White Powered Dictator: Update

[Guest]

I got the White engine this weekend. It took all day, and required the use of a gas wrench (oxy-acetylene torch) to get the engine out of the truck. I removed the head to check the bore and stroke, its a 4" bore, and a 5 1/8" stroke, making this 6 cyl a 386c.i. I'm working on getting the engine fired up, then I will work on fitting it in the car. Pictures will follow in a few minutes...

[Guest]

Here is the truck as it sat when I got there to pull the motor (It's buried...)


After some time the truck emerges...


After about 8 hours of removing sheet metal, wrenching, torching, sweating, bleeding, and wondering if this giant motor was going to break my engine hoist, the motor is out...


For an idea of scale, here is the engine in the back of my girlfriends Avalanche...


Here is a shot of the motor with the head off, check out the split manifolds... 6 exhaust ports on a flathead 6 is pretty cool...

[mbstude]

Now that is cool. I'm anxious to see how you stuff it into that '37. [8D]

Matthew Burnette
Hazlehurst, GA

[dean pearson]

After putting that in the back of your girlfriends avalanch I must ask,
Is she still your girlfriend?

Looks like quite the project, Good Luck.

Dean.

[Guest]

haha, yeah the truck wasn't real happy during the drive home. Luckily the girlfriend never saw it that way.

[silverhawk]

Thats a cool engine! I too want to see how you get it in, it's goign to be pretty sweet!

Dylan Wills


'61 lark deluxe 4 door wagon

[gordr]

That carburetor sure looks like a Rochester 2GC, as was found on many a small-block Chevy V8 of the era.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[Guest]

Actually, the Carburetor is a 2-jet, good eye(the same carburetor as my 55 chevy with a 265 v8). The distributor is also a delco-remy which was surprising. Hopefully I can get this engine running soon, and try to cram it into the car. One thing that's going to make it really easy to fit it in the car... There is no firewall or floor panels, the previous owner cut them all out with a torch...

[4961Studebaker]

Looks heavy,

And your hoist obviously survived.

We'll be watching the project for sure.

ChopStu

137 weeks till completion.

[Avantidon]

Dave, please keep us informed as you move forward with this project. It looks like a very interesting project. Thanks for also posting the pictures.

[jclary]

Dave, I am curious regarding the dimensions and weight of the two engines. Would be very interesting if you could get them to a set of industrial scales for an actual comparison. That would also go a long way in helping you determine appropriate suspension modifications.

[Milaca]

You may need a 1 ton truck front-end under the car.


Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[comatus]

I'm not asking why.

I'm just wondering how "White Power Dictator" escaped a political flamewar. It had me going for a minute there.

You're going to get invited to the darnedest car shows!

[52-fan]

This has got to be one of the most unusual choices for an engine swap into a car. I hope you don't find out the hard way why no one else has been doing this. I wonder what this engine weighs compared to a Studebaker V-8.

"In the heart of Arkansas."
1952 Champion Starlight w/overdrive. Searcy, Arkansas

[Steve T]

52--

Well, Albert Erskine did want to try merging Studebaker with White in the early thirties...this Dictator could've been the 1937 equivalent of a '56 Golden Hawk, with the corporate partner's big engine underhood. A really cool alternative-history "phantom". (Dictator Super Six, maybe?)

Sure does look like one hefty motor though!

Comatus--

I thought the same thing...and began picturing ways a car with a moniker like that might get painted...or the flags it might fly from the cowl...but thought better of voicing any of that...![}]

S.

(That "straight-through" photo of the Dictator shell would make a neat offbeat TW inside-rear-cover shot IMO...)