Mark Pearson's 1948 Studebaker Car Restoration Project - An Ongoing Saga

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This is a story of the rescue of a 1948 Studebaker Champion 4-door sedan. On

Rusty in his natural environment.

June 4th, 2005, as we traveled on U.S. 40 west of Oakley, KS we spotted an old Studebaker parked in a field near the highway. We stopped and asked about the car, and ended up buying it.

Rusty is a 4-door sedan with suicide doors in the back. He was full of sandy, western Kansas soil, the cotton batting from the rotted-out seats, and lots of old grain that the mice had stored away for who-knows-how-long. We had been looking to buy an old car to restore for a couple of years, and I had been looking for a 1950 Studebaker convertible. I finally had to give up on that, because I found they were much too expensive for my budget. So, since I did not care for the styling of the

The driver from JR Street Rods unloading Rusty. They really did a great job getting Rusty home for me, and at a very economical price. The driver really was unsure whether he was going to be able to back the trailer into the driveway, but with a little bit of coaching from Brenda and I, and about five good tries, he did manage to put the trailer in just the right spot.

later models, I settled on looking for a pre-1950's, post-war model, 1947-1949. Well, when we found out that Rusty was a 1948 model, we just had to get him! Rusty got his name after we got him home. I was showing pictures of him to the kids, and told them that he just had to have a name, and my youngest daughter came up with the name, "Rusty" which fits him very nicely.

I wanted to get a Studebaker that had not yet been restored, since I wanted to have the experience of restoring the car right from the beginning, and because I didn't have the "up front money" that it would cost to buy one already restored.

Well, Rusty certainly qualifies on that score. All the glass is broken, thanks to some young man with a .22 rifle. I think I can detect the evidence of a few

That's yours truly, trying, but not quite succeeding, to look helpful. The driver had to pick up a car in California, and a car in Colorado, and then picked up Rusty in western Kansas on the way to Springfield, MO. He had some engine trouble on the way out west, and was delayed some days in getting back again. Brenda and I were very pleased that he was able to get to Springfield by the evening of July 4th, since both of us were going back to work the next day, and we would be unable to help unload the car if it were delayed another day.

shotgun blasts to the right side of the car, although none of them penetrate the sheet metal.

So, you say, why a Studebaker? Well, I guess a lot of it is just emotional. I wanted to have an old car that most people would not be familiar with. I looked at Nash, and Kaiser, and Hudson, but settled on Studebaker because it was different, and generally unfamiliar to folks, and because Studebaker has a big following, lots of web sites, an international car club, and plenty of companies selling parts and supplies. I figured I could get an old Stude for next-to-nothing, fix it up, get it looking really nice. Something about which people would say "Wow! That's a really neat car! What is it, anyway?"

I was very pleased to get Rusty home to Springfield, MO and get a good look at him. He has a few rust holes, but is remarkably solid considering all the time

The driver is unhooking the cable from the winch while I am trying to keep Rusty from rolling away. Actually, at this point, he had come to rest in a low spot, and just needed a little push to move into the garage.

he spent outdoors. The floor is rusted out on the passenger's side in front. The metal is still there, but is so thin that you can easily push your finger through it. The rest of the floor inside is very solid, the tarry coating is in good shape. There is a rusted out spot in both corners of the trunk near the tail lights, the one on the left side is pretty big, the one on the right is just rusted through, but no holes. There are rusted through spots just at the front of both rear fenders near the rear doors. I found, in removing the right fender, that this area is one in which Studebaker doubled up the sheet metal (see the picture on the next pages). As the water from the rear tire got in between the two layers of steel, it had nowhere to go, so that area stayed moist, and eventually rusted through both layers of metal.

The upholstery is totally gone. I mean really, really, gone. Right down to the springs. The old cotton batting eventually got pushed down in between all the springs. That was a big job, picking out all those little bits of cotton from all the springs. I did save some pieces of the original upholstery material, so that someday, when I get to that part, I can try to find some modern material that is similar in appearance. I have heard the color of this material described as "Studebaker Mouse Gray" or something like that.

"There's no place like home!" Rusty in his new environment. Our good friends, Pastor Curt and Deb Zachary, were very nice in allowing us to house Rusty in their garage. Turns out, the previous owners of their home had this garage built to restore old cars! No wonder he looks so good sitting there!

Fortunately, I was able to find the Ozark Trails Chapter of the Studebaker Driver's Club right here in Springfield. The current president of the club, Jim Moore, and his wife, Sue have been very kind and helpful in getting me information, and getting me involved in the local organization. I signed up for membership in the International Studebaker Driver's Club, and I was very pleased to receive the latest issue of the club journal, "Turning Wheels."

I have spent a lot of time on the internet, perusing the Studebaker Web Ring web sites, as well as the various vendors of Studebaker parts. I have purchased some items off E-bay, some good buys and some not so good. So it goes!

· Part Two - Mark Pearson's 1948 Studebaker Restoration Project - The Process Begins

More to Come!

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