49 Stude 2R16 Truck

[Arny]

I have a nice old truck no dents no rust with a seized engine. Would I be better off to replace the 6 cylinder with a correct 226 cu in, rebuild the present one or I have a good running 232 cu in out of a '53 car. Another option would be a '87 350 chev with an automatic trans. I would entertain anyone's comments. Codger

[studegary]

Wecome to the SDC Forum!

I would first try to free up the existing engine (soaking, etc.).
Other than that, it comes down to what you want the truck for and how much time/money you want to spend. Each step that you list equates to more time/money.

[Arny]

Have had it soaking for a couple of years with many concoctions to no avail thanks

[Skip Lackie]

Big Stude trucks are a lot of fun, but NOBODY is gonna give you any crap if you replace the engine with something else. But you should at least drop the pan and remove the head to see if the 226 is salvageable.

If the 226 is really terminal, then the easiest way to get it back on the road would be to replace it with the later 246 cu in Commander 6. It would have a few more horsepower, and would be a simple drop-in. The 246 was used in the 49 and 50 Commander cars, and was one of the engines available in Stude trucks from mid-1949 to 1960. If you want to go with a V8, any of Stude's V8s will fit -- but the job will be much easier if you can find a 55-64 Stude V8 parts truck. There are a lot of things (clutch and throttle linkage, motor mounts, bell housing, etc) that are different on the V8, and a parts truck is handy as a parts donator and a template for how things go together. A Chevy V8 will fit fine, but you would have to do a fair amount of fabrication. Whatever you pick, there will be plenty of people here who will be interested in your restoration.

[Mrs K Corbin]

Something you might try is acetone/tranny fluid 50/50 down the cyl holes...
AND a prybar on the flywheel teeth one inch at a time/ back and forth...
It'll take a week, but I did that on more than one tractor. Even one 226 big 6 studebaker in a 2r17.

[Arny]

I do have a 55 donor truck Trans bell housing Radiator also has a stuck V8. May be the way to go. Don't think I would have to buy hardly anything to get it going.

[Arny]

Thanks for the tip. Have tried 50/50 1/4 cup each cylinder for 6 weeks on both engines. Modified a crank with a 2ft handle and 2 tractor weights hanging on it the whole time trying to turn it over each time I added the 50/50 to no avail on the 6 cyl. Finally I twisted the crank off then gave up on it. I used a scope to look in the V8 through the plug holes and all are clean except one cylinder. there may be hope for that one.

[Mrs K Corbin]

I'd try the 50/50 acetone/tranny fluid mix in the v8 as well along with a prybar on the flywheel teeth.

in either case be prepared to rebuild it, as you're gonna pull it anyway.

also stuffing a v8 in there is gonna require some mods, hope you're up to it.

[Skip Lackie]

I do have a 55 donor truck Trans bell housing Radiator also has a stuck V8. May be the way to go. Don't think I would have to buy hardly anything to get it going.

One more tip. Compare the way the V8 motor mounts sit on the frame in your parts truck to the 226 in your 2R16. The early 2R small trucks had a second cross member to hold the Champion 6 (the only engine available in the early 2R light trucks) motor mounts. This was changed later to a K-shaped arrangement to allow the Commander 6 (and later the v8) to sit there. I THINK the bigger trucks always had those K members, as the 226/246 was always available in them. If so, the V8 motor mounts should line up fine, though you might have to drill a couple of holes. The V8 parts truck should have everything you need to make the swap, though a lot of things will have to be swapped along with the engine.

[StudeDave57]

I THINK the bigger trucks always had those K members, as the 226/246 was always available in them.

That pretty much sums up what I found under the hood of my 2R16A 'StudeBus'. A 259 (from a '57 Commander) was swapped in by the Grand Canyon SDC folks back in the early '80s.





StudeDave '57

[TWChamp]

I like my vehicles correct and original, so if it was mine I'd rebuild the engine that's in it. I have a 1950 Champion with a stuck engine, and the guy I bought the car from had the engine cylinders soaking in oil for years. One day I finally pulled the head and was surprised that it looked like a new engine inside other than the slightest bit of surface rust near the one piston with an exhaust valve open. Sure hard to believe that engine was stuck.

[289stude]

I'd drop the Stude V8 in it. It will look correct have more power and way cheaper and easier than a rebuild. You already have everything you need.