Well, well, well...what do we have here?

[BobPalma]

http://racingstudebakers.com/foo/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2046

[Anne F. Goodman]

Good Job Bob

[silverhawk]

SAWEET!!!! Thanks for posting!

[Starlight]

Smoking!!!!!!!!!!!GO STUDEBAKERS..........Keep on Studebakering

[R3 challenger]

Thanks, Bob. Allowing for about 15% driveline losses, the 365 rear wheel HP recorded by the Wrapper's R3 indicates somewhere around 425 flywheel HP.

Just to update everyone, the Wrapper's R3 engine has recently been through a complete rebuild with our hopes for even more power. Rules for the Pure Stock Drags allow .070" overbore, and after a sonic check, we bored it about .045", for a total CID of 312 (It will take more bore, but we wanted to save some for the future.) Since forged pistons were original equipment, we went with forged Ross pistons, with specs to get the compression up to the factory maximum of 9.75 to 1. The compression until now was a little under 9.5 because of thicker repro head gaskets. With these and other (legal) changes, we hope for more yet. Stay tuned!

George

[junior]

Not to rain on a powerful Stude engine, but in all fairness to the Goat engine's output...they were not measured on the same dyno, so essentially we are not comparing apples to apples. The only objective measurement can be made on the same dyno, with the same ambient temp, at the same altitude and as noted with the same gas. Different dynos can vary greatly. I've had the chance to have a ride in a tri-power goat, and an R-2 Stude, both impressed me, so I can only imagine how impressive an R3 would be...Junior.

[hotrodstude]

the only true test of an engines power is on the track or street.

[woodysrods]

Bob All this Studebaker talk is making me start to think about getting a Studebaker motor motor for my car. Never even gave it much thought before. I have a 355 ZZ4 Crate motor sitting in my barn (crate has never been opened) just waiting to be hooked up to my 96 Camaro 6 speed to go into my 56 Power Hawk.
But this Stude stuff is interesting.
Good Roads
Brian
PS Junior... I can't wait to meet you! I think we may have a lot in common.

[paintim613]

I am somewhat tardy in saying this, but having Bob Palma back on the forum adds a lot! Thanks, Bob.

[BobPalma]

Bob All this Studebaker talk is making me start to think about getting a Studebaker motor motor for my car. Never even gave it much thought before. I have a 355 ZZ4 Crate motor sitting in my barn (crate has never been opened) just waiting to be hooked up to my 96 Camaro 6 speed to go into my 56 Power Hawk.
But this Stude stuff is interesting.
Good Roads
Brian

GOOD, Brian! There are several reasons people too quickly dump Studebaker V-8 power:

1. They haven't seen these engines before and are simply afraid of the unknown.

2. They may have a Chevy V-8 sitting around and want to use it.

3. They are familiar with Chevy V-8s, so there is little to learn about working on one.

4. Chevy V-8s and the parts for them, especially small-blocks, are dirt cheap.

5. Generally speaking, small-block Chevys are lighter and smaller than Studebaker V-8s, so it is easier to squeeze one in an engine room, although this applies mostly to earlier cars where a V-8 was never available.

OK, so there's some reasons people replace Studebaker V-8s with Chevys, all valid and understandable.

On the other hand:

1. A primary reason to be in this hobby is to have something different. If we were all normal, none of us would be on this forum and we'd all be outside washing our 2-year-old Honda Accords Sunday afternoon in anticipation of another boring week at work, being "normal." Yawn. Small-block Chevy V-8s have been put in everything from motorcycles to Maytags at one time or another, so there is hardly anything unique or different about having one.

2. Retaining a Studebaker V-8 in a car that was originally configured for it (i.e., your 1956 Power Hawk) saves a ton of fabricating and guessing as to making it work. The engine mounts and angles have already been figured out for you, and the engine may already be in the chassis anyway.

3. The Studebaker V-8 is an unbelievably tough engine; arguably the toughest postwar V-8 made by anybody. It responds well to mild hop-up mods, yet if you want to really wow the crowd, you can spring for a factory supercharger setup down the road without fear of blowing up the stock lower end unless you drive foolishly.

4. How tough is the Studebaker V-8? Well, cousin George decided to pull the R3 engine out of The Plain Brown Wrapper upon its [short-lived, apprarently] retirement, and have it freshened up at Auto Machine in St. Charles iL. Mind you, this engine had over 400 hard 1/4-mile runs on it since we started Pure Stock Racing it in 1998, but neither the heads nor oil pan had been removed since the campaign began.

When Auto Machine tore it down, they called George to clarify what he wanted done because, "We really can't see any wear in this thing!"

5. The Studebaker V-8 engine is relatively easy to work on. The intake manifold having no water passages in it and the manifold not being expected to serve as the valley cover make it so much easier to work on than a Chevy. No special tools are required, either.

6. With the engine having timing gears, you'll never be dead when a timing chain stretches and jumps time. While I do know of people stranded when a Studebaker six timing gear strips, I can honestly say I've never known anyone who's had a Studebaker V-8 timing gearset go bad and leave them dead in the water. (And the six gears normally give plenty of warning, with a knock that is often mistaken for a rod knock.)

7. But most of all is simply the cool factor. Picture two identical 1956 Power Hawks at a multi-make car show. One has a Studebaker V-8, maybe even its original engine, decked out with chrome rocker arm covers and an R2 supercharger setup...a nice, big, imposing orange blob front and center in the engine room, screaming "look at me, I'm neat; you haven't seen one of these today!"

The other car has a nice small-block Chevy installation with chrome valve covers and all.

Now, since virtually everyone attending said multi-make show has likely seen a gazillion iterations of small-block Chevy V-8s before they get to this pair of Power Hawks, which Power Hawk do you think will garner more attention and comments of, "Hey, that's cool!"

I rest my case. (Now, I must retreat to erect the bunker needed every time this topic comes up. For some reason, it is impossible to be pro-Studebaker power without being accused of being anti-Chevy power. I'm not anti-Chevy power; you can power your car with a Wisconsin industrial engine if you like; it's your car, for Pete's sake!) BP

[junior]

PS Junior... I can't wait to meet you! I think we may have a lot in common.

yup, I reckon it will happen one day, probably not this summer as my wife has somehow managed to book my whole summer for me, more on that later....but oh to be 18 again....last night at 11pm, my daughter and her partner in crime decide to go to Kelowna for 2 days...left today at 6am, text me at 1:30 pm to say she's at her destination, and that's after stopping for 45mins. in Vernon...do the math Brian, how fast do you think they were going on the highway??? If you see a blue Genisis (sp?) coupe with Alberta plates on it ripping up the roadways in West Bank chances are it's my kid. Cheers, Junior.

[junior]

[B]I rest my case. (Now, I must retreat to erect the bunker needed every time this topic comes up. For some reason, it is impossible to be pro-Studebaker power without being accused of being anti-Chevy power. I'm not anti-Chevy power; you can power your car with a Wisconsin industrial engine if you like; it's your car, for Pete's sake!) BP

Bob, I would have to agree....if my stude had a stude engine in it I would keep it simply because of the 'cool factor' and the fact that it was engineered that way, but as for that Bently v-8 in the c/k or hawk that was photograhed at the meet last week....wow! Has this been talked about on the forum before? If that engine is a factory turbo engine I would love a ride in that Stude....that engine would be a torque-monster!