The Jet Thrust News

                                                          Issue #24                                                                                                              

 

 

The Jet Thrust News  (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 model years. We seek not only information about surviving cars but also components which exist from parted or scrapped vehicles. Please submit all the data of which you are aware on any of the nearly 2000 such cars built.

 

JTN is now offered at no charge via email. Hard copy distribution has been discontinued except for special purposes as arrange by your editor. Ownership is not required, only keen interest and a sharp eye. Please write, call or email. Please do not send subscription funds.

 

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, however, the 1963 list has nearly 3 times more vehicles.  Each listing is $10. To order either, make checks payable to G.J. Ellerbe and remit to the address above. These listings are not a replacement for production order documentation.  JTN highly recommends obtaining the production order (build sheet) for any car that a reader may own. The Studebaker National Museum offers such a service.

 

JT Owners Rosters: There are 3 rosters: 1) owners of 1963 JT cars,  2) owners of 1964 JT cars, and 3) owners of engines pulled from JT cars. These read only files are now free of charge and available only by email. 

 

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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 photos, too. For a loose JT or JTS engine, send the engine # and any info on the donor car.


 

 


The Mission of the Jet Thrust News

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. Amazingly, discoveries of surviving cars and engines continue to roll in. With the aid of the readership, we do our best to track down sightings and reports of JT equipped cars. JTN relies on its readers to report such sightings and to aid in identification. On line ad services of

 

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. 

 

JTN continues to roster and track reports of R3 and R4 engines and ’64 Avantis as well as assist roster efforts by others for ’58 Packard Hawks (Mike Williams) and ’56 Golden Hawks (Frank Ambrogio).

 

 

 

Roster News

Surviving cars found since the last issue

Owner

Car

(S) Viril Layton

63V15720 R2 Daytona hardtop

David Streb

63V19089 R1 GT Hawk

Vedaslover

63V8027 R2 Daytona hardtop

John Poulos

63V12990 R1 GT Hawk

Jim Kuhn

63V12361 R2 GT Hawk

Steve Doerschlag

63V8227 R2 GT Hawk

 

(S) indicates source of info, not owner

 

Cars parted

Owner

Car

Comment

Denny Lockmon

63V18661 R2 Daytona Hardtop

Car was dismantled 30 + years ago

 

Found engines

Owner

Number

Luther Jackson

JTK302

Paul Crotty

JT1039 from 63V2049 GT Hawk

 

Cars sold

New Owner

Car

Last owner

Barry Snitzer

64V17415 R1 GT Hawk

Russell Melton

Luther Jackson

63V24909 R2 Custom 2 door

unknown

Mike Shaffer

64V1450 R1 GT Hawk

Nelson Bove

John Barrier

63V29274 R2 package Custom 2 door

Jim Treat

Ed Conn

63V26241 R2 GT Hawk

Dan Tucker

 
Asa Hall’s 64 GT 
The late Asa Hall, Studebaker collector
 extraordinaire, owned R1 package 4 speed GT Hawk 64V10474. The car was included in an auction
announcement for his collection. The auction was scheduled for September 2005. A photo of the
 car was published on the web site of the auction agency. The car is no longer Strato Blue. 
It appears to be Regal Red with a white sport roof.
 

Luther Jackson’s R2 ’63 Custom

The Blue Mist 2 door Custom 63V24909 has been acquired by Luther. The car has no transmission (Flightomatic), engine, trim or front sheet metal. The car is restorable and Luther is acquiring parts for its restoration. Something other than a Flightomatic is planned for a transmission. The car was parked in a Southern Alabama field for many years.

 

Bill Turner’s R1 Convertible Resurfaces

63V32697 was rostered by JTN more than ten years ago as the property of Buffalo, MO resident Bill Turner. In the meantime, JTN lost track of Bill and the car. With the aid of sharp web search skills of Richard Yeats, JTN delightedly discovered the car on Ebay in July ’05 from a seller on Monett, MO. Both Monett and Buffalo are suburbs of Springfield, MO in the Southwest corner of the state. The 4 speed, non-package car is in very fine condition, sporting a sharp red paint job instead of the original Blue Mist. The ebay ad had copious photos and production statistics. The car is straight and showed a clean and nicely detailed engine compartment. JTN hopes to keep track of the car henceforth. Readers can help.

 

John Barrier and the Super Red R2 Package Custom

John Barrier of Omaha, NE is the lucky new owner of a serious JT restoration project. The 2 door 4 speed car, 63V29274, is the former property of Wisconsin’s Jim Treat. JTN learned of the car’s survival around the time of the SDC Red Wing, MN meet. The car is rough but intact and John plans to bring it back to its original glory. The car will live temporarily and begin restoration in Minnesota. The car was one of many originally sold at Rapid City, SD and is very similar to a car owned by Wisconsin’s Jim Pepper. 

 

Jim Pepper and the Wisconsin R2 GT Hawk clone

Jim has acquired the ’63 R2 clone GT Hawk previously owned by Joe Riemer owned that has engine JTS1259 transplanted into it. The car has a number of authenticity problems that Jim plans to correct.  Jim has reported on a Blue Mist ’63 R1 convertible 4 speed that is in the possession of a Wisconsin family. At press time the identification of the car was being sought. The car is known to be a factory R1 model but no longer has its original engine, frame or body tags. The car has been off the road for nearly 40 years.    

 

Steve Doerschlag and the Tanner R2 GT Hawk

Steve has acquired the ’63 R2 GT Hawk discovered in Ft. Collins, CO. The Regal Red 4 speed car with black interior, 63V8227, was found in long term indoor storage. Non-factory traction bars have been added to the car. The blower and blower setup are missing but the car is otherwise intact. Steve asks if  the car could have been dragged by Tanner.    

 

Roger Bawdon and 64V1378

A late report from Roger on this R1 Daytona hardtop 4 speed from Texas indicates that restoration is well along and the car will be a fine example of the Daytona in Red. An engine has built for the car with reworded heads, R3 pieces, and a Ted Harbit cam.

 

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Wanted: A 1964 Studebaker Commander 2-door sedan with a V-8 and stick shift. Others considered. Please call Gene at (618)-476-7313, IL.

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Wanted: Rebuildable 259 or 289 block, full flow. Replaces a damaged block on a R2 GT Hawk. Contact the editor on behalf of Doug Tjapkes.

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Wanted: GT Hawk fiberglass tunnel piece for mounting the Powershift shifter. Jim Pepper jpepper@wi.rr.com