One of my pals out in the great NW asked me to help him find out more info an building a 331 Caddy engine for his roadster project. He likes the idea of running a mill that few others use, so here's his query: "Any of you guys know anything about Stude V-8s? In the old days Cad 331s were often converted to solid lifters by using Studebaker rocker arms [Studes had solids] I have a set I saved that I think are pre-1953. A couple of days ago I found a pair of rocker assemblies at the 'bone-yard'. I think they are newer like from a Hawk 259 or 289. The main difference is the rocker shaft blocks are aluminum - makes me think they are later than the iron block set. They use to make a solid plug to replace the hydralic plunger in the stock Cad lifters. The cam should be re-ground for solids, too. The 51 Stude V-8 stole a lot of engineering from the 49 Cad. The original Stude was about 90 inches smaller than a Cadillac, but they could be built to make a roadster go pretty good. Somewhere I have a rod mag from the 50s that shows how to build the Stude V-8. Its in a 29 roadster and blown with a Scot, I think. If anyone has any old tips on building 331 inch Cad engines, I'd be interested in tech tips. I have a 53 engine that came out of a 1956 Ford pickup to put in my 1953 Glasspar."
The Jalopy Journal
