STEERING: It's a little more complicated than I thought, but not bad. The steering rods have to be the same length with 1/2" and the toe-in miniscule. I'm still not sure if I have the steering arm on the spline in exactly the right place (they didn't mark it on early cars) but it all connected, nothing mashed, and the wheels turn.
With the steering in I was able to remove the dollies. I bought the wrong kind, from Napa, and they don't roll at all. But they are stacked under the work bench now waiting to move a piano, and the Duchess is at last resting on all 4s.

SPLASHERS: Paint came out great. I'm going to reconnect skeletal wiring, so I can start the car and touch up some the engine compartment paint before replacing them and the front fenders.

PAINT: I'm finally getting the knack of mixing paint ingredients to get the result I want and smoother motions with the little gun I use. The 4 oz pot is perfect for parts. I use a tiny dixie cup for each can I have to dip into and pour each into a drinking size paper cup, maybe 12 oz. So I can refill the pot 3 or 4 times. I improved a stand to hold the gun upright when it's attached to the air hose.

It feels good to look at the Duchess on the ground. Seems much more manageable.

SPLASHERS: I cut an addition to the right splasher that had been cut out decades ago. Then prepped the splashers for painting, semi-gloss black.

STEERING GEAR AND COLUMN: If the steering box can go through the floor board, I couldn't figure out or maneuver it to go through. It may have been because I had the whole thing wrapped like a rolled roast, but no way would it go from the top down. I pulled the brake and clutch levers all the way to the floor and wired them. That didn't help. I jacked the car up as high as I could and came very close to getting the steering end through the floor from the bottom. But just not close enough. The left steering tube was in the way. For those who have never removed a steering tube, you don't need to remove the nuts on the tie-rod ends. And you have to turn the tube in reverse and miraculously it comes off at both ends. How do they do that? (The rest of you can have a chuckle.) Anyway, I removed the tube, cleaned it and the clamps up for repainting. Once it was out the steering column went right up into the cab. I have to paint the tube before I put it back and set the steering.

TAUPE PAINT: Besides the column, that brown color goes on the top rails and bows, including the front and back wooden bows, the hand brake, and the center body of the steering wheel. It seems that the gear shift levers on the steering column were not painted, but they may be brown, too.

CHROME: The last load of Duchess bling arrived in time to be put under the tree.

HEAT RISER: The cover from MaxMerrit also arrived. I need smaller stainless washers, but otherwise, the reunion should help the engine run smoother on warm up.

Merry Christmas, Joe.

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If you are so lucky...

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I think I have as close as match as I can get. On the Internet, that particular DAR 23013 is very light... 1948 Studebaker Rodeo Tan.And this photo of Dave's beautiful twin had the right brown...see outer center of steering wheel and gear shift lever.

Also my top rails and gear shift column.

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Black it is and semi-gloss. According to the PI Judging manual, a few items like the air cleaner are gloss black, but I'm going with semi-gloss for the splashers, something they don't list. The PPG DAR 9000 Black I'm using is super glossy, so I will cut it with some flattening agent. 4 parts paint, 1.5 parts flattening agent, 1 part hardener.

Thanks for help on this. I'm getting really good at taking the front fenders on and off.

Joe

Thanks, Howard. I've seen those assembly-line photos lowering the bodies o so carefully. With this info I'm going to wrap it up, put some rags around the pedal access and attempt putting it in from the top. It doesn't go down very far. Once the steering is connected, I can take her off these dollies and, with a few more steps, move around on its own power.
Joe

On the HEADLIGHT RIMS, the saga continues. At the risk of making the same mistake your mother-in-law made sitting on the edge of your wife's bed the night before you were married and making a damn fool of herself, I will share my own experience. The tool I used, or the way I used it, put ripples in the lifted rim edge that holds the rubber gasket. I used a chisel and hammer to straighten it, then test-popped the rubber in, you have to stretch it a bit. I didn't seal the rubber under the lip yet. More painting needs to be done, but I don't think I want to hammer that lip over the rubber after the final paint is on, even gently.

The STEERING and SHIFT COLUMNS are cleaned, painted and assembled. Now I just have to figure out how to get the whole thing back in the Duchess. I haven't tried putting the steering case through the floorboard hole for the brake and clutch pedals. It's that or remove the shift lever and put the column up from below. I can't remember how I pulled it out. I have to wait til I get some help, or I'll scratch my beautiful paint job.

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On my 40 160, the numbers are 333534 (which I think is the original softer metal (smooth finish, lighter metal color) and a cast one which is rough, harder steel and matches your part book number somewhat... it's 360425 (P)1. Why I have one replacement and one original may be a result of the factory changing these out after Feb 1940 because of complaints.

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I can't find any info on what the color of the splasher panels, between the engine and the front fenders, should be. Black on all cars? Or the body color.
Thanks for help.
Joe

I will sleep good tonight.

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