Studebaker V8 Superiority...or, as I was saying...

[mbstude]

Dang, Jeff. That is one noisy shop fan.

[Guido]

I don't know about that....
I think that the #4 automakers supporters always looked at the #4 label as a badge of honor.
If you are #4, you stay proud of the #4 spot and scorn #1, #2, and #3.
Even the marketing people use the underdog mentality as a sales tool.
Remember Avis? We're #2 and we try harder?

Are you saying Studebaker was number 4? If so, I would contend AMC was 4th and Studebaker 5th in production.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Are you saying Studebaker was number 4? If so, I would contend AMC was 4th and Studebaker 5th in production.

You win........

[evilhawk]

All this talk about how Studebaker engines are not cost effective to modify and the small block Chevy is... Its called a turbo and the Stude v8 being so overbuilt requires very little mods to add one. Just slap a $150 junkyard turbo to your stock 289 and those poor flowing heads no longer matter and the next time you see a Chevy or Ford, it will be through your rear view mirror.

Anyway the article is about how reliable the Stude 289 is, not which one performs better on a budget which is a moot point since turbos became so popular.

[BobPalma]

'Good posts #15 and #19, Jeff and Sam.

'Wicked sound, Jeff; how 'bout some stills of the engine itself, if not a You-tube? BP

[DEEPNHOCK]

'Wicked sound, Jeff; how 'bout some stills of the engine itself, if not a You-tube? BP

[IMG]161201 - Engine Project (4) by Jeff Rice, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]161201 - Engine Project (5) by Jeff Rice, on Flickr[/IMG]

[BobPalma]

Beautiful, Jeff; thanks. BP

[Dan White]

Nice engine Jeff, looks great.

As for V8s, I would like to get to more car shows than I do now, but I have been noticing a lot of non-SBC in rods. Buick nail heads are popular it seems as are early Cads, Olds, and a variety of Mopar stuff. I think a lot of folks are wanting their engine bay to be something different for a change and nothing says different than a Stude V8! BTW I have a Hudson Hornet 308 in my garage w/ 3 side draft Webers and high compression aluminum head waiting for a '36/'37 Terraplane rod build - that also is a dare to be different!

[1954khardtop]

One reason the SBC became the engine of choice in street rods is because it is a perfect fit in early an Ford chassis as is. It was small and light compared to other OHV V8s. It had a rear oil pan sump, the starter and lower radiator hose were on the right. Engines with a front sump oil pan interfered with the front axle and tie rods. Left side mounted starters and lower radiator hoses interfered with the steering gear.
Also the Chevy was a more affordable donor car compared to Olds, Cad, etc.

[Buzzard]

Sunday morning music to my ears Jeff. No other motor sounds like a Stude and I love it. Great success on the E85.
Cheers, Bill
PS: I have cars with heater hoses that are smaller than your spark plug leads!

[DEEPNHOCK]

Those wires have high temp chafe protectors on them.
NASCAR stuff. The set was custom made for me by the late Brian Scott (RIP Brian...a good Stude guy)..

Sunday morning music to my ears Jeff. No other motor sounds like a Stude and I love it. Great success on the E85.
Cheers, Bill
PS: I have cars with heater hoses that are smaller than your spark plug leads!

[bensherb]

"Are you saying Studebaker was number 4? If so, I would contend AMC was 4th and Studebaker 5th in production". You win........

Now consider that Studebaker had been in business for 98 years before AMC existed. The two companys that began AMC folded within 3 years, AMC was only in business 26 years before buyout after buyout and their demise 7 years later.

Not a big fan of small block chevys, but their very low cost keeps a lot of old cars running that might otherwise have gone to the junker. Even though I'd prefer to keep the Stude engine, if mine goes bad I'll likely swap it due to cost. Perhaps I'll put in a 1965-66 Lark engine, it should bolt to a 700r4 without an adapter.

[BobWaitz]

Disclaimer: If a 65/66 fell into my lap I'd be on the phone to JEGS the next day ordering a 383 and making it look just like the stock power plant.

That said, I'd rather see a Mazda Wankel in a T-bucket than another SBC. If the engine is the showcase of the vehicle, make it something interesting. Make me stand there and look at it for 10 minutes. SBC is fine for anything where you're never going to open the hood. HP per $$ it's the cheapest. The fellow I got my M5 from built his with a 350/350 setup from a truck out of the junkyard. It's been running trouble free for 6 or 7 years now. It fits in there a heck of a lot better than my 259. It was important for me to have a Studebaker engine in mine. The only other power plant I considered was electric. If I find a wrecked Tesla 10 years from now, watch out. You won't hear me coming.

[bensherb]

Disclaimer: If a 65/66 fell into my lap I'd be on the phone to JEGS the next day ordering a 383 and making it look just like the stock power plant.

That said, I'd rather see a Mazda Wankel in a T-bucket than another SBC. If the engine is the showcase of the vehicle, make it something interesting. Make me stand there and look at it for 10 minutes. SBC is fine for anything where you're never going to open the hood.

The only other power plant I considered was electric. If I find a wrecked Tesla 10 years from now, watch out. You won't hear me coming.

I agree. Except for the electric, if you're looking for expensive it's a great way to go. They're great if you trade them in before needing a battery. Having 2 Prius's (wife an daughter are eco freeks), I found if you factor in the cost of drive battery replacement it's more cost effective to drive my Tundra. Not to mention the need to replace the 12 volt battery (like all cars have) every year; or two if you're lucky. At least in their minds it justifies my driving "antiques".

[SScopelli]

To think this was 1952 to 1956!

...Therein, regarding main bearing size to document Studebaker V8 superiority, I said, "...when introduced for the 1951 model year, the Studebaker V8 had at least 25% more main bearing area per cubic inch than did Cadillac or Oldsmobile V8s."

Even today the majority of engines use the center crank journal as the "Main" bearing, while Studebaker used the front, and as well an extra wide bearing on the rear journal. If these engines were not so heavy they would make great engines to swing a propeller.

A simple observation to the toughness to these engines. There are more Studebaker engines than there are cars. From a sample of Chuck's yard, I'd say there were about 7 V8 engines per car, and that he never rebuilt one because there was always a good running engine around to swap in.