I do the studebaker chassis in house turn key with mustang II ford rear 4 wheel disc, coil over rear with 4 link great street rod chassis 2x4 mandrell bent just finished one tw weeks ago ... your biggest issue is the hood clearance at carb...
Hey guys, There is a middle course (a custom cross member welded to the original frame) I've been eying. ( http://www.streetrodengineering.com/Products/mustangllifskits.htm ) It looks like Fatman offers this option too though I don't see a specific part number for this application. What's the reasoning behind replacing the entire clip? It seems like it would be better to replace the cross member so all of the sheet-metal bolts up the way it did before. I'm a reasonably proficient welder ( I'd use arc/6011 rod for this ) but I've never done auto frames. Thanks, David PS. This car will be a driver, not a show car. It's a flat 6+2 speed Borg Warner auto+Dana 44 so I consider the existing drive-train pretty much a total loss. I'm sure it's possible to boost+bolt the flat-6 up to a Chevy tranny+Ford rear for a price but assuming I'm not trying to compete in a specific bracket I can't see that it's worth the effort. For what that costs to buy the transmission adapter I can more or less buy an engine.
Dead on. I used a Performer RPM and 750 Holley on my Pontiac (which is as far back and down as I can get, I have to take off the crank pulley to change the alternator belt) and I cant run an air cleaner of any kind. I will be swapping to 3x2 this summer, that maybe will get me enough room for some small diam tripower air cleaners. Do any of the folks that have responded - changed the radiator setup? Mine runs a bit warm since I have radiator for about half the horsepower I am making. What about using the Dodge Omni rear-steer rack?
join the studebaker drivers club, just don't mention engine swap or hot rod in first 10-12 posts, the forum reeks of purists......I put a 454 into a 59 stude lark wagon and there were people having tantrums! 99% of members great people.
Q: A stude V8 would be cool but (assuming I can get one) what semi-modern transmissions can you bolt up? A: Bendtsen Transmission has adapters to hook a Stude v8 to a T350, 700R4, T5. Wilco, others, have adapters for autos. I used the Bendtsen T5 and it's great. S10 T5. The 8" from a v8 Maverick fit great for me. Turner Brake for disks on the front.
Dang, how much does that 6 really weigh then? I thought the 500 was easily a 650lb+ (dressed) engine. Also, I checked out turnerbrake but it looks like some of their pages are down. Has anyone done business with them recently?
Well, another 53 Stude project! Here is where mine is at. I will be going with big block Hemi. The stock frame is history as it is way too light. Rack & pinion is the way to go on the steering. I also choose the MII front end. Good luck on your choices. They are awesome cars. Post pics of your progress I would love to see them.
I love those early 50's Studes when they got long and low! My older brother had a 1953 Studey when we were in hi school. It had the 289 with 3 spd. overdrive, and that car flew down the highway!
I wonder if Jack Chisenhall (? sp) that owns Vintage Air still has his 53? The Vintage Air catalogs used to tout it as going over 200mph with the A-C on. They are still a staple at Bonneville.
X 2 Had a friend back in the day that had one with a 348 in it and it broke the frame in two places, and it was a stock '60 4 bbl motor! Beef it up!
Hey.......Just thought I'd join in on all the others! Great Find!! I, like many others have ALWAYS loved these cars....... But yes, if U have'nt already!, and I can't believe anyone who likes this style Stude, Has'nt drooled over the Bonneville coupes......Take another LQQK!, And GET THA' TOP DOWN!!!!, So'es it looks the way it's supposed to. Keep ua posted on UR progress! "Happy Motoring, Starts at nthe ESSO Sign" Whar there's SMOKE, Thar's Far.............Tenn. Smoke
Actually the B/RB goes in real well. Use truck pan. The real problem is the oil pump filter setup. We ovecame it by modifying the pump for a remote filter. The other sore spot on this setup was the tach drive dizzy, its taller than a stock dizzy and had some minor hood interference. We would have overcome it by shoving the engine back a couple of inches farther. We since have gone to a more traditional engine for the build but the B/Rb does go in with minor alterations or if you waent with a more modern steering setup it wouldn't be a problem at all.
Glad to hear it. In my 65' Dodge I have to remove a panel in the floor to access the distributor. I replaced the points setup with a Pertronix unit and that thing's been great. The Chrysler motors are (generally) very stout and that 727 is bullet-proof as long as the linkage is correctly set up. What motor mounts did you use or did you fab your own? Also, how far back did you pull the engine? Using modern blocks I'm still sold on a SBC, but there's no reason not to consider older designs with the power goals I have in mind. Thanks, David
Having built both a 1953 C and K coupe, with both a Champion 6 and a 509 caddy, I can tell you that the 6 is MUCH lighter. It was used for that reason (as well as its incredible strength) in midget racers. The 509 is 50# lighter than a big block Chevy, and lighter than the original 259 v8. There is a second Stude flathead 6 used in Commanders and Dictators and Landcruisers until 1951 that is heavier, but still not as heavy as the 509. Jim Turner is very cooperative and is the GO TO guy if you use Stude suspension. Using a basically stock suspension, lowered 1.5 gyres in front, with a sway bar, I can drive 135mph with one hand.
Really enjoyed the Bonneville pics on your site. I have a 53 coupe in progress. Rebuild the stock front end, but added heavier Hawk anti-sway bar and matching in rear. Turner brakes at hubs, but used a firewall mounted power brake master and master for clutch. Added center steer power rack and pinion. Kept the freshly rebuild 259, T5. Am I going to regret not going with a MII clip? Thanks.
Nice find! I'm running a FatMan clip, Mustang II ifs, Mustang power rack, Ford 8", 350/350. happy with the set up.
Built our own. With the Lowey and stock steering front mounts are the only way to go. On this particular setup we just made a hole for the staggard to the rear head to clear. We since have decided on a different engine for the old beast and made a big hole in the firewall to hide a cylinder. These old cars actually any '50s car benefit well from a little engine setback thay are all a little nose heavy.
Nose-heavy is a very vague term which doesn't mean anything unless the duty of the vehicle and decided ratio of balance are taken into account. The v8 Stude motor originally in many of the Bob Bourke (not Raymond Lowey) designed coupes is heavier than a 500 cubic inch Cad motor. Since the transmission is close to the center of the car, the Cad motor may in fact decrease the load on the front end. At Bonneville, I was going for a 55:45 ratio of weight front to rear. This way, in a spin, I would come out facing forward. In road-racing, a 50:50 ratio is usually preferred, and in drag racing, weight transfer is much more important. For a street rod, I'd feel most comfortable with 55:45. A 53' Stude coupe ways about 3500# with gas and passengers. Find a grain elevator or mill and you can check the ratio before making unnecessary cuts in the firewall. The big Caddy went in with minimal changes.
I actually have access to wheel scales and I wouldn't build or own a street rod if you paid me. The books state that a '53 Starlight weighs 3195 fully optioned and 3000 stripped. I weigh 175 to 180 and the wife about 150 so I guess we could get to 3500. With a small block and a T400 I managed to get mine down to 2800. Not optimal weight for a salter but you could add a water tank. It'll weigh closer to 3K with the other engine and tranny combo. Nose heavy is just that nose heavy, you get too much heavy engine over the axle and it becomes a pig. Pretty near all 50s cars benefit from a little engine setback whether it is a streeter or a salter. I personally think that any street car should handle as well as a road racer but I also think that anyone driving a performance oriented car on the street should know how to drive. If it gets away from you you should be able to drive out of it. If I'm driving one I like the feel of a 50/50 bias. But your opinion is duly noted. Life on the salt is a different animal all together I'm with you if one gets away from you at speed it is nice to know that it will help you end up going in the right direction when all is said and done. Better yet not waded up, getting cut out of one no matter where you happen to loose it is bad. Keep the shiney side up.
I have 2 1953 coupes need work (very buildable) I have lost interest. e mail for pictures. jleongraham@gmail.com
Either find a spot in the classifieds or get into the arguement. Personally I am all for the second option if you go for the first you'll be sorry. Oh do you have a door glass I can have?
The 53 was a great car but the frame was week. Stude didn't really get it right until 62. You will want to beef up the frame first. There are lots of ideas for that. There are some studebaker forums that should cover that. Engines are very flexiable. The stude 6 (champion can produce over 200 hp. parts are available. I have an article from the 50s that cover the build. I agree a stude engine is the way to go. they can be found readily. They made a cadilac swap in 55 that came out of California, they build a few hundred of them. I have a test drive of one I could send if you wish. The 259 is almost as hot as the 289 and readily avaiable. Have fun it is a great car. Lots of luck.
I went fatman mII. drives like a new car. also used a 6 point rollbar to stiffen frame. originally built with 454/th400 & GV o.d. available radiator area makes cooling a big motor on the street poor. I couldn't use A/c in traffic.Used a mopar 8 3/4 rear with stiffened forward half of springs & mopar snubber. 120 1/2' wheelbase really helps save it when you get in over your head with power. Narrowed a set of c3 vette bbc headers. Very tight fit.
I'm afraid I'll still muddle this, and I'm no expert. Forgive me. Tex Smith and Ron Ceridono have a cool how-to book on hot rod chassis, How to Build Hot Rod Chassis (Hot Rod Library, Inc., P.O. Box 748, City Airport Driggs, ID 83422, (800)-513-8133, ISBN 1-878772). At Chap. 7 it has a good illustration of the problems with the geometry of early IFS systems. I'm pretty sure, by report and inspection of photos, the system in question does not correct the geometry issues, just substitutes lighter tubular A arms for the originals. They still attach to the frame as did the original stamped steel ones. Improved un-sprung weight, same geometry, major problem not addressed, me thinks, but I'll stand corrected if someone wants to help here.
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