My girls '60 Lark has a 259 and that thing is torquey, the a/t starts off in second and it pulls just fine. Plus it gets the best MPG out of all the running cars.
@1oldtimer that’s awesome. I’ve heard of guys putting the 3 speeds in second and turning overdrive on and letting it bounce back j and forth on its own for in town.
In my son's wagon 2nd over was perfect for around town. It had a 427-1 rear end. With the cam gear driven the cam sets lower in the block and the cylinders are a little wider. I've heard that accounts for the low end torque. I do know it makes the distributer turn the other way. You are right it is the T90. I'm doing that to the T86 I'm using in my roadster. Some are a closer fir than others. The shorter stroke would be like the difference in a 327 & 350. I always liked the short stroke small blocks better. I thong I have a pickup bell housing around too. I haven't chased Strugglebuggy parts in quite a while.
I'm still sticking with the 153 in my roadster for now, at least till I drive it. Then there is a 283 that will almost bolt right up, a 331 Caddy, and a pile of Studebakers, and since it will have a Stude transmission already.
For now I think I’m just going to move the entire drivetrain over to the deuce rails sitting next to the A
So while I wait for it to not be 18 degrees - brr!- so I can move cars around I thought I’d add this photo. while much larger than a flathead and considerably larger than a chevy I keep finding that the header solutions for flatheads look pretty close to clearing what I’ll end up with and the distributor needing about chevy clearance for the distributor. Though the stude doesn’t have the distributor in quite the same spot. I have to imagine the giant caves some people put in an A firewall are wanting quite a lot of room between the fan and the radiator. I’ve run them very tight the last few cars and while taking the water pump off and then pulling the fan off it, or removing the radiator all together then pulling the fan isn’t for everyone I’d rather do that than lose foot room in an already small car.
Yeah I think that's it. I am going to install my 283 in my 28 RPU as far forward as possible to minimize the firewall intrusion. I'm 6'2", every inch makes a big difference.
@05snopro440 I could also see an automatic transmission needing more room than the stock lower provides and guys figuring if I have to cut it I may as well cut a bunch and have more room. I also found in all this playing around that the lower the motor was the more room I had available. The cove in my lower firewall is fairly centered, possibly even goes towards the passenger side a bit. With the distributor off set to the drivers side I think I may cut a vertical line and remove about an inch of width and scoot the cove over a bit just to make the clearance around the distributor more uniform and the shape more on purpose looking. hoping I can move cars around this week and then after I get the engine cleaned up I’ll tear into it.
Yeah for sure. I'm doing an auto but it will not have any more room than necessary. On something like an A it's almost easier to pull the engine and trans if anything major is needed. My perspective, anyways.
I forgot to add, the hot ticket is to get a '59/'60 distributor for it. Those were Delco units and used the Chevy points, cond, rotor and cap. It also uses the same spark plugs as a Flathead (I have some NGK ones for both cars).
Yeah it really is some times. I recall pulling a motor and swapping in the new one in a buddy’s model A and driving before we hit dinner time.
Maybe I should have posted todays finding over here so others could see and make corrections if I'm wrong.
Been nosing around seeing what’s out there for starters. I found one questionable source for a mini gear reduction starter and found a seemingly legitimate part number for the specific starter I need. Delco 531608 and 1107115 are the two stock options for this combo. I’m assuming conv means conventional aka manual. So the 531608 is possibly the 4 speed starter such with an 1/8 inch shim works for the 3 speed with over drive setup. the biggest thing I’ve had to reiterate when looking for this stuff is that the 6 volt and 12 volt starters are completely different outside of the tooth count on the drive gear and the bolt on flange. the 6 volt not only has a different style cover but the guts are a slightly different style and has a much larger shaft. The drive gear is physically bigger the drive gear has a roughly a .15 bigger diameter. No parts exchange between the 6 and 12 volt starters. The work around if you want to use a 12 volt starter - with the correct length nose cone as 3 speed, 4 speed speed and auto are all different lengths- is changing the flywheel for one off a 12 volt motor. 56 and newer 12 volt starter = 56 and newer flywheel. was surprised to find they made so many different variations given the engine remained basically the same for the entire run. It’s as if Studebaker saw Fords endless interchangeability and standard tapers and bolt sizes and said let’s do the opposite of that. Lol oh well it’s a fun rabbit hole to have dove down. Gonna try to start cleaning my motor and trans up today. Fingers crossed
Interesting that the '61 V8 & 6 are the same. Wait till you get to the OD parts. Are you going to stay with 6v or run your 6v starter in 12v? The 6v solenoids for the OD are easier to come by. We'll talk about those if yours doesn't work.
I had planed on running it 12 volt and then maybe a voltage drop to run the OD solinoid on 6. I’ve run a few six volt starters as is on 12 volts just fine, but I’d probably have @Austin kays Dad rebuilt the starter 100% and have him set it up for 12. on a stude note I’m looking at this giant oil breather stand and trying to see what all the flats and holes are for I’ve seen the oil filter bracket bolted to the passenger side but I’m not sure where the hoses connect to. the flat spot on the drivers side the only thing I’ve seen there is a glass bowl fuel filter but most the time it’s empty or holding a carb return spring. I do see a hole routed to the hole near the bottom drivers side, mines blocked with the plug with a slotted head. I would assume it was a vacuum source? many reason I can’t make a shorter breather neck out of pipe if all I’m using it for is a breather and oil fill?
Is that right over the fuel pump lobe on the cam? That flat looks like an uncut fuel pump mount to me. Could be driven with a rod like a flathead. Maybe for some AG or industrial application. We had one with a sheet metal timing cover. The only one I've ever seen. The engine was blue. I'll have to look and see if any of mine have that kind of breather stand.
It’s like that on every picture that comes up when I Google studebaker 259. Got a line on a local stude club gonna see if I can find some local guys to trade info with.
Ok went snooping and found. One with a fuel pump where you mentioned and where I thought I was seeing only a filter! Could be a slick trick if you were out of room for the lower mounted pump. also a few photos of the filter bracket bolted to it. seems the oil for the filter comes out of a small port in the front of the drivers side head and in threw the top hose of the filter then out the lower. seems to be some debate of where it goes from there but the two routes I’m seeing are into the fuel pump boss which would line the push rod and the other is a boss in the pump stand/ breather tube which I believe to be the hole I see blocked with a slotted plug. The oil going down this tube would apparently drain down over the timing gears- no chain on these- and back into the pan. i did see one other style breather tube that was similar height but no where near as beefy looking. I’ll see if I can back track and find it
Looks like Tom and Diana Branch both run a full length stock breather but chromed and Tyler runs a shortened or fabricated one also that’s a mopar 318 air gap intake cut and welded to some flanges on Tyler’s set up with the single 4 barrel.
Coming in late again, my girls '60 Lark has the fuel pump looking boss and the hole below it with a pipe plug. Early fuel pumps on the oil filler and a return for the oil filter on drivers side of the oil fill tube and oil filter holes on pass side of fill tube. More tips as I remember them, **Get the stock fuel pump with the glass filter on the bottom, rebuild it with a Now and Then Automotive kit (ethanol resistant). The Carter replacement pumps leak oil after awhile from the arm pin and the pin comes out, thankfully the stock fuel pump bolts keep the pin from falling out. **If you're rebuilding the motor, have the machine shop bore out the freeze (core) plug holes out to fit in SBC cup plugs. The stock disc plugs REALLY suck if your block doesn't have 100% of the stop intact (a lot don't). **Make sure they clean out the block REALLY well (or you do if not rebuilding). Not sure about the older motors but around '60 era there could be some casting sand still left in the block.
Hey, Tim; To clean out the block, I found that using a "Driveway" tip on a pistolgrip hose end works to dislodge some stuff, also various long screwdrivers, thin prybars, coathangers & thick welding rods bent into needed shapes/angles, all used to scrape/poke/dislodge old junk, rust, past sand/core-wires. & there was a load in there. Afterwards, a good blockcleaner & flushing run thru the cooling system helped dislodge even smaller stuff, although I'd temporarily mount a coolant filter to capture stuff. Propylene glycol helps to keep coolant system scrubbed clean. I did this in near-wintertime, in the Lark - lots of "fun", not to mention messy, but never had any overheating issues afterwards. Glad you chose a Stude mill. & continue listening to your wife - she has good taste, & sense. . Marcus...
All good information guys! Thank you! im curious how much bigger the chevy cup shaped plugs are than the stock stude ones. I’m curious if there’s not a indext chart where you could find an existing one by size but given how “thrifty” I hear Studebaker guys are if there was a way to do it without machine work they’d have found it lol
I missed the part number but these Dorman brass expansion plugs seem to be in favor. 1 1/2” for future reference. Also a ford 289 has a very shallow 1.5” plug that I guess works on the later motors but I’m not finding a consensus on early. They do recommend red thread locker either way did find this on the drivers club so thought I’d leave the address showing in case someone wants to follow bread crumbs
Love it when buddy’s come through! I’ve been trying to find a match, or current code for, 1930 ford duchess blue for the entire length of this monster thread. Well Ethan came threw with a dead on match! this is all the same card in different light. Super stoked!
Yup, I mentioned that I believe. I actually took the photos of Toms car a couple weeks ago. While your here Trent you know of anymore stude powered hotrods? I’ve found a few mocked up but outside of Dean Moons 34 and the Branches cars nothing driving to be found.
The Jalopy Journal
