Small Block Chevy Conversion -Newbie

[rockne10]

We had a '61 259 V-8 that came with a Dana 27 TT and 3.07 gears.
If you want something fast (and you're probably planning on showing off a little) the Dana 44 will give you better peace of mind.

[Eugene]

Hi Dougie, Mr.Zeiger knows what you need! I got my frame mounts from him and thay work great. [Thank you Mr.Zeiger] Gene.

[GEEMAC]

Dougie, I bought a pair of leadpipes from Don Simmons in Canada,for my 63 stainless, fit very nicely. MAC You will find his adv. in Turnin Wheels.

[jackb]

lucky guy with a heated garage...that said, you're at the right place for your conversion. Most folks welcome new blood as a way of preserving the future. You'll find endless amounts of advise here as you've seen already. I wouldn't waste any time looking into the rear end of that car. Even if its a 44 (which I doubt), its 50 years old...why ?? May not even be worth looking into the flanged re-makes. And if you were to find a 44 that's up to the task, you'll be chasing a new driveshaft, so begin your design. You'll find ample info here on fat man & Mustang front ends to replace the aged old design of kingpins...again 50 years old. Seats can be found to be "almost" direct bolt-in replacements for modern comfort, heat, and safety. So check out the "search" function at the top of the page for all theose modifications. Everyone is here to help ya....GL

[Dougie]

Thanks again. I'm starting to see where this is heading. But what you say about just doing it right the first time makes a lot of sense. You can spend more time and money screwing around modifying than just replacing with something better. I'll be putting a lot of thought into this, collecting parts and hopefully be able to start in the fall. This forum is going to be a lot of help.

The heated garage is nice, but the hard part is getting my wife warmed up to the idea of another project.

[stude53]

Hey, Doug

Just make sure you don't spend every evening and weekend on your project.

Pay some attention to your wife and her interests, and she will tolerate your Studebaker projects, parts expenditures, etc.

Advice from one who learned this on his second marriage, not the first!

Welcome to the Forum.

[img=left]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j259/stude53/studesmall2.jpg[/img=left]Bob Feaganes (stude53)
53 Starliner Hardtop
Newton Grove, NC

[prager]

Welcome aboard!! PM sent..just finished same project...maybe my mistakes could help you...I hope!!!

Making resverations at the poor house parking lot for me and my 62 Lark..

[rockne10]

quote:but the hard part is getting my wife warmed up to the idea of another project.

[StudeDave57]

After having just finished changing the plug wires on my '65 Cruiser~

be SURE an SBC is what you really really want!!!

(or sell it before it needs plugs/wires)

Maintenance on cars with powerplants they were not designed
for don't have much room for even basic maintenance...








StudeDave '57
Ferndale, WA

'54 Commander Regal 4dr 'Ruby'
'57 Parkview 'Betsy' (she's a 2dr wagon)
'57 Commander DeLuxe 2dr 'Baby'
'57 Champion Custom 2dr 'Jewel'
'58 Packard sedan 'Cleo'
'65 Cruiser 'Sweet Pea'

[prager]

The plug wire thing...is it because of exhaust manifold clearance or something? I have a small block chevy in my 62..no major fit problems, besides the header mods. I can get to my plugs easy, even with my clumsy hands. I guess I've never looked that close at the 283 set up in the 65-66...Whats in the way?

Making resverations at the poor house parking lot for me and my 62 Lark..

[Dougie]

I've got a 97 Firebird Formula WS6 with the LT1 and a Procharger supercharger. If you want to see tight working quarters you should check this out. By the way it's for sale to make room for the Studebaker if anyone is interested. It's an awesome car and my kids think I'm nuts to sell it, but I just can't resist the allure of the lttle Lark.

[Eugene]

Hi Doug. I Emailed you some pictures hope you get them let me know ok, I want to post them here but I am having trouble doing that. And my daughter is not home this weekend to show me how. Gene..

[Dougie]

Gene,

I saw the pictures and just sent you an e-mail. I checked your profile and see you're about 4 hours away from me. If I can figure out a way to get up there to see your car I'd love to. I'll definitely be in touch. Thanks again.

[studebakerkid]

Dougie

I did that with Pinkie almost 30 years ago. What is your budget? Why not drive it with the six for a while or untill you at least get all your parts and engine lined up? The kingpin sispension is plenty strong for what you are planning.

I didnt have a choice with Pinkie because when I picked her up in Stanford Oregon and I say this because she was the parts runner for the Texaco Station there for many years her OHV six was frozen up solid.

If you still want to do the transplant you probably can even pedal the engine and trans to someone in the group.

As you can see from my tag I have a 64 and 65 and one of these days they both will be painted the same but with significantly different Mc Kinninon powerplants

[Dougie]

You've got quite a stable of cars there. I will be looking to sell the engine and trans. They seem to be in really good working order. If anyone is interested, let me know and You can check them out while they're in the car. I'll post when I'm ready to sell, but if you're interested let me know and I'll call you first. Thanks.