Issue #23
The JTN is intended to provide a link among
owners and enthusiasts of the R1, R2, R3 and R4 powered Studebaker Larks and
Hawks built for 1963 and 1964. We seek not only information about surviving
cars but also parts which exist from ”parted” units. Please submit all the data
of which you are aware on any of the nearly 2000 such cars built. Feel free to
make copies of this notice to share with others who may be interested.
If you are the owner of a previously
unreported JT car, the owner of a removed JT engine, the locator of a parted JT
car, or if you can refer the JTN to such an owner, you will be sent a one time,
gratis issue for your effort. Please write, call or email. Please do not send
funds for 2005 subscription.
EDITOR &
ROSTER KEEPER..... G.J. (Ron) Ellerbe, P.O. Box
1783, Simi Valley, CA 93062
Phone: (805)-522-4544 Email: ellerbe@pacbell.net
Founding
Editor: Don
Curtis Past Editor: George Krem
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JT Production
Lists by Serial Number
These listings tabulate all cars built by
serial and engine number and a few additional details. They are useful for
determining the factory original state of that JT car and/or JT engine origins.
The 1964 list has more information on each car than the 1963 list.
JT Owners
Rosters: A
single package contains the following 3 rosters: 1) owners of 1963 JT
cars, 2) owners of 1964 JT cars, and 3)
owners of engines pulled from JT cars.
JT 1963 Production Listing |
$10 |
JT 1964 Production Listing |
$10 |
JT Owner Rosters |
$10 |
To order any of the above, make checks
payable to the editor and remit to same.
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All address corrections should be sent to the
editor.
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If you have a JT car to report, please supply
the editor with the year, model, body style, VIN (driver’s door post), body #
(firewall), engine type, engine # (top of block on driver’s side),
transmission, interior and exterior colors. If it’s a ’63, please note if it
has front fender badges and 160mph speedometer. Send a photo. For a loose JT or
JTS engine, send the engine # and any info on the donor car.
A permanent goal of the JTN is the maintenance of the owner rosters of
‘63 and ‘64 JT cars and loose engines. These 3 rosters are published on the PC.
Reports of JT cars that the JTN receives go into the rosters. That includes
changes of ownership, engine transplants, survivor discoveries and news of
parted and crushed vehicles. “Loose” means the engine is no longer in its
original car. The roster trio is available as shown on the title page. The JTN
keeps a library of photos and build sheets. Please send JTN your photos and
build sheet along with that JT story. With the aid of the readership, we do our
best to track down sightings and reports of JT equipped cars. JTN counts on its
readers to report such sightings and to aid in identification. Another part of
the JTN mission is sharing of technical and historical information about
Studebaker high performance from South Bend and Paxton Products during the 1963
and 1964 model years.
Photocopies of back issues are available. $25
for a set of issues #1 - #22, postpaid. Contact your editor.
Surviving cars found since the last
issue
Owner |
Car |
Owner |
Car |
Russ Jenks |
64V19702 R1 GT Hawk |
John McCall |
64V12422 R2 Convertible |
Found engines
Owner |
Number |
Wayne Kiefer |
JT1785 out of 63V28436 GT Hawk |
Cars sold
Owner |
Car |
Last owner |
Dan White |
64V1609 R2 GT Hawk |
Pete Phillips |
Michael Float |
63V17809 R1 Wagon |
Jon Finstrom |
John McCall wrote:
John McCall mentioned seeing the TV show
Legends of Motorsports in which a 1963 Australian 6 hour race had 3 1963 R2 Studebakers. The
mixed class event at Sandown and the three cars each had a different preparer. One was Rodger
Ward, one was Holman & Moody and the third was a local dealer. Bigger cars went through
brakes at a high rate. While the Studes kept going, one big car went through a wall. John has
recovered the remains of the ’64 R2 Convertible 64V12422 written about in issue #22.
d
Andy Petrass on Lark vs. Thunderbolt:
I ran into a guy that I haven't seen in years and he told me a story
that I thought you might get a kick out of. But first a bit of background. In
1963, a man by the name of Dick Ross raced a 63 R2 / 4 speed Regal at some of
the area drag strips. Studebaker provided the car, parts and presumably the
funding, while Dick worked on the car, hauled it around and did the driving.
It's unknown how Dick Ross came to campaign the Lark. He worked at a service
station in Roseland, a small village on the north side of South Bend. Dick
apparently had an “in” at the factory and I would hazard a guess that it was
through C. M. MacMillen. Cliff MacMillen was the head of Industrial Relations
at Studebaker, and both he and Dick lived in the tiny community of Hudson Lake.
Hudson Lake is a couple of miles north west of New Carlisle, which you may
recognize as the town address of the Studebaker Proving Ground. At any rate,
the Lark was raced at US 30 ( Gary IN),Osceola (Osceola IN), Bunker Hill
(Bunker Hill IN), and US 131 (Martin MI) during the 1963 season. According to
Dick’s son Denny, (Dick died about 4 months before I was able to locate Denny),
they usually had to run the car in A/FX or A/GS at NHRA tracks, ,and although
Osceola was an unsanctioned track until a couple of years ago, they generally
followed NHRA rules as well. Denny said that they quite often ended up running
against 409 Chevies and usually won. He told me about a race at Martin in which
the Lark ran in the 10's and the Paxton was putting out about 14 PSI. Denny was
16 at the time and either his youthful memory was faulty, or his dad was able
to defy the Laws of Physics with an essentially stock Stude.
I'm pretty well convinced that this Regal is the one refered to by Bill
Dredge in his
September 27, 1963 letter to Bob Palma. In this letter Mr Dredge states
that “It may interest you to know that we were running an R2 SuperLark Regal here
in South Bend and getting into the high 12 sec. area at well over 105 miles per
hour...” This brings me (finally) to the story I heard last week. Years ago I
worked with a man by the name of Truman Nordhagen, who has always been involved
with fast and /or unusual cars. He was a rather skilled driver and could
easilly outshift Dick Ross, so when things got serious at the track, Truman
would occasionally step in and handle the driving chores. At a race up a
Martin/US131, the Lark was paired up against Dick Brannen in the Romy Hammes
Ford Thunderbolt. Dick Brannen was a local racer as well and Truman decided
to give that 427 Ford a run for its money. In the lights, Truman said
that he was so keyed up that he was ready to explode. When the lights came
down, he got the drop on Brannen and rowed his way through the gears, thrashing
the R2 for all it was worth. The Regal led the Thunderbolt until about ¾ of the
way down the track before the Ford was finally able to pass. According to
Truman, the Stude ran 108+ and the Ford finished in the 114 mph area. Needless
to say, the crowd in the stands couldn't believe their eyes. Seeing a mere Lark
beating one of the most formidable Super Stockers of the day! If only there
were a home movie that's survived.
As for what happened to the Factory’s Lark, no one knows. Dick Ross
returned the Regal to the factory and moved west in 1965 or '66. Denny said
that he asked around concerning the cars whereabouts in 1967 or so, but was
told that it had been destroyed by Studebaker. Considering all of the other
things that have survived, I rather doubt that story. When Denny moved away in
'67 or '68, he scrapped a bunch of left over parts. Transmissions, “truck” rear
ends, and tons of other goodies that were from the racing effort. After Dick’s
death, Mrs. Ross cleaned out their house in California (Northern, I believe)
but was unable to locate any pictures of the car. I have found some pictures in
the SNM Archives which may be the Regal, but I want to have Denny and Truman
look at them first to confirm this. Although I've worked on it, I am as yet
unsuccessful in determining
the serial number of the car. A couple of other comments that you might
find interesting are as follows. During a conversation with Denny Ross, he
stated that his father found out the Lark had been down in Florida for the
Daytona 500. I hadn't heard about this before, but I have heard rumors that
Studebaker was looking into running the R2 Larks in NASCAR. Who knows... The
other item of interest came from Truman. He was told that the R2 Regal had been
run at Bonneville. What do you suppose the chances are, that this is the same
car that did 132.04 during the “Engineering Trials” that led to the Super
package? Given the time frame, I suppose that it is within the realm of
possibility. Identifying the Lark and Hawk that made those runs is definitely
on my list of “Things To Do”, as well as finding out what went on at all the
Bonneville sessions. So much research to do, so little time to do it in...
Russ Jenks wrote:
I just received from Garth
Wilson, a copy of Issue #22 of the JTN. I purchased, from Wilson, in
September of this year 64V19702 which is a GT Hawk, Powershift, R1 and is
Laguna Blue. I know little of its history at this point except that Garth
acquired it from the late Tom Hazard of Boise and that it has a dash plaque
with Hazard’s name on it. It is app. 99 % complete, but needs a
restoration (typical rust, orig. paint, etc.) I've been able to determine
that it has a broken cam, but haven't opened the engine yet, will do that in
the spring.
Info from Ben Norton:
Ben sent in an article from
November 2004 Auto Restorer magazine that featured Freddy Freeman’s sharp ‘63
R2 Daytona hardtop. The feature was nicely done and very flattering to
Studebaker’s efforts to built a performance car.
JT Restoration News for Ed
George
Ed has a flock of 3 JT cars,
all of which are undergoing restoration. Ed bought the 64 R2 2 door Commander,
64V14162, from Gene Curtis with R1 power in it. Minor mechanical repairs were
done and the rear body panel, quarter panels and doors were replaced. The car
was then painted black, changed to single headlights and got a Don Simmons
stainless steel exhaust. Ted Harbit provided a supercharger setup blueprinted
setup with high output pulleys. The car is an R2 again.
June. There is lots more to
do but the car is well along as a good example of the R2 package Commander.
The ’63 R1 Regal, 63V6037, is
nearing a finished body panel. The car will be painted the original gold. Ed
has been gathering parts and has found a beautiful dash for it. Ed expects to
turn out a beautifully finished car.
.
The third member of the flock
is, 64V7036, a California R1 Daytona hardtop, bought from Nelson Bove about 2
years ago. The rust free car lost its original engine and now has V-8 from a
wagon. The car is now driveable and very dependable and looks neat in its
weathered California look. Miscellaneous interior parts are still needed as is
the original engine. Ed needs the readership’s help in locating the original R1
engine, JTJ317. The premium gas sticker
is still in place near the fuel filler. Both 64s should be in South Bend for
the May swap meet.
Dwight FitzSimons writes:
My first experiences with
Studebakers, starting about 1958, were with my brother's '47 Champion 2-dr
sedan, and the other brother's '54 Commander Starliner, which he promptly
traded on a '56 Golden Hawk. Two '58 Silver Hawks, another '56 Golden Hawk, and
a '57 Silver Hawk with Packard 352 followed in the family. One of these '58's
was accidentally driven with no oil in it (drain plug off), and it ran eight
miles before seizing up. It then required only rod bearings and was put back on
the road.
I purchased my first
Avanti-powered non-Avanti (APNA--I'm a DoD employee; we're allowed to create
acronyms) in 1965 for $1400. It was a beautiful '63 R2 Hawk, Powershift, discs,
black with red int. I bought it from a union organizer (fast car for fast
getaways?) who bought it new in 1964 in PA. I sold it (restless feet then) to a
local man who still has it. Those disc brakes saved my unattentive hide once
when I found myself closing too rapidly on a car stopping for a left turn in
front of me.
APNA #2 in the family was a
'64 R1 Hawk (64V2352), 4-spd, drum brakes, no PS (damn cheap Stude people!),
Bordeaux Red, black int. It was purchased new from Foley Motors, Harrisonburg,
VA by a local man from whom my brother bought it around 1972. It has been
garaged ever since and is almost rust free. I now own it and will restore it,
with a few upgrades (discs, PS, either supercharger or AC [or both]).
APNA #3 is a '64 R1 Daytona
HT full-package car (64V14321), PowerShift, Bordeaux Red, black int.
Unfortunately, it is a basket case and will require a donor body/frame and
another owner with deeper pockets to restore it. It has already been passed
around among several overly optimistic Stude enthusiasts. This car still had
the production order under the dash and was sold to someone in Jackson,
Mississippi. Evidently the Gulf humidity got to it and the body was shot. The
engine that came with it is a '64 "JT" R1 engine, but not the
original one for the car. (Anyone have one of the other "JT" R1
engines built that day, all of which were S/N JTK323 ?) It may be that a
previous owner had more than one '64 "JT" engine and unknowingly
passed the wrong one along to the next owner. This car is for sale.
APNA #4 is a plain-jane '64
R1 Cruiser (64V14340), AT on column, no PS, drum brakes (damn cheap ....!),
white with black vinyl bench seats. It also came from Foley Motors and was
purchased by a local farmer, from whom I purchased it in 1993. Studebaker had
mistakenly recorded this car's body # as 2782 on the prod. order; the body tag
on the firewall is #2758.
APNA #5 is a '63 R2 Hawk
parts car that will donate some parts to the '64 Hawk.
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Wanted - JT powered 63 or 64 GT Hawk or Lark 4 speed in great condition, Barry Squillace 954-614-6989 Tamarac, FL
Wanted: For factory R2 Lark (63V-15256), need leads on a R2 engine, or parts to convert regular
289 to an R2. Also needed is a good, crack free '63 Lark
dash. Contact Eric DeRosa at ejderosa@yahoo.com, or write; 1140 Harms, Libertyville, IL 60048, ph: (847)-680-9269.