The Black Hawk Chapter Member Profile

Rolf G. Snobeck Member - Black Hawk SDC
'64 Cruiser-A Story of One Car With a Unique History
By: Rolf G. Snobeck 2001

The Original Bill of Sale

In October 2000 I became the proud owner of a 1964 Cruiser. My wife Becky gave it for my 40th birthday. I have always liked the Brooks Stevens styling for 1964. Becky thought that a '62 Lark we saw was "cute", but my preference is with the '64's. The Cruiser appeared to be just a run of the mill 4-door sedan, but as I found out, with an interesting twist. You see, the previous owner (Mr. Claude LaRose) bought the car used in 1967 and owned it until his passing in 1997. The man apparently had a penchant for keeping records, as almost all the service tickets for those 31 years were found in the car.

So even though the car itself may be nothing more than a 4-door sedan, it is unique in that the complete history is there for review. What are the chances of knowing virtually everything about a 38 year-old car?

The history, when looked at sequentially, is truly fascinating. Several things were definitely apparent: the man who owned this car must have loved it, and he was willing to finance that love.

Greg Lentini, Rolf Snobeck and Mark van Deventer

So how did I wind up with this gem? His widow ending up selling the car to Mark van Deventer whom was looking for a donor 289 for his Avanti. The car was assumed to be a parts car because it was dented up, and it had been parked for 3 years after the owners' death. As I understand it, Greg Lentini helped Mark get the car out a garage in Arlington Heights and they got it down to Gregg to take a look at that 289. Gregg looked over the engine and the car. It was a good news--bad news situation. In the long run, good for me, and bad for Mark.

The "Birth Certificate"

Gregg found that the engine was pretty good, but it has slight miss in the #3 cylinder. Probably not a good candidate for a high performance application.

But there was something else too. When Gregg was poking around he found the other mechanicals on the car to be in amazingly good condition. Gregg's overall opinion was that this was no parts car, but a driver that needed body work. That's when my good fortune happened along. Mark decided to sell the car as-is, to keep another Studebaker on the road. When I was looking at the car to purchase, Gregg also told me the car was definitely a driver and would never be a show car. I was not immediately convinced of that, however after having more time to look at the car, I have found numerous "backyard" body repairs done over the years. The service tickets seem to confirm the "custom" repairs that were required to keep this car looking reasonably good over all these years. If you ever see this car, bear in mind that the only exterior sheet metal on the body that was on the car when it left South Bend is the roof. Every body panel, fender, door, hood, grill, you name it, has been replaced at least once! For the record, the front right fender was replaced due to collision damage on four occasions.

Cruiser VIN # 64V7520 was assembled on September 20, 1963, a proud product of UAW #5. The 64's went on sale one week later, so this car was probably built for stock for a dealer in Oak Park. With the options on the car, the price new would have been $3,071.35, plus shipping and taxes. LaRose bought the car used on September 1, 1967 from Arlington Motors, Inc., the dealership owned by Bill Curtis. Total cash price was $1,050.75, less a $50.00 trade for a 61 Ford; the net out the door was $1,000.75. He paid in full with a check. Mileage at time of purchase, approximately 32,000 miles.

The following spreadsheet tabulates the major work items that were performed by year, along with the total net cost as determined by review of the intact records.

One of the Receipts

Year	Tune Up	Minor Mechanical	Major Mechanical	Body Work	Estimated Mileage	Number of Service Visits	Total Cost
1967	No	Yes	No	No	35,000	1	$66.52
1968	Yes	Yes	No	No		2	$164.03
1969	Yes	Yes	No	No		7	$456.89
1970	Yes	Yes	No	No		1	$89.15
1971	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	83,000	6	$2,148.45
1972	No	No	No	Yes		5	$1,215.80
1973	Yes	Yes	No	No		2	$212.25
1974	Yes	Yes	No	No		1	$434.07
1975	No	No	No	Yes		4	$1,199.45
1976	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		6	$932.30
1977	No	Yes	No	Yes	113,855	4	$338.25
1978	No	Yes	No	No		2	$141.25
1979	No	Yes	No	Yes	119,627	1	$531.85
1980	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	124,935	4	$3,107.75
1981	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		6	$4,595.62
1982	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	130,715	5	$1,009.47
1983	No	Yes	No	No		6	$901.10
1984	Yes	Yes	No	No	138,000	3	$314.93
1985	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	141,285	4	$2,604.55
1986	No	Yes	Yes	Yes		2	$4,076.88
1987	Yes	Yes	No	Yes		4	$512.63
1988	No	Yes	No	Yes		2	$213.75
1989	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	150,434	5	$1,114.33
1990	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	153,600	5	$8,584.30
1991	No	Yes	No	No		2	$99.18
1992	No	Yes	No	Yes		3	$436.39
1993	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	157,588	4	$3,736.47
1994	No	Yes	No	No		1	$432.27
1995	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	159,743	5	$7,463.88
1996	No	Yes	No	No	161,541	3	$355.96
1997	No	Yes	No	No	162,261	1	$20.00
Totals	17 of 31	29 of 31	8 of 31	17 of 31	N/A	107	$47,509.72

What we don't know of course are those service tickets that may not have been saved, the cost for insurance and gasoline over all those years. I have started a Log Book for everything I do to the car, along with the cost and mileage notations. The history we have up until now has been by happenstance, but at some time in the future, maybe in another 31 years, it will be time for someone else to own this Cruiser. When that happens, the next owner will be treated to a most unique piece of history.

Greg was right; this car will be a driver. The numerous collisions it suffered over the years make it uneconomical to restore this car to original condition. I will be restoring it the "20 foot" appearance criteria. So if over the next few years you see me pull up and you think the Cruiser looks pretty sharp, don't look deep. And do know that Elizabeth, my daughter and partner in all things Studebaker, is absolutely convinced this is the best ride we could ever want. So, just remember that if you want to talk about any of the details on the car!!

Elizabeth Snobeck and the Cruiser

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Email: MarkvanDev@StudebakerClubs.com