Posting #7 - Big changes in my life! This project car is now for sale....

It is now May/2023... My life has gone through some major changes that have now led to me deciding to sell this  '65 Daytona Project car before completion. The old frame has been rebuilt and strengthened to enable it to  handle a 400 HP engine! 

 ANYONE INTERESTED IN MAKING A WILD STUDEBAKER RAT ROD!!

 Not many people know about it, but, Studebaker in 1963 made a model with a "retractable soft-top". They referred to it as a "Sky Top". It did not turn out to be popular ... probably due to a thing called rain! Amazingly it was only about an $185 extra charge!

Long before I knew these Sky Tops existed, I had planned on putting a retractable roof panel into the roof of my Daytona. I had one made and picked it up in Phoenix while on a trip there. It is 40" X 40" and is almost identical as the one shown but is Black.

 

Current cost would be about $1000 Can$  It is still in the box and is included with the car.

 

This picture shows the layout that I had planned. It works out well with the roof braces.

Fun for parades!

I relocated in 2020 to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. At that time I couldn't decide if I should sell my project or keep it. Decided to keep it and leave that choice until later. When prepared for moving, the Daytona was at about the same stage as you see it in Posting #6 sitting on the newly rebuilt frame - I was just planning to put it onto a Rotisserie but never got that far.

 

I put all the NOS fenders that had come with the car inside the car. Also carefully bundled up all the glass... windshield and back window are in good condition. the side windows are also good. The Retractable Soft Top is also in car.                            I mounted the engine and transmission temporarily back into the frame (one less thing to handle separately).

Wrapped the Daytona in a heavy tarp and put many rounds of rope around it to keep the tarp from flapping. I arranged for our local Tow Truck operator, Todd, to come and pick the Daytona up with his ramp truck and bring it over on the ferry to Gibsons. I followed him with a rented trailer filled with some of my bulky shop equipment  like air compressor, solvent parts cleaning tank, large sandblasting cabinet, engine cherry picker, and my Rotisserie

Some of these items are also for sale.

By the way, when you are looking at all the pictures that you can see by clicking on the link at the top of the blog, the blue sections are what I used from the Donor Car and the turquoise green sections are from the Original Car. The car has been stored under cover, wrapped in the tarp ever since I moved here.

If you take the time to read through all of the posts you will see the progression of  events to get where it is at now.

It now needs to be on a rotisserie to complete all the welding of the front and rear sections and the welding of the top and quarter panels to the main body.( I was hoping to do this with it mounted to the frame but with the engine not mounted)  Also it will be necessary to do some fabricating of  some minor pieces to seal off the rear wheel wells from the interior of the car.

Remember, if you are going to take this on, that I was an "Electrician"... not a "Bodyman" ... this was my first try at doing this stuff and fitting of doors and windows etc. is still fun that is to come. Doors were roughly fitted but will need a little tweaking.Note in the pictures that I built some "splines" that I inserted into the windshield pillars to provide some strength.

I never planned on making this into "a original looking" Daytona. I had planned on trying do do some very different things in the end.  Different Mustang or Charger rear sequencing tail-lights for example. I was not going to have any original chrome... all was going to be painted same colour as the car. Which for me was gong to be a bright orange and black. 

The engine that I have is the original one that came with the car from the factory. In 1965 Studebaker was being built in Canada and because they had run out of Studebaker engines, these cars came with an engine that was basically a Chevrolet 283 Cubic Inch motor! The transmission was a power-glide automatic. I have a video of this engine running just before I dismantled the car. It ran but was in obvious need of some freshening.  I was going to be using a different engine but I have since been talking to some local engine "Experts!" and they have enlightened me to the fact that if this 283 cu.in" is bored out to 301 cu. in" it is a "POWERHOUSE". They say that it produces just an unbelievable amount of torque. Mate it with a better automatic with overdrive and I think it would be a fun car.

All it would take is some wild imagination and there is no end to how neat a "Rat Rod" this could be!

By the way, I do have the registration for this car.

Talk to me on my cell (604-970-5659) if you want some more information. I will tell you all I know.