By: Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
The first half of our adventure was complete. We had traveled across seven states in three and a half days and there we were at the big Studebaker meet. It was time to get unpacked and get the car cleaned up. Carlene went to the room, and I found the car wash area and set out to clean off seven states worth of bugs and rain. While cleaning the car I did notice a few rock chips in the paint. I was not upset about that as I considered it “red badge of courage” damage that only proved that I was not afraid to drive the car 2,034 miles to attend the event. I did lose a point in the judging because of it, but am more proud than disappointed about that. I also lost points for dirt that turned out to be the valence under the rear bumper. I didn’t clean it and didn’t even notice it. Carlene had told me that water was wicking up her skirt while we were driving in the rain. I thought she was exaggerating a bit but when I absorbed it out of the carpeting, I realized she was right, we had a major leak. I parked the car in the display area and didn’t get into it for another two days. Time to mix and mingle with the other Studebaker dudes and look at the other cars. Studebaker made so many awesome cars and it is so fun to take a look at the many cool models that I do not own. I’ve owned three but I would have so many more if only I had Jay Leno’s money.
During that two-day period, something was going on with the car as it sat. Apparently the water did not just soak into the carpeting; it had also gotten into the electronics under the dash. When I went to open the car (it has electric door locks) it would not open, as the battery was dead. I had a workaround built into the car in case the door locks failed, but that involved the power windows, which also did not work. Since the hood release lever is inside the car, I had also built into the car an outside hood release should I have a dead battery. That also did not work, and I began to panic about getting into the car without breaking a window. I ended up removing the right-side grill so I could reach up to open the hood. I got a jump for the battery and was able to get in the car.
I had yet to get the car judged, so I disconnected the battery to protect me from again getting locked out. I had many suggestions about how to fix the car, but I didn’t want to go out and buy new parts if that wasn’t the problem. So, I bandaged it enough to get me through the judging and get us home, which was now over 2,000 miles away. The judging went well, and the car received 395 out of 400 points for a first-place award. That was another bucket list item I could check off the list. It was important to me to get this recognition from the Studebaker Club—the very people who knew Studebakers and knew what to look for. It being a modified car, it was reassuring to get a thumbs up from the people that appreciate and love Studebakers the most. I took that as affirmation that I did the right things in rebuilding this classic.
While in St. Louis, we received even more rain. After having the car judged, we took it for a spin to charge up the battery. St. Louis is right on the Mississippi river so a quick drive across the bridge took us into Illinois, another state for our trip. That put a good charge on the battery. I figured that would be sufficient to make it back to California, plus I could put another state magnet on my dashboard. I was worried sick about making it back to California, but I had to put on a confident face for Carlene.
And that, my friends, is another story to be told. Did we make it back without incident? Stay tuned for the return trip on Route 66 and another 2,320 miles in my bullet nose Studebaker.
