1959 STUDEBAKER LARK VIII- $6,995
The person I bought the car from purchased it in August 2019 from the Nephew of the Original owner. I was told that the the Uncle used the car as a Daily driver until the original engine gave out. At that point it was decided a Chevy V8 & Automatic was the way to go. Not sure what year the swap was done but they did a great job of setting engine & transmission mounts up correctly. It was also painted under original ownership in Metallic Black. Original owner drove it a bit more then transferred to his nephew as caretaker who drove it on & off until August of 2019.
Car has been completely repainted at some point. Original color was Riviera Blue. Now painted Metallic Black. Paint on roof and tung lid is faded and very dull. Painters did a decent job of covering over original paint, door jams, under trunk and hood, engine compartment. There are some dings and dents in the body nothing major but see many detailed photos. Some of the stainless and chrome trim is slightly damaged see photos.
A Chevrolet 350" V8 and 3 speed automatic with shift kit was installed by original owner to replace original V8. A transmission cooler has been added. Swap appears to have been done correctly. Shift indicator still shows the original shift pattern. Interior is all original and complete but shows heavy wear, upholstery is a bit thin and thread bare but looks awesome as -is. Padded dash has several cracks with padding showing, a period correct non-branded radio is installed but does not work. Original dealer installed under dash A/C unit is still present but not operational. Headliner is in pretty nice condition and appears to be original. Door trim molding and rubber is mostly present but worn. Dash is in decent shape but gauges do not work correctly although they are all present, speedo is not hooked up. Again many detailed photos.
Paint color was changed from Riviera Blue to Black Metallic also under original family ownership. Body is all original and in good shape. Most of the original trim is in place and in pretty good condition (see photos) some extra trim pieces are included with car. Bumpers are original and in nice condition. All glass appears to be original, but the windshield is cracked and has been repaired (see pics).
Correct Original Hubcaps look awesome.
Speedo not working, most gauges not working correctly, horn does not work. No wipers installed have not checked wiper motor, heater not hooked up (Who needs one in California?) Headlights and tail & brake lights, signals work. Power Brake Booster is vacuum assist and I believe there is a leak in the booster system - brakes do work - stops good!
Most recent work was rebuild of the 2 barrel carburetor and tune and dyno adjustment, installed external fuel filter, new air cleaner filter. Brakes were bled since in my care. Oil and filter changed right before I bought the car, and new plugs and plug wires were reported to have been done by last owner just prior to my purchase.
Car is a running, driving "WORK IN PROGRESS". Gets a lot of attention from all age groups. Very strong engine, solid shifting transmission. Runs and drives quite good actually and shouldn't take much to get it dialed in. I really like the fact that the interior is original and worn but does not look trashy and torn up. Will be a fun project for the next caretaker. Will turn heads at cars and coffee events for sure!
VIN: 60VE59464
