1951 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe |
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Tom
Mills The story about this mild custom Coupe starts in a field in New Mexico, where it had been sitting for 25 years and was the local hotel for a herd of prairie dogs. Tom said it was pretty sad looking but there was no rust in it so he bought it and hauled it back to his body and paint shop in Indiana. Tom
started by removing the body and modifying the Studebaker chassis by
adding a K-member and additional bracing for rigidity. Up front he
installed tubular style control arms and coil springs, power rack and
pinion steering and power disc brakes. Out back is a Dana 44 Twin Traction
rear axle with traction bars and finned drums, mounted on leaf springs. While the body was off,
it was completely reconditioned on a rotisserie by
Jefferson
Auto
Collision Service in Mishawaka, Tom
installed a full custom leather and cloth interior, featuring Lincoln Mark
VII power bucket seats up front, with custom 3 point seat belts, and a
modified Lincoln
seat in the rear. The
tilt-telescopic Cadillac steering column was mounted in a Studebaker
housing and cruise control was installed. Other driver comforts include
the custom
built front and rear heat and air conditioning system and the Autosound
radio with a 10 disc CD changer. The cool
looking dash has color matched gauges by Classic Instruments. American
Racing provided the chromed five
spokes, 16" up front and 17" in the rear. |
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