Studebaker Training!

[mfg]

On 11/27/62, a two week training course was begun at Studebaker in South Bend. Would anyone have any idea what this course was about?

[Gunslinger]

Avanti service training.

[Guest dapy]

How many were enrolled?

[Gunslinger]

That would be interesting to know...how many dealerships sent someone.

[mfg]

Avanti service training.

Could you be more specific?

[mfg]

Any other thoughts on this question?

[mfg]

Once again, nothing more specific than 'service training'?

[Gunslinger]

How to work with fiberglass?

[mfg]

You got it!!!....A two week training course on 'working with fiberglass' was offered ( I'm guessing this was just before Avanti body production in South Bend began)

[Guest dapy]

Is it true that complete fiberglass bodies were produced in South Bend?

[Gunslinger]

Yes...Studebaker set up a body production line in South Bend due to production bottlenecks and delays from MFG in Ohio. Body numbers over 5000 were South Bend produced.

[brad]

No, they were never made in South Bend.

They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass)

This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker)

Edited January 25, 2015 by brad

[mfg]

No, they were never made in South Bend.

They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass)

This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker)

You might be right about that Brad,....but that would also mean that later Avanti ll production was accomplished by using panels previously made by MFG and shipped to Studebaker?...I'm not so sure about that.

[Gunslinger]

No, they were never made in South Bend.

They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass)

This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker)

That may certainly be correct but that's the first time I've seen it said. I always understood Studebaker "produced" Avanti bodies but maybe it wasn't spefically defined.

MFG did supply complete bodies to Avanti Motors for a time...they had something like 150 bodies leftover when Studebaker cancelled the contract...but at some point they simply supplied body panels and Avanti Motors began assembling them themselves.

[R2Andy]

Made vs assembled is a mater of semantics. Studebaker and MFG both assembled the Avanti bodies from components produced by both MTG and outside suppliers. The fiberglass panels themselves were molded by MFG in their plant in molds owned by Studebaker.

Gunslinger comment regarding Avanti motors is correct although I don't remember the exact number of left over bodies off hand.

[Gunslinger]

I don't know the exact number, but I understand there were about 150 complete Avanti bodies leftover at MFG when Studebaker cancelled the contract. That's a lot to have sitting around and taking up space. It's no wonder Bob Morrison of MFG was so willing to work with Nate Altman when approached about supplying Avanti Motors with car bodies...it turned a complete loss of money into revenue and got the dead inventory out of the way plus an ongoing revenue stream with continued business.

[mfg]

I don't know the exact number, but I understand there were about 150 complete Avanti bodies leftover at MFG when Studebaker cancelled the contract. That's a lot to have sitting around and taking up space. It's no wonder Bob Morrison of MFG was so willing to work with Nate Altman when approached about supplying Avanti Motors with car bodies...it turned a complete loss of money into revenue and got the dead inventory out of the way plus an ongoing revenue stream with continued business.

Wow!....with 150 completed Avanti bodies on hand when Stude folded, Altman's business proposal to Morrison must have seemed like a godsend to the later!