Jet City Catalog Info

[Dan White]

For those wondering what Jet City offered back in the early 90s for Studes here you go. I did not do the whole catalog just the more interesting stuff. I have not found the price sheet yet but it was pretty pricey stuff, but if you were looking for the ultimate there was no one else out there offering the full boat like Corbin.






















Dan White
64 R1 GT
64 R2 GT

[11SecAvanti]

Bump! No interest in true performance judging from the feedback. What a shame. Interesting that stage 2 offered a 1.780" intake. That size is my best flowing head on my motor for some odd reason. Thanks for the information post. Shows a lot of serious research and money went into the effort at one time.

Start and Stage Your Studebakers

[Alan]

Don't worry Dan, all information tucked away and accounted for and much appreciated.

[PackardV8]

FWIW, most of those seriously interested in high performance look for this type data over on Racing Studebakers.

Secondly, yes, we get new Stude performance enthusiasts on here from time to time and posting the Jet City catalog is a good refresher for those who don't have a hard copy, but it isn't really new news to most of those on this forum, thus no replies doesn't mean no interest.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

[Jessie J.]

I don't believe that there is any lack of "interest in true high performance", just that most Studebaker enthusiasts were aware that 90% of those HP gains could be attained for around 10% of Jet City's asking prices.
And perhaps most importantly, the employing of these heavily -modified- and reworked pieces would be illegal in almost all of the classes or forms of racing in which our Studebaker's are competitive. Certainly they would never stand up to scrutiny at the PSMCD's where the Stude's have been earning national attention and respect.
They -could- (have been) be employed in E.T. Bracket Racing, however the typical modern small-block has the benefit of decades of refinement, with even stock heads and ports that exceed the Stude's limited flow capabilities. A lot of money to spend just to get blown away by the cheap and basically stock 5.0 'Stangs.
At a higher level, the performance of Ted Harbit's Chicken Hawk is awesome -for a STUDEBAKER- but what times are the twin turbocharged 'Stangs and Camaros typically turning on the strips nowdays?
If your interest is only in exceeding the performance of other's [u]Studebaker's</u>, THEN the employment of such reworked and expensive parts might make sense. But they didn't, and still don't make much sense for regular street and highway use, and would/will only earn you an "also ran" status under the rules and regulations that are part of any typical motorsports event.
To bad that Studebaker didn't have the time or wherewithal to produce, or to ever make sufficiently available, those parts that were needed to remain competitive in motorsports. We -needed- tens of thousands of R-3 type heads, and even them further refined, what we got was just a few dozen, most of which have just degenerated into the status of "bragging rights" pieces, old, non-competitive and obsolete antiques gathering dust on the collectors shelves.

Bottom line, there is STILL a lot of fun to be had with modified Studebaker's, it just never did, and still doesn't require Jet City's (or others) overpriced parts to participate.

[PackardV8]

Hi, JessieJ,

Most of us here have been guilty of exaggeration to make a point about which we feel strongly.

quote:most Studebaker enthusiasts were aware that 90% of those HP gains could be attained for around 10% of Jet City's asking prices.

however, you don't make your case by the above statement. Using that same exaggeration and formula, you are saying it is possible to build a Studebaker V8 for 10% of what Ron Hall's engine cost and run several 180 MPH passes at Bonneville with it.

Yes, Jet City's prices were top dollar, but there is still no one else offering a finished billet roller camshaft for $650. Some of us here wish we had spent the money when Corbin was offering them at that price. FWIW, everywhere else I have checked requires a minimum order of twenty-five cams to get close to that cost. Yes, his Stage Three heads were expensive, but I've asked for quotes from several head porters with a reputation for quality work and they will charge $2500 for the same result.

As always, your opinion, your money, your car.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

[Jessie J.]

quote:Originally posted by PackardV8

Hi, JessieJ,

Most of us here have been guilty of exaggeration to make a point about which we feel strongly.

quote:most Studebaker enthusiasts were aware that 90% of those HP gains could be attained for around 10% of Jet City's asking prices.

however, you don't make your case by the above statement. Using that same exaggeration and formula, you are saying it is possible to build a Studebaker V8 for 10% of what Ron Hall's engine cost and run several 180 MPH passes at Bonneville with it.

Yes, Jet City's prices were top dollar, but there is still no one else offering a finished billet roller camshaft for $650. Some of us here wish we had spent the money when Corbin was offering them at that price. FWIW, everywhere else I have checked requires a minimum order of twenty-five cams to get close to that cost. Yes, his Stage Three heads were expensive, but I've asked for quotes from several head porters with a reputation for quality work and they will charge $2500 for the same result.

As always, your opinion, your money, your car.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

About opinions, Yep But Ron Hall's engine (and entire car) is hardly representative of what most owners of modified Studebaker's are striving for, how much total do you think Ron had tied up in his efforts? Don't forget those costs of getting there and all those other incidental expenses involved.
Most engine experts understand that it IS that final 10% of improvement in an engines ultimate performance capabilities that will involve 90% (if not more) of the total development cost.
No I am NOT saying "it is possible to build a Studebaker V8 for 10% of what Ron Hall's engine cost and run several 180 MPH passes at Bonneville with it." What I AM saying that it is that final 10% that most of us will never need that drive the costs right into the stratosphere.
Extreme is NEVER cheap nor easy, and there is always a learning and development curve involved, just having Jet City heads and billet roller camshafts is no certain guarantee of ever coming close to Ron Hall's performance.
For what its worth at this late date, I met and spoke with Ron, and precious few amongst us have the drive or ability to walk in his steps.
You really need a billet roller camshaft? well more power to you, but the fact is that about 99.999% of the rest of the surviving Studebaker hobby has no more need of such exotica, than we need access to a "flux capacitor" to improve our Studebaker's performance.
Now it would be great if Jet City was still around (wonder what the prices would have risen to by now? $6,500 cams? and $20,000 heads?) but it would be no more commercially viable nor sensible today than it was back then.
My impression is that the Studebaker hobby and legacy is still doing just fine.

edited to add
Just buying the most exotic and expensive parts available will never serve as a substitute for learning by building and by hands on experience, hundreds of other factors will affect the results, and Jet City was not the only head porter in business, just had a bigger advertising budget.

[PackardV8]

quote:My impression is that the Studebaker hobby and legacy is still doing just fine.

Again, your opinion, your money, but many of the parts and expertise needed by those few who wanted to race Studebaker V8s competitively became much more expensive and harder to get when Jet City folded.

quote:Jet City was not the only head porter in business, just had a bigger advertising budget.

Just asking, is there anyone currently porting Studebaker V8 heads with a posted flow chart and prices?

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

[bams50]

A lot of what Jessie has said here rings true. Being relatively new to the Stude world, I hadn't heard of Jet City until recently, and someone replied that they quit doing business because Stude people are cheapskates[}]

I think it's every bit as likely that the problem is, when someone wants to race, soup up, or hot rod a car, the last brand they think of is Studebaker! In the Club it may seem there's a fair amount of interest in Studebaker performance, but this is hardly an accurate sampling. Only a tiny percentage of the automotive hobby is interested in Studes at all; and if they are, only a small percentage is interested in Stude power; and only a small percentage of them is interested in super-high performance. I admit, with just a few notable exceptions, I have a hard time seeing Studes as performance cars. I bet most Stude lovers feel the same.

So it would seem to me that the real problem Jet City had- and Nimesh, and others- was not necessarily that the Stude performance-interested were cheapskates, it was that there were so very few of them. They were just marketing a product for way too small a demographic. I've seen an awful lot of folks that own and love their Studes, but have zero interest in Stude engines. Obviously, it's much easier and cheaper (and thus better value for one's hobby dollar) to go with a Chevy. I've tried getting some guys I cruise with interested- decent, intelligent, sincere guys with very deep pockets- but they just can't get interested. Take an overweight, under-cubed, poorly breathing, mostly unknown engine, and try to get any sizable number of people interested in spending big bucks on one, and you're setting yourself up for failure.

As a Studebaker lover, I say sad but true.

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[PackardV8]

Hi, Bob,

You are mostly right on when you say,

quote:So it would seem to me that the real problem Jet City had- and Nimesh, and others- was not necessarily that the Stude performance-interested were cheapskates, it was that there were so very few of them.

FWIW, it wasn't Corbin, but several of the repo and used parts vendors who coined the CASO term.

I would agree no way does it make any sense to put a Studebaker V8 in anything but a Stude. You know it too, because you spell it out

quote:Take an overweight, under-cubed, poorly breathing, mostly unknown engine, and try to get any sizable number of people interested in spending big bucks on one, and you're setting yourself up for failure.

However, for many those of us who own Studebaker and Packard V8s, we know all the above and wouldn't put in a BrandX if it were free. The challenge is overcoming the lack of speed parts, the lack of enough intake port flow and still going fast.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8