224 V8 Surprise today

[jclary]

Since dragging this old 55 E-12 truck home, I have not had much time to devote to it. I am trying to do a little each day to tear it down and evaluate what is salvageable. Today I was only able to take the inside cab fender nuts off on the driver side. It was getting dark and as I was studying the location of the nuts and bolts and sequence I need to proceed...I caught a glimpse of something I thought was odd for a 1955 vehicle. The darned little V8 engine has a "Starting Jaw" on the end of the crank shaft! I have seen "hand cranks" on older pre-war cars and some later farm equipment, but I did not think they would have been on a vehicle of this vintage. My little 6 cylinder does not have this. I looked from the front...and there is a straight shot over the bumper and under the grille and radiator for a hand crank to fit through. Anybody ever see this set up? Also, was an actual hand crank rod offered for these models?


John Clary
Greer, SC

Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
SDC member since 1975

[mbstude]

My granddad's 224 powered '55 pickup has that. The '51 2R16 dump truck he has also has it (Big 6 powered). The dump truck still has the hand crank with it.

Matthew Burnette
Hazlehurst, GA

[Roscomacaw]

John, I pulled one off a 224 just about 6 weeks ago. It was a truck 224 that had found a home in a '59 Lark. T'was the first I'd seen on a Stude V8. I have seen these on BIG 6s from the 40s. I'd be wary of starting with one of these![xx(]


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1963 Cruiser
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door

[rockinhawk]

They come in handy for rotating the engine while working on it. NT


Neil Thornton
Hazlehurst, GA
'57 Silver Hawk
'56 Sky Hawk
'51 2R16 dump truck
Many others.

[comatus]

Legend has it ("my dad says") that sockets for a starting crank were required by law for commercial vehicles, on a state by state basis, well into the 1950's. The 1948 Ford F-6 I learned to drive on had "the hole." I think our '56 did too.

There was either a safety justification for this (avoiding trucks stranded by electrical failure), or the crank-handle and buggy-whip lobby bought some very expensive legislators.

[jclary]

I was just curious about it. I might try to improvise a crank rod just to try to see if the engine is free. However, my original plan is to take the front clip off the truck for easy access before fooling with the engine.

John Clary
Greer, SC

Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
SDC member since 1975

[Milaca]

I can't imagine actually starting an engine of this type with a hand crank being that it has higher compression and more cubic inch displacement than the farm tractors that were equipped with a crank. I would think that the engine would at least need a petcock valve for decompression for each cylinder in order to rotate the crank fast enough to start. Although I guess if the engine is in great shape and you have hot spark and fuel in the cylinder ready & waiting, it wouldnt take but a nudge to get it started.


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

[JRoberts]

A former member of our chapter had a 2r16 with that set up and at car shows he would spend most of the day starting his truck with the crank. In is case it would fire up with only a portion of a single turn of the crank. It started so easily and was so quiet (you know how those Commander 8's are) that often people did not believe the engine had actually been started. It was always fun to park near him and his truck.

Joe Roberts
'61 R1 Champ
'65 Cruiser
Editor of "The Down Easterner"
Eastern North Carolina Chapter

[Roscomacaw]

In my "classic car days", we had a little GP racer of 1920 vintage. Little four cylinder engine that didn't even have a starter. I hated that car. For one thing, it had been built for one tiny little driver! Secondly, my arm would give out in the course of trying to get the da*med thing started![xx(]




1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1963 Cruiser
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door

[clonelark]

I remember seeing that on your engine, i have a crank some where, may have been off my 1935 Chevy 2 dr sedan, i use to hand crank just for the fun of it.

[clonelark]

I remember seeing that on your engine, i have a crank some where, may have been off my 1935 Chevy 2 dr sedan, i use to hand crank just for the fun of it.

[Skip Lackie]

The Commander 6 engines all came with a starting jaw until the end in 1960. However, the 1956 E models were the last trucks that had the hole for the crank. According to the parts book, all export trucks were equipped with the starting jaw and a crank (plus a few other tools).

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[jclary]

You know that the crank mechanisms (officially known as a "starting jaw") are designed to disengage as the engine fires. However, with rust and abuse, the crank handles can stick or bind. The real hazard is in "back fire" situations where the engine kicks back. When I was young...during plowing in the fall and spring, it was not unusual to see a few of your friends show up at church and school with an arm in a cast and sling due to an engine kicking back throwing the crank around breaking an arm. I never had that problem due to the fact that we couldn't afford a tractor. Our mule was too lazy to kick back.

John Clary
Greer, SC

Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
SDC member since 1975

[Guido]

The danger of kick back can be lessened by how you grip the handle. If you wrap your fingers around it you are asking for trouble. However, if you use an open hand you stand a better chance of avoiding injury.

I have had several tractors with hand cranks and used them. However, I have never started anything larger than a Farmall M with one.

Guido Salvage - "Where rust is beautiful" and real Studebaker horsepower lives

See pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/GuidoSalvage

Hiding and preserving Studebakers in Richmond, Goochland & Louisa, Va.

[Guido]

John,

I got pictures of the cab today and sent you a link to the Webshots album.

Gary

Guido Salvage - "Where rust is beautiful" and real Studebaker horsepower lives

See pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/GuidoSalvage

Hiding and preserving Studebakers in Richmond, Goochland & Louisa, Va.