Low Mileage 1963 Studebaker Lark Regal

Up for auction is this sweetheart of a '63 Lark Regal. I am listing the car for a good friend, and have done my best to describe the car as honestly and as accurately as I can. If you have any questions at all, please send a message and I'll get an answer asap.
First and foremost, I'll make a point to say that this car is completely, 100% operational. Everything works... It's turn-key, ready to drive and enjoy. There have been quite a few upgrades done, including power brakes and "modern" air conditioning.

The owner has spent the past 40 years twisting wrenches on cars, and although spending most of his career on Mercedes and Volkswagens, he's had a soft spot for Studebakers ever since he bought his first Hawk as a teenager. He purchased this car nearly 20 years ago in a small town in New Jersey. The intent was to do all of the work necessary to make the car a presentable, reliable, turn-key driver for his mother. Now that the car has been "done" for a few years, mom has reached her mid 80's and has decided that a vintage car isn't high on the priority list anymore. With a couple of other Studes waiting in the wings for their turn to be fixed, it's time to hopefully find this Champagne Gold Regal a new, loving home.

Essentially, whatever the car has needed over the last two decades, it got. It was an original, 18K mile car when he brought it to Florida, and today it's showing a little more than 26,000 miles. About 10 years ago, a truck backed into the passenger side door while sitting in a parking lot, and thus the work began.. The door was replaced with NOS, and the exterior of the body was completely stripped to bare metal.

Mike McGarvey (McGarvey's Inc, a high end restoration shop) here in Tallahassee did the paint and body work. There was no rust on the car whatsoever, but any and all dents were dealt with, and the car was acid etch primed, 4 to 1 urethane primed, and finished off with DuPont Chromabase in the original color and Sikkens clear. There are a couple of small touch up spots here and there, but overall, the paint job has held up exceptionally well, and it still looks great.

The tires are brand new (less than a year old) 205/75's. The bumpers could use a replating, but they aren't bad for originals. The hood ornament is a very nice rechromed piece. The hubcaps are NOS, and the beltline stainless trim was polished, along with the rock guards on the rear fenders. The wheels are painted in the original off-white color that the factory used. A previous owner added the mirrors and the glass turn signal lights to the front fenders, and they do work.

The backup light housings are NOS and functional, and the deck lid "Bird" emblem is NOS. All of the rubber on the car is new; front and rear windows, doors, trunk lid, etc.

The interior is just as fresh, and as nicely done, as the exterior. The dash is one of the nicest original '63 dashes I've seen. The carpet is new. The seat upholstery was redone (in the original style and pattern) using a much higher quality cloth insert than the factory stuff.

While the dash is nice, it's not perfect. There are a couple of cracks on the left side, above the gauge panel. Still... When was the last time you saw an original '63 dash that wasn't sun baked?



The back seat was reupholstered at the same time as the front. All of the window regulators were serviced, and all 4 operate as smooth and easy as they did when new. The "cat whiskers" and window channels are also all new.

The door panels are the originals, but the cardboard backing was used as patterns to make new ones from ABS plastic sheet.

Original Studebaker lap belts were installed in the front, though there aren't any belts in the rear. The plastic hinge covers on the sides were replaced with painted metal ones.

The headliner is new.. And check out that working dome light!

Inside the Vanity is the original owner's guide... The factory paint label with "Champagne Gold" is still intact on the underside, too.

Just a little more than 26,000 original miles.

The original AM radio works fine, but a vintage FMconverterwas installed underneaththe steering column. While it isn't modern satellite radio or bluetooth compatible, it works great for the local stations.

You guessed it, even the windlace is new...

Under the hood, the car is as sound and reliable as it gets. It starts right away and runs as smooth as an old inline 6 should. The engine was removed, the water passages cleaned out, gaskets replaced, and dropped back in. The owner converted the car to Overdrive, using a rebuilt transmission and all of the factory parts on the install. The OD works exactly the way it should. The clutch was rebuilt at the same time.

The master cylinder was replaced with new, along with adding a factory brake booster. The distributor was serviced on an old Sun machine, and the ABS carb was replaced with a rebuilt one from a '61 Lark, which is much more reliable. The mechanical fuel pump was replaced with an electric unit, wired in with an oil pressure safety cut off switch.

Perhaps the "coolest" part of this whole car is the addition of a modern air conditioning system. It utilizes a custom mounting bracket with a Sanden compressor, with a modern condenser and thermostatically controlled electric fan. To help the rest of the car keep up, a 5 blade radiator fan and clutch was installed, the radiator rebuilt, and a factory shroud installed. The alternator was replaced with a 45 Amp unit from an Avanti.

When I took these pictures, the temp was in the mid 90's and the humidity was sky high, too. With the car sitting at an idle inside the shop, the evaporator instantly started blowing out nearly 40 degree air. It gets even colder when cruising down the road. No matter how hot it is outside or how hard you run the a.c., the car doesn't overheat. It was built to withstand Florida summers, and it does it well..

There isn't a lot to look at underneath, but we put the car on a lift anyway. There's no rust whatsoever, and the factory undercoating is still in great shape. The exhaust system is new.

No shiny, detailed chassis here.. This car was built to be driven. The sway bar is from a V8 car, and the control arm bushings are NOS, but are starting to crack from age. Everything underneath has been serviced. The kingpins have O-ring seals, all bearings have been repacked and new seals installed, front and rear. The 3.73 rear axle has been drilled and tapped with Zerk fittings for future servicing. U-joints are new. Dual horns were added, and the starter is a rebuilt Delco unit in place of the original Presto-junk.

Bottom of the front fender dog leg and batwing crossmember. Solid as it was in '63.

As is the back end of the rocker panel.

And the rest of the body and frame.





As mentioned earlier, the tires were new within the last year. They don't have more than a few hundred miles on them.

This car has had all of the hard work done, and was an exceptionally nice, low mileage example to begin with. If you're looking for a good looking, economical, comfortable Studebaker that you can get in, turn the key, and drive anywhere the road might take you... This is it. Fly in, we'll pick you up at the airport and you can drive it home. While you won't win any drag races, it'll get you where you need to go without worry. (Of course, if racing is your thing, there is a 289 4 speed setup that could be included for extra cash...)
Full payment is due within 3 business days of the auction ending. The car is stored in a secure, indoor location and can stay there for 30 days after the auction ends. After the first month, a $100 monthly fee will apply. Shipping, transport, or pick up is completely up to the buyer and at his/her expense. We'll be happy to work with you and help, however you choose to get it home.
Please, don't hesitate to contact me. Both the owner and myself are long time Studebaker Drivers' Club members and spend a lot of time around these cars. We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, and would be happy to let you come and see the car in person and take it for a test drive.
Thanks for lookin'!

On Jul-24-16 at 01:54:11 PDT, seller added the following information:

I forgot to show photos of inside the trunk.. The spare is a new, modern donut spare to save space, trunk mat is a new reproduction. The original bumper jack is in place. No rust whatsoever..

On Jul-24-16 at 02:03:07 PDT, seller added the following information:

A few more photos.





That's the reflection of my wristwatch in the paint.

On Jul-24-16 at 02:41:32 PDT, seller added the following information:

On Jul-24-16 at 09:35:24 PDT, seller added the following information: