ClassicCar

Bryan;



Since the car has been setting since the 60's I would recommend dropping the oil pan and clean it and the pickup screen. My Dad had a car that sat for about 20 years. When I removed the drain plug to change the oil nothing came out. It had the consistance of mud even though the oil was fresh before being parked.



Better the engine bearings get fresh oil rather than any sludge when started.



Good luck with the car. Lee

Welcome to the group Bryan

I've always liked the look of the Starlight. I would love to have a project one to tinker with now that I have the time.



14G-C5 / 3082

According to my book this is somewhat conflicting. Now, I know that sometimes these books miss a beat or are not proof-read so the information is somewhat questionable, but here is what it says.

14G = Model - Champion

5C = Body Type - Regal Coupe 5 Passenger

Note: In my book I think they made a mistake because they do not show the 5C under Champion for 53 but they do for 52. They do show 2, 5C's for Commander though and one of then is the one I posted. Seeing it was the same for 52 I figured it to be the right one

3082 = This series of digits indicate the particular body number.



G-1218806 = G is the model number i.e. Champion and the other digits indicate the production number and the assembly plant. In this case 1218806 falls in the group of numbers for South Bend, IN as they started with 1197501 and went up. The numbers for the Los Angeles plant was 917701 and up.



Starlight Coupe 5 Passenger Factory price was $1995.00 with approximately 16,066 made.

Champion 6 = L-Head, Cast Iron block, 169.6 C.I.D., Bore 3" Stroke 4", 7.0:1 Compression Ratio, Brake Horsepower 85 @ 4000 R.P.M., 4 Main bearings, Solid Valve Lifters, Carter Carb Model WE-989SA one barrel.

There was a ton of options for this year and I wonder how many your car may have.



Best of luck with the car and show us any pictures if you can.

Ron

Old Mechanic.



That was alot of interesting information you shared. I enjoyed reading it myself.



Bryan



It may be the location of where the cars were located. My Dad's car was in the dry low humidity of Arizona. Even the radiator antifreeze and brake fluid had evaporated. They were bone dry.



On the other hand, when I bought my Hudson the oil looked ok on the dip stick. The previous owner couldn't tell me how long it had been setting. Hudson guys kept telling me to drop the pan and clean it. I didn't really want to do it. I only wanted to change the oil, which has always been a habbit whenever I got a new/old car. Changing oil pan gaskets has always been one job I hated to do. But I did it anyway, and cleaned the pan. I'm glad I did, because there was a little more than an inch of sludge on the bottom of the pan. But, you may not have that problem.



I'm with Old racer about welcoming you to the forum and wanting to see pictures of your car. I hope you will share on the forum any plans you have for it in the future. It's always interesting to hear about another car coming back to like. Enjoy your new project.



Have a good day. Lee

Cool looking car, Bryan. A friend of mine, in Tenn, has two of them. One with a small block Chevy in it. I remember it had swirl machined dash. I don't know if they came like that. Does your car have that kind of dash. The only cars I had seen this on were some street rods.



Lee

As for the interior, I believe that the only choices were plastic and afabric type material. Studebaker did claim to be the invertors of the Nylon seats though. I doubt that they used Leather then, especially on these cars.



Did you get the picture posting sorted out?



Ron

OK, you asked for it. According to "The Standard Catalog of American Cars - 1946 - 1975:



Oh, and as you read this, you will see all the new inventions of today that were offered back in that day.



Hill Holder - Hydraulic power steering ($134) - Directional signals - White sidewall tires - Stratoline eight-tube push button radio - Starline six-tube manual tuning radio - Internally controlled reel-type cowl radio antenna - Auxillary rear seat speaker - Climatizer heater/defroster - Fabric or plastic seat covers - Deluxe or Strat-O-Styled hood ornament - front fender ornaments - Exhaust deflector - License plate frames (two styles) - Gas door guard - "Automatic Drive" nameplate - Strat-O-Styled, Strat-O-Vu or Universal exterior rearview mirror - Rear fender skirts - Full wheel covers or Wire wheel type covers - Front and rear wing guards (bumper extentions) - Rubber floor mats - Rubber front splash guards - Accelerator pedal cover and wear pad - Locking gas cap - Fog light bumperettes with or without the fog lights - Spotlight (with built in mirror) - Back up lights - Parking brake warning light - Glove compartment light - Under hood light - Trunk light for all models except land cruiser (Land cruiser it was standard) - Electric clock - Safety child proof rear door locks - Glareproof rear view mirror - Tissue dispenser - Cigarette lighter - Vanity mirror - Windshield washer - Exterior windshield sun visor - Side window vent shades - Custom luggage - Rear window defroster - Headbolt engine heater - Tire chains - Arctic wiper blades - Undercoating - Electric windshiled wipers for Champions - Rear ash receiver for Champion Custom/Deluxe sedans - Fram oil filter for all models except Land Cruiser (standard) - Fram radiator water filter - Crankcase ventilator - Accessories specifically for the Champion Custom: Extra interior sun visor, front door armrests, rear armrests and rear ashtray. A Three speed manual transmission with column mounted gearshift was standard on all models. Overdrive was available for $105 extra on Champions and $118 extra on Commanders. Automatic Drive was available for $231 extra on Champions and $243 extra on Commanders. A 7.5:1 compression ratio was optional on both engines.



Hope this helps you

Ron

They did some crazy things back in the 50's.



Just do a search for the Dodge "La Femme"



I also believe that there were other cars I think even in earlier years that had luggage to go along with it.



I look through my books from time to time and find things from the years of my youth that I never heard of for options. Hell, my dad bought a new 59 Chevy Sport Sedan (4 dr. hardtop) that was just a car. Nothing exciting to that eh?



It was exciting buying cars back then I can imagine, not like today.

Well, I would say that for that year, it is a very nicely optioned car.



I looked at the photos and although you have some work to do on it, I think it would be a fun car to do plus a nice one when it's finished.



Finding the luggage would be outstanding all be it extremely rare, but never give up hope as stranger things have happened.

Keep us posted as to your progress or what you end up doing with the car.



Also the best of luck.

Ron