SP Rides: The Champion of Studebakers
BY JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER: Melvin “Mel”Alvaro
YEAR: 1950
MAKE: Studebaker
MODEL: Champion
ENGINE: 350 ci small block Chevrolet 4 bolt main, dual 390 Holley carburetors, Weind aluminum cross-ram intake, Sharp roller rockers, Dart angle plug heads, Noris cam,
DRIVETRAIN: 2005 Camaro 5-speed manual transmission, aluminum flywheel, Hayes clutch disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing, custom shortened 9” Ford rear end, 4:30 gears
SUSPENSION: Front clip from Fatman Fabrications, 2000 Camaro frontend assemble, rack & pinion, tube control arms, front disc brakes
WHEELS: Weld rims, 31X18.00 R15LT rear tires, 26X6 R15LT
ELECTRONICS: MSD ignition
INTERIOR: Al Upholstery Waipahu
Mel Alvaro recalls the day he first spotted this 1950 Studebaker Champion in Waimalu — and being shocked at the owner’s asking price. A stock car racer for 15 years, Alvaro’s heart was set on owning this third-generation model featuring the bullet-nose look, but his instincts told him now was not the time to buy. And so he waited.
After a couple of months, he returned to find the owner’s price had dropped by $2,000. That’s when he decided to strike a deal.
“I stopped by and told the guy he wasn’t going to get what he was asking for (because the price was) too much,” said Alvaro, a retired lineman with Oceanic Time Warner Cable. “I said, ‘I give you $2,000 cash right now for the car. I get the money with me.’ The guy said, ‘No way, that’s too cheap,’ so I left my number and went home.”
When Alvaro arrived at his residence, the message light on his answering machine was flashing. Sure enough, the voice recording was from the car owner, telling him to bring over his $2,000. The car was finally his.
Of course, he soon discovered that all was not right with this vintage ride. Driving the newly purchased Studebaker to his Ewa home, Alvaro remembered both front-wheel slaves blowing out on him and losing control of the brake pedal. Fortunately, the hand brake was still operational.
“And (the previous owner) wanted $9,000 for this car,” noted Alvaro, laughing at the memory.
Yet despite the shaky start, Alvaro liked the car’s potential. “One of my friends told me that ugly cars make the best hot rods, and when he came over to look at this car, he said, ‘Yup, that’s one ugly car!’” Alvaro recalled. “And we began tearing the car apart.”
One of the first things Alvaro wanted was to change out the front clip. “I ordered this front end from Fatman fabrications, and it came with everything on it,” he explained. “I wanted a front clip that was inline with the frame, so they took the 2000 Camaro clip and made it to fit this car. The friend who helped me is a welder and works a lot with lasers, so we laser-aligned everything and welded it together.”
The entire build was done in Alvaro’s garage and took two years to complete. It was around the same time when Alvaro ran into a cousin of his, whom he hadn’t seen since childhood. To his surprise, Bernette Duarte was stricken with polio at the time they were reunited. After catching up with each other, Duarte asked if he could be taken for a cruise in the recently built rod, which took place a couple weeks later. Duarte passed away two days later, and Alvaro has dedicated this ride to his memory.
