Studebaker Pedal Car

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I keep wondering about the brakes. :39: A four wheel disc set up would be nice.

Even thought I don't expect that you would be setting any speed records on flat ground, if you get all of that mass plus the driver weight moving down hill somewhere, it could spell trouble!
 
"The only Studebaker Lark Daytona 500 race car in Europe is going to auction, except it never raced in the Daytona 500, nor did any other Studebaker Lark, although Harold Smith did drive a 7-year-old 1952 Studebaker (earlier than Lark) to a 31st place finish in the inaugural Daytona 500 race in 1959.

Studebaker introduced its compact Lark sedan as a 1959 model. For 1962, it designated the Lark’s top trim package as Daytona"

That's right, it might get away from you, those studebakers really fly!
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Drag Racing too! Lightin 'em up!

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I keep wondering about the brakes. :39: A four wheel disc set up would be nice.

Even thought I don't expect that you would be setting any speed records on flat ground, if you get all of that mass plus the driver weight moving down hill somewhere, it could spell trouble!

Hydraulics might be an issue - the only known (to me ofcourse) system that can run two calipers from one lever is made by Magura, and it's not cheap...
 
So, to address some conversation.

Steering in the front, rear left is pedal drive by chain, rear right will have a 48v 1000w hub motor, with a 48v 50ah Li-Ion battery. It's thumb trigger controlled, and while the only brake really is the one rear coaster brake, the electric motor also has a motor brake that should help.
 
I finally cracked the tough nut that has been the drive system for the Studebaker. I basically had to cut everything apart, and re-fabricate it back together. The left rear wheel will be the pedal chain drive, and the left rear wheel will have an electric hub on it to really help, and give it some zoom. This has been such a pain in the...! I'm so happy for this major milestone (at least, it was for me). Here's a video from my YouTube page explaining the process:
 

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"The only Studebaker Lark Daytona 500 race car in Europe is going to auction, except it never raced in the Daytona 500, nor did any other Studebaker Lark, although Harold Smith did drive a 7-year-old 1952 Studebaker (earlier than Lark) to a 31st place finish in the inaugural Daytona 500 race in 1959.

Studebaker introduced its compact Lark sedan as a 1959 model. For 1962, it designated the Lark’s top trim package as Daytona"

That's right, it might get away from you, those studebakers really fly!
hsmith2L.jpg


Drag Racing too! Lightin 'em up!

b634be301e223de2eae19d86e8fb0a37.jpg






The later Stude's used Chevy engines. Inline sixes and even the small block V8. There are a few proponents on the internet for Studebaker having made the first muscle car for their own OHV V8 introduced in 1951. Not sure I would agree with that.

My parents had a big old 1951 Studebaker with that engine. It was almost a limo with suicide rear doors, a monstrous interior and that big for its' day, and pretty fast V8. It was a 1951 Studebaker Land Cruiser.

Loving following this build BTW
 
A fun detail. I wanted to have a radio antenna on the car, to help with the look that I'm going for, namely that it's a complete car, just miniaturized. It had the bracket for an antenna on it, so I took that apart, and cleaned and repaired it. Then I welded on some stainless weld rod to make a short antenna, and finally, topped it with an art deco topper I've been hanging onto for years. I originally bought it for the '54 Chevy pick up I had, though I sold it years ago.
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Used CAD to use two scrap pieces from the trunk to fill in between the fenders and the grill in the front of the car. Even without any kind of shaping, I think it looks much better. I'm very happy with how it came out.
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Hydraulics might be an issue - the only known (to me ofcourse) system that can run two calipers from one lever is made by Magura, and it's not cheap...
If you can find it, there are cable operated hydraulic calipers from ye olde days.
 
Had a GOOD DAY yesterday. Finally got the Studebaker back together. Now features a pedal powered left wheel, and an electric driven right wheel. The moondiscs also really help hide the inside of the car, as it could be seen before.

There is some shimmying going on at higher speeds, so I'll have to see if I can track that down, but otherwise, I'm pretty happy. I'll post a video soon.
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