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  • new engine???

    i was just offered another 56 commander with a 259 engine and auto trans. the current engine litterally has hole through the block[V]. how about some suggestions from some of you who have done it. are we better off finding a 259 and rebuilding it or buying a crate engine for it?? any ideas on who would have a crate engine[?][?] thanks

  • #2
    Hmmmm. 56 commander? i suggest you offer it to me . i'll take it motor or not . lol
    have fun

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    • #3
      My guess is that it would be much much easier to find a good used 259 than a crate engine. It has been over 40 years since a crate engine rolled out of Studebaker and they may be out there but $$$$ that someone would want? I believe 259s are pretty easy to find, as well as 289s.

      Dan White
      64 R1 GT
      64 R2 GT
      Dan White
      64 R1 GT
      64 R2 GT
      58 C Cab
      57 Broadmoor (Marvin)

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      • #4
        As Dan says, you MIGHT be able to afford a "crate" engine - with the extreme accent on might. But even at that, after sitting 40+ years, I'd wanna tear it down to at least check for bearing erosion and gasket shrinkage and such.
        Better to just find a rebuildable block and make it fresh again. New 259 cranks can be at your doorstep for a hundred bucks or less![:0]

        Where are you at? I've got a couple of blocks here that you could work with. Free to a good home![:0] I'm in central California, BTW.

        Miscreant at large.

        1957 Transtar 1/2ton
        1960 Larkvertible V8
        1958 Provincial wagon
        1953 Commander coupe
        1957 President 2-dr
        1955 President State
        1951 Champion Biz cpe
        1963 Daytona project FS
        No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

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        • #5
          i guess i should have i should have asked what other engines would fit the commander that are available today?? any ideas??

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          • #6
            I think what the guys are trying to tell you is that just any "crate" engine, such as Ford, Chevy or Chrysler can be "made" to fit for the right amount of money. And of course, with enough money, you could make "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into the "Taj Mahal"!!! All it takes is the right amount of money.

            The cheaper route would be to find a good Studebaker 259 or 289 to put in it. Even if you have to rebuild the engine with all new parts, you are liable to do it cheaper than a brand x crate engine.

            Believe me I know what I'm talking about. I toyed with the idea of doing the same with my Champ, then decided against it. So I looked for another engine. Darn if I didn't find one about 150 miles away.. and I got to hear it run!! Don't remember how much I paid for it, but I believe it was $200.00. I'm going to put that engine in the Champ and run it while I slowly rebuild the one that came in the truck (with all new parts) while I use the truck with the running engine in it. The long and the short... go with a Studebaker engine.

            Laisez le bon temps roulez avec un Studebaker
            Laisez le bon temps roulez avec un Studebaker

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            • #7
              Not only is it less expensive to use a Stude 259 or 289, you're keeping the car all Studebaker. And to me, that's important. Besides, the Stude engine is every bit as good as any of the brand X engines out there in my humble opinion.
              My 2 cents.
              Rog
              '59 Lark Regal Hardtop
              '59 Lark VI Regal Hardtop
              Smithtown,NY
              Recording Secretary, Long Island Studebaker Club

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              • #8
                I remember my Daddy ( back in the 60's) saying Studebaker made an excellent eight cylinder car. Now, he was a GMC man who drove Chevrolets and Buicks. That's excellent recomendation for a 259 or 289.

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                • #9
                  commander56, there's nothing that's gonna "fit right in".[}] I guess I'm guilty of thinking you were talking of a STUDEBAKER crate motor (and there ARE such things "out there" still!) when, in fact, you were referring to a "crate motor" like you'd buy from the pages of Hot Rod magazine. Sorry for my oversight, but I AM a Studebaker kinda guy and that's where my thoughts lie.[]

                  Anything other than a Studebaker engine is gonna involve engineering on your part. There are front mount brackets available to set a GM small block in with relative ease. But the front mounts are only one small facet of the overall installation.
                  Rear mounts, shift & throttle linkages, different tranny adaptation, different drive shaft adaptation or modification, wiring changes, exhaust system changes, speedometer drive adaptation, etc., etc., and all those done in proper fashion so as not to give you grief once you start to try and drive it. All that's gonna be up to you to figure out.
                  A crate SBC might BE less than the cost of rebuilding the Stude block. But then figure in the cost of a useable or rebuilt TH350 or 400 tranny and all the other stuff to make it work in the Stude + all the work of figuring it out and the Stude starts to look like the easier way to go.[xx(]

                  Miscreant at large.

                  1957 Transtar 1/2ton
                  1960 Larkvertible V8
                  1958 Provincial wagon
                  1953 Commander coupe
                  1957 President 2-dr
                  1955 President State
                  1951 Champion Biz cpe
                  1963 Daytona project FS
                  No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The swap to a soft block chevy is fairly straightforward as I understand it. You would need the repro front mounts and the bell housing from a 65 or 66 Studebaker, and an exhaust on the driver's side that goes around the steering gear somehow. That lets you use the original tranny and shift linkage. I agree with Mr. Biggs, however, that you are much better off with a rebuilt Studie V8, for one thing it is a better engine, for another you know it will fit, for another thing it will cost less and be more reliable.

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                    • #11
                      I've kept all six of my Studebakers Stude-powered and don't regret it for a second. Rebuilt 3 flatheads and 3 V8s. They run great and I wouldn't hesitate to drive them anywhere. I'm with sir Biggs and others who say "keep it Stude powered".

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                      • #12
                        I agree with the rest, keep it Studebaker. We have over twenty vehicles, some running and some not. But the ones we drive everyday are newer non-studebaker and when they break down we get out the old Stude and take it because you can always count on it firing up and getting you there and back home again.


                        -Home of John Studebaker-

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