1962 Studebaker Lark

Sedan

259 V8

Automatic

62V8903

Clear

No reserve auction is for a 1962 Studebaker Lark Deluxe 4dr sedan. I picked this up at a farm sale about 16 years ago and finally decided to get it back on the road again. It hadn't been on the road since 1980, so I went through the basics first, but ended up going a bit deeper. The odometer showed 56K at the start of the project and after pulling the heads I can believe that was correct, but have no documentation to back it up. Everything inside the 259 is standard with no ridge at the top of the cylinders and little to no wear on the main bearings. It was lightly stuck when I first got it, but came free easily with the heads off. Can't say the rings are perfect, but smokes very little if any after it's warmed up. Lapped the valves and did the top end gaskets at first, then this year cleaned the oil pump screen etc and put in all new seals and gaskets. A test gauge showed 60+ pounds oil pressure cold and around 20 hot in gear when I first got it running. Flushed out the block, installed new soft plugs, rebuilt water pump, heater hoses and fan belt, so over heating hasn't been a problem. Got about 400 miles on it before the reseal this Summer, but just finished putting things back together with no miles since. The frame is solid, but the floors needed some help. The factory rubber mat held in the moisture, rusting from the top down. Replaced large sections from a parts car along with smaller patches, POR patch and a top coat of POR15. There's still some rust holes in a couple body mounts and the trans crossmember, but it's not a show car job and should stay solid enough for years. The trunk floor was in good shape, needing only small patches in the corners. The drivers side inner structure by the tail light was replaced from a donor car. The front clip, rear fenders and the pass side rear door are from other cars also. Drivers side front fender was really clean at the usually rusty door opening area, but the pass side has some pinhole rust that I filled with POR patch before the body work was started. Took care of many rust problems, but with any old car, it may need some future work. This was just a back yard project for the fun of it, not a serious build with an endless checkbook, so keep that in mind when bidding. It's a good driver with a 3-speed automatic, 3.07 rear gears (both flushed with fresh fluids) and dual exhaust. The fuel tank is nice and clean inside with no patches or coatings needed. The tires look ok in pics, but are worn and have a lot of years on them. They should probably be replaced before hitting the interstates too far. Steering parts feel ok when driving, but the A-frame bushing are starting to wear. New rear brake shoes, wheel cylinder kits all around and a master cylinder kit are all that's been done to the brakes, but have worked fine. Some other new parts include motor mounts, heater valve kit, gas neck hose, carb kit, various lens gaskets and what I was told were NOS tail light lenses. Like I said, it's not a show car, but should make someone a good easy project with most of the heavy lifting already done. I spent some time on the body work, but it would need a going over to fix a few imperfections before a final top coat. The deck lid has some filled dents at the rear, but could be straighted a little better before final paint if needed. The trunk and front inner fenders are painted with a close match to the original color in hardened enamel. The firewall and under side of the deck lid are still factory painted. The roof was painted (also in hardened enamel) without any dent removal or bodywork, so there are a few 'snow load' type creases, but overall looks good. The rest of the car is just in a primer/sealer, so any time out in the sun or rain will start to take it's toll. For a garage kept, cruise night special it should last quite a while. The wheels are painted to match the roof and comes with a nice set of correct '62 full wheel covers, but I just couldn't snap them on the new paint. The glass is ok, but the tinted windshield has a nickle size rock chip on the drivers side. I've got a nice pair of Cruiser rear doors (with the vent windows) that will go with the car along with a spare hood, deck and other misc '62 parts and pieces if you want them. The interior got the least amount of upgrading. About the only thing I've done is to get everything working, like dash controls, window regulators etc. Added a Cruiser dash pad, radio surround and steering wheel also. The pad has some cracks, but still looks ok. The radio turns on, but has no volume when it's turned up. The reclining front seat works well, but like the rest of the interior will need to be covered. It was missing the rear seat back, so I found a tattered one from a Cruiser with the factory fold down arm rest. I just ran a blanket over it last year to get by. I'm pretty sure everything for the interior is still available including NOS door panels, but haven't looked into pricing. It will need all new weather strips, windlace, headliner, window channels etc. I'll have a link up with lots of full size pics shortly including ones during the build. Sold as-is to the high bidder with no warranty, so please e-mail me with any questions before the auction ends or you can get my contact info for a phone call. Available most anytime if you'd like to come see and hear the car in person. Clear title in my name, so no problems with a transfer to you. Full cash payment due in 7 days unless something else is worked out ahead of time. Thanks for looking. On Oct-12-12 at 12:52:30 PDT, seller added the following information: Here are links to my albums containing before, during and after pics from the beginning of the project. I'll be adding more to the current pics album as I dig extra parts out or if one is needed to answer a question. Just click on the slideshow link to take you to that album, then click on each photo for a large view.