64V2488 Rehabilitation
(Picture Archive, Restoration, 64V-2488)
Note: this is a ...l o n g... tale. It relates what was found and how it was repaired. I tried to inject a little humor here and there. It wasn't too funny when one realizes that a lot of good money went into the DB's pocket. If the car were turned around and sold the next day it wouldn't have taken in half of what I paid for it.
The only way out of the woods was to bite the bullet and make it right.
The car was delivered on the weekend of the York swap meet in 2000. It was a rainy Friday and the car didn't look too bad (wet). I went off to York to buy a few goodies for my new prize. On Monday, when it was moved into the garage, and examined, things began to look a bit shady.
Next were the U-joints. They had to, absolutely, be the originals. The pinion seal wasn't difficult, but moving up to the front brakes was an eyeopener. This continues, in detail, below.
Hopes this helps
March 2000
Installed new exhaust system - Ordered a new set from Kepich Exhausts in Florida. This was also a nightmare. The passenger side fit perfectly. The drivers side headpipe bolted up ok, but the other end pointed at the outer frame. It was difficult convincing Kepich that this was the situation, but three tries later, he still couldn't get it right. I paid for what I received and ended that association. Ordered the headpipe from SASCO ( where I should have in the 1st place)...
So everything was cleaned up and reassembled. Changed the plugs and noticed #4 had a lot of black stuff on it. Cranked the engine up, warmed up and then, a feint indication of something being thrown off the fan belt. Looks like oil. Nope, dark cruddy fluid from a bad water pump bearing. Ordered a new pump from Harbit
You could take the E-valve in #4 and lift it off the seat, and move it 1/4" back and forth. All the valves were in poor shape, so the heads were sent off to be redone. More parts ordered from Harbit.
The biggest shock was to come, when the timing cover was being removed, to reseal the engine. Understand, this car was driven around 3000 miles since the 'restoration', by the original owner Ken Osborne and the person who sold it to me. Further, I had moved it up and down the driveway a bit.
When I removed the crank bolt and pulled the hub off the snout of the crankshaft, there was NO woodruff key, holding the hub in place.
I looked all around and thought it may have dropped onto the floor, but I had the timing set and the keyway was pointed up, when everything was pulled off the crank. I don't know how the engine could have mainitained it's timing. Once I saw this, I lost faith entirely in anything else that was told to me about the car.....
Hopefully not by the same slob that did the brakes....but who put the rest of it together???
If you managed to find the link to this page, you're to be commended for your inquisitive spirit. Now read the "rest of the story"
Background: Purchased Feb 2000
Supposed three year old, total frame off restoration. Actually pictures of the car (?) undergoing this metamorphosis were supplied. Whether or not it's the same car is a good question.
Seller boasted that the car won three 1st place trophys within the last two years and didn't have a speck of rust anywhere. Yet, with the sale, he didn't supply the trophys, but did supply a lot of rust...
At first glance, you wouldn't notice the poor bodywork. What did stand out was the new carpets, interior, headliner, A/C system, cushy seats, precise piping around the headlights and grille.
However, when you got to the underside, just a cursory glance would reveal the 20 year old, dry rotted Sears radials, with tubes. Exhaust system was falling off, leaking trans fluid, crankcase oil, etc. The PS valve was nearly unbolted and the high pressure PS hose was a cobbled piece of a air brake hose.
The drivers side door could not close, without a forced assist from about 6 inches. It felt like a spring was holding it open.
The first thing looked at were the rear brakes. After the drums were popped off the hubs, I noted new drums, one with a split hub, all new brake hardware, brake shoes, springs, etc, but all drenched in axle fluid. It seems that the restorer didn't think it was a good idea to replace the 40 year old axle seal. This was an easy fix.
While looking over all the facets of this car, I found a paper in the glovebox, with the name of the original owner and his email address. It was a flyer he used in selling the car, dated around 1998. I emailed him regarding the car and was given an enlightening history
Here's his reply...
Will try to answer your questions. I purchased the car as a basket case. The
engine had been rebuilt by a former Studebaker Dealer. That was in 1979, It
had never been run when I purchased about 10 years ago (1990). I had the trans rebuilt
2 years ago, pulled the body, rebuilt the brakes, nos brake booster etc.
sent the body to a body shop, picked it up in sanding primer, re-installed,
sent it back for painting.
When I got it back, I was sick from the poor body work and decided to sell
rather than redo the whole thing. So I put it together with new windshield,
headliner, seats, air , buffed stainless etc.
Sold it to a Mr. Clayton Williams from North Carolina. Allowed him to use my
collector plates to get home. He never returned them! so I assume he has
been driving the car with my plates since he never changed the title.
( It was sold AS IS). I don't know about the fuel pump, as it never had a
supercharger or air. I furnished a build sheet when I sold it, the reference
to elec winds, refers to 2-speed elec wipers. He called and complained after he
got home about it being an oil burner (But in the same breath he stated that there was a puddle of oil under it) I had driven it about 1000 miles and it never smoked as he stated. Since then I don't know what happened to it or what he may have done. If my collector plates are still on the car, please return, or I will have to notify the DMV that they are stolen.
Ken Osborne
Apparently, Mr. Williams has been a dirtbag, probably most of his life. Must be difficult having to look over your shoulder all the time.
So this journey starts......
The "exhaust system" was falling off, dented, and generally unusable ..
April 2000
May 2000 - The water pump was replaced with an Avanti, gusseted unit and the Power steering control valve was resealed
Installed new Universals
...The pinion seal was dripping and the universals were falling off the driveshaft... enough said ( Pinion seal was installed later)
June 2000
Rebuilding the front Disc Brakes ....
The original disk brakes must have been reinstalled by an idiot, who never saw or worked on this type of system before. Not only were the calipers, rotors, hoses and pads, all sprayed with POR-15, but when reassembling the caliper, the guide plate for the pad, was installed incorrectly, in the caliper bridge.
This resulted in the pad AND plate being forced against the rotor when applying the brakes, which dug a nice furrow into the rotor until the point came where it couldn't move any further, jamming the piston and cancelling any and all braking, on the right front. At that point, damage to the underside of the valence, on that side, indicated the driver (and car), took a trip into the weeds.
August 2000
This obviously necessitates a teardown of the engine. Convincing myself it's all for the best, I commence...... This is a REAL funny one. The engine was supposed to be rebuilt to R1 specs. At least there were chrome valve covers on to bolster that tale. The engine loped a bit when idling and seemed to run evenly. The only time this car has moved, under my ownership in March 2000, has been from my driveway into the garage and back a couple times...
The unassemble - assemble experience from the previous month really came in handy now. I can rip that A/C compressor off in about 5 minutes, not to mention the benefits of contorting arthritic knuckles to remove the fan and general, continuous, medieval, blood-letting.
First, the anti-freeze was drained. Surprise, it wasn't anti-freeze and there were acorns and critter crap in the radiator top tank. That translated into a drain & flush of everything, including the block. Fortunately, when the drain plugs were removed from the block, there wasn't much crud inside.
So, now a few days later, the water pump is in, the engine's warming up. The 'R1 cam' is exhibiting a mild lope. Running smooth as it warms up. Looking things over, ...a wisp from the tail pipe, smoke, but strange that it's only when it's warm and only when it idles.
Out comes the leakdown detector. I call a friend over to assist. Pull all the plugs and hook the compressor to #4 cylinder, since that plug was fouled earlier. I run back and place my ear by the tailpipe. Hearing a roar of compressed air, I yell "Hey Larry, pull the engine over". Still roaring air. Hey Larry, turn the engine over". ..... "I have, a couple times!" ...
So, the R1 cam (lope) turns out to be a bad exhaust valve in #4.
There were a few highlights in this exercise. One, when the heads were finally off, it was obvious that they had never been rebuilt, with the engine. Didn't the flyer say $2000.00 for an engine rebuild?
One aspect of this engine that pleased me, was that you could still see a good deal of crosshatching in the cylinders. The pistons were tight and no ridge, so the engine appears to have been worked on.
Then I took a break, in preparation for the inevitable....
-
Start on the underbody structure - Diagnosis ( a whole new world...)
Numbers denote ddmmyy
February 2001
 22 Feb 2001 |  25 Feb 2001 |  28 Feb 2001 |
March 2001
 1 March 2001 |
 05 March 2001 |
 07 March 2001 |
 08 March 2001 |
Now for the 'fixit stage' |
 10 March 2001 |
 11 March 2001 |
 14 March 2001 |
 16 March 2001..... Turner MC
|
 18 March 2001 |
 22 March 2001 |
 25 March 2001 |
April 2001
 05 April 2001 |
 7 April 2001 floor and door work |
May 2001
 20 May 2001 - Leaf Springs |
 23 May 2001 - Frame |
 26 May 2001 Frame
|
Welding of floor Sections
June 2001
 06 June 01 |
 16 June 01 |
 23 June 01 |
Repair of upper Rear Quarter Flange
24 July 2001
[ late July - August /idle ]
September 2001 - Rehab Fenders, Door
 12 Sept 2001 |
 22 Sep 2001 |
 29 Sep 2001 290901 |
 30 Sep 2001 |
 01 October 2001 |
 02 October 2001 |
 03 October 2001 |
 12 October 2001 |
 14 October 2001 |
- You can see that the progress stopped in October 2001. That's because I realized that it couldn't be finished for the reason we bought it, IE; a long tour to the west coast and back in April 2003. So, in April 2002, we purchased another car that was used for that purpose, a 1955 President State Sedan. This one was in pristine condition, with only 52,000 original miles. Still, it needed some refurbishing and that took the rest of 2002 and into 2003. After the tour, we added a kitchen onto our 30 year old house, which took a couple years to complete.
So, the Hawk was languishing in the garage for a good while. I intended to keep it as a toy to work on now and again. It will be a nice driver someday.
My retirement in Aug 2004 has given me a lot of time to do things I really like and one of them is working on Studes.
Yesterday, we decided on a new purpose for the Hawk. In May 2007, our chapter will be driving The Lincoln Highway to the west coast and return. The Hawk will be our tour car for this event. Might be dual fuel or some neat alternative to deal with the recent oil issues... RJ
...makes for some good nighttime reading ...
|
And if you checked back, here it is October 2005 and we're back at work. .
Starting on the passenger side |
