Engine: 243 vs 226 compatibility

[mainmansam]

I bought a 1950 Commander Regal Deluxe Starliner Coupe that has the original 243 sitting in it without a transmission. So I go out and buy a '48 Commander Land Cruiser complete with 2 1948 Champions (had to buy as a package deal) that are also complete to use as parts. My question is will the manual O/D transmission from the Land Cruiser fit the 243 engine in my 50 Commander. Also the 226 in the Land Cruiser, is it the same 226 that I have in my 1960 Willys and put in forklifts as an industrial engine. I know a 1949 Kaiser 226 is the same as a Willys 226. Now I'm butt deep in Studebakers (O to 4 in 2 short weeks) and if anybody needs a part you can IM me

[RadioRoy]

Your 50 Commander is a 245, not a 243. Your 50 body style is called a starlight coupe, not a starliner. The name starliner appeared with the two door hard top.

The transmission and overdrive from the 48 Land Cruiser will fit just fine.

The earlier Land Cruiser has essentially the same drive line as your 50 Commander, with the exception of the front suspension. Studebaker stroked the 226 engine in 1949 to 245.

The Studebaker engine has no relation whatsoever to the engine used in the Jeep/Willys/Kaiser/Fraser, which I think was made by Continental.

You will be aided in your build/restoration by purchasing the chassis parts book for the 47-50 models. That book has lots of drawings and shows almost every part of what makes the car go and stop and steer. The book gives the proper names and parts numbers.

All of the Studebaker parts vendors, and there are many, use these part numbers to make sure you get the correct part you need.

There are also a few folks who specialize in parting out old Studebakers and at least one of them specializes in 50 and 51 models.

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

http://www.studebakervendors.com/

You can find :
chassis parts catalog
body parts catalog
shop manual
Either originals or reproduction, the originals pictures are clear with a lot of detail, the repros are much less clear.
They are available on CD also. I don't know if the CDs are from original of repro

[Skip Lackie]

What Roy said. The Commander 226 and 245 engines are externally identical, and all attachments and accessories, including transmissions, will interchange.

The Studebaker 226 was developed in the late 1930s and was based on a Stude engine from the early 1930s. The Kaiser/Willys 226 was a post-War Continental engine that was used in a variety of industrial applications as well. Just a coincidence of numbers, just like Chevy and AMC 327s, everybody's 350s etc.

[PackardV8]

What Roy said. The Commander 226 and 245 engines are externally identical, and all attachments and accessories, including transmissions, will interchange.

The Studebaker 226 was developed in the late 1930s and was based on a Stude engine from the early 1930s. The Kaiser/Willys 226 was a post-War Continental engine that was used in a variety of industrial applications as well. Just a coincidence of numbers, just like Chevy and AMC 327s, everybody's 350s etc.

There's a tie-in to Willys, just not a commonality. What became the Commander was designed 1931 by Ralph Vail and Roy Cole as a Willys-Overland. When W-O went bankrupt, the design was sold to Studebaker and first used in the Rockne 65. The Rockne "65/10" engine would replace all the six-cylinder Studebaker car engines then in production and power Studebaker Dictator, Commander and Land Cruisers until the V8 became available for 1951. This engine would also be the larger of two six cylinder engines offered in trucks through 1960.

jack vines

[Skip Lackie]

Jack -- Good addition -- thanks!

[rockne10]

What became the Commander [Six] was designed 1931 by Ralph Vail and Roy Cole as a Willys-Overland. When W-O went bankrupt, the design was sold to Studebaker and first used in the Rockne 65. The Rockne "65/10" engine would replace all the six-cylinder Studebaker car engines then in production and power Studebaker Dictator, Commander and Land Cruisers until the V8 became available for 1951. This engine would also be the larger of two six cylinder engines offered in trucks through 1960.

To be even more precise, Vail and Cole were independent engineer/designers, contracted to W-O for the design of a completely new car; terms of the contract calling for operable prototypes. When W-O determined they could not afford to enlarge their stable, Vail and Cole were released from the deal with the prototypes as their property. Returning home, Vail passed through South Bend and decided to stop at the Studebaker Administration Building and show his prototype to Albert Erskine. Erskine struck a deal that day to produce what would become the Rockne, a replacement for the low priced Erskine then offered by Studebaker. The Vail/Cole engine was 189.7 cid and would appear in the '32 Rockne 65 and '33 Rockne 10. When Studebaker stopped production of the Rockne altogether, the engine, in various displacements, went on to grace the Dictators and Commanders through 1950 and, as Jack indicated, trucks in to 1960. Unless I am corrected, the longest produced engine block in automotive history.
Both Vail and Cole were retained by Studebaker with illustrious careers.

[PackardV8]

Unless I am corrected, the longest produced engine block in automotive history.

Twenty-eight years is a long run, but not even close to the longest production. The Chevrolet small block V8 was introduced in 1955 and remains in production today in Mexico as a crate engine, so sixty-one years and counting.

jack vines

[kxet]

CDs.

http://www.studebakervendors.com/
You can find :
chassis parts catalog
body parts catalog
shop manual
Either originals or reproduction, the originals pictures are clear with a lot of detail, the repros are much less clear.
They are available on CD also. I don't know if the CDs are from original of repro

CDs are same as paper manuals,lot cheaper.

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

Are the CDs taken from original manuals or from reproduction manuals ?
Are the pictures clear and detaied ?

[rockne10]

The Chevrolet small block V8 was introduced in 1955 and remains in production today in Mexico as a crate engine, so sixty-one years and counting.

jack vines

I'm a Studebaker guy. I keep forgetting those other brands exist!

[RadioRoy]

Are the CDs taken from original manuals or from reproduction manuals ?
Are the pictures clear and detaied ?

I don't have the answer to that as I just use paper, but I will say that the chassis and body parts manuals have line drawings, rather than photographs. Line drawings reproduce much better than second/third generation photos.

As an editorial note, one would think that when copying something to a CD, one would start with the best possible original source material.

[StudeNewby]

The CD manuals I have are very clear, well-produced and easy to read.

[RadioRoy]

The CD manuals I have are very clear, well-produced and easy to read.

The shop manuals, too? Or just the parts catalogs?