1963 Studebaker Cruiser

Sedan

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

61V21539

Gasoline

1963 Studebaker Cruiser The Cruiser was Studebaker’s top of the line sedan offering for 1963.  Studebaker touted it as a roomy and comfortable, sensible sized luxury car...“Americas First and Only Limousette”.  It was built on a relatively long 113” wheelbase for plenty of room for all passengers and a smooth ride.  It came standard with Studebaker’s largest displacement motor...a 289 cubic inch V8, producing 225 HP with a four barrel carburetor.  The interiors were luxurious with reclining individual front seats, pleated storage pockets in the rear seat backs, a fold down armrest for rear seat passengers, a vanity mirror and make up tray built into the glove box, and full instrumentation (no idiot lights). I’m a Studebaker guy.  I have restored over 15 classic Studebakers.  I found this car nearby where I live in southern California.  It had been a loved car since new as attested by the condition of the car and the stack of maintenance receipts I got with it.  It had NO rust anywhere and has never had any repaired rust.  It was a nice running, driving car, but I wanted to do a complete restoration on it.  It deserved it. The body tag reads 63V Y8 3668 I disassembled the car completely and turned it over to a professional body shop that I use regularly.  They made the car laser straight without the use of bondo and repainted it inside and out.  The bottoms of the doors are as nice as the top of the hood.  High end base coat/clear coat products were used.  The body and paint are far better than the Studebaker factory did. The engine is stamped with a “cloverleaf” on the serial number pad with no other number.  This signifies that it is a heavy duty replacement engine provided by Studebaker and installed in the car at some point in its life.  It is a 289 CID full flow and I had it professionally rebuilt.  Bored, crank turned, heads rebuilt, new pistons, bearings, valves, valve guides, springs, etc.  The Flight-O-Matic transmission was also redone. The power assist brakes are all new.  It has disc brakes up front using custom caliper brackets and off the shelf calipers and rotors.  Rear brakes are stock, self adjusting drum brakes but all new.  I’ve installed a dual circuit master cylinder and adjustable proportioning valve.  The brake system is more than adequate for today’s traffic and high speed freeways. The stock power steering system was completely rebuilt.  Studebaker used the linkage type power steering which gives excellent road feel. The car was rewired with a new old stock wiring harness.  The exhaust system is new front to back using 2 1/2” pipes.  Carburetor is a new Edelbrock four barrel.  The tires are new. In the interior, only the door panels (which are in excellent condition) were not replaced.  Seat upholstery, carpet and headliner are all new.  The dash includes the complete vanity in the glove box.  All instruments work correctly including the optional clock.  I have added a tachometer to the left of the steering column. The chrome has been replated and the stainless straightened and polished.  There are many new and NOS trim parts on this car. I am also a music lover and wanted to enjoy my favorite tunes in this car.  I had the stock radio converted to an AM/FM/AUX stereo with an iPod input along with an XM radio (XM needs activation).  Dynamat was used extensively in the car to keep road noise to a minimum.  Speakers have been installed unobtrusively in the front kick panels and rear deck. I’ve also converted the front door locks to power activated with a key fob remote. The car sits slightly lower than stock.  This is due to 50 years of gravity tugging on it...I did not lower the car.  I like how it looks this way.  The best way to take it back to stock height if so desired would be with new front springs and rearched rear springs. It is missing the stainless strips on the rocker panels.  These are available from time to time from the various Studebaker vendors and on eBay, I just have not looked hard enough for them. The car is fresh.  It has about 1,000 miles on it since I finished it.  Just enough to work out all the kinks.  It runs and drives nicely.  I would not hesitate to take this car on a major road trip.  If you are interested in bidding on the car, be sure to click on the links below for many more pictures… 1963 Studebaker Cruiser 1 1963 Studebaker Cruiser 2 1963 Studebaker Cruiser 3 Cosmetically, the car is beautiful.  Only the undercarriage would need to be detailed for it to be a show car.  Mechanically, most everything is new or rebuilt.  It is an old car with not many miles since the restoration, however.  There may be items that I didn’t find or that show up after more driving.   The car is located in the Los Angeles area.   You may pick up the car in person, or I will help load the car on the carrier of your choice.  A $500 deposit is due 48 hours after auction close.  Payment must be made in full within 7 working days following auction close.  Vehicle must be removed within 4 weeks of auction close.      I have a clear California title to the car in my name.  As with any vintage car, no warranty is expressed or implied.  Please feel free to ask any questions about the car or to request greater detail about any part of the car.  I can also supply additional pictures if you need them