Last day of Studebaker engine production?

[Warren Webb]

We know that the foundry & engine production continued after the South Bend factory shut down, but when that next summer did these shut down? On the same note I know of an Avanti R-1 engine that was made but never installed in a production car, so what was the engine number of the last R-1 Avanti? Were the engines pulled from a "bank" like the car bodies were?

[StudeRich]

The problem with your question Warren is, the last R1 or R2 Avanti Engine being a '64 would have a Date Code, so no way to identify certain ones.

For comparison, my First day of production '64 Daytona Sedan, built on Aug. 12, 1963 has Engine PH-37 (08/07/1963)
So it only sat in the "Staging Area" and or "Run-up" Area for 5 days.

[Warren Webb]

Rich, I know you know of the R-1 engine I'm referring to as built ready to go into a Avanti but never made it into a production car. It has a date of October twenty something 63, all complete, ac compressor, fan, belts, carb, bell housing w/ converter, even the ground cable, ready to be dropped in. I just wonder how close it was to being put into a car in production.

[StudeRich]

So you are going by the Date Code on the rear, not the Engine Serial Number ?

[mbstude]

There were several Avanti engines that were set to go into production cars and later sold as complete ready-to-run engines. I know of one, still crated, in Massachusetts and another here in Florida. The latter was removed from the crate in the early 1970's, set into a Hawk frame, and hasn't been touched in 50 years.

[M-Webb]

Just dump a can or 2 of STP in it and it'll be good to go I'm sure.

[Hawklover]

The R-1 engine in Massachusetts is owned by Robert Munter of WCD Garage, it was listed several times for sale which as far as I know was never sold..............and, would need to be completely gone through as it has been in a crate for 60 years.

[oilnsteel]

I have a V8 exhaust manifold with a casting date of March 1965. JT

[StudeRich]

For a "Studebaker" V8 ? That is REALLY late for SASCO to be replenishing warehouse stock of exhaust manifolds, but definitely could have happened.

[Warren Webb]

I believe the foundry was being operated by other companies & perhaps they cast some replacement parts for SASCO. What I am inquiring is when Studebaker engine production stopped, sometime in the summer of 64 when Hamilton 64 was coming to a halt.

[8E45E]

• 
  #5.1
  StudeRich commented
  Yesterday, 01:04 PM
  For a "Studebaker" V8 ? That is REALLY late for SASCO to be replenishing warehouse stock of exhaust manifolds, but definitely could have happened.

If so, possibly for GSA fleet vehicles still in use? The USMC and other government agencies would have been running vehicles in their fleets that were less than a year old with lots of miles still left before their time was up. I don't believe the GSA would have accepted an answer of 'We are indefinitely out of stock.' for a 2-3 year old vehicle, regardless of the make.

Craig

[Bob Langer]

We know that the foundry & engine production continued after the South Bend factory shut down, but when that next summer did these shut down? On the same note I know of an Avanti R-1 engine that was made but never installed in a production car, so what was the engine number of the last R-1 Avanti? Were the engines pulled from a "bank" like the car bodies were?

This is from Bob Johnstone's website.

May 15, 1964 - Engine Assembly and Foundry finally closes in South Bend.

[Skip Lackie]

The last Zip Van was completed on April 30, 1964 -- so the foundry would have still been operating close to that date building Zip Van engines.

[StudeRich]

AND, probably the large number of 259 and 289 Block and Piston Assemblies built after Car Production stopped, and maybe a few V8 Short Blocks.

[oilnsteel]

Looks like I was wrong on the March 1965 date. So much for trusting the old memory!

[64LarkLover]

What an interesting puzzle. I wonder what firm was contracted to cast exhaust manifolds for a Studebaker V8 in Dec 65? Some sort of performance aftermarket?