1963 Studebaker

Automatic

63V-xxxx

You are bidding on a very complete, very original Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, the last iteration of the famed 1953 Loewy coupes and hardtops. This model has the sturdy, powerful Studebaker 289 cubic inch V-8 with 210 horsepower having a two-barrel Stromberg WW carburetor and putting power to the ground with a Borg-Warner three-speed, column shifted automatic transmission, a simple, sturdy, reliable transmission. Both similar Hawks I have owned have had the basic 210 horsepower engine and I have found them to be very strong runners at any speed. And, it is easy to gain at least 15 more horses by adding a four-barrel carburetor and they can be tweaked beyond that pretty easily too. All Hawks came with the rugged Dana 44 rear end and while they featured finned drums all around, this car has the optional Bendix disc brakes offered first by Studebaker in 1963. I have found them to provide excellent braking in all driving conditions. In addition, the car has power steering. This particular Hawk has probably the finest instrument available in an American car of that vintage. In addition to the requisite speedometer, gas gauge and temperature gauge, this car has standard oil pressure and ammeter gauges plus the optional clock and tachometer. I am listing this for a friend who is gravely ill and will never be able to restore 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 one of 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 agencies 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. While it's very straight and, while faded, doesn't appear to be very rusty, I believe there probably is quite a bit of rust. The fenders, quarters , hood and trunk lid are probably useable. On the positive side, the hood opened smoothly and properly (Hawk hood hinges are notorious for freezing and causing the hood corners to bend upon trying to open them). 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. My friend bought this car from the original owner and he told me that he had the original window price sticker and a lot of other documentation. I just hope we can find it 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 possibly guarantee 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.On May-12-12 at 19:48:16 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 nice car that should be brought back, but it is a PROJECT car which is not for the faint of heart. First, I don't know if the engine is stuck. It is hard to get to the crank pin to try to turn it. While it probably is free, I'd rather you assume the worst- that it is stuck. On the other hand, it usually isn't hard to free them with a little patience. The glass is all good with except for the windshield which is badly cracked and will require replacement. I intended to record the odometer reading- forgot again. The doors open and close just fine. The door posts are not loose. However, the driver's door hangs up on the fender which keeps it from opening far. Unfortunately my attempt to open it caused the leading edge of the door to bend a little. I think I can straighten it with the right tool and successfully open the door without damage. The frame is not against the ground so I don't expect problems there other than heavy surface rust. The front floors have some rust holes, but not as bad as many I have seen. However, the rocker panels are pretty badly rusted. I did not have the keys with me so I was unable to open the trunk 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 wheel well mouldings are in nice shape ($$) with only a minor ding on the left front wheel opening. I also noticed that the bucket seats appear to be the reclining type (nice option), but the levers are missing. I'm surprised that I didn't notice at the first visit that the wheel covers are 1966 covers rather than 1963. I smiled at that because I prefer the '66 covers with the Hawk emblem in the center. They are all in nice shape. The is an Isle of Man emblem on the grille (??). I doubt that the car has ever been there, but who knows. Documentation in the glove box and console indicates the car was sold new my McNey Motors, a Studebaker dealer in Washington, DC. 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.