Back to Work on the '56 Studebaker Powerhawk

[harrisonm]

After a break of almost 2 years, we started working on my friend's 1956 Studebaker Powerhawk again last night. We had been working on it for about 4 years. Mark is still working, so we only get about 8 hours a week on it together. Mark is a pretty good mechanic, and he is getting pretty good with body work, but I have to do the major bodywork and primer/paint spraying. It has gotten a lot of sheetmetal replacement (some patches hand made and some purchased). The quality of aftermarket sheet metal for those cars is not good. All of the body work is done, and we spent a zillion hours priming and blocking. The body and all other body parts are as perfect as I can make them. Since they have been sitting for a while, we are going to clean them up and wet sand them a bit before painting. We took the break to do a cosmetic restoration on his 82 C-10 shortbed stepside. It needed a lot of work, but we decided not to blow it completely apart. We hope to have the Studebaker painted before the end of September. Then we can finish assembling it over the winter.

 

[Brooks James]

What will be the motor for the Stude ?

 

[67Dart273]

I've always loved the lines of those cars. There was a single woman (older than I) who had --and I've forgotten-- a Golden or Silver hawk. Very cool.

 

[44070dart]

I worked in a gas station as a kid, and this guy came in at noon every Saturday and pulled up to the pumps, and put a buck in my coveralls pocket (big cash then), and said park it when it's full and left for the building next door. He had a '57 Golden Hawk that was 10 years old at the time, and it was spotless. He said it had the big engine that was supercharged. Gold with a white flare in the back. Your going to have a great car when finished. Good luck, can't wait to see it done.

 

[harrisonm]

What will be the motor for the Stude ?

259 V8. We are going for 100% stock. We only have pictures to go on, but so far so good. The frame is already completely done. We fixed some bad spots in it, blasted it with Mark's Dustless Blaster, painted it, and then put everything on it with all new parts. It is a nice rolling chassis. The frame was painted, but I powder coated pretty much everything else. I have a picture somewhere. It's going to be red with a white painted roof.