Here's What It's Like To Drive A Nutty Vintage Studebaker

"Aaron Vick Starnes" (aaronstarnes) 01/23/2015 at 17:35 • Filed to: Studebaker, vintage, Americana

10

12

Last Friday I was lucky enough to go for a spin in a mid-century automotive oddity, a 1952 Studebaker Champion named Kermit.

The '52 cars are somewhat less collectible than !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! body style that preceded them. They represent a transitional period in the Champion's line, and the only year of this particular body. The Champion had a 19 year run between '39 and '58. The short list of unique features on this car include cool wrap-around rear glass.

It has a parking brake that comes through the dash just below the gauges.

It has fresh air vents in the fenders that are controlled by little levers mounted under the dash.

And what may be the most exciting feature of the car, a pair suicide rear doors

After getting to know the car a little bit, crawling around inside like an over-caffeinated kid, and familiarizing myself with all the levers, knobs and switches, Mr. S said "Let's go for a ride." I was already smitten with the little green machine and agreed heartily.

Although the morning air was brisk, which generally causes hard starting in older cars, the plucky little Stude cranked right up without hesitation and settled into a pleasantly smooth idle. Interesting note, on these cars the starter button is on the floor board adjacent to the dimmer switch. To start the engine you turn the key on and press the clutch pedal all the way to the floor. This mashes down on the starter button thus turning then engine over.

The flathead in-line six cylinder was good for 85 hp back in '52, and felt like it could still deliver on that claim today. This is pitiable by today's standards but it does move this light weight car along without trouble.

I eagerly piled in through the passenger side door onto the dashing yellow plaid interior. For a small car it feels pretty spacious inside. I was able to stretch my legs and enjoy the little cruise around the block. "Block" in this sense is figurative, Mr. S lives in a pretty rural area. So we tooled down the vacant dirt roads leaving a little cloud of dust in our wake.

Taking a ride in some un-restored vintage iron like this is something every car guy should make a priority . It's a little like that feeling you get when you watch an old movie. You begin to gain a sense of how different things were only a half-century ago. When people said stuff like "Hey, what's the big idea?" and everything good was "swell".

I'm not given to a line of "those-were- the-good-old-days" thinking or anything, but I appreciate old cars for what they are. They're stepping stones in the path to the cars we drive today. It's like stepping into a time capsule. It's easy to imagine people going about their daily lives using these cars, when they were common place rather than unique. A lot of the amenities are antiquated by today's standards, to the point of absurdity in some cases, but I love crawling into an unrestored, non-customized car and basking in the odd glow of all the anachronisms.

Mr. S asked me if I wanted to take a turn at the wheel and I jumped at the opportunity to slide across the bench seat into the driver's position. I pulled the shifter back and down for first gear, leaned into the gas and let out the clutch. The car was away with a little scratch from the back tires against the gravel road.

Shifting gears in an old car can take some getting used to. Of course there were floor shifted cars like there are today, but there was another configuration that was pretty common. The "three on the tree" set up.

This referred to a three speed manual with a shifter mounted on the steering column. The shift pattern is much the same as it would be on the floor but on a different axis. Up and down rather than back to front and forward and back rather than side to side. This car came with overdrive which gives it a little more legs on the interstate. Once in top gear the driver would engage overdrive by pulling out a knob labeled "OD" on the dash.

Standards for the way a car should feel have changed. Today's cars need to be tight and reassure drivers with a little resistance here and there. Judging by this car and my old Ford of a similar vintage, that didn't seem to be in vogue 60 years ago. These cars are loose both from wear and by design.

There's a sort of willy-nilly feel to the steering. I like to think that it speaks to the hopeful, faith-filled, forward-looking attitude of post-war Americans. Squinting as they looked ahead to the bright shining future, not knowing what it would hold, but believing that everything that lay ahead was good and right. Of course that's romantic nonsense, but it helps to have a little faith when driving one of these.

There's about an inch or so of slop in the steering wheel (which is better than in my Ford). This can be dialed down a little by adjustments in the steering box for a more modern feel. The brakes are on the mushy side relative to their modern-day counterparts but they are functional.

The accelerator pedal, like the steering, requires some faith. It's there, you can see it and feel it with your foot, but don't expect a lot of feedback. Drivers just have to believe if they press it down the engine will rev. In the little car's defense I was wearing some thick-soled boots that probably insulated me from pedal feel.

So how was the drive? It was hysterical. I laughed like the entire time I was behind the wheel. Old cars like this one evoke a giddy feeling in me partly because of their absurdity and partly because of the uniqueness of the driving experience. I probably only touched 40 mph but I had a blast. I just eased the car along and stirred through the gears on the way back to Mr. S's. Full disclosure, I did miss a down shift to second and lost momentum while rolling back into the driveway.

This is a car build during an era when cars were sold on style first, before wind-tunnel testing lead to homogenizing the profile of most cars. When their design was dictated by soul rather science. This particular car was someone's dream, the former owner was attempting a restoration in his garage before he passed away. It's not a professionally built show car but rather a good honest driver. It's a small car that's big on character. If you want a Champion of your own a quick search on craigslist will probably yield one or, for the right price, this one could be yours

2 years ago Aaron Vick Starnes quit his well paying bank job to pursue inevitable poverty as an automotive writer. He has !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in automotive restoration, and works at a shop restoring and customizing cars. He also is a grad student in journalism. Follow him on Twitter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and check out his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

BONUS PICS!

Steve in Manhattan > Aaron Vick Starnes 01/23/2015 at 17:44

0

Nice - do it again with a GoPro strapped to your head.

Aaron Vick Starnes > Steve in Manhattan 01/23/2015 at 17:52

0

What song would best complement the video?

Steve in Manhattan > Aaron Vick Starnes 01/23/2015 at 18:05

0

Just the two of you talking old cars would be the best soundtrack of all.

ranwhenparked > Aaron Vick Starnes 01/23/2015 at 18:08

0

I really think Studebakers were some of the best styled cars of that era.

They didn't go in for the showy gimmicks of GM and Chrysler (though probably would have, if they could have afforded to do a new body shell with any regularity) and were tastefully restrained and almost European looking. Magazine reviewers at the time also liked that they kept themselves to a manageable size.

Aaron Vick Starnes > ranwhenparked 01/23/2015 at 20:06

1

This was my first Stude' and I admittedly don't know a whole lot about them, but I was sure taken with it.

Stinger > Aaron Vick Starnes 07/13/2015 at 17:19

4

Just thought I would throw a comment in here for good fun. I’m now the owner of this quirky little ride. I love that I can still find this article. It is going under a pretty heavy restoration at the moment. I am a mechanic, so I’m doing the work myself. Currently it is very close to a completely stock car, and I intend to keep it that way if humanly possible. I want to be able to drive it though, so it is getting a couple of upgrades. Power brakes, 6v to 12v conversion, an air conditioning system (I live in Texas, it’s a must), and a custom sound system that I am making myself (don’t worry every one I am keeping if very classy and simple, but I like my music). I’m currently working on redoing all the wiring and replacing all the seals and gaskets in the motor and transmission. The motor and trans are still strong. The one thing I’m really struggling with is figuring out what to do about my instrument cluster. As Aaron knows, the speedometer does not work (neither does the gas gauge or odometer for that matter). If anyone knows where I can have it rebuilt that would be amazing because I can’t even get it apart. If this article stays up, I would be happy to send Aaron pictures of the finished product, maybe even a video if anyone is interested. Aaron, you would also be welcome to come check it out yourself if you are willing to make the trip. That’s all I have for now. Thanks guys.

p.s. Aaron if you read this please let me know what that window strip you recommended was called because I can’t find where I wrote it down to save my life.

Aaron Vick Starnes > Stinger 07/17/2015 at 10:59

1

Wow, great to hear from you! Of course I’d love to see more pics and vids. Glad you’re still enjoying the project. Check out how I did my gauges at http://www.aaronstarnes.com/blog/in-your-g…

As for he window channel I used universal parts from speedway motors.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Glass-Run-Chan…

&

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Sill-Weather-W…

I did a write up on this process too. You can read that here:

http://www.aaronstarnes.com/blog/door-glas…

Again, I’m so pleased that you like the car and are having a good time with it. There’s a contact me form on the blog. Hit me up, maybe we can do a follow up article!

DasWauto > Stinger 07/18/2015 at 14:53

0

I’ve added you as an author on Oppositelock. If you want to keep Aaron and the rest of us up to date on the status of the car, we’d love to have you. Cheers.

J R in WV > Stinger 07/24/2015 at 17:07

0

My Dad was a Studebaker man, and when I was a kid in the 50s he had a green two-door somewhat like this one. The interior was perfect until we were at a drive-in and I spilled a chocolate shake on the upholstery.

After a few years, the folks decided that my brother and I could be trusted to stay seated in a convertible, and Dad bought a 1964 Studebaker Commodore (or Commander, it was boxy, bright red, and had a 289, IIRC) with black vinyl seats. He learned from my experience with the chocolate shake and never bought another car with fabric seats! It had seat belts, the first car I saw with those, and they made us wear them anytime the car was moving at all.

I liked that convertible, except we all learned that if you really intend to take that top down in the summer time, black vinyl is wrong, so wrong. You can actually get burns on your skin from such a choice. I was in high school and learned to drive partly in that car. It would work well against most GTOs at the time.

Then Studebaker went out of business, and when the valves in the red convertible started to go, he got a Ford Torino, black with a white top and gold racing stripes. That had a 302, and would still harass a GTO.

I have thought about looking for a car like the Studebakers of my youth, but I am not a mechanic, and would probably have alot of trouble finding a mechanic willing to work on a 56 year old car.

LeoH > Aaron Vick Starnes 09/19/2016 at 22:44

1

Please. That’s easy:

Jeff DeWitt > Aaron Vick Starnes 09/20/2016 at 18:45

1

I love old cars too, especially Studebakers!

One quibble, you don’t engage the overdrive by pulling out that handle, that locks it out (so you essentially have a straight three speed).

With the overdrive functioning normally once you get up to speed, around 35 MPH and want to shift into OD just take your foot off the gas and you will feel the transmission shift, just like an automatic. You can actually use the OD in both second and third gears, giving five speeds.

Aaron Vick Starnes > Jeff DeWitt 09/20/2016 at 22:38

0

Thanks!