1940 Inline 8 Engine Rebuild

[Okiejoe86]

It looks like you have a lot of broken bolts/studs to remove from the water manifold area and the water outlet on the head. I was successful drilling a few of those. I center punched each bolt, drilled through with a small bit, maybe 1/8th, then gradually increased the size toward the minor diameter of the threads. Left-handed bits will help. Using a pick and needle-nose pliers, I was able to grab the shells of the bolts and drag them out, then a little clean-up with a tap. You don't need a lot of thread depth to hold on the bolts for the manifold cover. In a pinch, you can always use Helicoils. Aircraft Spruce carries the copper crush washers for the cover. Use copper or nickel NeverSeez compound on the new bolts; stainless bolts are good for this location.

Yes, I have a few bolts to extract. Every bolt for the side cover and both bolts for the T-stat housing.

[Charlie D]

Joe,
The local club is pulling for you! You have driven it to a few events and it is a nice looking car. We know you will make your grandfather proud.
Charlie D.

[Okiejoe86]

Found a shop that has a rebuild kit. Egge Machining. Runs about $5500 for the kit but does not include the bearings. I'll post more info soon.

[Okiejoe86]

[Okiejoe86]

Those were bad pictures. This one might be better.

[Hallabutt]

Joe,

Everyone is pulling for you! Hope this doesn't sound too negative but what are you getting from Egge for "$5500 without bearings?"

[Okiejoe86]

Did the PDF work? Their kit has pistons, ring sets, gaskets, valves, cam gears, connecting rods, ect

[Okiejoe86]

If your shop can't find a local cam grinder, our guy here has the master.

He also does the best babbit work anywhere.

jack vines

Do you have the contact information for this guy?

[garyash]

I don't think there is much to be gained by changing the cam profile. When I was building my Indy car engine, I tried a bunch of different cam profiles in my engine modeling software as well as other hop-up techniques. The profile used in the 250 cu in straight 8 is a pretty good one for delivering torque at low and mid rpm. I think the same timing was used in the 245 cu in Commander six and later 170 cu in sixes. High end rpm will be 3500-4000. Stock lift is 0.343 inch. Adding more lift doesn't change much. Since you don't plan to go racing, adding more carbs isn't part of your plan, though that seems to be the nearly the only way to get lots more horsepower. You could take a little off the head to raise compression but are limited by the valves hitting the head.




Stock cam grind, 1937 Studebaker President.


Computed horsepower and torque for stock 1937 President engine, matches factory data. Dyno 2000 software.

[PackardV8]

Do you have the contact information for this guy?

PM sent.

jack vines

[PackardV8]

I don't think there is much to be gained by changing the cam profile. When I was building my Indy car engine, I tried a bunch of different cam profiles in my engine modeling software as well as other hop-up techniques. The profile used in the 250 cu in straight 8 is a pretty good one for delivering torque at low and mid rpm. I think the same timing was used in the 245 cu in Commander six and later 170 cu in sixes. High end rpm will be 3500-4000. Stock lift is 0.343 inch. Adding more lift doesn't change much. Since you don't plan to go racing, adding more carbs isn't part of your plan, though that seems to be the nearly the only way to get lots more horsepower. You could take a little off the head to raise compression but are limited by the valves hitting the head.

For true, Gary. The flathead engine is always between a rock and a hard place. To make more power, it needs more compression. Increasing the compression requires making the combustion chamber smaller. Making the chamber smaller chokes off the transfer area, reducing intake flow.

Back when Harley-Davidson Racing Department was spending more time and money than anyone had ever done to keep the old flathead KR competitive with the OHV Triumph and BSA, they found the most horsepower with looong cam timing and 6.5 compression. Higher compression ratios and shorter cam timing were competitive on short tracks, but at Daytona, the cam timing was so long, it wouldn't make enough compression to kick start; they had to be run-and-bump-started.

If cost were not a consideration in building a Studebaker 250" straight eight Indy tribute car, one might begin with a roller lifter conversion which would allow a much more agressive cam lift curve than is possible with flat tappets.

jack vines

[garyash]

If cost were not a consideration in building a Studebaker 250" straight eight Indy tribute car, one might begin with a roller lifter conversion which would allow a much more agressive cam lift curve than is possible with flat tappets.

jack vines

Or, as has been done, use a head from a Buick straight 8 of the period with overhead valves. Still sounds like a lot of work.

[PackardV8]

Or, as has been done, use a head from a Buick straight 8 of the period with overhead valves. Still sounds like a lot of work.

Hi, Gary, Very interesting; where would one find a link to that conversion? My search didn't connect.

And agree, it would be a LOT of work. The question is why one would not just transplant the complete Buick engine?

jack vines

[AJay]

I have no experience with the 250 I8 but, custom forged pistons can be made. I have a set of Ross for one of my Packards. Bearings can be babbited. New rods can be machined to accept modern bearings. Heck, you can even have crank and cam made from billet stock. All it takes is money.

You can spend years looking for the correct parts. I know, I've done it. And during that time you're not enjoying the car.

Comon guys, we're saving history here. Are we going to let economics stand in the way.

[garyash]

The question is why one would not just transplant the complete Buick engine?

jack vines

The Studebaker engine has 9 main bearings, all with inserts including the rods. The small Buick 8 has 5 main bearings and babbitted rods until 1947. That said, Phil Shafer and others ran at Indy with Buick straight 8s in the 1930s, though he used the larger displacement Buick 8. But, maybe sometimes people do things like swapping heads just because they can. I’ll try to find a reference to the swap.

https://www.buickheritagealliance.org/index.php/restoration/engines/straight_8#:~:text=Buick%20employed%20Straight%2D8%20engines,gobs%20of%20low%2Dend%20torque.