1941 Studebaker Champion
History of the Car
The car is a 1941 Studebaker Champion Custom Coupe (3G-Q3S). Studebaker called it the "double dater" because it had a bench rear seat (no seat and folding "opera seats" were options). It belonged to Ray and Frances Martin, my grandparents. I inherited the car in 2003 when my grandmother passed away but it took until early 2004 before I was finally able to get it back from their home in Jeannette, PA to my home in Columbus, OH.
I am still tracking the history of the car. It was built in December of 1940 in South Bend Indiana and shipped to Greensburg, PA on 12/11/1940 and presumably picked up by the first owner (who I have yet to discover). It used to be painted "Dawn Grey". At some point (probably during or right after the war) it was painted a really ugly dark green.
Sometime after returning from World War 2 my grandfather purchased the car. He drove it until 1953 (I still have the 1953 registration card!) when he was issued a company car. At that point he parked the car in the garage where it was used by my Grandmother as an auxiliary closet.
Fast forward to 1980. My Grandfather asked my Dad if he could get the car running. Dad did and my Grand-pap became interested in fixing the car up. For the next several years Dad would work on the car when we visited. Grand-pap had the body work and paint done at some point. He would drive the car once in a while for fun and did so until he became ill in 1996. After he passed away the car sat until May, 2004 when we were finally able to transport the car to my house.
Future of the Car
The car is in amazing shape for a 69 year old machine. The last few years of neglect have left some problems that I need to address. I will keep it in driving condition and go cruising. See the following pages for the progress of the car!
 | Brakes (May, 2004) |
| Brakes Redux (June, 2004) |
| Ignition Key (June, 2004) |
| Radiator (June, 2004) |
| Waking the Beast (June 7, 2004) |
| Driving (All the time!) |
|
Taillights (October, 2004) |
|
Wipers (October, 2004) |
|
Headlights (November, 2004) |
|
Plugs, Wires, and Fuel Pump (April, 2005) |
|
Tie Rod End (May, 2005) |
|
Clutch Linkage (June, 2005) |
|
Sealing the Trunk Trim (July, 2005) |
|
Carter Carb Rebuild (July, 2005) |
|
Engine Odds and Ends (July, 2005) |
|
Horns (August, 2005) |
|
Fuel Tank (September-October 2005) |
|
LED Taillights (February 2006) |
|
Brakes Again (March-April 2006) |
|
Another Tie Rod End (April 2006) |
|
2006 Car Shows (Summer, 2006) |
|
Trunk Latch Handle (August, 2006) |
|
Chrome Details (March, 2007) |
|
Doors (April-July, 2007) |
|
Radiator Shroud (May, 2007) |
| |
|
Rubber Bumpers (June, 2007) |
|
Fixed the Gas Gauge (August, 2008) |
|
Speedometer Cable (September-October, 2008) |
| |
|
Pulling the Engine (May, 2009) |
|
Manifold Gasket (July, 2009) |
|
More Problems (September, 2009) |
|
Spring Maintenance (April, 2010) |
|
Battery Switch (May, 2010) |
|
Front Suspension (September, 2010) |
|
Stainless Door Trim
(April, 2011) |
The car looks like it is getting ready to bite me.
|