A truly unneeded, completely ostentatious, we dare say "glitzy" special project.
In the Batt Stuff project we repurposed the gas cap area, behind the gas door, to hold the battery charger along with the fuel fill vent tube from the Fuel Fill project.
While there was no attention to aesthetics at that time we knew someday we would give it the same treatment as we did on the Ventilators. The process was very simple - tape off the area and paint the inside.
| Hover to see during and after |
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So far this is nothing special. Its painted, big deal right. Well it is the timing of the project that was key. One of the slightly disappointing things about our Studebaker is the lack of a stainless steel gas door guard. We have seen these on later models and finally posted on the Studebaker Club forum to see if a later models would fit. It was then when one of the forum users asked if THIS was what we were looking for ‽ (interrobang anyone)
OH %^&* YEAH was the first thought but we held it together and only screamed "YES YES YES". This is an aftermarket item for the 50/51 that we did not even know existed. With a few private messages (PMs), and a quick payment, it was on the way. Side note: The person who offered this AWESOME bit of stainless is Matt B., co-owner of Stephen Allens. This is our preferred Studebaker vendor and we have used their website as a shopping list for the ChevyBaker. All of this, the initial post, the PMs, and the payment all happened in a single day!
So with the part on the way we had a deadline. We were meeting friends for brunch at the weekend (yes "at the weekend" is grammatically correct) and the part would be here just in time to show it off. While we have been telling friends about the car for years this is kinda the big reveal day!
Well the part arrived and the install was very very simple indeed. As the package stated it is just removing two screws and use same (or replace with something more cool) to install the guard. We now present the final product. BEHOLD!
| Hover to see Closed vs Open |
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Now for the funny part. The whole point of having the Gasoline Door Guard is that it "Protects the finish on your car" (quoted right from the box). This is presumably from the gas pump handle making contact with the fender and/or paint. We however will never put a gas nozzle thru the door because the fuel fill is in the trunk (see the Fuel Fill project) But you have to admit it is wayyyyy cool. 
Thank you again Matt for making this possible! 