1953 Studebaker Commander

Coupe

259 V8

Automatic

8307537

Clear

The 1953 Studebaker was fully restored approximately 10 years ago and then parked in a barn where it sat until this past summer. The car has since received a recent tune up, carburetor rebuild, new spark plugs, and fresh fluids. New wide whitewall Coker tires were installed in October. To be truly drivable, the front wheel bearings and bushings need replaced, and the horn is not hooked up (but in place.) The brakes also work fine, using later model drum brakes at all 4 corners (slightly bigger and more powerful than the original 53 brakes). EngineThe car has a 259 engine that runs really well and idles very nicely and maintains good oil pressure. I've driven it approximately 800 miles since it was moved out of the barn with no issues or signs of overheating. Engine and transmission were rebuilt when car was restored. BodyThe car's trunk was badly rusted at one point and the rust was cut out and replaced with fiberglass. Otherwise, the body is in solid condition with no signs of rust. The doors, fenders, hood, and trunk do not exhibit any signs of rust and are all metal. The paint could use a respray, the previous owner started to color sand it before he passed away because he was not happy with how it turned out. InteriorInterior is in good condition, although it is missing the horn button. Seats were recovered at the time it was restored, and the carpet and door panels were replaced. The car does have heat and it works. The dash is out of a Golden or Silver Hawk. Another nice feature is the car has been converted successfully to a 12V system, making it easier to start than the original 6V system. I have the original build sheet and shop manual that go with the car. This is a solid car with a lot of potential. It wouldn't take much to make this a very nice driver condition car. On Jan-09-15 at 19:41:43 PST, seller added the following information: I added a better picture of the trunk and a picture taken before the car was restored. On Jan-09-15 at 20:07:52 PST, seller added the following information: The frame is off of a 1955 Studebaker. The 1953 frames were notoriously weak and exhibited flexing, which was later fixed in 1954.