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  • A Hercules engine from a Studebaker.

    Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

  • #2
    Hi, Gord,

    The Hercs are impressive, expensive hunks of iron. We did one for a boat last year and some of the parts were sky high. If you freshen up yours, it should sell for good money and quickly.

    Here's a link for you http://www.herculesengine.com/

    thnx jack vines

    PackardV8
    PackardV8

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    • #3
      quote:Originally posted by PackardV8
      We did one for a boat last year
      If you end up selling it, Gord, the antique marine market might be the best. Chris Craft (and others) used the Hercules flat head 6...



      The "hot rod" ones used in early ski boats had TWO updraft Zenith carbs. [:0]

      We had one in the old boat my Dad and I restored in the early 60's.

      Dick Steinkamp
      Bellingham, WA

      Dick Steinkamp
      Bellingham, WA

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      • #4
        No question it's a quality engine. Seven main bearings, and the connecting rods all have castellated nuts with cotter pins to secure them. Big housing on the front for gear set that drives the cam, AND the water pump. Distributor drive is taken off the water pump jackshaft.

        I'll go ahead and Plasti-gage the rest of the bearings today.

        Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
        Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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        • #5
          Not that I know much about diesels (heck, I even have trouble spelling it)... It seems to me, though, that if your JXD engine is that tired, you should be very happy with this seemingly fresh Hercules. I've always wanted to put one of those in a Studebaker truck...[8)]


          Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
          K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
          Ron Smith
          Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?
          Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
          K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
          Ron Smith
          Where the heck is Fawn Lodge, CA?

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          • #6
            Not Diesels. Both are flathead sixes that burn gasoline. All the main bearings check out OK, but I lost one of the little shims from #1. Went to pick it up, and fumbled it, and it went I don't know where! Took the timing cover off, not in there. Still searching.

            Woo-hoo! Found the little devil. It had fallen into the open bottom of the timing cover, and went past about 3 gears, and lodged in the oil filler standpipe. I had blown the standpipe out with compressed air, and got nothing, and was on the point of giving up on finding the darn thing, but I got a strong flashlight to bear on the base of the standpipe, and there it was. The shims appear to be stainless steel, non-magnetic, but I was able to winkle it out, undamaged, with a hooked wire.

            All the main bearings checked, and 4 of the six rods. No damaged ones yet, and clearances range from about .0015 to .0025, most of them right on .002, as measured by Plasti-gage. I talked to the machine shop I deal with, and provided the last two rod bearings are OK, I'll take the block and valves in on Friday to have them done.

            Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
            Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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            • #7
              Hercules are "flathead sixes that burn gasoline" and MUCH of it. A friend had a Diamond T with a JXD which always got single-digit fuel mileage unloaded - but Gord already knows that.

              thnx jack vines

              PackardV8
              PackardV8

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              • #8
                Deisels,too. I crewed on a trimaram with a Hercules deisel. Wrote for a shop manual and received a reply from the White Pressure Cooker Co. that had bought them or their inventory. Nice people
                Dave Warren (Perry Mason by day, Perry Como by night)

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                • #9
                  The Hercules engines were used in a large number of industrial applications. I have had them in Oliver and Cletrac crawlers as well as Cockshutt tractors. Jerry Biro used to be a source for engine parts.

                  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.

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                  • #10
                    My dad bought a gravel pit years ago and it came with a Speeder Shovel (late 1920's model I'm guessing) with a 4 cylinder Hercules engine. The steel tracks were cut off for scrap metal years before and it likely hadnt run since the 1950's.
                    To clarify, Speeder is the actual brand name of this cable shovel. Speeder was later bought out by Link-Belt.


                    Autumn at Lake Barget
                    In the middle of Minnestudea
                    sigpic
                    In the middle of MinneSTUDEa.

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                    • #11
                      Well, the last two bearings proved to be good. It looks like the rod journals were ground undersize, and new shells installed. The rod journals are all near-perfect, while the mains show slight wear, and the rod shells, while all Federal-Mogul, same as the mains, aren't dated, while the mains are.

                      So I pulled all the pistons, and found each one had a few stuck rings. Aside from a little carbon above the top ring, these pistons are like new, and SHINY!

                      Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
                      Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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                      • #12
                        quote:Originally posted by gordr

                        Well, the last two bearings proved to be good. It looks like the rod journals were ground undersize, and new shells installed. The rod journals are all near-perfect, while the mains show slight wear, and the rod shells, while all Federal-Mogul, same as the mains, aren't dated, while the mains are.

                        So I pulled all the pistons, and found each one had a few stuck rings. Aside from a little carbon above the top ring, these pistons are like new, and SHINY! They are Sealed Power brand. Big, too. I got every ring unstuck without breaking any, and I'm sure I can de-glaze the cylinders and use the existing rings. I really doubt this engine had more than about 1000 miles on it since the last rebuild. To all intents and purposes, it is new.

                        I'll take the block, valves, and crank in to the machine shop on Friday. Have the crank polished, and the valves and seats done, and the block hot-tanked. They tell me their hot tank will NOT damage cam bearings, and there definitely is a mouse nest in the water jacket. I took the water pump off, in search of the errant shim, and got about a coffee cup's worth of grain out of it!

                        Parts-wise, it looks like a gasket set is all I will need.

                        Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
                        Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
                        Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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                        • #13
                          Gord gets oil out a wheatfield, and grain out of an engine block! He's a wizard, that one.

                          The Hercules may not be any worse on fuel than most HD sixes of its era. My 6X6 has a REO Gold Comet 331, rated 124 HP, and it is single digit MPG also. Burns any old thing, but a lot of it.

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                          • #14
                            Well, the engine is now completely disassembled, and the valves, lifters, bearing shells, and hardware all individually bagged. Once I finish lunch, I'll fire up the tractor, and pick it off the engine stand, and load it into the rear of my Suburban, to go to the machine shop tomorrow.

                            I'll get them to polish the crank, and do the valves and seats, and hot-tank the block. Water jackets have a fair bit of rusty sludge, as well as mouse pantry.

                            Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands
                            Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

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