until you have it running just the way you want it.
But sooner or later, you need parts. Something simple like a fan belt or an air filter can be a hassle to locate, and something like a ball joint or a tie rod or a brake cylinder can mean an open-ended wait while you do your research and call all across the country trying to locate one and have it shipped to you.
And you can forget driving into your typical neighborhood auto repair shop and tossing them the keys and filling out a repair ticket. They aren’t going to want to work on something for which they have no specs and no procedures documented, and their manuals won’t go back that far.
Insurance companies can be a major pain in the ass, too. They will want to charge you more, yet write off your car and hand you a check for $35 if it looks like it would cost more than $35 to fix any damage done to it, based on erroneous formulas in their books that look something like [For truly ancient beat up pieces of shit older than 1988, take value of 1988 jalopy and subtract 11% for every year], when what you WANT is insurance that will pay to have it restored to its pre-collision condition or replaced with a pristine Studebaker of equal collector’s value.
And what about fuel? I believe all of those old cars ran on leaded fuel. You’ll not find any of that around. I believe there’s an additive you can use with unleaded gasoline, but I’ve not idea what it’s called or where to find it.
Depending on how little it has been driven in the past 10 years the car may already have problems that you don’t know about. If not stored correctly the block may be suffering from condensation in the cylinders, hardening (old) fuel, dried out gaskets, seals and hoses.
You better not plan on using this car for a daily driver. Plus, depending on where you live, these cars were not built to stand up to winter’s road salt as the galvanized bodies and frames on today’s cars are.
Safety is another aspect. Though size goes a long way, active safety equipment such as self tensioning belts and crumple zones did not exist back then. The breaks of yor were not nearly as competent as today’s breaks (and I’m not talking just the anti-lock breaking).
By all means, buy this car if the price is right, but keep the Saturn. It’s far from exciting but it’s sure to privide you with reliable service while you are waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for parts for the Studebaker.
I guess I’ll dissent a bit here. I used to drive a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, and while it wasn’t as old as the one you’re looking at, it was close enough (read: pre-emissions days) for a reasonable comparison.
Some things are going to be problems, like leaded fuel, but those can be overcome. You can definitely convert the engine to run on unleaded, usually for about $400 or so. For parts, you can try junkyards (junkyards are your friends), but with that car, I’m guessing you won’t find much. The obvious solution to is to buy yourself a parts car, and then you don’t have to worry any more. If you can’t do that, join a national Studebaker club to get access to other owners who may want to sell or who know about part sources. Also, find yourself a good machine shop. Those parts which you can’t buy you may be able to make.
Also, find out how many of this exact model were ever made. If the number is 300, you might have a problem. If it’s 300,000, you should be OK.
Saftey, pshaw. You don’t care about safety; you’re looking at a 40-some-odd year-old car. You might want to look into adding shoulder belts to the front seats, though.
The only thing you’re probably going to have to worry about by making this car your daily driver is gas mileage. My '73 with the 500 CI got about 6 mpg in the city, and not much better than that on the highway. I suspect that, after your Saturn, you will consider buying stock in Amoco. 
And I would be unsurprised if you found a mechanic with no trouble. Sure, you won’t be able to take it Wal-Mart or whatever, but a competent mechanic should have no trouble with this. The only exception is any “new-fangled” technology which lived and died in this car. But most everything else in it will have evolved, and any mechanic worth his salt will not only take it on, but look at it as a privilege.
Mind QuickSilver, though: Get it hella-checked-out. Anything that is made out of rubber can degrade, and probably has/will. Anything where water touches metal may rust. Check out radiators, hoses, belts, exhaust systems, compression, tires, brakes, water and oil pumps, etc. If you can find a shop manual on eBay or something, you should consider yourself lucky, and memorize it.
Reliability? Feh. My Caddy finally gave up the ghost just after 350,000 miles. For some reason, I don’t think your Saturn will last that long.
My first car was a 1957 Nash Metropolitan (upside-down bathtub with wheels on it), turquoise & white. This was in 1984 or so. Did the guys love it? Sheesh, never had so many boys talking to me!!!
We were lucky enough to stumble on the mechanic who had been maintaining her for years, VERY LUCKY BREAK. My dad couldn’t remember enough about his high school cars to work on her.
Parts were a problem, there was exactly one warehouse in PA that carried parts (I am in SoCal). We tried subbing MG or VW parts to no avail, although I think we used an air filter off of a Yamaha VMax motorcycle once!
Gas- you can get a lead additive.
Safety- BWAAAAAAHAAAAA! Didn’t even have seatbelts!
So, in conclusion- a bit of a hassle? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely!
[Moderator Hat ON]
Moving to IMHO.
[Moderator Hat OFF]
I assume that you’re talking about a 1958 Golden Hawk. Studebaker ceased production in 1966.
I say go for it, but it will take work, like any labor of love.
All systems in this car are a lot simpler than those in modern cars, so it will be easier to repair and any problems will probably be easier to diagnose. Some repair centers (notice I didn’t say shop; you want a shop) may refuse to work on your car, but you probably wouldn’t want them anyway (and you probably won’t get referred to them.) Personally, I’d rather work with someone who can think a problem through than someone who needs to read trouble codes. Besides, I’m not a mechanic, and I have the tune up specs for Stude sixes on my bookcase. You can find both specs and a mechanic.
Unless you tow with the car or race it, the leaded valve seat problems probably won’t be too bad, and hardened seats can be installed when the current ones wear out. The biggest problem I can see is that the Hawk either had a Studebaker 289 or a Champion or Commander six, and these engines have been out of production for decades. I think Newman and Altman recently shut down, and they were the leading source for new old stock Stude parts, but there are other places. Get a Hemming’s Motor News. Also, there’s Studebaker owners clubs all over the place, so you should be able to get replacement parts. Get in touch with your local group.
Even if the old engine wears out and you can’t get parts for a rebuild, you can do an engine swap, but it may be looked down on by restorers and some state EPAs. On the other hand, Studebaker used small Block Chevys during its last years and early Fifties Studebakers are also popular rod/custom material. An SBC swap will take a little planning, but should be pretty easy whenever the engine wears out.
The brakes will be worse than those in a modern car. Again, people make kits to upgrade. I’d also keep an eye on the wiring. The insulation may be brittle and you may need a new harness, which will take more of either your time or your money.
In any case, you will be able to keep the car running and in shape. My best guess is that it will probably cost less than a new car note, but will take more of your time.
You can view cable on your '47 B&W television. Get a 75 ohm cable adapter from Radio Shack and connect it between the cable from your cable box and the antenna leads on the TV. If you don’t have a cable decoder box, you will be limited to channels 2-13.
You should check out Hemmings Motor News to find out about prices for spare parts - and you also might find some at JC Whitney. You will need to worry about all the rubber and plastic parts which have become brittle over 42 years. These will include:
The electrical wiring harness - the insulation will have fine cracks in it from expanding and contracting due to heating and cooling. You should be able to find one for about $500, and they aren’t that hard to replace if you’re doing everything at once. If you don’t, you risk shorts and a nasty engine fire.
The bushings in the suspension and between the body and frame (if any) - these will be squeaky until you replace them.
The belts and hoses (of course), along with any rubber gas and brake fluid lines.
The gaskets in the engine, transmission, and differential.
You should probably replace the shocks and springs, also.
And, rust in the gas tank may be a problem - but unless the tank is rusted through, a good radiator shop can boil it out for you and redo the inner lining. If it isn’t, replacements can be had - for a price. :eek:
I love old cars, but they are an expensive and time consuming hobby. If you don’t love turning wrenches and getting greasy, bloody knuckles, this is not the hobby for you. If you do, welcome to the club - I hope you get as much satisfaction out of it as I do. Keep us posted!
I’m not a car person, but I’m going to second the opinion of people saying buy this as a second car (if you can afford it). Then you can enjoy it. Even if it developes a problem, you’ll still be able to love it.
To add to Fear Itself’s comment - if you don’t have a cable box, connect the incoming cable line to a VCR, then connect the VCR and TV with the adapter. Then put it in a wooden 1950’s style cabinet. (“I didn’t want to get cable, but was driven to it by Fear Itself.”)
Do you have a 1950’s style turntable? That would be nice.
Well, I don’t know much about cars at all. However, I can speak from experience on this one.
My husband drives, as his main vehicle, a 1969 Buick Skylark. Original engine–less than 100,000 miles. (Owned by an elderly couple who bought it new and used it as their “church car” only until the man died in the late 70s/early 80s. Then it sat in the garage until hubby bought it.)
Of course, the seatbelts are only lap belts and there are no air bags but really, unless you’re hitting a train or a semi, that car is not going to come out with the worst damage. It is very roomy so far as leg room in the front because of the bench seating. The seats are black vinyl and there is no air conditioning making for extremely fun summertime driving. The trunk space is enormous.
I hate this car. Being short, I cannot simultaneously see over the hood and turn on the bright lights (button on the floor). It is like driving a tank.
But that is really beside the point. We have never had any problem finding parts. We’ve never had a really big problem go wrong with it, except for the brakes.
However, the damn thing just nickle and dimes us to death. With everything from having to buy premium gas, getting crappy mileage, buying lead substitute and a million other little things, let me advise you to not use an older car as your main transportation.
Get the car. Drive it around town. But do not depend on it for your daily life. Take it from me–the annoyance factor overrides the coolness factor really damn fast.
Buy it!!!
or
How much is it? I might be willing to buy it. The father of the best man in my wedding has many, restored and unrestored Studebakers.
You can find people to work on this vehicle and parts are not as ungodly hard to find as some people would have you believe. As has been mentioned earlier find a Studebaker club in your area. If these guys don’t have it they know where to get it.
Hell, I have sat with said friend at the Iola Car Show and watched his Brother-in-law selling Model T parts which I would think would be far rarer. I have chided said friend that we should bring down a trailer full of Studebaker parts one of these years.
Ahh… I’m rambling. Buy the car if you can afford it. I hate to see it as a primary car though…
Check the large car shows in your area and talk to the Studebaker people. They will be your allies in keeping that Goldenhawk on the road from a parts and an advice standpoint.
Buy it as your SECOND car. Then you won’t be without transportation while you try to track down parts. Golden Hawks were cool, with the riveted-on fins and all. But take fromm someone who remembers 1958–there was no trip longer than a couple hundred miles that didn’t involve a breakdown of some sort. And that was when the cars were new! And don’t take the experiences of people with '69s or '73s as indicative of how well this will work as a daily runner. Cars got MUCH BETTER by the late '60s.
A false assumption. The Model T Ford was one of the top selling cars of all time. It has had a thriving aftermarket making and selling parts for the past ninety years or so. Studebaker probably did not sell as many cars of ALL models, including Conestoga wagons, during its entire existence. The Golden Hawk was rare in '58 and, if I recall correctly, had a Packard engine (quick and dirty way to get a V8) so parts will be VERY rare.
dropzone…
Point taken about the number of T’s sold. However I am not talking about watching him sell aftermarket or newly made parts. He is selling original equipment and his knowledge on T’s is so good it is scary. The old-timer’s seek him out to ask advice on restores. But again I agree that by virtue of more being sold more parts are available. A lot of T parts are interchangeable so that skews things a bit too. However the serious T guys don’t want a part from a different year T than they are restoring. And they can tell…without looking it up!! I think it is based on serial numbers but I don’t know for sure.
Studebaker parts are not that hard to come by though. It’s all about connections.
Buy it as a primary car and keep the Saturn as a back up. I use my 79 Triumph Bonneville as my primary means and use whatever car I have as the back up. I did the same with my 70 Triumph chopper before I got the Bonnie (my back up during the chopper days was a 53 Ford truck with an old Y-block motor). Have fun whatever you decide. later…
dropzone, say it ain’t so! Does that mean I have to give up my dream of buying a '59 Eldo convertible and driving around the country? Can I not do it without a tagalong mechanic? Oh, the horror…the horror…
I have always thought the Studebaker Hawk was one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced and after reading some reviews from other owners I don’t think you can go wrong here. All in all most people said they loved their Hawks, that they were dependable, and performed very well.
I saw a few for sale and the prices were around $12,500.
You have to consider that this car will hold and possibly increase in value as time goes by as long as it is maintained.
As this car hasn’t been driven much lately a thorough check of all the systems is a must.
I want to see pictures!
For 9 of the last ten years I drove old cars: 1965 Corvair, 1953 MG TD, 1956 Thunderbird. All convertables. The T’bird had air conditioning added, I rarely used it. The others did not.
They are all fun to drive. Some parts can be hard to find. Most are not.
Dependability varies. They go months, not years, without needing work. Gererally minor: hoses leaking, radiator leaking, generator, starter, gauges going out. The engine & transmission holds up good.
A windshield can be hard to find. Do you have many rock chips in your current windshield?
The only weak point on old cars is the brakes.
The drum brakes do not like water. Try not to drive it on flooded streets. Rain is no problem.
Freeways during rush hour can be a problem when traffic suddenly stops. Or when someone cuts in front of you and hits their brakes.
I gave up on my old cars this year after I got transferred and have to commute on the freeway.
The Hawk sounds like a good car to get.