........ and as of thirty minutes ago, I finally got the Studebaker body back
on the frame. There were a couple of tight moments when it looked like part of
the cage was not going to clear, then, all of a sudden, with a "screech-clank",
the body slipped the last four inches and settled on the main frame rails.
Yeah, I know, two and a half years is a long dang time! When I passed forty, I
began to notice that some projects started taking a little longer. As I
slipped past fifty, I realized that they were taking longer than I wanted, and
I couldn't get things done on time. Then, as I passed sixty, I started to
wonder if I was up for any more projects at all.
Thanks to the gentle encouragement of my loving wife, and a few kind words from
frinends, I persisted, albeit a bit more slowly than ever before. Now, at
last, with the body back on, it looks like a car again, and I'm encouraged. A
couple of hours tinkering . . . . well, maybe fifteen or twenty work hours, and
I'll be able to sit behind the wheel, flip switches and press buttons, and
drive the car around the yard. After that, I should have all the encouragement
necessary to finally see this project through.
Considering that I bought the motor in 1999, had it rebuilt in 2001, and bought
the car in 2002, it's about time that some progress is reportable! I've still
got to re-engineer the split front wishbone, and the steering is going to be
re-done yet one more time, but the car is on it's way again.
In summary: it's a 1953 Studebaker Starlight coupe, 361 cid early Chrysler
hemi, GM turbo 350 auto, 64 Ford P/U 9" rear end, narrowed to fit. The rear
half of the frame is original Studebaker, the center is modified Studebaker,
and the front end is fabricated using 1948 Ford beam axle on transverse spring
with Harley Davidson coilover shocks to steady it. Right now, steering is from
an early Camaro box turned sideways, but I think I'll replace it with rack and
pinion.
I'm hoping that when finished, it will be at least a 150mph car, but it's the
nostalgia of it that makes me do it, not the quest for ultimate speed.
DickJ
In East Texas
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