BILL
1947 Studebaker Commander Street Rod
Front Angle
Side View
Interior and Dash
Under the Hood
This sharp 1947 Studebaker Commander Street Rod belongs to Steve Kapin of Newhall, California. Steve's Commander is equipped with a Chevrolet Corvette LT1 small block V8 engine, GM 4L60 (4-speeds, longitudinally positioned, 6000 pounds gross vehicle weight) automatic overdrive transmission, and Ford 9" rear end. Except for some dechroming, the body of Steve's Commander is basically stock. Interior amenities include a tilt wheel, air conditioning, bucket seats, center console, power windows, full gauges, and a modern sound system with CD player. Only 2,707 Commander 2-Door Sedans were produced for the 1947 model year so this is a relatively rare body style. Champion 2-Door Sedans are much more common with 23,557 produced for 1947.
These pictures were taken by Bill Junge at the October 2005 "Run to the Sun" Car Show in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. This was the 28th year for this annual event. Thanks to Bill for sending these in and for his continuing contributions to this page.
If you own or once owned a Studebaker or related vehicle and would like to see your car as "Stude of the Month" or in the "Cool Studes" section, or if you have other pictures or material that you would like to contribute to this page, please e-mail me here. I can accept either electronic or hard copy images.
Detail work continues on my 1949 Champion Starlight Coupe with the exterior about finished. The rear bumper has been rechromed and new bumper guards have been installed both front and rear. The front bumper is just too good to have redone so I am leaving it as is at least for now. I was particularly happy to locate a set of NOS stainless steel stone guards for the rear fenders as these are very hard to come by. I have also installed new stainless steel wiper arms and blades and a stainless steel gas door guard. The Ford truck heater with the big "FORD" on the front has been removed to be replaced with a Sears Allstate underdash aftermarket heater. I will also be adding a factory radio and factory clock to the dash. These three items are shown in the last picture above. I replaced the gear shift lever which was worn at the end and this has apparently fixed my difficult shifting problem. All of the above pictures were taken in January 2006.
If you have never taken it, take it now!
A big "thank you" to Chester and Nancy for once again opening their home to area Studebaker fans. This event just seems to get bigger and better each year. I'll include additional pictures from the 2005 Bridgewater Meet in the next update.
I thought I had finished the Arizona Indian Reservation graveyard pictures sent in by Bill Junge but here is one more. This 1952 Studebaker Starlight Coupe has been pretty well stripped of all its chrome and trim. Production of the Starlight was down significantly in 1952, probably due to it being a five year old design, along with the introduction of the sporty new Starliner Hardtop. Including Champions and Commanders, more Starliner Hardtops (26,667) than Starlight Coupes (22,265) were produced for the 1952 model year. Both the Starliner and the Starlight were completely restyled for 1953. But that is another story.
Bill Junge has his own web site called Bullet Nose Paradise which is dedicated to 1950 and 1951 Bullet Nose Studebakers. Thanks again to Bill for helping to keep this page in new material.
Bill Rodgers from Australia sent in this picture of a 1965 Studebaker Cruiser that he built up from a wreck and owned for 20 years. Bill's cruiser went through several engine and transmission changes over the years, including a Studebaker 289 bored out to 304 with a T10 4-speed manual, and a Chevy 350 with a GM Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic. This car was run on LP gas for many years provided "cheap motoring" without any problems. Bill writes that the pictures of graveyard Studebakers that sometimes appear on this page are "very sad" and that in Australia many of the cars shown would be snapped up by Studebaker Car club members for future projects because Studes of any vintage are in short supply down under. Thanks to Bill for sending in the picture and information on this unique Studebaker.
Dick Lee of Arkansas purchased this 1950 Champion Starlight Coupe about about 18 months ago. Dick is the fourth owner, although the first owner kept it until 1989. It is believed that 29,000 is the correct mileage, although Dick says that it doesn't really matter, given the great condition of the car. The car is all original and unrestored including the paint, which according to Dick is "not all that great and thin in places." Gee, it looks great to me! The interior is outstanding showing very little wear. The engine and mechanics are as good as one could expect although Dick has done some repairs for safety reasons. There is no rust or rust repair, just a small dent or scrape here and there. Dick bought the car on eBay and traveled from Arkansas to New York to pick it up.
The feature toy this month is an old Tootsietoy 1947 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe.
This model was issued in several colors including green, blue, and red.
It is a fairly hard model to acquire, although examples sometimes appears on eBay.
More toy Studes can be found in the Stude Stuff area of this page and on my Studebaker Toys Home Page.
Click here for information on ordering hard to find Studebaker toys made by manufacturers such as Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, Hot Wheels, Muscle Machines, and EKO.
Proceed on to the
