1964 Studebaker Two-door sedan

Manual

64V-15736

I hate use of the term "Rare" for cars, but I have to say that you are bidding on a very unusual Studebaker. This sad, faded little guy is the lightest body style in the line, but has the sturdy, powerful Studebaker 289 cubic inch V-8 with a four-speed Warner T-10 transmission. Even more unusual is the car has a front bench seat (which makes for a rather strange shift lever). The engine is the basic 210 horsepower 289 having a two-barrel Stromberg WW carburetor. It is easy to gain at least 15 more horses by adding a four-barrel and dual exhausts and can be tweaked beyond that pretty easily too. Make yourself a real sleeper. Studebakers with the 289 engine came with the rugged Dana 44 rear end and they featured finned drums all around. I have found them to provide excellent braking in all routine daily driving. Drum brake Studebakers also had dual master cylinders standard too. How many other early '60s cars had them? I am listing this for a friend who is gravely ill and will never be able to complete this car. Unfortunately that means there are things that I don't know about the car even though I have known him for many years and I'm a Studebaker guy myself. In fact, this is the first of a number cars that I am going to try to help him and his wife sell. In addition to his illness, they are facing pressure from a couple government agences to clear out ALL the cars. I have to warn you that while this car was driven to where it is parked, it has been a very long time since it has been run. So it is very much a project car and will require a lot of love to bring back. I wouldn't mind having it myself, but it's too much project for me. It has a lot of rust- will need new front fenders and a hood (all available). The hood had been left unlatched one time and a strong wind managed to whip it open. There is some floor rust, but I didn't really check to see how extensive it is. I didn't get a key to open the trunk either so it may have rust too. On the other hand, this is a complete, original car inside and out. To see what the original Bordeaux Red looked like, see the underhood pictures. The dash pad is surprisingly decent considering its exposure over the years. While I can't guarentee it, original upholstery may be available in these patterns and colors. Only about two years ago a vendor bought truckloads of NOS Studebaker upholstery from South Bend and they were heavy on lower line, later model stock. I have learned the hard way that pictures virtually always make cars look better than they really are. So I would caution you not to bid and buy this car expecting something that you could gas up, clean the points and drive off. I can't possible guarentee mechanical soundness either, but the core is there. I can't say the engine turns either. It may very well be stuck. I believe trying to turn a suspect engine isn't worth the risk of damage. It's much better to soak the cylinders by squirting a little oil in each (or your choice of solvents- I like Marvel Mystery Oil), leaving it for a few days and they usually break them loose with no problem. Of course it's wise to take off the valve covers and make sure none of the valves are stuck. I forgot to check the odometer reading. The car is 25 miles from me and I don't like to make 50-mile rounds trips to do just one thing. However, on my next trip, I will check it as it is very likely the true miles the car has been driven. Please note that the modest PayPal deposit is not refundable. We will help load, but cannot ship for you. I have been advised by a Studebaker expert who has access to production records that this car was built with a Twin Traction rear end (commonly called posi-traction). Since the listing began I have also noticed that the dash pad is cracked on both sides of the radio speaker. They don't show up in the first pictures attached to the listing, but I have added one that does show the cracking.On May-12-12 at 18:54:02 PDT, seller added the following information: Since this listing opened I have had a number of questions. Some I couldn't answer without checking the car again. As I mentioned in the original listing text, I live 25 miles from these cars and I am doing this as a favor so I don't want to jeopardize my 100% positive feedback because of someone thinking the car is misrepresented. So, I'm trying to list or show every wart I can think of and I will still probably miss something. I have added pictures to help answer some of the questions and to point out problems that I might not have made clear first time around. I still consider this to be a neat car that should be brought back, but it is a PROJECT car which is not for the faint of heart. First, I wanted to try to turn the engine, but I forgot to bring my pumper can of Marvel Mystery Oil and I couldn't get my thick-walled 1 1/2- inch socket on the crank pin so I still don't know if the engine is stuck. I did pull a spark plug and it was clean. The glass is all good with a very minor wiper scrape on the extreme left side of the windshield. There is a receipt in the glove box for installation of a used windshield in 1971 by the former Studebaker dealer in town. The doors open and close just fine. The door posts are not loose. However, the rocker panels are pretty much gone. The frame appears to be OK with fairly heavy surface rust. Same with the suspension parts. The front sway bar is pulled out of the bracket on one end- not a biggy. Maybe someone tried to pull the car with it. The odometer read either 29037 or 79037 miles. The speedometer needle obscures the first digit. The pedal pads show very little wear and the car hasn't been registered since 1979 so who knows. I was unable to open the trunk with the original key so I do not know the condition of the trunk or what's in it. I just didn't have the time to take out the back seat to try to open it with over 100 cars to worry about. When I cut away some of the tall grass I noticed that the car has Studebaker accessory gravel shields on the rear wheel openings. One question asked if there was a 4-speed tag on the body serial tag. There should be one and there apparently was one at some time because there is an unpainted spot that would correspond to the left end of such a tag. Some people collect unusual body tags and maybe this was one of them. Some of the rust spots are in unusual places more characteristic of cars that were driven on dirt roads and accumulated thrown up mud in nooks and crannies. This a rural area. The passenger door must have been scraped some time as there is evidence of body filler on part of the middle of the door skin. So, once again, please don't bid on this car and buy it then show up and find that it isn't as nice as you thought. Expect to find a rough car that needs a lot of love. If you have questions, please ask them. I'll try really hard to answer everyone right up to the last minute.