259 rebuild

[Rob]

I have everybody I know telling me to get rid of the stude motor and go chevy or ford. I want to keep this 259 and rebuild it. I`m sure it can be board out, and that I can get pistons for it , but what about a cam that will give it a good lope.

[PackardV8]

First of all get some new friends. The cretins you are hanging around with now will give your Studebaker bad kharma.

The cam is the easiest and least expensive in the world to find. Go to Fairborn Studebaker http://www.fairbornstudebaker.com/parts.htm with $114 and Phil will send you an R2+ which will give you a fine and dandy lope.

thnx, jv.

PackardV8

[Rob]

PackardV8, I would like any info. that you can give me for this 259 to make it one hot motor.
Thanks Rob






I`ve had a few older people and my Grandfather tell me that back in the 50`s there was nothing that would touch a studes performance.

[pdrnec]

I remember the 259 Lark at the SB drags in 2002 - I'd sure like to know what he did to that car to make it perform like that.
C'mon, gurus - what's the formula for a 13 second Lark?

If there's anything more important than my ego running around I want it caught and shot now.

[Kdancy]

Racing Studebakers forum may be of help.

http://racingstudebakers.com/stl-web/bulletin/bb/index.php

[John Kirchhoff]

When it comes to souping up engines, Chevy has the advantage of having available every high performance part imaginable. Just keep in mind that not all high performance Chevy engines are actually Chevy engines. A woman I work with pulls trucks with a 1,000+ horsepower "Chevy" engine her husband built. It has aftermarket crank, piston, rods, cam, oil pump, block, "Bowtie" heads, exhaust, intake, carbs, ingition, waterpump, clutch....maybe the oil pan is truely Chevy, but that's just speculation. Her engine looks like a Chevy on the outside but a Stude engine probably has more parts in common with a Chevy engine (ignition) than hers does. So whenever someone goes to chirping about how much horsepower a Chevy engine is capable of, just remember that looking like one and being one are two different things.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Well sure... But that won't fly around here.
Interesting thing about Chevrolet..
They have 350 and 383 small block crate motors, with all the factory hi-po parts in there... They have 502 big block crate engines, shoot.... they even have 572 cid crate engines...all from Chevrolet http://www.gmperformanceparts.com/Parts/showcase.jsp.
But.... That won't matter here[:0]
But!
The tide is turning!
I went to a street rod club meeting last Tuesday.
Had the stock 'closed' engine side covers in place on the yellow truck.
Being new to the area, a lot of people didn't know me (which works to my advantage)..
One guy comes up to me and asks what I have for power..and before I could speak he says "350/350, right?"...
I said yeah...
He looks at his buddy and says "See, I told you so"
I had to smile a crooked smile and laugh with him.
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by John Kirchhoff

When it comes to souping up engines, Chevy has the advantage of having available every high performance part imaginable. Just keep in mind that not all high performance Chevy engines are actually Chevy engines. A woman I work with pulls trucks with a 1,000+ horsepower "Chevy" engine her husband built. It has aftermarket crank, piston, rods, cam, oil pump, block, "Bowtie" heads, exhaust, intake, carbs, ingition, waterpump, clutch....maybe the oil pan is truely Chevy, but that's just speculation. Her engine looks like a Chevy on the outside but a Stude engine probably has more parts in common with a Chevy engine (ignition) than hers does. So whenever someone goes to chirping about how much horsepower a Chevy engine is capable of, just remember that looking like one and being one are two different things.

DEEPNHOCK at Gmail.com
Brooklet, Georgia
'37 Coupe Express (never ending project)
'37 Coupe Express Trailer (project)
'61 Hawk (project)
http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[Roscomacaw]

Rob, it's all in the breathing and feeding. The lower end is up to the task, as is. Serious head work, a good or better manifold and proper fuel dispensation (Up to and including Supercharging/Turbocharging) are what's gonna help out foremost. Headers are way down on the list, according to those who've actually DONE and EXPERIENCED these enhancments.
There's lots of meat for boring in a Stude V8 block. I've got one of a number that have been successfully hogged out from their original 3&9/16ths to 3&3/4ths![:0] Core shift from when the blocks were first cast, can be an inhibitor to boring - but only to the extremes such as the above example. Most 30 - 40 - 60 over can be done without concern.

Miscreant adrift in
the BerStuda Triangle


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe

[PackardV8]

Like the man said, "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?

1. R2+ cam at $114 is your best investment. Really should add R3 valve springs to get the most at high RPMs.
2. If the pistons and rings are good, and money is tight, mill the cylinder heads .060"
3. If you have $700 to spare, Phil at Fairborn will send you a set of heads with R3 valves.
4. Assume you have a 4-bbl intake. If not that and any less-than-600 cfm carb is a must.
5. Find an increasingly rare 289" crankshaft and bore your cylinders to R3-304.5"
6. Add a supercharger.

Naturally some of these steps are not sequential. If you are going to bore and stroke it as in #5, or supercharge it as in #6, you wouldn't mill your heads as in #2.

Have fun!

thnx, jv.

PackardV8

[jjones]

My 259 was build as per suggestions from Ted Harbit: I installed an R2+ cam, bought the R3 valves and springs from Ted (now Fairborn) and had a local machine shop install them. As my engine is only bored 0.060 over, I had the intake valves cut to 1.86 to clear the cylinder. Before I took the heads to the machine shop, I removed the old valves and ported and polished the heads myself, matching the intake and exhaust ports to the gaskets. I used a porting kit from Eastwood but I think you could do just as well with a couple of good carbide burrs. I have one of T-bows Chrysler/Mallory distributors and a stock 4bbl manifold with a Carter 600 cfm AFB. It is quick, dependable, and a lot of fun, and for less than $1,000.00 including boring the block and a complete overhaul.

[Rob]

As bad as I hate it my 259 has a 2 barrel intake. Would like to find a 4 barrel.

jjones want you have done is about what I have in mind. Where did you get your pisttons and are the flat tops.


And again thank you all for the info.

[Chicken Hawk]

I think the Lark you are talking about belonged to Mike Scherer from Benton, Missouri. About the only things not stock on the car as I recall were the tunnel ram intake with a Holley carb, a 50 pound flywheel, R 3 valves in the heads, R 1 cam, headers, a Ford 9", traction bars and the body really lightened. When you opened the door it felt like a feather. Mike had cut holes out of all the panels.

If I remember correctly, Mike turned 12.60's that year at Osceola. When the lights came down he would put the accelerator to the floor and not let off until he crossed the finish line. I think he shifted around 7000 rpm.

Unfortuantly Mike lost the car in a fire due to a fuel malfunction on a Corvette he had in his shop.

Ted

quote:Originally posted by pdrnec

I remember the 259 Lark at the SB drags in 2002 - I'd sure like to know what he did to that car to make it perform like that.
C'mon, gurus - what's the formula for a 13 second Lark?

If there's anything more important than my ego running around I want it caught and shot now.

[jjones]

Hi Rob,

You can get pistons and about anything else you need from Fairborn Studebaker--www.fairbornstudebaker.com. Several of the other vendors also carry R3 and other speed parts. As for the 2bbl manifold, if it as one of the newer ones, it can be converted to a 4bbl pretty easy. I think Jeff Rice (DEEPNHOCK) does that. If not, just ask here--I am sure somebody will come up with a 4bbl manifold. Good Luck

Jeff

[Rob]

My intake has a big square like a four barrel, but it has two holes in the center. So if you can tell me how to convert it then thats what I`ll do, unless someone out there has one .

[DEEPNHOCK]

Without going into too many details, you can take the old two barrell manifold and:

mill the top flat

grind open the four barrel throttle bores....
(and don't hit the heat crossover ports, or the manifold is ruined)
and redrill the four barrel mount studs,
Or just buy one that is all done and prepped.
Here's what you are looking at:

http://community.webshots.com/album/169539546yHBuvB

Send me a note and I'll fill you in on all the info you'll need to consider this upgrade...
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by Rob

My intake has a big square like a four barrel, but it has two holes in the center. So if you can tell me how to convert it then thats what I`ll do, unless someone out there has one .

DEEPNHOCK at Gmail.com
Brooklet, Georgia
'37 Coupe Express (never ending project)
'37 Coupe Express Trailer (project)
'61 Hawk (project)
http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock