Highest mileage Stude before overhaul?

[Pckstude]

Does anyone know how many miles a Stude engine ran before an overhaul was needed? 6cyl & V8?

[PackardV8]

That mostly depends upon everything. The engines are so tough, they seldom die a quick death, but slog on for many years in ever-worsening condition. It also depends upon the CASO's tolerance for oil burning and oil leakage. Many I see needed rebuilding long before the owner gave up on it.

So we'd need to know how the mileage was put on, the maintenance it received and even the climate in which it operated.

jack vines

[studegary]

In my own experience, I can remember a 1955 259 V8 that we took out of a terminally rusty 1955. It had over 200K miles on it. We opened the engine up out of curiosity. It displayed some wear, but was in great condition.

[Bud]

I rebuilt the 289 in my 1964 Champ 8E7 at 206,000 miles. I did a valve job at 115,000 miles because the valve guides were shot and the engine got torn down because the engine started to run hot, which was due to a crack in one head. The block had to be bored .030 over size, but the crank was still standard, the bearings were still in decent condition and the rocker arms were also in good condition and they went back on the engine. I bought the truck with 112,000 miles on it from the original owner who worked at the local Chevron refinery. He always used Chevron Delo oil in it and that is what I continued to use during the time I owned the truck. Bud

[JoeHall]

I know nothing about six cylinders, but tend to rebuild the (259/289/352) V8s about every 100,000 miles. By then, oil consumption has usually dropped to below 1000 miles per quart, leaks have became bothersome, ring blow by becomes excessive, and gas MPG has gown down significantly. I believe a person could easily squeeze 150,000-200,000 out of them though, if willing to put up with the above, and/or do smaller patch jobs along the way.

I always include: new rod, main and cam bearings; piston rings; valve job with hardened exhaust valve seats, and OEM umbrella type valve seals. Usually include: boring and new pistons, and turned crank.

Once broken in, I switch over to Mobil 1 oil, and then only change oil & filter every 10,000 miles. Have done this since around 1997, with no resultant lubrication problems.

[doublefeature56]

My dad gave me a 63 Regal 4 dr with 259 2 bl. and 3 and overdrive. It had about 120,000. I drovet about 10,000 and it ran great. I don't thi nk it had ever been apart. I sold it to a friend and he drove it for five years thru the early eighties putting maybe 25,000 more on it. He sold it to a guy who cut it up and made a sort of ranchero type pickup out of it and I saw it around for a couple more years (small town syndrome). Another friend of mine had a 63 Cruiser with a six automatic that wasn't running and he wanted me to "restore" it for him....actually just wanted it painted and running again. I went to the local wrecking yard and there was the old Regal made into a pickup, a little worse for wear but still intact. I bought it and converted my friends car to the 259 and overdrive. I bet that it wound up having 250,000 and I doubt it had anything more than a valve job along the way. The Cruiser is still sitting out in the yard to this day....not looking to good but I'd pull the 259 and trans if I were going to junk it.

[JoeHall]

Another way to measure: My old friend, Lester Schimdt, with his "million mile TRANSTAR" literally drove it a million miles. After awhile, he stopped rebuilding Stude V8s, and would just install a good low mileage 259/289 when needed. As a major Stude parts distributor, he has access to plenty of them. He told me he went through about half a dozen motors. But the T85 transmission was still the original, and he had only changed the input shaft bearing once.

[doublefeature56]

When I took the 259 (above) out of the wrecking yard, I noticed the freeze plugs looked bad so I thought I'd go ahead and replace them. I got the screwdriver and hammer out and started knocking them out. I could see that the water jacket had a lot of rust and so I started scraping and flushing it out. Turned out to have almost no flow when I started..."an iron oxide cooled Studebaker" and after an hour of picking at it with screwdriver, coat hanger, knife, etc, I got it flowing good.

[dusty taylor]

My dad bought a 1964 3/4 ton new and use it for hauling a camper from 1964 though 1969 when he got a new IH pickup. The 64 had a 259 and a 4 speed. In 69 he put it in as a work truck it hauled a Hobart welder. It had over 300,000 miles on it when we pulled it out and put a 289 in. Then I bought a 1958 pickup and put that motor in it after a rebuild. The crank was still standard but I was going to make it a 289 so bought a new crank.

[studegary]

My dad gave me a 63 Regal 4 dr with 259 2 bl. and 3 and overdrive. It had about 120,000. I drovet about 10,000 and it ran great. I don't thi nk it had ever been apart. I sold it to a friend and he drove it for five years thru the early eighties putting maybe 25,000 more on it. He sold it to a guy who cut it up and made a sort of ranchero type pickup out of it and I saw it around for a couple more years (small town syndrome). Another friend of mine had a 63 Cruiser with a six automatic that wasn't running and he wanted me to "restore" it for him....actually just wanted it painted and running again. I went to the local wrecking yard and there was the old Regal made into a pickup, a little worse for wear but still intact. I bought it and converted my friends car to the 259 and overdrive. I bet that it wound up having 250,000 and I doubt it had anything more than a valve job along the way. The Cruiser is still sitting out in the yard to this day....not looking to good but I'd pull the 259 and trans if I were going to junk it.

1963 Cruisers came standard with a 289 V8. Was the car that you talk of some sort of export special? What is the serial number and body tag ID?