Well... I thought it was about time for an update on the Stud... Mr. Goodwrench and I and some of the other master mechanics have spent some long evenings working on the car to get it back on the road and to pass PA State inspection. After we got it home on May 16, 2003. Our work began. We first stated working on the brake lines, I believe, and replaced every piece of rubber, the rear wheel cylindars, and every brake line in the car. It stops on a dime now... even without having power brakes. I added two new front tires to complete the set. I made a mistake on the rims though, and used the wrong kind and ended up loosing a hubcap on one of our late night test runs. I found the hubcap the next Sunday down in the brush. The same night, the fuel pump quit, and for the next week, we had to use our ShopVac to get the car started. We then replaced the fuel pump.
The same day we replaced the fuel pump, we also dropped the tank to clean it. We pressure washed it, sealed it off, dumped a whole bunch of large nuts and bolts into it, a gallon of CLR, and a pint of battery acid. After soaking and shaking for a few hours, we pressure washed the tank once more, and let it dry. This procedure stripped the inside of the tank down to the metal, and there is an minimal amount of rust in the tank now. I also added an inline filter to keep whatever crap was in the tank from runing the fuel pump. After the tank was re-installed, there was minor leak from the outlet that we sealed with JB Weld... gosh that stuff is great! The carburator needs some more work, and more than likely replacement, because the car has developed a hesitation on acceleration, and I will solve that problem sooner or later.
The Stud after all of the maintence taken care of, she's ready for the road!
I am pleased to announce the Stud has passed PA State inspection on the first try, and is now registered as a Classic Vehicle. During the Winter of '04, I will start fixing up the interior. I have removed the cardboard kick panels and rear deck lid to fabricate replacements. There is some rust under the floor that will be removed and sealed before the new floor will be installed.
An updated engine bay pic, with the new belts and painted air cleaner.
The Stud's first REAL trip to the gas station! Then a trip to the York, PA "Circuit" to show her off!
After about a week of driving, I had my first break down..... apparantly the gas gauge reads 1/4 tank to high.... LOL... we got some gas in her and she's doing fine now...
So anyways... this ends another chapter in the documentary of my Studebaker, I don't know when the next update will be, but keep checking back!!