1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible

LuLu Lewis
El Cajon, CA

LuLu found this convertible like she always wanted and talked her husband Bill into building it for her. Bill acquired a 2002 Chevy S-10 SWB pickup and the chassis was used for this car. A 350 Chevrolet engine was installed with the 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission and stock S-10 rear end. The only modification required for this transplant was to trim 3" from the top of the frame over the rear end so the body would sit flat.

After the body was mated to the frame, Bill added some mild custom touches to the body. The car was nosed and decked and the door handles were shaved. Bill added 52 Studebaker headlight rims and custom made flat glass lenses to the taillights using the stock chromed bezels. The fresh air doors in the front fenders were welded up and the rear fenders were welded to the body.  The eyebrows were removed from the hood along with both bumpers. A custom made air dam was fitted to the front under the grill and a custom made insert replaces the rear bumper. Inside are Chrysler Sebring seats upholstered in tan leather and the tan convertible top matches the interior.