1960 Studebaker

Other

8 - Cyl.

Manual

60V339

Gasoline

Up for auction is my 1960 Studebaker Lark. I've owned this car for about five years and have had a great time with this car, it's just time to move on, too many projects, too many cars, too little time. I am not a dealer or a guy who buys and sells cars, just an enthusiast who enjoys old cars and bikes. I believe that I am the fourth owner of this car. The first owner drove it, the second owner did the "restoration." I bought the car from the from a guy in Kankakee IL off EBAY. When I bought the car, I did a couple things. I replaced the rubber bushings for the rear springs and rebuilt the carter 4bbl carb. I also installed a nice Alpine Radio (green lights, matches the car! :) ) I made a mounting plate out of steel for the radio and then wrapped it in leather to make it a decent looking install. I didn't want to cut holes in the luggage tray or the doors so I bought some speakers from www.orbaudio.com . I painted the speakers to match the color of the car and then installed them in a fashion that doesn't affect the integrity of the car. The system works great, sounds great and the Alpine Tuner is sweet. It plays MP3 discs, CD's, is wired for an iPod or iPhone and is also an XM receiver, complete with the antenna installed. The second owner who did the "hot rod" restoration did a nice job. He must have rebuilt the engine as it has quite a bit of PEP to it with a great sound but I'm uncertain of the mods that were done. It does have a delco ignition which is a nice upgrade and hassle free. The car has a Carter 4bbl carb (no idea what CFM) and has the rare Offenhauser / Studebaker Valve covers. I've been told that these are worth $400 alone! The redtop battery is new, only a couple months old and will give years of carefree cranking power. The guy did some body modifications such as the rear wheel wells were rolled to accept larger tires. There was a sunroof installed too, which is a little unorthodox but it's actually quite nice, allowing some light and air in to the car and the sun roof does NOT leak. The sunroof only pops open, it doesn't come out all the way. The side mirrors I believe are off Camaro but they look really good on this car. The interior is in great condition! The interior paint is all original and in overall good condition, there is some wear on the paint on the doors. The interior upholstery I was told is out of a HAWK because the larks didn't come with buckets like this car. The look and feel is great. The interior doesn't smell funky or anything and I'm a non smoker so no odors or burns. The front fenders were both replaced with fiberglass ones which is totally typical for these larks. I guess there was a flange where the fender would bolt on to the dog house that invariably would rot out due to the design and how the flange would hold water. Some of the weather seals around the door could use some love, you can see in the pics, they are the originals and have started to wear and fray, not a big deal but I want to give you a heads up. The pictures will tell a better story than my description. Go to www.dunesman.com and select the PUBLIC GALLERY. From there you can see the tab Studebaker Lark and a bunch of very detailed images. The steel on this car is in great shape! This is not a bondo bucket, au contraire, aside from the glass fenders this baby is ROCK SOLID. I removed the trim that holds the carpet down on the drivers side to reveal the floor. Typically these cars rust out at the bottom of the A pillar, not this one! It's rock solid on both sides, rust free. The frame is in amazing condition, again solid like a rock. I remember when I bought this car, I brought a very experienced Studebaker expert with me and we both crawled under the car and were delighted to see that there was / is ZERO rust on the frame. While we were under there, the guy looked over at me and gave me a big thumbs up. You can see the great condition of the underside of this car in the pics. You'll also see that there is a newer flowmaster exhaust system under there, tied to twin pea shooters coming out of the back, it's a great look. The pervious owner put air shocks on the back, so in the very back of the trunk, there is a schraeder valves and you can jack the car up and down. I have it pretty low, I don't like the look of a high rear end. The car has a three speed on the column with no overdrive. The rear axle is not a twin-traction (positraction) axle. This car driver very well, tracking straight and true down the road. The brakes are very good too for a drums, braking very well and they don't pull to one side or the other, you press the brakes, the car goes straight. The good: the car is super solid, the chrome bumpers aer spotless, not a single scratch or itsy bitsy bit of rust. I imagine the guy who did the restoration must have bought new fenders or something because they're just perfect. All of the body work is in good shape, straight and solid. The glass is all in good shape, with the side and rear windows having been tinted. The interior, seats, and carpets are in great shape. The engine starts and runs very well, as does the transmission. The frame is 100%, you won't find a better one. The bad: there is some damage to the pass. side front fender as seen in the pics. The paint is a ten to fifteen footer. It was probably painted 15-20 years ago and is starting to show it's age. The rear main seal needs to be replaced which isn't a big deal. It's a simple seal, not one of those impossible 8 piece jobs and they're cheap and readily available. The rear pass. side window needs to be looked at as you need to push it with your hand to get up the last couple of inches, again, probably not a big deal. Overall, I'd rate this car at a six out of ten. My ten point scale isn't your typical scale. I think most used car salesmen would rate this a NINE out of ten, lol but again, that's not my scale. I'm about as honest a seller as you'll find on ebay. I like people who buy from me to have the kind of experience that I would like to have on ebay. Check my feedback, you'll see that I've sold some high dollar items with great reviews. You will not be sorry and you won't have buyers remorse. I like to show the good, the bad and the ugly of everything I sell, then rate it a little on the low side so the buyer is pleasantly surprised. If you're anywhere near Michigan City Indiana and you'd like to see the car or go for a spin around the block (I drive) please drop me a line. You can see more detailed images of this GREAT car, the best year for the Lark at www.dunesman.com under the PUBLIC GALLERY TAB and you can see a video I took October 2nd on youtube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj6tiKWdnK0 Please bid with confidence knowing that I'm showing you everything up front but please understand that this is a 52 year old car and there is typical wear and tear. If she was a show car, she'd have a show car price! This is a car that you can cruise all day long in, get lots of looks and people asking "what is that!?!?" and just have a lot of fun in. Thanks for looking!