Engine: 289 cu. V8 - A General Review

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

In my 1962 GT Hawk lies, of course, the famed 289 cu. V8 that had its roots as far back as 1951. What I am asking all of you for is to give your opinions on this engine. Strengths? Weaknesses? Handy tech tips? All of it is appreciated!

[BobPalma]

Well, you can start here, Jake:

https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2015/03/America-s-Best-V-8-Engine--Studebaker/3747591.html

BP

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Well, you can start here, Jake:

https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2015/03/America-s-Best-V-8-Engine--Studebaker/3747591.html

BP

Seems like this engine is a little firecracker that is also pretty damn durable (in the same lien as the MoPar 225 cu. Slant Six). I LOVE IT!

[63 R2 Hawk]

When the "other guys" started producing muscle cars, they had to come up with special parts to shore up the engine blocks they were using to get more hp. Things like forged cranks, 4 bolt mains, etc. Studebaker V8s already used steel cranks and strong blocks with an extra headbolt per cylinder. The later Studebaker full flow blocks were some of the best motors ever made and their strength made them ideal for supercharging. They weren't high revving but didn't need to be to keep up with the big displacement muscle cars. I have never seen any numbers to support this, but I believe a higher percentage of 60s Stude motors have survived compared to those of the Big Three. Just my $0.02usd....

[StudeRich]

Judging by those Valve Covers with Oil Caps, and no Top mounted Oil Filter, you must have "Lucked out" and gotten a LATE '62, the same as a '63-'64 Full Flow Block.

What is the Engine Serial Number, Top, Left Front Corner on the machined flat pad and STAMPED in, not the Raised in the standard casting, Casting number like ALL were.

Jake, you MAY have to start clicking on your Name to find all of your posts, getting so many going at the same time, makes it harder to find your answers to them as they drop down.

I do applaud your Enthusiasm though, that's a GOOD thing!

People that follow "Other Make" and Club Forums, say that our's moves much faster than a lot of others with less traffic.

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Jake, you MAY have to start clicking on your Name to find all of your posts, getting so many going at the same time, makes it harder to find your answers to them as they drop down.

I do applaud your Enthusiasm though, that's a GOOD thing!

People that follow "Other Make" and Club Forums, say that our's moves much faster than a lot of others with less traffic.

Well Rich, I'm a still a schoolboy and all schoolboys know that in order to fully understand and appreciate something plenty of EFFORT will have to be exerted!

[StudeRich]

Good for you Jake, you are one the few younger People today that actually know how to properly WORD and SPELL a correct sentence! And you can read!

I am sure about half or less of these Washington State, Public School kids would have a hard time doing that, unfortunately.
Do you go to a Private School? Maybe Florida Schools are among the Top Ten State Public Schools, not among the 10 BOTTOM like ours! Either THAT or you really pay attention!

[Mike Van Veghten]

Shoo -

Be careful, along with facts you'll hear, you'll also hear some interesting wives tales about how over the top, wonderful the Stude engine is.
Though not out of any spite, just Stude love. Already seen some of it above.

Like the four bolt main comment..! If you search the Stude Racing site, you can...actually buy four bolt main caps to...shore up the bottom end..! You may hear a lot of "over the top" info about the blocks and heads (material). Actually, really nothing special about them.
In fact, the blocks are overly heavy for the required design and capability. Not putting the block design down in the overall design, just didn't need to be as heavy as it is to do the job well. Like the Buick, Olds and Cadillac of the day, with very a similar design, unlike the early (much lighter) weight, Chevy and Ford, and slightly later Chrysler small blocks.
Like the big three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) at the time period, boring .062" over is no problem. Boring .093" is marginal, and if you want to go .125" over, you'll need a sonic tester to check your particular blocks bore thickness. Again, no better than the "other" car makers..! Though the Chevy 283 was bored .125" over quite regularly with no ill effects.

Cylinder head wise...kinda similar to the block. A bit porky for it's capability, though with some carefully done port work, it can be made to run fairly well. Though one thing that was well done, the design engineers crutched the marginal intake port with a long connecting rod that actually helps fill the cylinder thru it's marginal port.
Another thing the engineers/designers did do well, was to design the intake manifold, the cam and the heads to complement each other pretty well as far as power output. So if your final goal is more power, you'll need to make all three (manifold, cam, head intake port flow) things better accordingly. All mostly possible in today's Stude world. There's a couple of us that can up the intake port flow easily enough to up the power output. There is also a CNC ported head you can buy ready to go that should run fairly good. The guy that's put the CNC head out, also has modified the small Chrysler manifold to fit the Stude cylinder head/engine...that can up the flow considerably over the Stude intake manifold. The only thing left is the cam shaft. There's a couple of regrinds available that will help a bit, or you can go to the cam manufacturers and have your own cam ground, though not cheaply.
A blower (of any type) is always helpful power wise.

And yes, like the big three of the period, the crankshaft is a steel forging. Properly prepped, it's strong enough for (RPM limited) 7000 runs on the track...or a steady diet of 5500rpm down your local...freeway..!

Connecting rod...most guys going to higher power levels are also opting for aftermarket rods. For a warmed over street engine, a properly prepped stock rod will work fine.

Pistons...for performance work...aftermarket. Many of us have gone to Ross (in SoCal).

And again, for a stockish street engine the OEM harmonic damper is marginal. The R3 damper is much better...but almost unobtainable. There are again...aftermarket ways to go here too to keep the harmonics at bey.

Depending on your modifications, the Edelbrock 500cfm carburetor will do everything needed to be done. Only with some head/manifold/cam work along with lower gears (3.55 and up), the 600cfm carburetor will work ok here.

The ignition...two makers built them. Delco (GM builder), and Prestolite (Chrysler). Both work "equally" fine as long as they are in good condition. But the Delco seems to hold up better over the many miles.
One of the CD boxes (MSD, Mallory, Pertronix, etc.) or a (internal) Pertronix module is also something to look at carefully for most any driving.

I think I've touched "lightly" on most everything performance wise.

Mike

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

.
Do you go to a Private School? Maybe Florida Schools are among the Top Ten State Public Schools, not among the 10 BOTTOM like ours! Either THAT or you really pay attention!

I started out in a private Catholic school from K-8 (basically just a few steps away from a monastery) but then I transitioned to a charter school. Funny thing is, this high school was originally built in the swamps 20's and then in a REALLY seedy area of town during the 80's but now that's no longer the case. Here's a website with more info for you: http://www.awdsoa.org/index.html

[Jeffry Cassel]

Never ( in 50 yrs) ever had a problem with a Studebaker that was related to the 289 V8 ( 6 cyl, well that's different!) I have rebuilt a bunch of them and am allways amazed at how tough they are. Use ZDDP and try to keep coolant temp to 160 - 180 degree range and you will be happy with it. Consider switch to pertronix ign ( call Phil Harris) and add electric fuel pump. Don't put moonshine in it if you can help it.

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

Never ( in 50 yrs) ever had a problem with a Studebaker that was related to the 289 V8 ( 6 cyl, well that's different!) I have rebuilt a bunch of them and am allways amazed at how tough they are. Use ZDDP and try to keep coolant temp to 160 - 180 degree range and you will be happy with it. Consider switch to pertronix ign ( call Phil Harris) and add electric fuel pump. Don't put moonshine in it if you can help it.

You see that's the type of information I was looking for, that which can only be known through experience. Thank you!

[52-fan]

Don't be overwhelmed by the more serious racers on here. The Studebaker V-8 is a durable engine and a 17 year old should be able to have lots of fun without breaking the bank. Of course, at higher horsepower levels the costs go up, but those modifications are not necessary to enjoy your car. My first Studebaker was a 59 Lark six and my second a 52 Champion. Neither was a speed machine. You are already ahead of where I started.

[nels]

I've often wondered if guys put 4 bolt mains in a Stude V8 because they need to or is because they can? I think Harbit was running in the neighborhood of 800 hp (?) with the Chicken Hawk and I don't think he went to the trouble or expense to modify to 4 bolt mains. He never had lower end problems. Stude was designed originally for economy with future performance, mainly by compression increases and bore enlargement and of course ports. Ports are/were configured for just under super sonic flow which were small which was optimum for fuel economy. Try getting good mileage with a set of R3 cylinder heads on a 232 or even a 289. It's been a long time since I studied up on all this but I remember how impressed I was that Stude's engineering design department was that compedant. Not sure when the Reynolds Numbers tables first came out but it's obvious they were used extensively during the design stage.

[Mike Van Veghten]

No need for additional oil supplements. just use a quality to begin with.
I've been using Castrol GTX in my daily driver 259 powered Lark wagon since I bought it, almost 70,000 miles ago. Interesting...that I've had no oil related problems..!

Coolant temperature...again, you do not want it running too cold (160 is too cold). ANY internal combustion engine runs best in the 180 to 200+ degrees (F). My Lark runs 180-190 on 100 degree summer days, and a 175-180 during SoCal winters. Just touches 200 degrees sitting in line at In-N-Out in the summer..!
Plus the oil does a better job at keeping things clean when it's a little warmer.
A good fer instance, modern cars are set to run over 200 degrees (F).

Mike

[DougHolverson]

Never ( in 50 yrs) ever had a problem with a Studebaker that was related to the 289 V8 ( 6 cyl, well that's different!)

The different problems between the v8 and 6 popper Studebaker engines would make an interesting new thread. Unless it's been done already....