My new Studebaker

[fargoguy]

Great find

Nice car- I drove a Lark 4 door for several years!

[LovelandJoe]

Lee dont get discouraged, when you are done you'll have less in the Studebaker than if you bought a new car plus it's a lot cooler ride. I don't go into a restoration to make money I do it to preserve another great car.

[fpstude]

It looks like a Tecumseh cast iron compressor rather than a York aluminum. Sears evaporator.

[JoeHall]

Congrats on your new toy!

I do not recommend using a screwdriver on the flywheel ring gear. I have broken two teeth, on two different occasions that way. They snap off much easier than you'd think. Once a tooth is chipped, the ring gear will have to be replaced.

The safest way to put leverage on turnover it to remove the oil pan (it will need to be removed to reseal anyway) and insert something round, i.e. socket extension(s) into one of the holes drilled in the crankshaft counter balancers. Those holes are usually about 5/8" diameter and 1"-2" deep. You can string several 1/2" drive socket extensions together, or use a piece of round stock about 24"-36" long. With the bar, you can easily rock it back and forth, use plenty of torque, and not have to worry about chipping or breaking anything. The flywheel teeth will not take 10 percent of the torque that's doable here, without breaking.
Good Luck !

[chief915ky]

I'm starting to get a little discouraged on the engine breaking loose..... I've been religiously soaking the cylinders with a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone for 10 days now. I pulled all the plugs and filled each cylinder until its level with the bottom of the spark plug holes. I bump the starter a several times 4 or 5 times a day, I try to rock the flywheel one way or the other with a small pry bar on the flyweel teeth at least once a day, usually twice, once in the morning and once in the evening, and I've also tried the socket and breaker bar on the front of the crank....... but nothing yet. It doesn't seem to move any more than it did 10 days ago. I refill the cylinders everyday, whatever small amount has soaked past the rings or disappeared.

The strange thing is..... my neighbor came over and I had him bump the key while I watched a dot that I had put on the balancer with a paint marker.... When he bumps the key, I can see the balancer rotate just a little....maybe 50 thousands of an inch, and then relax back to its original position when he lets off the key.... It's definately noticeable movement. However, it will not move at all manually, with either the prybar on the flyweel or the breaker bar on the crank. I feel sure that I'm putting PLENTY of force on it to move it the 50 thousands or so that it moves with the starter.... but nothing, no movement at all, its as solid as a rock.

That seems odd to me.... why would it move noticeably with the starter, but not with manual force.

[StudeRich]

Well one very BAD thought comes to mind, the Crankshaft is broken. This would not happen often with a Forged Iron Crank, but it has happened.

I am sure someone can come up with better guesses, I hope.

Maybe Acetone and ATF or Marvel Mystery Oil and more time will help.
I use a short piece of flexible, small plastic tubing on the end of my old style Pump Oil Can and put the hose at the inboard side of the Cylinders to make sure it flows all the way around.

[nwi-region-rat]

ALLSTATE....that is a SEARS installed A/C unit.....Sears branded a lot of auto stuff ALLSTATE.

[pinehurstbob]

Years ago my 259 was stuck from sitting and when I finally broke it loose, I bent 2 push rods as there were 2 valves stuck. It is relatively easy to remove the valve covers and tap on each valve to ensure that this is not your problem. Just 1 more thing to try and if I am right, you wont be looking for new push rod(s). Let us know how you make out.
Bob

[jackb]

This always a good time to suggest the present owner keep an eye out for a replacement engine. Over the past few weeks there have been a few good engines FS on a few sites.....Right now your good energy/outlook is fading I believe because you may be expecting results too soon. Let things sit for a few weeks and give it a break. Not a bad time to locate the right hub puller and start inspecting the brakes. Read "inspect". Don't go buying parts yet until you know what you need.....Stay positive inspecting system by system...GL

[chief915ky]

Years ago my 259 was stuck from sitting and when I finally broke it loose, I bent 2 push rods as there were 2 valves stuck. It is relatively easy to remove the valve covers and tap on each valve to ensure that this is not your problem. Just 1 more thing to try and if I am right, you wont be looking for new push rod(s). Let us know how you make out.
Bob

Thanks Bob, I'll definitely take a look at that!

[chief915ky]

Right now your good energy/outlook is fading I believe because you may be expecting results too soon. Let things sit for a few weeks and give it a break. Not a bad time to locate the right hub puller and start inspecting the brakes. Read "inspect". Don't go buying parts yet until you know what you need.....Stay positive inspecting system by system...GL

You're probably right..... I know 10 days isn't long, considering it's apparently been sitting for almost 30 years! I guess I'm just anxious lol, thanks for the advice.

You mention a hub puller to get into the brakes?

[jackb]

You will need a "special" hub puller for the rear brake inspection and rear axle service usually done whenever you "open up" the brakes. This puller is "not" a "drum" puller !!! DO a search for the correct tool on this forum. Get back here for some help when you've located the puller.

[GrumpyOne]

Remove both valve covers and get a piece of brass bar stock. Place the barstock on each of the valve stem tips and wack it with a two pound hamer/sledge. If any of the valves move but does not return to starting position, remove both heads. The engine will have to be disassembled anyway.

Noted is the fact that everyone suggested using an oil based soaking. Such has zero in common with the cause of corrosion which is oxygen usually presented in the form of water vapor, hence the common denominator is water, not oil!

Place that engine in a barrel of pure H2O and it will become free.

As an example, I removed many artifacts on sunken ships some twenty or more years underwater in salt water with ease as bolts/nuts and even doors moved freely...

[SN-60]

Nice unmolested Lark!....Best of luck with it!

[chief915ky]

Just wanted to post an update..... I haven't made much progress yet. I've continued the soaking the cylinders, keeping them full to the bottom of the plug holes, and bumping the starter a couple times a day. It still hasn't moved at all according to the mark I put on the crank pulley. I've soaked with ATF/Acetone, PB blaster, and Kroil. I removed the valve covers and checked for stuck valves in the way that pinehurstbob recommended. 4 of them would stick open when I tapped them. I lubed them through the valve spring and onto the valve stem and, after a few taps with the hammer and punch, they freed up and spring closed again like they should.

I'm starting to think about passing the Stude onto someone else honestly.

Here's my current line of thinking.....

The engine being stuck this bad for this long tells me that it's going to need to be disassembled and rebuilt most likely.... Even if it did free up sooner or later, it's going to need something after sitting all these years....Rings, all the gaskets and seals, etc. If I'm going to pull the engine to reseal it, I might as well disassemble it and inspect parts. If I'm going to pull it and disassemble it, I might as well put new parts in while I'm there..... down the rabbit hole we go. The labor part, other than machine work, isn't a problem. I am a retired mechanic and have everything I need at home to do the work. However, rebuilding the 259 is going to be quite a bit of expense in parts. At the end of all that time and expense, I have a rough 4 door Lark.

Option 2 - I can "resto mod" the car and swap in a different, more modern, drive train. This option is also going to get into expense..... The cost of buying another drive train, whatever repairs it needs, and then the parts expense for getting it in the car and everything working properly in a 59 Lark. At the end of that road, is it worth the time, trouble, and expense to have a modern drive train in a 59 Lark 4 door?

Option 3 - Maybe, by continuing the soaking and bumping, it will eventually suddenly break free. It will turn over fine after a little tinkering and the "stuck engine" will be a story for the scrap book. I will spend a couple hundred dollars on a tune-up, carb kit, hoses and belts, etc and the car will start up and run good. At that point, I'd keep the car.....


What are your thoughts? Supposing I did decide to put it back on the market, what is a ballpark value to ask for it?