Curious .. do You shoot for authenticity or modification?

[aardvark]

There are differing intents and desires as Car Owners. Some live for every nut and bolt being 100% original. Others really don't care and go for Mods and Upgrades to suit their needs. Where do You fit into the mix? 

Me personally,,  I have a '63' R2 that is a 100% original vehicle in very good condition. The only intent I have for Upgrades or Mods is on the brakes. I'm planning on going to Turner Brakes with a dual master cylinder. My reason is we live in an area of steep mountains with twisty curves. I will save the Original Parts in case the next Owner wants to convert back..

And then... A acquaintance up the road is tearing His '63' down, putting a LS3, 600hp engine with Tremec 5 speed... Modifying the suspension and all Hi Performance upgrades. His intent is to go to the Salt Flats and surpass the 170mph land speed record..

I personally support either direction, but have one thing to add... IF You have a truly 100% example in very good condition. wouldn't it be prudent to keep it that way for no other reason but a Financial one? Common sense and the Markets sorta support my thought here.... IF your starting with a needy vehicle with a a lot of expense needed to bring it to 100%, then all bets are off and decisions need made.

Thoughts?

Opinions?

Edited 15 hours ago by aardvark

[Michael Phillips]

It's my opinion that the original Studebaker cars should be left or restored as close to their original build as possible, especially supercharged cars.  Some concessions for safety such as better brakes, better seatbelts, radial tires make sense if you are actually driving the car, as opposed to a museum piece. On the subject of brakes, I would recommend looking at the Cobalt caliper kits sold by Bob Ziff at Avanti parts and restoration. These are new Bendix Girling type calipers that have been redesigned with modern internals. They replace the originals exactly. They look OEM except for the Cobalt embossed name.

If you want a Hot Rod or Resto mod, use an Avanti II, it started life as a modified Studebaker. so, a continuation of modifications should not be objectionable.

[ronmanfredi]

As an old but educated auto tech, I made the decision in my 20's (about 50 years ago) to never leave a car in original condition if I am going to build it for myself.  I turbo'd my cars in the 70's, Nitrous in the 80's, Both in the 90's, Cars, Jet-Ski's Motorcycles and Boats. If I can make it faster, look cooler and add the tech of the day, then I'll usually do it.  I'm not concerned about the resale value or what others think, but I usually get top dollar when I sell one of my vehicles.  In the Avanti world, I've created a show winning 2006 Avanti, which has been given to my wife, restored an 82 and sold it, restored the Dolenz 89 (it's up for sale), and am now embarking on an early Vin 63 R2 project.  I bought the R2 from an Avanti multi car owner, who started the ground up restoration but ran out of steam due to his age/health.  The entire chassis, engine, BW auto transmission, brake and suspension had been rebuilt.  New seat upholstery and main wiring harness installed.  It has a good base to begin with.  I have a vision for the car and will surprise many with the end result.  Here is our 06 and R2 project:

[Bob Preston]

What constitutes 100% original? Does it need to have the original shocks, engine mounts, leaf spring bushings, gaskets and light bulbs, for example? If the original engine has been rebuilt and bored is it still “original”? Mine has the roof drip moldings and air intake grill which were not original to the car. 
 

There’s an “original” ‘63 R1 with 16,000 miles listed for $79K. That’s about twice the price of some otherwise very nice R1’s. In theory it’s worth more, but there will be fewer buyers for that particular vehicle. Price and condition are both obstacles to most buyers and if it is all original, it’s probably going to need some work. 
 

Personally, I’m in favor of mostly original, but I’m mostly in favor of a mechanically sound car that presents well and gets driven. I appreciate the trailer queens and museum pieces and applaud the efforts of those who have a more radical vision. If we all did the same thing we wouldn’t have anything to talk about. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Bob Preston

[aardvark]

Some good feedback, and I agree with all points expressed.

We still haven't heard from those doing like that Acquaintance of mine....LS 3's and all Hi Perf.  Also the doing massive bodywork changes.

 

Ron... I would own Your Dolenz car if funds were available... Ya had me drooling on my boots.

[mfg]

I’m 100% for safety upgrades on Stude Avantis (3rd brake light, better brakes, radial tires, Halogen headlights) Trunk mounted battery is a winner… Otherwise stock suits me!

[aardvark]

That's pretty much my stance for my '63' R2, since its condition is 90% great and no need for major upgrades,.(cept brakes as said earlier) .....I don't see the need for a trunk mounted battery and I've read all the weight distribution and other points.  Diehard still makes the stock battery, which is crap, but I keep a mini charger on it constantly.

The points You've pointed out can easily be reverted back to stock.... if desired.

[mfg]

35 minutes ago, aardvark said:

That's pretty much my stance for my '63' R2, since its condition is 90% great and no need for major upgrades,.(cept brakes as said earlier) .....I don't see the need for a trunk mounted battery and I've read all the weight distribution and other points.  Diehard still makes the stock battery, which is crap, but I keep a mini charger on it constantly.

The points You've pointed out can easily be reverted back to stock.... if desired.

Agreed….(I wouldn’t relocate the battery on square light Stude Avantis with group 24 batteries, but I’ve always felt the 3EE was an engineering mistake…. As you say, they don’t seem to last very long, and all that weight sitting on the fragile fiberglass inner skirt is ‘nuts’!)

[aardvark]

Well, I re-supported my box. It was cracked in one corner and I fiberglassed 4 layers on it... but yeah the battery is crap.. I went thru 3 of em in 1 year before I put a trickle charger on it .I do like the old look of the design... it's quite unique in style.. Saw one guy cut the battery open and remove the guts.. He installed a new battery inside of the original box... just to keep that Retro Look.

Edited 50 minutes ago by aardvark