Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines studebaker engines

is there any studebaker experts around? a buddy has offered me a '48 flathead six (that i think is 168ci) w/overdrive really cheap. i thought it'd be a nice powerplant for a really light street machine...like maybe a crosley.

an aunt, back in the '50s, had a little champion and i remember her bragging about the mileage. i've seen aluminum heads and intakes for this engine, from time to time. called the local napa store and they said parts are still available!

would like to hear from anyone who's played with these engines.

i'm 66 going on 16.....still crazy after all these years!

Dennis, in 48 the Stude Co. had two inline 6 engines. The Champ with 169.6 cubes for 80 hp at 4000 rpm and the Commander 6 with 226.2 cubes for 94 hp (brake) at 3600 rpm. You might want to check out www.studebaker-intl.com for manuals and such. S

Another bit of info to help sort out which engine. Champ engine numbers for '48 were 342001 to 439798, and C-1001 and up for Canadian. Commander numbers were H-239001 to H-324981.

thanx, sam.

you're right, it is a 169.6. it stopped raining long enough for me to check it out, then recover my old motor's manual from the borrower, so i could read up on the specs.

you wouldn't know how much that engine weighs, would you?

any reccommendations on a mild boost in power, like limits on bore limits, head milling, cam specs? i can build my own intake and headers.

Dear Dennis;

I know the feeling.

A Stude/Crosley cobo. is "fighting a lot of wars". The 'Stude' engines were small in CID & 'low revers' is why they were never used in Hot Rods "way back when"..... The Studebaker was a cheap post WWII auto, for that econmy.

Look for an 'early' Chev & put a built 261 in there, or a 'later' one an a built 292.

Not only do these work well, but they are "sellable" later.

Good luck.

Dennis, John is right as far as being practical is concerned. But...I have a 49 Crosley station wagon sitting in the yard and I keep eyeing it and the 235 Chev engine I had originally intended for my 38 Stude (now have a 292 built for it) I had even made an adapter to fit the 235 to the 38 Stude tranny (3 speed on the floor w/od). I don't know what the Stude 6 weighs and my 38 came sans engine, tho it originally had a 232 ci 6. But I bet the 235 is a bit heavier. I also don't have any ideas about hopping up the Stude 6. Maybe the Studebaker Drivers Club would be a source. Do a google. The station wagon has very wide doors and it would be easy to move the seat back a lot allowing more room for the engine. But what a short driveshaft it would need! Well, maybe someday. Regards

If i recall rightly, Offenhauser, Weiand, and Edmunds all made speed equipment for Studebaker sixes, and i believe there are articles about modifying this engine in the 1950s. i'll see what i can find. i remember some articles in the *12-Port News* about midget racers built with Champion sixes.

With, say, a 4.56 differential and overdrive, in a light chassis, one could build a true hot rod with a little Champ, and not burn too much of our $3.00 gasoline.

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

john,

i understand your point, but i've always loved doin' things different and i've already built more'n my share of chevy and ford sixes. even had a gremlin that surprised a lot of people, including me! but other than a trio of flathead V8 fords, i've never done much with a flathead. i'm not looking for a record-breaker and may never enter another drag race, but somehow thinking about building a flathead six powered street car tickles me. maybe i'd find parts easier for a mopar engine, but i want something that's not ordinary.

sam,

my step-son has a '50 crosley wagon, too. if i could weasel him out of it, i think that'd be a cool chassis for a street rod.

don,

i remember seeing a studebaker six-powered dirt track sprint car, back in the '50s, in a speed shop in aurburndale, florida. it had all kinds of aluminum speed parts on it. my buddies and i really got a kick out of it and was making fun of it, when the shop owner told us the driver of the car had a room full of trophies, that he'd won with it. i'm not looking for an earth-shattering hot rod, just something cool and different.

thanks to everyone for your responses!

Hurriedly yestereve i was able to find a table of head milling specifications from ca 1954. For the 1940-1949 Studebaker Champion, .085 off the head would raise the compression ratio to 7.5:1. For the 1950-1953 Champ, .050 would get the same 7.5:1.

i am surely among those who would find a modified Studebaker six in a light chassis something to admire. We should be encouraging work with all kinds of inlines--Packards, Hudsons, Chryslers, Nashes, Oldsmobiles (i have a '36 in the shed), Pontiacs, Buicks, Fords, and all. These projects are much more interesting to me than the cookie-cutter 350-350 in a fibreglass body. i have been trying over time to assemble a library of documentation for modifying these engines. i'll see what else i have for the Studebaker.

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

Right, I have a '38 Olds flathead 6 in a '38 GMC truck and an Edmonds manifold for it that I will get running someday.

Dennis,I hope that you find the information that you need and really would like to see what you'll do to that engine.I'm early 40's but I find the old engines more and more interesting and challenging from a personal perspective.For those of you that work on them and collect and share the information I'll tip my hat.Please keep posting information on these type of engines whenever you get some extra time,maybe some of us young'as can keep the torch lit from years to come.

don,

thanx for that info; i'm starting a file for stuff like that. the engine's a sure thing, now to see if i can talk my step-son out of his crosley! if not...the search will continue.

ed,

i remembered that GMC used olds engines back then. i have an aguaintence who has a '38 olds coupe with a busted original engine. he wants to go the 350-350 route...yuck!

hectic,

i've been on more obscure campaigns than this! i once had a german ford taunus that i ended up making most of my own speed equipment for....so a studebaker shouldn't be more difficult than that!
i've got a Model A with a 181 ci Mercruiser 4-banger; that proves that i'm following a different drummer! i'll post my final decision and progress as a new project unfolds.

Ha! that's interesting.I scored a '70 chevy 153 a few months ago and I'm just about to close on a '30 Ford pick up,I've got plans!I make a living as a machinist,I like to make my own parts too.Please keep us posted.

hectic, if you're planning to use an automatic behind the 153, please reconsider. i doubt if you'll ever be happy with an automatic; they will really do much better with a 4, or 5-speed manual tranny. i had a 153 in a datsun pu, a chevette and a chevy II wagon the chevette had a turbo 350 and the other two had powerglides. this 181/4-speed has proven to be the best/most powerful of 'em all. if you'd like some ideas of modifications that have served me well, during build-ups of 3 previous chevy II 4-bangers, drop me an e-mail at drh@digital-link.net

Dennis ,I did e-mailed you one or two weeks ago in response to the same generous offer that you extended to me on my thread about the 153ci a while back.Maybe you didn't get it,I think I titled it "153 inline questions" or something along those lines.Let me know and I can shoot another one your way.Hector.

Ed,
Are you sure it's an Olds engine in that GMC?
Seems to me they used Pontiac engines at that time.

hectic,

i might add that if you HAVE to use an automatic, the PG would be a better choice as PGs allow more torque converter torque multiplication than T-350s on take off. with identical engines, stock Powerglides will beat a stock T-350 every time. that's been my experience, anyway.

seems like we've gotten away from my original question, here!

They used both.

Greetings . . .

I think they only used Pontiac for one year perhaps two. From what I've read GMC had traditionally only only built big trucks 1-ton and larger. They got into light trucks starting in '36. They chose the long stroke (4 1/8) Olds flathead. In '36 the bore was 3 5/16 for a displacement of 213. Olds increased the bore in '37 to 3 7/16 for a displacement of 229. I believe this engine was base offering through 1940.

In '38 they used the Pontiac flathead (a 223 I think). I read somewhere that this engine was option in '39 as well but my Chilton's flatrate only shows tune up specs for this engine associated with GMC in 1938.

In '39 GMC introduced it's own flathead in 1-1/2 ton AC-250 line. Not sure if they ever put that engine in a pickup.

Really a question for jummy specialist - I'm just a spectator.

regards,
stock49

I think the GMC OHV started post WWII and became popular in the 'fifties' for It's race potential etc.

Patrick's would have the details too.