Technical Tips

(contributions from various newsletters – see credits)

Generator testing – Do you have a generator and you don’t know if it is good or bad? Take a jumper wire and ground the field to the generator body. Hook the negative side of a battery to the field. Hook the positive side of the battery to the armature. If the generator turns, it’s good. If it doesn’t turn, something is wrong with it. (from Ron Smith, Washington Dictator, Tacoma Area)

Switch tail light switches – Studebakers have always used hydraulic stop light switches. When you step on the brake pedal, the fluid pressure (60-120 psi) closes the contacts on the switch. With pendulum-type brake pedals, it became convenient to mount a mechanical stop light switch under the dash, actuated by the brake pedal. Hydraulic switches mounted under the hood are less than reliable, due to the presence of oil and moisture. It is said that silicone brake fluid can permeate to the switch diaphragm and contaminate the switch contacts.

If you own a ’61-66 Lark, Avanti or ’63-’64 Champ pickup, you can convert to a mechanical stop light switch. Get a Borg-Borg-Warner S-237 or Standard Ignition SLS 66. Make sure the brand you get comes with two stamped steel nuts for mounting the switch. The Motorcraft equivalent I checked didn’t. A normally-closed switch (the plunger is spring-loaded to the closed position) is installed above the brake pedal so that the upper edge of the arm can depress the plunger and open the contacts when the brake is in its normal position.

There is a handy hole in the pedal mounting bracket for the pedal stop. Fabricate a simple sheet-metal mounting bracket that attaches under the pedal stop with a ½” diameter hole for the switch. There is a long range of adjustment on the switch so you can get some pre-load to ensure the switch is normally off with the switch mounted. Then you just have to extend your wires to the switch and you’re done! (from Jerry Blount, Northwest Newsletter, Portland, Oregon)

Painting Smaller Parts – When you need to paint smaller parts (door jambs, etc.) and you don’t have a compressor, you can use the Preval Spray Gun Paint Unitt (about $5). This system is a gas charged power unit that attaches to a six-ounce paint reservoir. Standard automotive enamels and lacquers can be used. This makes it easier to match your car’s paint colour.

Similar to traditional spray methods, the paint must be reduced with the appropriate enamel reducer or paint thinner (available from your paint supplier) in the proper proportions. Your automotive paint supplier can also supply a viscosity drip cup which helps you determine when the paint is mixed properly. Remember to use low tack masking tape – it is more expensive but well worth it in the long run. Remove the tape when the paint has set up – about 1–2 hours. (from Stude Road Dust, North Puget Sound)

Did you know? The fabulous 1950-51 bullet-nose Studebakers were probably the most famous Studebaker design of all time and arguably the one most well-remembered by the general public. For 1950 Studebaker built 343,164 of them (its best year), with another 268,565 for 1951. Studebaker advertised the bullet-nose as the “Next Look” for 1950 and it was different indeed from everything else on the road. All of the 1950 models were powered by in-line 6 cylinder engines with the Champions having the smaller Champion six and the Commanders and Land Cruisers having the larger Commander six.

Then and now, bullet-nose Studebakers were seen everywhere. Fozzy Bear drove one in “The Muppet Movie”. Avon produced a men’s cologne bottle in the image of one. The Studebaker’s Night Club feathers one on its menus and matchbooks. And considering that Studebaker only built a total of maybe 4.5 million cars in its entire 64 years of automobile manufacturing, roughly 1 out of 8 Studebakers ever built were bullet-nose models. Millions of people rode in one at one time or another.

(from Al Germano, Washington Dictator, Tacoma area)