1951 Studebaker Champion Starlite Coupe PT build

[Larry R]

Thanks. The original dash curved inward towards the firewall such that I could not get the A/C evaporator under it. So I cut out the "middle" leaving just the upper and side perimeters intact. I got some metal and fabricated a new inner portion and welded it to the what was left of the original dash. Then lots of time cutting the holes for the gauges and etc. I kept the original factory gauge panel dimension but used all new gauges. I also lost the original glove compartment due to the evaporator, but to balance it out I added the piece of engine turned aluminum with the old glove compartment door emblem to the passenger side. Studebaker used engine turned aluminum in later model dashes as well as Stewart Warner gauges. I wanted to keep the connection to Studebaker but used Auto Meter instead.

It has been far too long, so I am getting really excited about finally getting to drive it again. I will definitely post a video.

[Motown 454]

What did you use for the fan controller the Holley HP controller?

[Larry R]

What I used to control my two Spal fans is a Ford Fusion/Corvette C6 pwm controller. Yes, it is used by both Ford and Corvette. Needles to say the Ford version is cheaper. In fact I got mine new off eBay for 40-50 dollars. You will also need a pressure transducer in the high side of the A/C lines. There are 5 wires to connect from the PWM, one to 12 volts, one to ground, one to the + side of the fans and one to the - side on the fans. It will certainly work for just one fan. The final wire goes to the output pin coming from the input/output portion of the ECU. There are three pins on the A/C transducer; one goes to the input side of the I/O one to a 5 volt pin in the I/O and the final one to a ground, also in the I/O. Then some programming needs to be done in the I/O. It is a really cool set up because yo can set it up to have the fan(s) run only as needed, governed in my case by either the engine temperature and/or the pressure in the A/C system. Also it is a soft start, so easy on the fans. If you don't have A/C, the second parameter can be car speed. AndrewB70 one of the moderators here really knows about this. Check out this link for more info: https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthr...t=51150&page=2 Go to post 16 and watch the video. I will post a photo of the PWM controller. Don't hesitate to ask my any questions. BTW, I perused your build on the Camaro, boy that is really special. You should be very proud of it. Larry

[Motown 454]

Thanks Larry

[Larry R]

It has been, obviously, a long time since my last post. I have been working on it and tomorrow it goes in for the interior work. In got it running late last year but ran into a lot of problems. The first time I backed it out of the driveway, I found that the power steering was nonexistent. I went ahead and drove it thinking the just needed to get the fluid circulated and then it would be ok. Boy was I wrong. When I got back home I noticed a pool of oil under the car. Of course it from the power steering. After a little checking I realized it was coming from the pump. I had purchased it from Rock Auto but so long ago that the warranty was no longer valid. So I removed it, not an easy job, and took it to my local parts house and purchased another one. I put it on but still had the same problem. At this point I made a call to Hydra Tech the manufacturer of my hydro boost. He told it could not be the hydro boost and recommended I contact Lee Power Steering in California. I did and to make a long story short, I ended up sending my pump to them for their performance rebuilds. About a week later they called me and said my pump was not rebuildable due to several cracks in it, (see photos). So I went ahead and purchased one of their pumps. Finally, now I had power steering. I had them send me my old pump so I could see if I could get a refund; I did! I now could really drive the car, but the next problem that raised its ugly head was the Gear Vendors overdrive. Basically when it did go into overdrive, it would hunt and go back and fort into and out of overdrive. So I contacted Gear Vendors and they told me that the old style brain box was probably the cause. So I ordered the new brain box. Of course it was somewhat different that mine so I had to completely rewire it. I was able to use my existing control panel and since I had made a built in place in my dash panel I did not to have to take it out. Now the overdrive functioned as it should. There were also several electrical gremlins that took quite a bit of time to sort out. But now it runs the way I hoped it would and I pretty happy the way it turned out. I have also spent a lot of time on the interior insulation. I got Raamat for the insulation material it consists of two layers.. The first is the traditional layer of the butyl type stuff with the foam backing. The next layer they call Ensolite. It is a foam type material that is supposed to be very good for sound deadening. Based on my high tech knock on the panel test I think it really will. I hope so for my wife and I like to go on rod trips and I do want it to be fairly quiet for those type of trips. In fact we have already registered for the 50th NSRA nationals on Louisville this summer. I will post more photos when I get the car back from the upholstery shop. Larry

[Larry R]

Update: I know it has been quite a while since I last posted. The interior is done and I have been driving it some. But a few problems have raised their ugly heads and I have been dealing with them as I get the opportunity. The car would overheat on hot days, so I had a custom aluminum radiator made as well as upgrading my fans to more powerful units. That seems to have done the trick. The Holley ECU died and Holley said it was dead and of course out of warranty. Also the Gear Vendors overdrive I took a gamble on, and purchased used, worked for a while but then started acting up. After much trouble shooting and many phone calls to GV, it was determined that most probably the clutch failed inside the unit. So I purchased a rebuilt one from GV with a warranty. Of course that was exchange which I didn't mind as it was much less than a new one. On top of all that I needed a knee replacement surgery this past January which has set things back some. I am on the mend and able to work on the car now.

AndrewB70 has been helping me with getting the tune right for my EFI set up, he really knows Holley and EFI! Last, I am having a CV joint driveshaft made to correct a driveling issue 9on the car. I have actually put 1000 miles n the car and am pretty happy with the results.

[Motown 454]

Wow interior came out great! The whole car looks amazing, Nice work.

[Larry R]

Thank you.

[egoman]

Thats some good work there bud!

[andrewb70]

Looking good, Larry!

[wfo guy]

Looks good. Glad you're making progress.

[Peanut1959]

The car looks fantastic! Glad you're getting to enjoy it some, now. Always enjoy seeing a nicely thought out modified Studebaker.