COMMAND PERFORMANCE – GUIDO GRIMA 1965 STUDEBAKER COMMANDO
Everybody knows one of those guys. You know, the ones that take the less-travelled path and aren’t afraid to do so. Guido Grima is one of those guys. An early encounter with a 1965 Studebaker cemented his interest in the marque, and his subsequent restorations have done it proud.
“In my early 20s, everyone seemed to have FJs or Customlines or Holdens of whatever sort. Then my white Cruiser came along. I went and had a look, and I really liked it. We went for a drive, the guy took it up the Hume Highway and took it to 100mph. I thought, ” That’s it, this car’s mine!” recalls Guido.
The year was 1972, and the rest, as they say, is history. The ‘Cruiser’ that Guido refers to is not this car, but the white four-door sedan you’ll find later in the article. He’s owned it all this time, that’s approaching 50 years, subjecting it to more than one rebuild during their time together. Today, it packs 350 Chevy power and is looking better than ever.
The main subject of our story is his 1965 Studebaker Commander, not a common body style and rarely finished to such a high standard.
“I’ve always liked the two doors, I think they are a good body shape. This one came up one day, actually, a mate of mine found it in The Age, advertised down in Springvale. I paid $1,200 for it. It was a bit of a shit box, but it was all there. It sat around for a couple of years, then I thought I’d better get serious about it and stripped it down. The body wasn’t all that good, but I ended up getting onto another body that was spot on.”
By now, it was the mid-1990s, and Guido invested around three years in the project. Important allies were fellow staff and students at the Batman Automotive College in Coburg, where he worked.
“I was in the maintenance section, making up training modules for the apprentices. I also used to fix everything the apprentices broke, especially the mechanics when they would bolt a head on and break a stud. I knew the teachers well; they would just say, ‘Take it down to Guido in maintenance.’ I became an expert in getting out busted bolts!
In their spare time, the staff would help Guido with panel work and rust-repair sections, which he would take home and finish off. When it came time for paint, Guido used a Honda Prelude that he’d spotted while riding to work for inspiration.
“I originally painted it at home, but I’ve since painted it again in 2012, in two-pack,” he informs.
When the Commander first hit the road in 1997, Guido had shoehorned a 454 Chevy under the bonnet. Like many Australian-delivered Studebakers, this one came factory-equipped with a small-block Chevy, so stepping up wasn’t too big a deal. It was a choice he later came to regret, however.
“It was so front-heavy, and it didn’t really go like I wanted it to. It would cruise at 100mph, but just didn’t seem to have that get-up-and-go. The front heavy part is what I really didn’t like, I got sick of it after a while and just said, ‘I’m pullin’ this thing out!’”
Guido did his homework and started accumulating parts for a 383 stroker, which included a pair of aluminium 18-degree heads from an HSV race car. He entrusted his friend, Graham Bert of Extreme Engines, with the machining and assembly.
“The heads cost me a fortune,” Guido adds. “Then Graham said my heads would be better on a 400. So I did a deal with a guy, gave him my 383 and took his 400.”
Guido installed the freshly built 400, along with a Turbo 400 transmission by John Marshall, and a shortened Ford 9” diff with 3.5 gears by John Taverna. The fit was perfect… almost.
“Because it had a reasonably high manifold, I had to put a hole in the bonnet, but I’m not keen on bonnet scoops. I looked around for a smashed XR8 bonnet but couldn’t find one anywhere, then I got onto this scoop and moulded it into the bonnet. Everyone reckons it blends into the bonnet really well.”
Guido resisted the temptation to swap out the split bench seat for buckets, stating that they’re just too damn comfortable. Hence, he committed the original seating to a complete retrim in cloth and vinyl, and the once green dash was coloured to suit. He’s since grown to disfavour the grey, however and is contemplating a makeover in the near future.
When the Stude first hit the road back in 1997, Guido had himself a show winner, taking home a truckload of prizes from the likes of the Victorian Hot Rod Show and the Easternats at Sandown. Today, you’ll more likely find him on a Studebaker club run, a club in which he currently acts as Social Secretary.
