SECTION 2 - Exterior
Tail Light Housings
The tail light housing on the 1956 Golden Hawk differs from other 1956
Hawks in that a small cutout is present on the outside edge. This cutout
mates up to the outer side of the fiberglass fin. Consequently, there is a
right and a left tail light housing.
The tail light housing used on other Hawk models for 1956 did not have the
cutout because these models did not have a fin. Therefore, the same tail
light housing can be used on either side.
Reference Source:
1955 - 1958 Chassis Parts Catalog, page 213.
Hot Rod Magazine dated April 1956, page 17.
Trunk or Deck Lid and Trunk Script
The trunk lid was the same for all 1956 Hawks and was used for the
1956 model year only. The rear portion of the trunk lid contains
horizontal grooves. On two tone models, this rear portion was
painted to match the contrasting color of the rest of the trunk lid.
The emblem and escutcheon combination was also used for just the
one model year. There is a flattened area around this entire portion
of the deck lid.
The escutcheon was discarded on 1957 and later Hawks.
The key hole was moved up higher on the deck lid and the
flattened area around the keyhole is much smaller.
The "GOLDEN HAWK" trunk script is chrome on most
models. Gold "GOLDEN HAWK" script was introduced with
Studebaker Engineering Master Change Notice No. 22257 (4-4-56). The gold script was used on
some of the South Bend cars produced later in the model year, somewhere around serial number
6032710. All Los Angeles assembled cars appear to have been fitted with the chrome trunk script.
If any Los Angeles cars were fitted with the gold trunk script, it would probably have occurred on
or after serial number 6800519.
The interior of the trunk was painted gray.
Reference Source:
1956 Studebaker Accessories, pages 5, 8.
1953 - 1958 Body Parts Catalog, page 344.
1955 - 1958 Chassis Parts Catalog, page 437.
Studebaker Engineering Master Change Notice No. 22257 (4-4-56).
Studebaker Division letter to R. Biddle from L.H. Lein (4-12-56).
Motor Trend dated February 1956, page 20.
Survey results.
Last Update - July 2, 2018
Page 68
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