1963 Studebaker GT Hawk

2 door hard top

289 cu in

Automatic

Clear

There are too many cars in a long term collection of Studebaker, Avanti, and Nova. Hopefully the next generation will now enjoy them. Standard equipment on the 1963 GT Hawk includes power steering, 289 engine, original AM-FM radio (that works), clock (that works), automatic transmission and limited slip differential. This car was fairly well taken care of during previous ownership with only minimal rust, which was cut out and replaced with chemically treated 20 ga rolled steel and welded in place, never riveted, never screwed, or fiber glassed over rust and all exposed metal was treated with an anti-rust after welding and painted, no short cuts were taken, no Bondo or fiber glass used to hide rust, and no pop-rivets to hold steel in place. This car lives up to the commonly held reputation as being one of the best handling, sporting cars of its time. There is little possibility that a commercial restorer could come anywhere close to the price of this car in consideration of what all was done. The theme for restoration of all of the collection was to maintain as much of the actual appearance as feasible yet updated to make it highly presentable and reliable. On this GT Hawk, to help reduce the chance of vapor lock, an Edelbrock 600 CFM carburetor with 1/2" riser and vapor/fuel return line, and 3000 CFM electric 300 cfm radiator fan was installed. This car looks like an exceptionally well maintained driver from the early 1960's. It is not a museum piece and the buyer should not expect to compete with concours de elegance shows but it is well done and well bought at this price, largely because most labor hours were uncompensated in the interest in keeping Studebaker alive. The frame off took about 1 year to complete and became the third GT Hawk to have been restored in this collection. The largest expense, in dollars/compensated time, as one would expect, was in the professional mechanical/machine/paint area. The objective was to bring it back to another half century of attractive, reliable service. This includes restoring, rebuilding and/or replacing nearly every removable part. The engine was overhauled .30 over using Studebaker International major re-build kit, which includes just about every critical engine component. The transmission was overhauled and all necessary parts were replaced. The starter, alternator, power steering, brake system, water pump, radiator (re-cored), exhaust, shocks, dash, rubber (and grommets), new radial tires, king pins were key elements and new seat belts were installed but ash trays were not. Even the tiny rollers that facilitate window opening and closing were painstakingly replaced and the regulator mechanisms were refurbished and the inside of the rust prone areas or doors and other areas were-coated with rust prevent chemical. Equal attention was paid to the underside, call for additional pictures of underside, 804 776-6215. The car was painted with 4 coats of Dupont Chroma Clear over 5 coats of Dupont Chroma Base on top of 2 Kprimer/surfacer and Chroma Seal. The interior was a complete upholstery kit from Southeast Studebaker, a leading Studebaker vendor, and of course the stainless was polished and other metal re-chromed. The underside is satin and/or black undercoat. The exact mileage is unknown, but it has about 500 miles since the restoration. Seller will assist in coordinating transport of vehicle to the new owner and will provide secure storage until picked-up.