DMV gives the Lark a good report card

I took my R-2 Lark for inspection today. The blower is off at the moment. I am presently running the car with a 700 CFM holley and 3.73 gears. I recently re-installed the MSD box with new MSD wire and their coil. With the Holley jetted pretty lean the car posted 187 PPM on the HC test with a max allowable of 1400. The CO's were 3.61 with a max allowable of 8.50. The mileage isn't too bad considering the gears and the short 235-60-15's on the car. I never gave a car a name before. I'm thinking of calling it "Rainman" from the movie of the same name. The character played by Dustin Hoffman kept telling his brother played by Tom Cruise that "I'm an excellent driver" The car is really becoming an excellent driver. It hasn't really been sucessful on the dragstrip at this point. Traction problems and a slipping blower belt have been plaguing it. It has however been driven to the 3 different dragstrips that it has been run on. I recently installed the plastic dash cover from International Autos. I removed the dash to do it. I don't know if I received a particularly inaccurate one or what. The speaker grill area wasn't even close. The glove box door latch needed modification, due to the cover moving the Vanity glove box out. My radio delete plate needed to be shaved down.The gauge cluster opening on the dash cover had to be trimmed way back to get the cluster to fit back in place. Then finally the ash tray pad still needs to be narrowed and recovered with fresh black vinyl because the opening for the ashtray is too small. It is either narrow the pad - or cut open the dash opening some . It is easier to re-work the pad. I bought a new Dremel tool to do the job. I don't see how the pad could possibly be installed without one. While the dash was out I made a plate to mount and hide my MSD box behind where the factory radio was mounted. I also installed 2 new 3 1/2" speakers on a plate in the original speaker grill location. Then I installed a Kenwood amplifier behind the glove box area.I have a black box type mount for a DIN type stereo under the dash that holds a JVC unit that has cassette and a controller for a 12 disc changer in the trunk. The mounting box is available from the Crutchfield Catalog. This car is a driver and a good stereo adds to the enjoyment of the car. I found that I had some under dash courtesy lights that are used in convertibles- since they don't have a dome light. I now have 3 courtesy lights in the car.The dome plus 2 in the lower corner of the dash.It adds a nice touch when you open the car up in the dark. Future plans for the interior include making some map pockets for the kick panels,and also getting replacement map pockets for the seat backs on the bucket seats. I still need to replace my headliner that is not even 4 years old thanks to mice staying in the car 2 winters ago. The map pockets help keep the car neater when it is on a road trip. I'm always amazed how quickly 4 of can make a mess of the car on a trip.Plus all of the flyers that get dumped in your car when you are out looking at other stuff. This way there'll be a place for everything and everything in it's place. No plans for cupholders however. The motor vehicle inspectors got a kick out of the car . None of them had ever heard of a Studebaker before. I gave the 1st inspector a bit of a "preflight" on the Lark. I had to show her how the parking brake and rocker switches worked. She fixed the name in the computer for the car. It was listed as a "Vanity". I don't have the LARK block letters on the fenders. I couldn't bring myself to drilling the needed holes in the NOS fenders,I bought the letters and have them in the glove box. The last time it was inspected they read the name off the glove box door, so I became the owner of a "Studebaker Vanity"

Reply to
jflan63
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Hey,how about some times on those dragstrip runs?? Mine brand X powered supercharged Lark layed down a 13:04@104 during the International meet.Thats with 215-70R15s and a 331 rear gear.I know there is a 12 in there!

Reply to
ChampTruckingCompany

The best time so far is only a 15.1 at 91 mph. I have had traction problems and twisted an output shaft on a T-10 from the wheel hop. I blew a driveshaft out of it on the street once. I broke the repro radius rods on the 1st pass. I welded them back together and they broke again in another spot. Now I have adjustable radius rods from Phil Harris at Fairborne studebaker. I need to get the pinion angle and trans u-joint angles set properly. At Hemmings Muscle Palooza 6 I almost stalled the car trying to launch it without spinning the tires and hopping the wheels. It was very embarassing. I was also running 3.07 gears since I was driving it about 150 miles to the track. I wish that a 5 speed TKO-500 was legal in Pure stock events. A 5 speed would make it launch and cruise better. Quicker off the line and better on gas.

Reply to
jflan63

I can't imagine using 3.07 gears for drag racing. I had a 3.07 TT on my Avanti R1 and the combo was horrible even for the street considering you could get Sunoco 260 and it still pinged.

I soon reinstalled the original 3.51 rear and that 3.07 is still in the back shed with less than 5K on it...

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

I install the 3.07's for cruising to the out of state shows. I wasn't about to re-install the 3.73's for a 3 hour ride to the Hemmings Muscle Palooza meet. Plus I was running 235-60-15s with the Torque Thrust D style wheels. The tires are only 26 inches tall and with 3.73's I would be cruising at close to 4,000 RPM to keep up with traffic on the NY Thruway. I wasn't trying to be competitive. I just wanted to make more of an exhibition run.. The 3.73's are back in it now and the car seems to like that ratio a lot better , just not on a long highway haul.

Reply to
jflan63

Those limits are why I never tried to run in that class with my 64. Running a Roots small block was enough of a pain to transfer the torque to the tarmac even though I used a built Turbo 350 and later a Newprocess 726 and a 32 spline 9 inch Ford differential with 3:00 gears and Dunlop Qualifiers sized 295sr50 15s on the rear.

You could give up on that class and find a five speed.......

Reply to
Studebaker Kid

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