Looking for a little information What year did the Full Flow oiling start ????1962??? Is the 259 crank the same as the 289, just different rods and bore?? Is there any significant difference in the truck motor Vs the car motor. - 7E code Vs a P code. I have a line on one of each and am leaning towards spending the extra to get the full flow 289 from a 64 Cruiser.
Full flow started mid 62 , cranks are different stroke, rods are the same ,pistons are different heights the 64 is a good motor
I have been running a 1962 full-flow Lark 259 engine in my 57 year old Stude pickup daily workhorse for a few decades now. It still barks the tires when I hit second gear. Some 64 Cruisers had Avanti engines (Stude 289 with a warmer cam and compression) so check for flat top pistons (standard 289 pistons had a dish in the top). (259 cranks used flat top pistons so be careful not to get confused by that if the engine was rebuilt in the past) There shouldn't be any real difference between a truck engine and a car engine except that some truck engines had taller intake manifolds that gave a straighter shot to the intake ports. Some truck engines and many factory-replacement shortblocks for cars had an aluminum timing gear, so don't let an aluminum timing gear get you excited about finding an "Avanti engine" ALL Stude engines had tough forged cranks, high-nickel engine castings, and forged rods, so there were no "special" engines to seek for. If your engine has a Prestolite distributor (usually used 1962 and later) THROW IT AWAY, and use any Delco distributor from any earlier year V8. ALL the Prestolites had very poor timing control even when new, spark-****ter to the extreme, so even a well-worn Delco is many horsepower ahead of the badly designed Presto. V and P were the size designations. P is the bigger engine, and V is the smaller engine FOR THAT YEAR. P was usually used for the long stroke 289 engine, and V for the smaller short stroke 259. That is what most people have used to find out the engine size. CAN'T DO THAT TODAY. Over the years many, many engines were rebuilt using a plentiful, less worn, 259 engine block and reground 289 crank. Or when the long stroke crank wore out the rod bearings faster than the 259, and the crank got scored, it was common to freshen up the "P" engine with a 259 crank and pistons. Now to complicate matters, in 1955 the smaller 224 inch V8 engine had the smaller "V" designation, and the "larger" 259 V8 engine received the larger "P" designation that most people think is the 289 designation. "P" was used for some 259's also! (1955) In other words, the "V" and "P" designations may have been helpful in days past when most Stude engines were untouched, but for the last few decades they do not really mean much anymore. Although the 289 is supposed to be the more powerful engine, we have had much better results at the racetrack with the shorter stroke 259's because the short stroke and quick revs let us jump-and-go before most of the bigger engines get wound up. That includes many big engined BrandX compe***ors who were shocked to get beat by a Studebaker. Just don't try to pull a big vehicle with it or it slows down quite a bit. In a light car they can be a lot of fun, and can create many surprised faces. Here's some 259 Studebaker fun- no blower needed.
I liked my 259 in my Lark convertible and my 289 in my 64 GT. What I didn't like was the weeping rear oil seal. I had an idea of modifying the oil pan to return the oil to the engine rather than the ground. A bit of a design flaw on Studebaker's part. Anyone thought of that?
so the 259 crank is the same as the 289? I'm running a 289 in my Model A but it was complete when I rebuilt it. I didn't change anything other than use a Ted Harbit R2+ cam.
No, the 259" is 3.25" stroke and the 289" is 3.625" Bottom line, crank and pistons are different. Block bore diameter and rods are the same. thnx, jack vines
SIMPLIFIED ANSWER- When Studebaker increased the displacement from 259 to 289, they ground the crankshaft for a longer stroke, which also made it necessary to move the wrist pin location a bit higher in the 289 pistons so the 289 didn't push the pistons clear out of the block. Other than the stroke, and the need for a different wristpin location in the pistons, the engines are the same, part for part.
If this Cruiser engine is the same engine as the Avanti, it would be an R1 engine. R1 and R2 (supercharged) were called Jet Thrust engines. Instead of a V or P, it will have a JT or JTS (supercharged) stamped on the block. As previously mentioned, the full flow blocks started halfway thru 1962.
I run a 259 in my 61 lark as a daily driver and I love it so far. Anyone have any suggestions for performance parts? I would love to set up a dual carb set up, any sugestions?
I run the 259 in my 53 and really like the engine, but that slush-box automatic is such a drag..I'm thinking about that parts kit thats offered to swap to the 400R or TH350/400... anybody do that?...
RPierce, Regarding what you can do to soup up your 259, there really isn't much. There are little things that are worth 5-10 HP and if you are talented and meticulous and determined, you can eek out a lot of HP with a tremendous amount of work and time (!) Dual exhaust is the first place to start and a 4bbl. Problem with 259 is you don't have enough compression ratio. (actually all stock Stude's ahve this problem.) But seriously, the most interesting thing to do is get a Super Jet Thrust R2 setup for the car. Even a Golden Hawk setup could work, however the supercharger sits a bit higher and will probably run into your hood. Regards, Tom
I had a 259 in my 62 Lark Daytona, 4 brl carb, with a factory t-10, twin track rear end, 4:11, complete with factory Stuart Warner gauges. Quick little puppy and got decent milege, about 18 if i quit driving it hard.
Ah yeah, that's the stuff! If I had a Daytona, that's how I'd want it setup. Nice. Got pics? If ya' need help posting them, I'll be glad to ***ist. 6narow
These are the only pics i have before I installed the factory 4 bbl carb and manifold and before I sold the Daytona.
I've got a couple of questions. not trying to hi jack. 1. where on the block do you find the numbers? I have none. 2. how do you tell if the motor is a full flow? 3. If its not a full flow, can you turn it into a full flow? 4. Is there any books out there to help with ***embly/I.D questions? I'm in the process of building a 37 ford slant back. and I don't want to use the belly ****on motor (chevy small block). Nothing wrong with a chevy, just want to try some different. I found a stude motor that had been taken apart and all the machine work has been done. new pistons. std crank in a stude crate. heads have been all redone with a edmunds two, two intake and some other stuff for a good price? Thanks Erick
The nos are stamped into the top of the engine at the front of the valley pan rail on the drivers side of the oil fill tower. You will want to join the Studebaker Drivers Club site. They have the engine codes there. I'm a Studie newbe too. There are lots of things peculiar to Stude engines that someone like me had to learn. You can't just swap bell housings like a Chevy and you have to lower the crank to change flywheel bolts if you go from an automatic to a stick. Just a couple of the quirks that the guys at the above site helped me to sort out. Some are the same guys post here but much of the tech stuff can be learned by reading the forum.
Speaking of strokes, there is always the 224 crank which is 2-13/16 stroke. So imagine the revving ability of the long rod 224! (And for completeness, remember that the 232 was a "different" engine. Smaller bore w/3-1/4" stroke)
BigDaddyO, Thanks for posting the pics of your (former) car. Very sweet. Would've liked to have taken her for a spin. 6narow
For all Studebaker high performance needs, especially supercharger, always check with John Erb (Erb Products) at 775-883-6494. I just called him and he has R1 cams. Regards, Tom
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