Classic Classics: 1941 Studebaker went from junker to champ
Rodney Bullock located a dilapidated 1941 Studebaker Champion on a used-car lot. Unfortunately, it was the car in the worst condition. Nothing on the four-door sedan worked.
But Bullock says, “I liked the formal, elegant styling.” So after hauling the Studebaker home, he took it apart. “The odometer said 35,000 miles when I got the car,” he ponders doubtfully, “but who knows?”
Sandblasting the car down to bare metal exposed all the rusty and damaged spots that needed attention. A new floor pan was welded into place. Not wanting any plastic body filler in his car, Bullock learned how to work with lead filler.
Because he learned the car last ran in 1972, Bullock thought it best to go through the 80-horsepower, 170-cubic-inch, sixcylinder engine before attempting to start it. All the hoses, belts, and wiring were replaced, and new spark plugs installed. The water pump, starter motor, and generator needed to be rebuilt. The top part of the gasoline tank and the filler spout were a perforated mess and they both had to be replaced. It also had to be completely reupholstered.
“The original material had disintegrated,” Bullock recalls.
He chased down parts for the Champion model in Connecticut and Iowa before joining the Studebaker Drivers Club. Thereafter, various helpful club members offered much assistance in finding the required parts that he needed.
The cruising sedan is well equipped with such features as Studebaker’s well-known hill-holder clutch, vacuum-operated wipers, an AM radio with the antenna sprouting from the roof above the windshield, an under-seat heater, and a separate defroster.
Typical on Studebakers are the side vents behind the front fenders. The rear window is original; however, Bullock replaced the other 10 windows. Each trim piece has been replated, adding an extra sparkle to the car. His research indicates that Studebaker built 84,910 Champion models in 1941.
The 2,435-pound Studebaker sold new for $770 and left the factory rolling on 5.60x16-inch tires supporting a 110-inch wheelbase. Bullock has boosted the size of the tires on his car up to 6.00x16-inches. “I love the 4-inch white sidewalls,” he says.
Even though the rebuilt speedometer is prepared to register speeds up to 100 mph, Bullock says, “I’ve had it up to 65 on a good day.” Since the flawless shakedown cruise, with Bullock comfortably seated behind the two-spoke, shoulder-wide steering wheel, he has taken several other interesting trips. Each excursion has reaffirmed the Studebaker’s reliability.
“Nobody is going to deny me time in my Studebaker,” Bullock explains.