A classic...

[ironglow]

  Just 70 years old, and still better looking, cleaner lines...that most cars built since..

[Graybeard]

They were sure far ahead of their time. My first car was a '55 Studebaker, looked almost like those two except for the grill.

Here is a '55 showing the grill. the color on this one is almost as ugly as the weird color of mine which I call salmon but have no clue what the factory called it:



I guess this next one is about as close to the color of mine as I can find except mine was black on top not white:

[Lloyd Smale]

I know they have a cult following. My dad even owned a hawk and would tell you it was a pos. He had all kinds of problems with it. I think there ugly but then you have to take it into contex that they were around when every other car looked like a brick with tires on it or some big floaty marshmallow. In there day they were probably the sleekest car design on the road. Probably the car most influential in changing the design of cars to the sleeker shapes of the 60s. Now talk 55s and ill take a shoebox chev over that any day. But thats me and like i eluded to if i would have been around in the mid 50s buying cars i probably would have been a prime candidate to buy one.

[ironglow]

 My Dad drove Studebakers for years, and was pleased with them. Like any other automobile brand..some people swear by them, some people swear at them.
 
    I recall the 1955 Studebaker speedster. I graduated high school in 1954, and that summer, I took my gierlfried up to the city, to an auto show at an armory.

  The star of that show, was the 1955 Speedster.  Of course at that point..i had to think military first, so dreams of a Speedster  were out.  

  Below..same as in that car show...color and all..  I still think the '53 was the cleanest..iut was just a movement of chrome after that.

[oldandslow]

I remember the Studebaker reputation in my part of the world. It was that Studebaker built the best horse drawn wagon ever made and their mistake was switching to building automobiles. The town that was the county seat (only real town in the county) bought Studebakers for police cars in the early '50's. Late one afternoon I was walking down a turnrow on the north side of our farm and heard a car coming down the turnrow on the other side of the fence in a HURRY. It flew by in a cloud of dirt and went to where it had to turn north and proceeded over a little hill and out of sight. As best I could tell it was a '50 model Mercury. Then I hear another vehicle coming very fast and it was one of the city police Studebakers after the Mercury and not keeping up very well. Local scuttlebutt said it was a bootlegger that got away after the Studebaker blew it's engine just over that little hill I mentioned. The count SO was somewhat smarter. They used Olds 88's and caught a lot of bootleggers.

[ironglow]

I remember the Studebaker reputation in my part of the world. It was that Studebaker built the best horse drawn wagon ever made and their mistake was switching to building automobiles. The town that was the county seat (only real town in the county) bought Studebakers for police cars in the early '50's. Late one afternoon I was walking down a turnrow on the north side of our farm and heard a car coming down the turnrow on the other side of the fence in a HURRY. It flew by in a cloud of dirt and went to where it had to turn north and proceeded over a little hill and out of sight. As best I could tell it was a '50 model Mercury. Then I hear another vehicle coming very fast and it was one of the city police Studebakers after the Mercury and not keeping up very well. Local scuttlebutt said it was a bootlegger that got away after the Studebaker blew it's engine just over that little hill I mentioned. The count SO was somewhat smarter. They used Olds 88's and caught a lot of bootleggers.

   Depends upon what part of the '50s...  Studebaker didn't get   their V8 until 1951   and by 1955 and the Speedster,
   Olds wasn't about to outrun them..not to mention the supercharged Golden Hawks.

   But this started out noting the clean appearance of the cars... Let's take a time check  Two 1958 models.

     From the OP:  " Just 70 years old, and still better looking, cleaner lines...that most cars built since."

  So, which has cleaner lines?  Perhaps a bit more chrome on the Olds would help?

[ironglow]

Or perhaps you would like to compare 1953 year samples for the cleanest lines..

[oldandslow]

It depends on the eyeballs doing the looking. I always found the Studes goofy looking and liked the Olds but what do I know. When I got out of school I bought a GMC pickup, the best looking of the bunch back then and GMC continues to have the best all the way to today. If you eyes see differently that's OK with me.

[Dee]

As far as classic cars, I'll take a 55 Chevy 2 door poster

If it's a classic pickup, an 83 Chevy Silverado SWB

But today, it's a Dodge Ram 1500 SWB  And mines a HEMI.

[Bob Riebe]

Of the decade of the boxy cars, I have always found 1956 to be the best, and not just GM cars.
Less plain than the Fiftyfives and less gaudy than the Fiftysevens.

[Dee]

Of the decade of the boxy cars, I have always found 1956 to be the best, and not just GM cars.
Less plain than the Fiftyfives and less gaudy than the Fiftysevens.

The Chevy 55s and 56s were pretty much the same except to me the 55 grill, and taillights were much cleaner looking.

[Graybeard]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me nothing looks better than those early to mid 50s Studebackers. They would look perfectly appropriate among today's look alike cars that to me are just trying to copy those early Studebackers.

I bought an '83 Silverado brand new from the local Chevy dealer. Cost $13,000 as best as I can remember. That thing stayed in the shop more than at my house. Brake system went out with less than 300 miles on it. What made that a real issue was I was near the top of the tallest mountain in Alabama with about a ton of rocks in the bed. I made it down but they had to do a major repair on the brakes and kept it a few days.

Next the transmission went out around 3000 miles. That time it stayed in the shop almost a month. I will give the dealership credit. They loaned me a sorta truck that was also new to drive while they were fixing mine. An El Camino I think it was called.

From the day I got it until I let it go there was ONE count that ONE DAY that when I mashed the gas it would just go rather than  hesitate/stall before moving forward.

That truck had more problems than any used vehicle I ever bought and I've not owned a GM product since and there is no way I would. I'd pass on a free one if I had to use it rather than selling it.

[Dee]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me nothing looks better than those early to mid 50s Studebackers. They would look perfectly appropriate among today's look alike cars that to me are just trying to copy those early Studebackers.

I bought an '83 Silverado brand new from the local Chevy dealer. Cost $13,000 as best as I can remember. That thing stayed in the shop more than at my house. Brake system went out with less than 300 miles on it. What made that a real issue was I was near the top of the tallest mountain in Alabama with about a ton of rocks in the bed. I made it down but they had to do a major repair on the brakes and kept it a few days.

Next the transmission went out around 3000 miles. That time it stayed in the shop almost a month. I will give the dealership credit. They loaned me a sorta truck that was also new to drive while they were fixing mine. An El Camino I think it was called.

From the day I got it until I let it go there was ONE count that ONE DAY that when I mashed the gas it would just go rather than  hesitate/stall before moving forward.

That truck had more problems than any used vehicle I ever bought and I've not owned a GM product since and there is no way I would. I'd pass on a free one if I had to use it rather than selling it.

Dad put a 137,000 miles on one with regular oil changes and new tires.

[Graybeard]

Yeah I know, many of them were good and I just lucked into a lemon. But following a similar experience I'd had with my '82 Oldsmobile Delta 88 also bought new it just soured me on anything with the GM attached to it.

Twice burned but there won't be a third time for me. The ONLY other new car I bought that could match those two was my '77 Chevy Vega. Wow, I drove that one only 3 months and took it back. I tossed the keys on the desk of the salesman who sold it to me and asked him what I was driving home. I told him it sure wasn't gonna be that junker Vega. I came home in a new '77 Impala. I eventually sold that one to my cousin's mom and she drove that thing for many more trouble free years.

So I've owned a total of 4 brand new GM products, one of the four was worth having, the other three should never have left the factory.

Since 2004 I've owned 5 new Toyota trucks and nary a single issue with any of them that I had to take them back for. Just normal routine service at their stated maintenance intervals.

Matt is still driving my 2011 Tundra with close to 200,000 on it with no repairs needed yet. I drive my 2017 Tundra and have a few miles over 14,000 on it in 6 years+ now. Only thing needed on it is wipers and a battery.

[Dee]

I bought a new Chrysler 300 and paid cash. Wouldn't start the next morning. It was in the shop 8 times and they couldn't find the problem. I gave up in 2006, and Chrysler replaced it with my choice of equal value, or my money back. I foolishly picked out a new 2007 Chrysler 300. 3 weeks after the warranty went out, so did that high output motor.

[Lloyd Smale]

im with you there the tri 5s were all much cleaner looking. My favorite has always been the 56. We share the same view on pickups. But make mine a  black 77 shot box stepside chev 4x4 because it was my first new truck. Every day im combing the local craigs list adds and even far away ones looking for a short box hemi ram. Either a 2x4 r/t or a 4x4. I never owned a extended cab truck till 2006. Always short box standard cabs and id love one just to fool around with in the summer. Ive got one more spot in the garage that needs filling. I love the square body chevs but the newer trucks are just so much more reliable and id rather drive that turn wrenches today.  That said i owned 6 square body chevs and never had a lick of problem other then normal wear parts with any of them. I chuckle at this my pick in a vehicle is more reliable then yours I can find people that have been burned by chev ford dodge pontiac olds toyota nissan and any other manufacture you can come up with. I can also find people that will buy nothing else but there choice of those. Bottom line is the best selling vehicles in america are ford chev and ram pickups. Imports trucks arent even close. Id say that the majority believe like i do. Were the older toyotas longer lasting motors then the americans? probably but up here nobody found out. By the time any truck back then had a 100k on it it was rusted so bad it wasnt safe on the road. Toyotas were exempt from that weekness. Matter of fact they were one of the worse. We used to chuckle and say find me a toyota older then 5 years that didnt have a hand made wooden flatbed on it. Hell i had a 79 silverado that had a HOLE in the front fender before it was off of warantee after just one winter. But if you look today all the trucks be they ram chev ford or toyota will all go 300k if you take care of them. Thats sure as crap longer then ill ever own one. 

As far as classic cars, I'll take a 55 Chevy 2 door poster

If it's a classic pickup, an 83 Chevy Silverado SWB

But today, it's a Dodge Ram 1500 SWB  And mines a HEMI.

[Lloyd Smale]

now if you owned a chev vega you owned probably the second worse car ever sold in america. Only second to the yugo and not by alot.

Yeah I know, many of them were good and I just lucked into a lemon. But following a similar experience I'd had with my '82 Oldsmobile Delta 88 also bought new it just soured me on anything with the GM attached to it.

Twice burned but there won't be a third time for me. The ONLY other new car I bought that could match those two was my '77 Chevy Vega. Wow, I drove that one only 3 months and took it back. I tossed the keys on the desk of the salesman who sold it to me and asked him what I was driving home. I told him it sure wasn't gonna be that junker Vega. I came home in a new '77 Impala. I eventually sold that one to my cousin's mom and she drove that thing for many more trouble free years.

So I've owned a total of 4 brand new GM products, one of the four was worth having, the other three should never have left the factory.

Since 2004 I've owned 5 new Toyota trucks and nary a single issue with any of them that I had to take them back for. Just normal routine service at their stated maintenance intervals.

Matt is still driving my 2011 Tundra with close to 200,000 on it with no repairs needed yet. I drive my 2017 Tundra and have a few miles over 14,000 on it in 6 years+ now. Only thing needed on it is wipers and a battery.

[oldandslow]

Best looking classic car? '57 Chevy 4 door hardtop plus they would hang with anything made back then.

I have owned GMC pickups most of my adult life except for an '03 Chevy Duramax because I couldn't find a GMC like I wanted. The only one that ever had a problem was a "73 with a V-8 that burned an exhaust valve during warranty. GMC took care of it like they were supposed too. I got out of pickup ownership in '17. Sold the Chevy, fifth wheel, and boat. I still drive GMC but it's an suv now.

[ironglow]

  Th e1950s was a great time to see the "independents" struggle to keep market share.  They were very innovative,
  building cars beyond the hum-drum, box car monotony of the big guys'
   however, it is a cut-throat business, that requires heaps of dinero...and politics, to survive.

  Here are a couple of Kaiser's efforts, one the dragon sedan, the other..The Darrin, a sports type car with sliding doors, came out at about the same time as the Corvette.

  Both the dragon and the Darrin were available supercharged.

[ironglow]

 ...And who could forget the Tucker car?

  There were only 51 @ of the 1948 Tucker built, before the "Big Three" shut him down..

  https://journal.classiccars.com/2018/05/21/genuine-1948-tucker-48-sedan/

[Graybeard]

now if you owned a chev vega you owned probably the second worse car ever sold in america. Only second to the yugo and not by alot.

Yup Lloyd ya got that right. Talk about a lemon. I struggled with that thing for 3 months and just couldn't take anymore so took it back. I have to admit the dealership treated me right, I got full value that I paid for the Vega in trade on the Impala.

What is a square bed truck? I've never heard that term before.

When I was a boy dad had a '56 Dodge car. I don't recall the year but it was not very old when he had it. On a wet day even with just fog you could forget cranking it unless you had a battery charger cuz it took more juice than a battery had to turn it over long enough to crank. On dry days it was OK.

My cousin's mom had a '57 Plymouth, didn't matter if dry or wet that thing almost run down the battery before it would crank. It did always crank but wow did it grind forever doing it. She bought it new and I think got rid of it when she bought that '77 Impala from me.

I had one Chrysler product. I think it was maybe a '66, top of their line car, can't recall what it was named. Wasn't the Imperial, next level below that. It had the starting issues all other Chrysler brand vehicles I have known of personally down here had. But the thing that caused me to trade it off was the day a line of some sort broke and it started spitting out some kind of noxious fumes and it clouded up the windshield so you couldn't even see to drive it.

I had a Pinto station wagon for a few years and toward the end of the time I had it, the same thing happened with the fumes and fogging the windshield. I think but am not sure it was a leak in an AC refrigerant line. I've heard a lot of bad stuff about Pintos but I really had no other issues with mine that I can recall.

My first ever truck was a '55 Ford 6 cylinder with 3 on the column. It was old and ragged when I got it and I have to say I sure hated that thing. A friend of mine bought it from me for I think $50 or so. Last time I spoke with him he still had it parked out in a pasture. He died last year I think it was or the year before. It might still be sitting in that pasture. He actually loved the old truck.

[ironglow]

  THe Vegas were powered by an aluminum block engine...and the cylinders did not have a cast iron liner,

  Seems like a direct request for trouble..  I believe the only one at that time doind such a thing, was Briggs & Stratton...in their cheaper engines.

  Yes, for a long time, Chrysler products were infamous for not starting willingly..particularly inn the winter.

[Ranger99]

I had a teacher many years ago that
had a studebaker truck that he brought
in to repair the overdrive. It was a manual
transmission truck and the overdrive worked
off of an electric motor on the rear of the
transmission itself with some kind of
planetary gear system. I can't remember
any more details than that. Too many years
and water under the bridge. Studebaker V8
manual transmission with overdrive.
It was white   

[ironglow]

   very large share of Studebakers were equipped with overdrive...effectively a 4th speed, geared for economical cruising speeds.
  Other car brands had overdrive, but none seemed to feature it. I estimate that perhaps 70% of Studebakers had it.

[Bob Riebe]

Discovering the Chevrolet Vega's Engineering Flaws

Right about this time, the severity of the Vega's problems was becoming apparent. Chevrolet recalled half a million Vegas in 1972. Rear axle shafts could separate from the housing, causing the wheels to literally fall off. Faulty brackets on the single-barrel carb jammed the throttle open. The optional two-barrel engine could backfire violently enough to split the muffler, blowing hot exhaust on the fuel tank and causing it to expand, rupture, and ignite.

An undiscovered defect in the new rust-proofing system left the underside of the front fenders unprotected. GM had rejected plastic fender liners to save money, and Vegas suffered from rapid corrosion—primarily of the fenders, but rocker panels, lower doors and front suspension parts could also be affected. One dealer told Automotive News that he was touching up rust spots on brand-new Vegas.

The Vega's best-remembered problem, however, was its infamous melting engine. The engine didn't actually melt, but if it got too hot the cylinders would distort, wearing the coating on the walls and forcing coolant past the head gaskets. The former problem increased oil consumption (exacerbated by faulty valve stem seals) and the latter increased the frequency of the overheating issue. If a Vega owner didn't keep the coolant topped off, the Vega could, and often would, destroy its own engine. Chevrolet extended the engine warranty and retrofitted an overflow bottle and low-coolant warning light, but not before many owners got replacement engines to go with their replacement fenders.

The engine was out of the same alloy as the linerless Can-Am engines of the same decade, plus; Porsche later used the same alloy in their V-8 engine for the 928.
They had special piston rings for those engines in both cases but if the bore distorts, it is failure just waiting to happen.
NOW
The rust problem was actually far, far greater than the engine problems, one reason so few still exist.
My cousin had one, polished and waxed it nice and shiny, put his hand on the fender to bend over and pick some thing up, his thumb went through the front fender.
He traded for a Mazda Mizer, tough little car and the best he has owned, ever.

For starting, the 1966 Plymouth, 1966 Dodge and 1968 Plymouth were the few cars I owned that starting was no problem in sub-zero weather, if they turned over, they started.
Did do a fair amount of started and U-joint work on them though, back when crawling under a car was of little concern to me. 

[ulav8r]

Bought a used '73 Pinto wagon in '74 with 16,000 miles on it ,, started having electrical problems within a year.  Put several alternators, batteries, and voltage regulators on it over the years.  Always had a toolbox in the car.  At around 70,000 miles the timing belt broke, had to get a metric tool similar to a torx drive but that was years before Torx was introduced to the US.  Was living in Denver when I started having trouble with it dieing while driving.  Had it happen several times over a month and a half period.  Then on a trip back to Arkansas going through Kansas it died just after passing an exit. Pulled over just before the on ramp.  Raised the hood and tried several things.  With the distributor cap off I had my wife turn the key and I noticed the capacitor wire move.  Pushed it into contact ond drove up the on ramp.  There was one building in sight, some business that was closed but had a pay phone out front.  Found a listing for a garage that was about 5 miles off the freeway.  He had points but could not install them, as he had a job to finish before closing time.  I went and got the points and used the timing light I had made to set the points.  When I sold that **** it would discharge the battery overnight unless I put an alligator clip on one of the contacts.  The buyer asked if I would let the clip go with the car.  He got the car and the clip for the $500 I was asking for it.  It had about 135,000 miles on it when I sold it.


While eating supper I remembered two other major problems I had with that car. At around 96,000 it blew the head gasket and lost most of it's oil and sometime near then the rack and pinion skipped a tooth or two.  The rack had come loose.

[phalanx]

Don’t park these vehicles at Walmart. You are sure to get a dent or a scratch. Like we did. 

[oldandslow]

   very large share of Studebakers were equipped with overdrive...effectively a 4th speed, geared for economical cruising speeds.
  Other car brands had overdrive, but none seemed to feature it. I estimate that perhaps 70% of Studebakers had it.

 I believe it was pretty common on Packards. My dad had two of them and both were so equipped.

[ironglow]

Anybody here ever drive a Morgan 3-wheel car.  About   as close as I ever got, is to drive one of those currently made Can-Am  Rykers.

[Graybeard]

I stopped riding tricycles even before I got my first bike.