Bad Brakes, Crappy Clutch - 1949 Studebaker Champion Drives After 20 Years! (Plus Bonus Studebaker)

[@jimbo5728]

The test drives, requiring unusual operation of the controls, never get old 😂😂

[@bradsrestorations1085]

To me, it's amazing how long old stuff can sit and then like magic, it runs!

[@daltonsparks1293]

That Studebaker would make a sweet cruiser.

[@butcher390]

Studebakers !!!!! 💙 I'm so happy !!!! 😭💖

[@chrisfreemesser]

That Champion is such a sweet little car...modest in nature but stylish at the same time. I'm really digging it!

[@robertspence831]

What a neat old car!

[@JimmyConway70]

"DC-101" !?!?!?!? Damn... a big Hello from their neck of the woods!! (If you didn't already know, it's a radio station from the other side of the country.. Washington D.C.)

[@Sidewayz455]

_'Where we're going, we don't need no clutch'_

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

That’s right 😅

[@SeanJoseph-s2s]

Simple car from simple times...thanks...🔧🔧🐐👍

[@pcbullets8726]

Cool! Two Studebakers! Nice to see the other one is running well!

[@stevenandrews1012]

The Smurphabaker iz so cute...Ahh. the joys of driving without a clutch..Builds character...Yeah the original tires would have been a bit taller..

[@AgentC24]

From between 0:21 to 0:25, I was waiting for the Iron Man riff to kick in. Great vid about those fun old Studebakers!

[@DrivingSander1970]

Love it! The design of the Studebaker Champion almost looks like the European designs from the period! I really dig this thing! 😁

[@DL24StaS]

It's actually more like vice versa ) the European designs from early 50s often looked like the Studebaker... it was nearly the first one to come up with a brand new design after the war. Styled by no one else but Virgil Exner - you know, the "forward looking" guy.

[@rogerlee3941]

Love me some Studebakers!! I've got a 51 Champion Starlight Coupe.

[@klapaucius77]

My crystal ball shows more Studebaker videos in the future! Excellent!

[@robertspence831]

And Hudson Hornets!

[@JimmyLoose]

3:50. The Durango is playing "The floor is lava."

[@musclecarmitch908]

Cool old car! Great to see it hit the road again!👍

[@rickrice3221]

The Stude was obviously well loved by the PO - deserves to be fully operational.

[@upfactoryracing4148]

I like it too! I love the Fozzy Bear joke 😂

[@doncripemc3certifiedsr.med326]

I learned to drive in a 51 and 55 stude. I love the Lowey studes.

[@MikeTheSlacker]

Liking the progress

[@mikemullay5622]

Jamie when you get that little Studebaker sorted it is going to make a nice cruiser.

[@d1mennis]

Throw a few bucks at it and you'll have yourself a sweet little ride!

[@waynedavis7245]

What a wonderful car . I hope too see you go through this car and get it road worthy.

[@blownaway4371]

The roof reminds me of the Savoy of the 50's! Another awesome video!

[@LeonardMagnusson]

hello sir. hope you are having a good week. they finally let my ass out of bed. thank you for your show sir.

[@ronaldrey8474]

The industrial tractor sound is Coooool.

[@ReimundCabel-c8c]

More work to be done.My old foreman would be thrilled you got it driving.

[@OlderNotNecesarilyWiser]

Pretty neat car, hard to believe it runs on that old gas! I believe this might be another one which is going to keep you busy.

[@uwusmolbean]

Weeeee ! 🎉 Go faster Daddy !!! 🚙

[@parrishpatterson6780]

What a unique car.

[@jamesdeans2614]

Ahhhhh the memories, my dad had a Studebaker which had a large curtain rail connected to the back of the front bench seat. Apparently it was used to handcuff suspects securely inside the vehicle. So,dad sold the car and the new owner rolled it over about 2 miles from ours when they hit the railroad crossing which was angled across said road at a crazy angle. But I could be mistaken, it was a long time ago.

[@dantupper1784]

I like both of those Studebakers. And the body styling differences between the post-war '49 and post-jet-age '61- wow!. Modern uograded brakes are a must with modern freeway speeds.

[@jamesrodriquez2863]

The speed limit back then was 75 mph on the interstate highways, so a properly functioning set of drum brakes would be fine.

[@williamweiss6128]

Cute car. CHROME!!!

[@davidcoudriet8439]

Diggin Dave's DC 101 t shirt. My hometown fm station!

[@KartingwasmyLife]

Andy Granatelli would have loved this! He was still making appearances at car shows large & small before his death. I just missed seeing him at the Perth Ontario, Canada fair that had a big Studebaker show in 2008 (ish). RIP Andy ❤

[@clembob8004]

Here's a cool idea: do a "Car and Driver road test" on "the all new 1949 Studebaker, first by far with a postwar car"....oh wow I think you just did that. Anyway, it was nice to see it actually move, and also to see the white supercharged Stude again, I really like that car. That supercharger whine is the best.

[@scottsmith1897]

Sweet farmers tan 🤣 And moving up in the world with a chase car........ 😀 loved the boat video and hell just keep making content like the vids!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It’s a pretty intense farmer’s tan. People laughed at me when we were boating and I went swimming 😅

[@todddenio3200]

When they are running right that old. Studebaker 6 cylinder will be an extremely smooth running engine and with the overdrive it should get around 30 mpg on the highway

[@paulwells4203]

If it turns out there is an electric solenoid for the overdrive, you may be able to install two switches to allow activation of the overdrive when ever you want. It allows first gear plus overdrive and second gear plus overdrive as well as the normal third gear plus overdrive. Second gear plus overdrive can help keep your speed up when climbing a steep hill with not much horsepower. My dad did this on a 1953 Plymouth Belvedere. Second gear plus overdrive allowed the car to blaze up a steep road near our house at a blistering 30 mph... Thanks for the interesting video Jamie.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh of course. I’m well familiar with the possibilities there. None of the electrical accessories are powered up in the car right now. When they are, it may well just work. And if not doesn’t, I will go to great lengths to make it work correctly. Thanks!

[@mikemullay5622]

Jamie, you should have the hill holder feature on that transmission as well. It keeps the car from rolling backwards when taking off in first on a hill.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It does! I will show that on video when I get under the car.

[@FranklinNewhart]

That first Cruise Day is the big target.

[@JackSquat54]

The perfect geek car. Get it running. Get some geek sun glasses. Get geek hats. Cruise down the Geek Hiway when it's night time.

[@chrispiazza7487]

That thing might have a "hill holder"unit in the brake system. It will allow you to sit at a stop sign, on an incline, without having to ride the brake while you try to accelerate forward. A neat option from Studebaker from that period.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It does! I will show that on a future episode.

[@rogercamp6071]

My dad actually owned a '47 Chevy that had one installed by the previous owner .

[@DarrylDutton-y3b]

I hate the tapered axles, my 62 Chrysler 300 had them, went to wrecking yard and bought a complete rear end from a B body dodge (I think it was a B body, that about 20 years ago) bolted in 100%, benefits of doing this: modern bendix brakes with slip on drums, this was a HUGE improvement in braking!, one piece axles, and able to delete the driveshaft ebrake and use the drum ebrakes

[@KrisGreenhillsGarage]

It's about time you got off the water and got back into the garage. 😆

[@KrisGreenhillsGarage]

But I'm pretty sure I told you to get back to Mopar stuff. 🤨

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’m doing Mopar stuff right now 😅 with any luck you’ll see that Sunday.

[@kennethflusche7900]

So the overdrive in the Stude is like the OD in my 63 Rambler (wish I still had it) works like a two speed automatic in all 3 gears 1st ad 1st OD great in base traffic stop and go 0 to 25...2nd and 2nd OD great stop and go 15 to 30... and 3rd and 3rd OD Highway cruising 45 to 65 mph now back to the show. and yes you pull the OD handle when stopped or like my Dad said just keep it in OD for a six speed trany

[@13coyote13]

Studebaker lived on for years as Scientifically Treated Petroleum, in other words Richard Petty's biggest sponsor STP oil products.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I know it!

[@DalyTheThird]

Upvote for “almost like following Fozzie The Bear.” Excellent hidden Studebaker reference. Bra-fkn-VO!

[@daveharvey5032]

I just remembered more about the O/D. The governor will make the solenoid ground out, triggering the O/D unit to drop into O/D. There should be a fuse for the solenoid. Check that. Then ground the solenoid and check for a click. If all that works, take off the governor, attach your multimeter to the tab and to the case, and spin the governor with a drill. At some point when it winds up pretty good, the meter should show zero resistance. If all that checks out, then I don't know what the problem is. But I will say the kickdown switch wiring is a little complex and not entirely intuitive, so maybe check that. Or the switch itself.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I know what the problem is - it currently has no power 😅

[@karensavarese5684]

Jack the rear wheels off the ground. Start it in third, work the clutch in and out, various revs. (Almost always) works! Good luck. Love,,Dubs.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Interesting, I’ll give that a shot. I would’ve thought clutching in and out with the load of the car going down the road would be enough.

[@moparedtn]

*DC 101!* Dude is already on my good guy list, just for that tee shirt.... Ah yes, the good old 70s-80s, when DC101 ruled the Washington DC airwaves with both ROCK (as in the real kind, not the crap recorded these days) plus some real characters with syndicated shows (look up "The Greaseman" sometime, kiddies - that dude had no fear back when Stern was just learning how to "shock"). Oh - still loving that darn Studebaker, too. A car worthy of attention and KEEPING! - Ed on the Ridge

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

DC-101 was huge in the 1970's. The Greaseman came to DC-101 in 1982. He lived in Potomac, Maryland, but was a sheriff's deputy in Falls Church, Virginia. I once saw him a gun shop, in Alexandria, Virginia. They sold machine guns, but I think he was looking at shotguns at the time.

[@daveharvey5032]

The shirt-wearer here. I found it at a thrift store here in Olympia, all the way across the continent. I nabbed it mostly cuz someone in Heavy Metal Parking lot (filmed at the old Capitol Center just outside DC) wears one!

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

@@daveharvey5032 Ha, ha. When I first saw the shirt, I was thinking, I bet that came from a thrift store. My mother used to buy my father and I cheap T-shirts at Goodwill and didn't pay much attention to what was on them, only their size. If we didn't like them, we could use them to work on cars or in the yard.

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

@@daveharvey5032 Ha, ha. When I saw the shirt, my first thought was, I bet that came from a thrift store. My mother used by T-shirts at Goodwill for my father and I. She didn't pay much attention to what was on them, only their size. If we didn't like them, we could wear them to work on cars and in the yard. I've been to some concerts at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. "On December 15, 2002, the Capital Centre was demolished in an implosion. A shopping mall called the The Boulevard at the Capital Centre sits on the former lot." No way, would I park a car in that neighborhood these days. Even driving through there isn't a good idea.

[@jamescereda2628]

2 of my old friends had a rock in the glove box to bang on the carburetor because the floats would always stick!

[@JDWorkshop-wn9tt]

Neat car!

[@45BradB]

I wonder if the guys on the assembly line making these cars 80yrs ago had bets with each other on whether any of them would be left still running almost a century in the future.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

One has to wonder!

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

In pretendo-what if world... "Joe, I had one last night come down line 12 with an axle that's never going to see '53." It probably still has the 53 grease mark on the rear springs

[@jeffhutchins7048]

I've wondered that MANY TIMES! Walk up to them and say, "hey, would you like to see a COLOR movie on my PHONE of this car in the year TWO THOUSAND....and TWENTY FOUR???😮

[@bobnuttall9203]

I'm sure someone already posted this, but I'll say it anyways. Those were originally 6 volt positive ground cars right up through 1955. In 56 they were 12 volt negative ground. The trans 2nd and 3rd gears are sycromesh. Those little 170 flathead 6 engines were good little engines. They made them from the late 30s early 40s right into 1960. In 61 they adapted that basic engine configuration into an OHV engine. They made those right up to the end of the 64 model year I believe. Be forewarned, these engines had babbitt rod bearings into the late 40s, before switching over to insert bearings. Later insert bearing rods can be swapped into earlier engines. I have 3 of those engines sitting in my garage, along with a 3 spd overdrive trans, collecting dust. Hope I didn't bore you too much and good luck

[@johnmullins2798]

Cool old car.

[@roycervantes1341]

Yeee Yeee

[@localcrew]

That rat house was LIT!

[@markscheidlmeier6523]

Now? Just need a PACKARD. Straight 8 ...of course...LOL! Looks like you guys are having lots of antiQue fun!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I would love to have a straight 8. And Packards are nifty. More likely to own a Hudson though…

[@Anthony-nw5zv]

Cool 😎

[@Wayfarer001]

Your buddy has on a DC101 shirt out of DC. Former home of Howie Stern,& The Greaseman. I grew up on DC 101

[@garyslentzii2796]

I would have to rewire that crazy starter with a push button start. Such a cool car.

[@michaelnault5905]

Utilitarian art! BTW Your check engine light is on :⁠-⁠)

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

That was one of my favorite shirts when I was a real mechanic 😅

[@ThisValiantAdventure]

Ahhh, Jamie in his unnatural habitat… a Studebaker.

[@Backwardlooking]

Have die cast models of both.👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@powerhawk56]

1950 Champion is the last year for the 4 lug wheels, however 1950 is a one year suspension and brakes. The engine in 50 has some differences in it as well because of the suspension, mainly the oil pan is different....

[@doublebackagain4311]

"Contact!" 😅

[@mikemiller3650]

Hi, I'm Jamie and this is Skipping Studebaker Garage

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I like it, but I feel we can do better. I could crash it into the slough by my shop and call it Sinking Studebaker Garage. Stinking Studebaker Garage definitely applies as-is.

[@BigBoxDodge2020]

One of my old Ford tractors had a sticking clutch and I used to drive it really slow up against a tree with the clutch down and then hope it broke loose. Eventually it's stuck for good.

[@davidcoudriet8439]

A Stude in Dick Tracy Blue. Awesome!

[@ctwolfgang433]

That car looks like the perfect car for a door to door vacuum salesman in the 50s.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Close! I think the perfect one would be a business coupe. Haha.

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

There's a Seinfeld for that... it's "The Bizarro Jerry" episode where it's the same people in the script, like both cars are Studebakers, yet they had a notably different niceness, or otherwise.

[@kennethflusche7900]

Having Flashbacks to when I was 13 years old, and several high school kids and their fathers could not say No to $25 non-running Studebakers. Most Sold running within a month for between &100 and $1,000. Naturally by the time I was 18 there were none to be found.

[@rayrayadkins6178]

It's for sale on Marketplace in Gloucester Virginia

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

My grandfather only drove Studebakers. He said, "if it isn't a Studebaker, it's not a car."

[@caryd67]

That is a very interesting looking car, particularly from the rear. If you block the view of the rear window and roof with your hand, it looks like a Vauxhall Victor. When you remove your hand to reveal the window and roof, it looks like the front of a car sporting the wrong lights. Edit: I want that red 63 Impala. Please sir… May I have that

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It's a '64, and it's for sale. You can't *have* it, but you sure can buy it if you're in roughly the Pacific Northwest and you have some money.

[@rodrocket8216]

Beautiful car. Could be the mushies talking, but we'll agree with em, ey. 🖖

[@jimringo2569]

More Stude shows warden!

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

if that was the Hotchkiss rear axle design with articulating rear hangers like Chryslers use, that layout offers a small amount of rear steering when cornering. The hanger allows the outside wheel to pull ahead in relation to the other rear wheel. This gives a caster effect and response to the amount of power the engine is being called upon to deliver, ie powering out of a corner. The light weight with good suspension geometry should make these better than the average 1949 car.

[@p38kris]

Im amazed the castle nuts weren't rusted

[@GeekGinger]

Nice to see a bear, I mean a Jamie, in his natural habitat. A Studebaker. That's right, a Muppet Movie joke😮

[@Grandadsjunk]

What a cool Studebaker looks pretty tidy too why not turbo the flat 6 low pressure boost be real cool do more videos on it brother

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Not my flathead to turbo, but I’ve definitely considered that in the past. Some day…

[@Darryl-69SE]

Nice car, keep the hammer away from the 68 charger 😂

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I usually do...

[@danielulz1640]

The car has the 49 style wrap around bumpers, so I am thinking that it is a 1949 model.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It is, as mentioned in the title, the description, and twice in the video itself.

[@danielulz1640]

I thought that it was still up for debate, since the first words of the video refer to it as a 48. I am glad that you figured it out and I am enjoying this series on the 49 Studebaker. ​@@DeadDodgeGarage

[@clevelandmaker386]

Man.... I bet on marketplace they would still want 10k for it

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

You are remarkably close to once they had originally considered selling it for

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

I bought an Opel Manta with a stuck clutch, it loosened up the night I got it. It was nice, I thought this will be a nice driver and nope.. seized right back up. The guy who bought it from me months later got it unstuck again infront of my house and I thought.. just wait.

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Old school overdrives are weird little animals. Useful, but strange. So yeah, Control Handle OUT should disengage, Handle IN should allow it to engage. The big pod on the side of the OD unit houses a Governor and that has to be running at a certain speed before it will allow the OD to be engaged. 27mph sound about right. Some had a third gear lockout while others didn't - it really depends on which unit you've got. Some allow OD in 2nd, some don't. There's also an electrical portion of it that actually shuts off the ignition to your engine for a split second while OD engages. These older ones CANNOT engage OD under power like the later Laycock's can. There's a whole electrical sub-harness that handles the OD. There should be two switches on or near the gas pedal/throttle linkage. That all connects to the relay box that handles the ignition shut-off. And that's all controlled by the contacts in the Governor. When the Governor is spinning fast enough, it closes a set of contacts. When you're in third and over 27mph; lift off the accelerator - you should feel a light clunk which is both the engine shutting off for a second and the OD engaging, at which point you get back on the throttle and you'll be in Top Gear with OD engaged. Flooring the accelerator should disengage OD as well. Yes, 2nd and 3rd are synchronized. Synchros date back to the 30's yet. Class Dismissed!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I knew almost all of that! I didn’t know these ones killed the ignition, but incidentally, I do know that Chrysler’s early semi automatic transmissions do. It does have at least a full throttle switch.

[@Huffy_Turns_a_Wrench]

that is a neat car.... looks like it should be driven by a bat man villain....

[@jamesonpace726]

Scary. I had a similar line up of a '62 GT & 2 '50 Champs, 1 light green, the other dark green. I was gone make a million dollars. I did not....

[@Oldjohn52]

Pretty sure the starter button is under the clutch pedal on purpose. Mash the clutch in and the starter goes to work, you let up juuuuust a bit when it starts. My grandfather had such a car. Might have been a studebaker but I was just a tot. Might have been a Pontiac.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yes, I understand that. It’s essentially a clutch safety feature.

[@davidthomits544]

So this is now dead studebaker garage

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

At times, it can be. There's also Dead Boat Garage, and occasionally *gasp* Dead Ford Garage...

[@godeternalchrisgaming3955]

What is your go to oil brand?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

For old engines, I used Kendall race oil for the high zinc - and because it’s cheap.

[@SE-me2pt]

There was a group of Kendall holding tanks at the trail and south Ave Toledo for years. Had the two finger 2000 miles logo. Driving memoirs.....

[@SE-me2pt]

Incidentally there was a carry out next to them with giant neon sign on top flashing "ICE COLD BEER" . Was top customer for a minute.lol

[@p38kris]

I reallly want a studebaker bullet nose

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Dude, yeah. They’re awesome.

[@Wayfarer001]

Cool car,looks like a mushroom.

[@rayrayadkins6178]

Jamie I know where one is on Marketplace down here in Gloucester that's a ex-military

[@jamesrodriquez2863]

Not tryin to take anything away from that killer Super Hawk, but I'd much rather have that Champion. BTW, are any of the vehicles there on your lot for sale?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Generally, no. The ‘64 Bel Air is.

[@Legacy_Lou]

They could have located the starter switch 3 inches to the left 😂

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I think the idea was that it also functioned as a clutch safety. Maybe.

[@SE-me2pt]

Hitler would have loved the 74 75 Imperials.....lol some call it a waterfall grill, i think of Oliver Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and other comedians.

[@samuelgoodman2825]

Two pump brakes?1 less than my Dart anyway.4 lug pattern.InterestingAlso you can't tell if it's coming or going.