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Given the 2 bolt valve covers without breathers, and front mounted oil filler stand-pipe, it appears to be an early serial '62 'non-full flow' engine. Stamped numbers on the machined pad at the right top front of the block can identify displacement and manufacture date. Terrifically durable 'underdog' engines (I own 5 presently) which when well set-up are capable of performing far beyond what their rather modest displacement would suggest. Check out the u-tube PSMCD vids to see racing Stude's in action against the famous top dog 'muscle cars'. More than enough to power a '31 coupe...and cl***y too.
On the up side, that motor appears to have the highly desirable Delco window type distributor. Those are worth money by themselves to any Stude-o-phile. On the down side, you are stuck with an auto trans. That is because the bolts for the flex plate/flywheel are inserted into the crankshaft flange before the the crank is installed in the block. The bolts for a flex plate are shorter than those for a flywheel. However, there are adapters available to install a GM automatic trans behind the Stude motor.
I can live with the auto box if it is decent and will keep anything that adds to the character of the unit. Cheers, Ron.
Drag raced a '59 Lark G/S in 1959/1960/1961. 259 CID, 4-bbl, duals, Traction Masters, Bucron cheater slicks. Yeaaaaah buddy. I got a few Chevies, a few Chevies got me. Big fun.
Thanks for all your help and advice guys. I now have the unit and it appears to be a 1961 259cu in engine. It hasn't got an oil filter at all. What I would like to know is, what weight oil should I use and how often should I change it ? Bearing in mind it will only be doing about 1,000 miles a year. Cheers, Ron.
According to my manual, which is for the 1955 model year, the 259 v8 motor requires SAE 30 weight or 20w-40 as an "acceptable" alternative. Also, from everything I read, Stude motors will benefit from a ZDDP additive because it s a solid lifter motor. There is plenty of information and opinions about zinc additives here on the HAMB if you care to do your own research. As far as filters go, add-on byp*** type filters are available. The motor in the picture in post #4 of this thread has a cartridge type. The motor shown in post #16 has a spin-on type. The spin on type is the type that was most commonly used on the later Studes before they went to a full flow filtration system. A byp*** system is arguably not the best, but any filter beats no filter. If you want to pay shipping to the UK, I probably have an extra cartridge filter around here you can have for the taking. Filter cartridges are available from various sources.
Don't know if it matters anymore. But the Studebaker automatic was the Borg Warner T35, actually first developed by Studebaker and used in Studebakers before Ford or anyone else took it up. When automatics first came into use in England it was this gearbox everyone used. Practically every English car that had an automatic in the fifties and sixties, used this gearbox (except Rolls Royce). So, if you find an old time auto transmission expert in England, this box will be like old home week to him. Probably most parts are locally available and interchangeable. Studebaker used the byp*** oil filter for most of its cars, changing to full flow only in 1962. An expert who has rebuilt hundreds of these engines, says he can find no difference in durability, wear, or engine cleanliness between the two. Any filter is better than no filter and the byp*** type actually keeps the oil cleaner than a full flow. Picture a swimming pool filter. It only draws off and filters a small part of the water, yet in a few days it will render a dirty pool sparkling clean. The byp*** works on a similar principle.
Hi Rusty, thanks for the info, the auto box was opened up and found to be like new and I opened the engine up to find a very low mileage unit with no wear at all, so a valve grind and gasket set was all that was needed. I will run it as it is at the moment, changing the oil every couple of months. Cheers, Ron.
thanks for the update! love the Studebaker engines, most common multi carb intakes seem to be the 2x2s I ran an Edmunds 2x2 with two stock carburetors and three on the tree in a T, worked great. they have a unique sound that I can recognize a block away
I put a Ford in my 1970 Chrysler Valiant (aussie Dodge Dart). Upset a few of the Mopar boys. Cheers, Ron.
Byp*** oil filters are still used on industrial engines, fork lifts and the like. You can probably buy one locally and install it on your car, and use a common filter you can get anywhere. Just be sure it is the byp*** type and not a full flow, the full flow is a co****r filter and does not filter as fine as a byp***.
I don't know how I missed this thread coming back to the top. I am happy to hear your motor and trans were so clean. Very cool that you have it in your car already. It is a great looking car. I am sure that 259 will move your little Ford quite nicely.
The Best Gasket rear seal fixes the leak issue. Truck bell housings have side mounts and some have Ford trans bolt pattern. The auto is also Borg Warner and pretty tough. There is a guy here working on new aluminum heads that are LS inside and Stude outside. Better than the factory R4 heads. Cast Avanti headers are available. John Erb claims to have taken 125 pound off of a 289 block. Great engines and there's always the McCulloch thing. The supercharged 289 in my son's '54 Stude wagon is scary fast.
Hi Six Ball, thanks for the info. At the moment there is not one leak, the engine and box were out of a Ford truck imported to the UK so sits on 4 flathead mounts. Those heads sound nice, the unit being very heavy but I don't intend to go crazy fast in it. Cheers, Ron.
I remember this thread, Good to see you got it on the road, there is always room for another Stude Powered Model. Heres Mine with 50,000+ miles on the Stude 289 and 4sp
Hi flat-blk, that's some impressive mileage, I doubt if i'll get to do a quarter of that. What fuel setup are you running? Cheers, Ron.
Good to hear your engine and ****** is good as is. I occasionally ship Stude and Packard V8 parts to Europe, UK, Oz and am always surprised at how much it costs. A Swedish guy is building a Packard V8 and needed my oil pump and kit. Shipping for a small box was $65. Anyway, back to the Stude V8 - I've got 2x2, 3x2 and 2x4 aluminum intakes. None of them make a lot more horsepower than the standard iron 1x4, but they look cool in a HAMBrod. In a 259" I usually use the OEM 260 degree R1 cam; if you want to run it harder, I use a 268 degree with a bit more lift. Both are available as regrinds. If one doesn't mind premium fuel, milling the heads .060" and using the steel shim headgaskets is an inexpensive 5-10 horsepower. If I'm building new, I always deck the block on the BJH fixture, as many of them aren't square. jack vines
Hi Jack, thanks for that info, I'll keep you in mind for any alterations I wish to make. I like the sound of the 2x2 carb setup. I'll run it for a while, have a bit of fun and think about an upgrade in a while. Cheers, Ron.
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