1966 Studebaker Cruiser

Sedan

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

C533450

Gasoline

Opening Description 1966 Studebaker Cruiser, the top of line model for Studebaker’s last year as a vehicle manufacturer. 283 V-8, water-cooled Flightomatic, A/C, P/S, P/D/B. AM radio, Dana 44 3.31 TT, full tinted glass. Window sticker is included in the linked photos. Odometer reads 76,902 miles; I cannot guarantee that is the actual mileage. Ownership history: The original owner worked for Studebaker’s Schaefer Refrigeration subsidiary, and this was his employee lease car. He bought the car outright after about six months. I do not know how long it was in service; the latest evidence I have is a 1991 registration receipt. He died in 2002, and the car passed through his estate to a couple of short-term owners before I bought it. When I purchased and titled the car in 2004 the indicated mileage was 76,441. I have detailed all the good, bad, and the ugly of this car below. While the car runs and stops, it should be thoroughly gone over before taking it on a public road. The buyer will need to trailer or ship it home. The car is listed “As-Is”, and the low starting price reflects that. Contact me if you have questions, or wish to conduct an inspection. Click CRUISER283 for more detailed pictures. Exterior and Structure Painted in a lighter blue than the original Richelieu Blue Metallic. The underside of the trunk lid shows the deeper hue of the factory color. Various scratches and thin places in the paint; the only notable exterior perforations are on the lower area of the RF door, and another small spot on the roof, above the LF door. The valence panel below the front bumper is dented and rusty; these are still available and not expensive. Few real dents otherwise. The front fenders were replaced by a prior owner. They are riveted to the inner fenders instead of spot-welded as per the factory. LF fender should be moved a bit forward to improve clearance for the driver’s door to open. There is a hole (about size of a half dollar) on the left inner fender, just ahead of where the battery sits. There is also a hole at the heater box, near the RH hood hinge mount. Radio mast should be replaced. Glass has no cracks. The windshield has a fair amount of the small nicks from road debris that you notice when driving into the sun. Front bumper is in good shape, the rear one is driver acceptable. Unlike some other 66’s I have seen for sale, this car has all the stainless trim for the body sides and rocker panels. The sad news is that a previous owner installed the trim using screws rather than clips. “Cruiser” script is missing from the panel below the trunk lid. The correct full wheel covers are in good condition. You can see in the pictures that the right rocker panel is a goner and the left one needs replacement too. There is frame rust and delaminating, especially toward the rear of the car where you see corrosion opening up between the spot welds. There is rust-through on the interior side of the right "B" pillar, but the pillar still seems firmly attached to the frame. The LH pillar looks OK. I have not pulled up the entire carpet, but from the underside and also removing the rear seat cushion, there does not seem to be any significant floor rust beyond the door sills. (The photos with the car on a lift are from 2008, but are still representative.) At the RR door, you’ll see the hole where the fender dog leg meets the door sill. On the LR door, there is a rust-through further up that inner fender apron. The LF door sill is rusted, RF looks decent. You can see corrosion where the windlace has pulled away from the lower left "A" pillar. Trunk has rust perforations in the rear corners under the taillights, but otherwise seems solid. Interior The interior is the nicest area of the car. The Montego Blue upholstery looks very good overall. There is a small water stain on the rear seatback under the rear window to the right. The RR seat bolster has a small cut; looks like it can be cleanly repaired. Carpet is in serviceable condition, but needs to be re-fitted and attached to the floor to eliminate gaps between the sections. Windlace has pulled away along the left and right kick panels, but is otherwise in place. Corrosion is visible where the left windlace tab fits between the fender and "A" pillar. No dash cracks (unusual for these Lark-types) or steering wheel cracks. Most interior bright work is quite presentable for a driver-level car. The door panels look good, except where the plastic “chrome” strips have lost some finish. The sun visors do not match. Accessories: Radio works, but only plays through the rear speaker. Clock has never worked in the time I have owned the car. Climitizer fan works, horn works; wipers work, seem a bit slow. A/C compressor clutch engages and the evaporator fan works, but does not blow cold. I have never operated the A/C for more than several seconds at a time, since the system is no doubt open. Mechanical I have hardly driven the car at all in the last three years until last month. The only recent driving is in my parking area. Mechanical issues I know of are: Engine / Exhaust: Starter works consistently, but has always made a loud “screeching” sound as it cranks. I’ve used various combinations of starter shims and gotten it as quiet as possible, but it still is noisy. Good oil pressure according to the gauge. Some smoke when running, but it is not a mosquito fogger by any means. The rings could be sticking from such little recent run time. Muffler and tailpipe in good shape; exhaust pipe is old but does not seem to be leaking. The manifold heat riser valve is stuck (I presume in the closed position). Fuel System: The mechanical fuel pump began spewing fuel, so I took it offline and installed an electric fuel pump. Lights right up now. With the fuel pump mounted under the floor, you can hear it running while driving. You may wish to relocate the pump to a frame rail. The fuel plumbing should be re-done. In particular, a metal fuel line should be used from the pump to carb, instead of the hose I ended up with. Brakes: For purposes of this listing, these are driveway brakes only. No evidence of leaks, but the original brake system should be fully checked out before the car is used on the road. I would convert to a dual master cylinder were I keeping the car long term. When recently driving the car, I found the brakes were tight and the car was hard to push, and the brake lights stayed on. I shortened the master cylinder pushrod a bit so they would not stay engaged. The emergency brake used to work, but have not tried it recently for fear of it sticking from non-use. Electrical: Battery is new. Alternator charges, but the upper pivot mount is broken, so should be replaced or upgraded to a newer unit. All outside lights work, as do the interior lights except the gear indicator and parking brake warning lights. The previous owner thought the transistorized ignition system was failing, so he switched back to conventional. Transmission: Shifts fine, but buzzes in Park or Neutral. This usually means the throttle valve that controls pressure is out of adjustment. Fluid looks clean. Steering: Power steering works, although it has a bad fluid leak at the control valve, so I removed the belt. I will put it back on if the purchaser desires, but understand that the fluid reservoir will not stay full for very long. Always tracked true during 60+ mph highway driving. Tires: Have lots of tread, but given the width of the whitewalls, I presume they are more than old enough to merit replacement. Spare tire and jack in place. Summary Clearly there are areas on this car that need attention. Many of them are “familiar stuff” to someone experienced with Studebakers. 1966 was the short, final chapter in Studebaker’s long history as a vehicle manufacturer. I hope that whoever buys the car will keep it together rather than parting it out. Having said that, the factory A/C and flanged rear axle setups alone are worth the opening price. Payment Terms: PayPalCertified / Cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank.Personal Check drawn on a United States bank.Cash in person at time of vehicle pickup. Winning bidder to pay $200 deposit through PayPal within 48 hours from end of the auction. Full payment required within 7 days of the auction closing. Vehicle will be released only once full payment has cleared thorough my bank. Shipping: Buyer responsible for picking up or making shipping arrangements. Car must be picked up within 14 days after end of the auction. Powered by eBay Turbo Lister The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.