Engine: Cost to Rebuild a 259 V-8 These Days

[Commander Eddie]

I am just curious if anyone has a good idea of what it should cost today to rebuild a 259 Cu. In. V-8 engine.
I am thinking of just doing a freshening up with as little modification as possible and just replacing bearings, rings, etc.. This might even be a job that could be done with the engine in place. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the engine other than mileage (around 100K).
Please include the cost of labor. I hope this is enough information.

[DEEPNHOCK]

I have a good idea.
Don't cut corners.
It will cost you more in the long run to take shortcuts.
Sure, it has been done on the cheap before...
But the odds are against you.

Look at this group of videos.
Contact this guy. He can tell you.

[warrlaw1]

Lots of vendors can supply what you need. S.I. lists components for a minor or a major rebuild. Have fun and like DIH says don't cut corners.

[what huh]

I second those videos by Petes Garage that Deepnhock posted. Even if you are not planning a rebuild it is a great education on the Studebaker V8. Great quality I think it is like 10 half hour videos or something like that.

I have watched each one more than a couple of times and still use them as reference from I tackle a job

[StudeRich]

Your biggest challenge will be finding "the RIGHT" Machine Shop, the Quality, Classic Car knowledge and Prices of this part of the job vary wildly, the Parts are quite stable at all the Studebaker Vendors.

I would ask John Lasseter in Lebonon OR who he suggests, as he rarely takes on a rebuild anymore.

His number is in the SDC Roster, or email me for the number.

[PackardV8]

I am thinking of just doing a freshening up with as little modification as possible and just replacing bearings, rings, etc.. This might even be a job that could be done with the engine in place.

Yes, it's possible to CASO a 100,000-mile engine in the frame; it will still have worn cylinder bores, worn valve guides, worn cam and lifters, worn crankshaft, block full of rusty crud, but it will run somewhat better and burn less oil. BTDTNA and it would be difficult to pay anyone to tackle one of these today.

I am just curious if anyone has a good idea of what it should cost today to rebuild a 259 Cu. In. V-8 engine.

Define rebuild. What you considered above was a "rebuild" back when Studes were orphan junk cars trying to be kept running a few more miles/years. A greasy thumb owner could do all the labor himself, throw a minimum of parts at it, and be on his way after a long weekend. I did a few myself, because as a high school kid, I had no money and then very few Studes were considered worth the cost of a full professional engine rebuild.

Please include the cost of labor. I hope this is enough information.

No, not enough information. As mentioned above, I wouldn't know where to find anyone I'd trust who would take on an in-frame today, so labor there would be an unknown.

A complete rebuild with the engine out, labor is in two parts. Most machine shops won't R&R engines, so it's usually necessary to find a general repair shop to pull the engine, removing all the accessories, replacing them and reinstalling the rebuilt engine and getting it running to spec. Finding a general repair shop who wants to take on the R&R of the engine is not as easy as it once was. They can make more money replacing parts on new cars.

Then, there's machine shop labor; disassembling, cleaning, ordering parts, machining, assembling. Most general repair shops send out the engine to be rebuilt. You can choose to be your own general contractor and deal with both shops or leave it to one to be responsible for it all.

Both labor costs are considerable, because most 100,000-mile Stude V8s are a greasy, nasty, crud-filled lump to remove, disassemble and get clean enough to begin whatever level of rebuild is chosen.

Before removal, a half-hour spent in a pressure wash bay will leave the operator filthy, but will make the pull much less messy. Another half-hour back in the pressure wash bay with the removed engine will speed up disassembly.

Bottom line - Most 100,000-mile Stude V8s are worn beyond Shop Manual spec in literally every area, but sometimes a lot of labor and $500 in parts, they can be patched up to go a few more miles.

Is the car worth doing it right? The machine shop side of a full long-block rebuild to better-than-factory tolerances and all new wear parts/surfaces is $3000 at the least and $4000 to do it as well as it can be done. Any less cost leaves some work undone somewhere; the result will still probably give good service in a lightly used hobby car.

It will be interesting and informative to read the experiences of those who've been there and done that recently.

jack vines

[sals54]

I'm going to take an approach which steals a bit from each of the above.
Why are you freshening the engine? Does it not run? Smoke? Knock? It matters.
It also depends on the use of the end product.
Even a 100K Stude engine can live well if its not in every day use. Occasional weekend use will not demand a perfect engine.
Now then, does it smoke a lot? Does it knock? If so, you'll need more serious work. If no smoking or knocking, check compression, or leak down, for each cylinder. If even within 5 to 10 lbs, you may be able to get away with a good clean out of the water jackets, and at worst, a valve job.
Again, it all stems from intended use. A running Stude V8 that is not smoking or knocking and not going out on a cross country trip will usually go for as long as you keep the car, with regular upkeep and maintenance.
This is just from my experience. When I used to drive my cars as daily drivers, I would do a rebuild at times and go through the entire engine. Now that I rarely use them at this level, I just want the engine to run well enough to have fun.
A $5000 rebuild on an engine in a 62 4 door Lark that has rust and needs upholstery may not provide a good return on the investment. On the other hand, a $5000 rebuild in an Avanti may prove to be of great value.
Perhaps your project lies somewhere in between. You decide.

[warrlaw1]

Geez, Sal, just gave me a flashback. I drove a 55 Coupe 259 3spd OD with a blown 1st gear as my only driver for five years. It drank so much oil I never needed to change it (lol) I went and went and went with only transmission issues. I was leaving the country and owed Mr. Transmission $200 so I gave him the car. I bet it still runs

[jackb]

Most Studes can easily start out in 2nd gear with the V8 (re: auto cars)..... I think most in the shop will agree the weak link in the Stude V8 is not the lower end, its the valve train. And to mention the rocker assemblies.....

[wittsend]

My second car (1976) had a 260 Ford with 148,000 miles on it. Like your engine it ran, but was showing its age. I replaced the main, rod, cam bearings and rings (simply honing the cylinders), lapped the valves and put it back together with new seals/gaskets. It ran fine for another 20,000 miles and I only sold the car because I needed better gas economy as we moved into the 80's. Most are stating you are looking at about $3,500 to do it well. But as others have asked will you ever recoupe that investment.

I have numerous so-called "collector cars" and don't drive them any furthur than 60 miles from home and typcally average 200-300 miles a year. For me I would NEVER recoupe the investment. Sometimes you are better off just finding a nicer car than trying to make better a tired one. In the end you have to decide.

[jpepper]

A complete engine kit with pistons will be near 2K. Add in about the same amount in Labor as a minimum. A correct rebuild will be 4 - 5K maybe a little more. A turn key engine will be 6K plus.

[Studebakercenteroforegon]

Call me before you do anything....
Jerry

[GrumpyOne]

I am just curious if anyone has a good idea of what it should cost today to rebuild a 259 Cu. In. V-8 engine.
I am thinking of just doing a freshening up with as little modification as possible and just replacing bearings, rings, etc.. This might even be a job that could be done with the engine in place. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the engine other than mileage (around 100K).
Please include the cost of labor. I hope this is enough information.

Back in 1970, my Power Hawk which had about 71K on the clock overheated badly from a lost freeze plug when I was some ten miles from home. I decided to try and make it back and about half way there the engine seized up. I abandoned the car. After a short walk, I found a phone and called for a ride home fully thinking that the engine was toast. Later, I called the family mechanic who sort of looked like Nikita Khrushchev and tolerated little in the way of nonsense.

That evening I drove to his house and we took his car to rescue the hawk. When we got to the location of the he told me to start the car up and I protested that the engine was seized but he insisted that I try. Low and behold the car started right up! I ran it for a few seconds and shut it down and he proceeded to hook up a chain and we were off. After the car was safely in the shop, I went home. The next day when I went to the shop, he already had a new freeze plug installed and told me that most likely the pistons collapsed and the rings had likely lost most of their temper so the car would run but also consume oil. He suggested an overhaul consisting of bearings, rings, valve job. Being a CASO, I drove the car as it was for about nine months, gathered the parts that I needed in South Bend at a National Meet in 1971. Shortly after, I bought an Avanti which became my daily driver and just left the hawk in the shop. In the following spring of 1972, I bit the bullet and put the hawk on "stilts" and tackled the overhaul which took me a couple of weeks under supervision. I installed NOS standard pistons, moly rings, standard size main and rod bearings, rear seal, gaskets and head work with reground valves and stem seals. One thing that he insisted on was not to hone the cylinders.

When the time came to start the newly "freshened" engine, it ran perfectly. I changed the oil after 100 miles, then again at 500 miles followed by 1,000 miles and 3,000 miles. Oil consumption was nil for the first two changes and perhaps a pint at the 1000 mile mark and a little over a quart for the 3k change. Even that rate of oil consumption dropped as I put the miles on. The car to this day doesn't smoke, use excess oil and has great oil pressure.

His comment was that Studebaker used better materials and that was a major contributor to my "good luck." I believe this to this day and in so doing, I would never diss an overhaul at 100K provided the engine exhibits no major symptoms such as knocking etc.

Your mileage may vary...

[studegary]

I am just curious if anyone has a good idea of what it should cost today to rebuild a 259 Cu. In. V-8 engine.
I am thinking of just doing a freshening up with as little modification as possible and just replacing bearings, rings, etc.. This might even be a job that could be done with the engine in place. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the engine other than mileage (around 100K).
Please include the cost of labor. I hope this is enough information.

What I read into this is that you have a reasonably good running Studebaker V8 and you are just a little "concerned" because it has 100K on it. I would just put new valve stem seals in, adjust the valves, install new core plugs after cleaning the water jacket and do a tune up with new ignition parts.

[BRUCESTUDE]

When I rebuilt my 259 2 years ago the machine shop bill was almost $1,000: valve job including seats and guides, bored out, crank turned, cam bearings and core plugs installed, piston pins fitted etc. Add $125 to that to have the cam and lifters ground via UPS. Parts you can look up on any vendor's site; I always buy extras (tune up parts, hoses belts, etc etc) so it's difficult for me to add up!
It's spendy, yes but well worth it to have a new Studebaker motor!!!!