Projects All Studes, All The Time

I agree with Mike on the 20-50 GTX and the oil pressure. 10 lbs Warm at idle while it not a goal is adequate. Fresh oil through a clean filter may help. 10 psi per 1000 rpm in OK. Maybe bit less 5-6 K. Studes have a lot of nearing surface and the cranks are forged. There is plenty of lube for the valve train to the point that prolonged high speed runs can pump the the valve covers full of oil. These are tough engines and can last a long time even when neglected & abused. When zinc started disappearing from oil I made a call to STP and was assured there is enough in one bottle to protect a flat tappet engine for an oil change. That was a few years ago.

 

I picked up some 20-50 VR1 dino oil. I will need to do some looking for a different sending unit, but for now I have a gauge zip tied in under the hood.

I got to thinking about my part throttle laziness and starting doing some thinking about my timing and carburetor situation. I'm not sure what these WW's do circuit wise, but I assuming there must be a transfer circuit in there somewhere. I assume it's one of the small holes near the throttle plates.

Assuming that is correct...I decided to disconnect the vacuum advance as an experiment. That forced me to crack the throttle plates a bit more and advance the timing a bit to get a good idle back. Just by ear, no gauges, light, or tach. It's not perfect but it took care of most of the hesitation and low speed shuttering. And it pulls much harder. Hard enough to slip the clutch in first gear when trying to spin the tires on clean pavement.

My guess is that I'm flowing more fuel at idle and part throttle conditions (yes it stinks) so it's ready to to rev as soon as I give it air. Plus the timing is not tanking when the plates crack. For a street cruiser I have always used manifold vac advance...so now I am questioning everything lol.

I pulled the steering wheel to see what is binding up in the column / steering box. Not seeing anything so far, but I did get a chance to clean up and lubricate the turn signal mechanism, so hopefully it will self cancel when I get it together the rest of the way.

 

Hey, Ryno;
Me, I'd *not* use 20w/50, even if it's MobilOne. That's kinda thick. Your choice. Studes are sorta notorious for low( like 5-~0 psi at idle), but they do survive well. Do make sure the head-drains are clean, & the block/heads/valley area is vented correctly, which'll help drainback. Worn rocker arm bushings &/or shafts(both very important clearances) are the usual suspect for too much oil dumped into the rockers, Stude also changed the rocker-shaft oil-orifice size smaller in later years, which helps abit. & too much blowby pressurizes the block giving returning oil fits.

For hard steering, look at the bearings in the bellcrank. The grease zerk is hidden in a hole in the crossmenber. Easy to miss, even if you know it's there. Sometimes plugged w/crap. So it usually doesn't/didn't get grease. New seals & bearings(rollers do work well, at least for awhile - in my case, ~ 5-6yrs as dd) or bushings(technically the best solution) = near-fingertip steering. BTDT. . & of course, check the box fluid level. JD corn-head grease works well, better than chassis-type grease.
Marcus...

PS: Did I mention the Stude May-now-June swap-meet in South Bend(St. Josephs' County Fairgrounds) every year? If not: It's on, & is: May31 & June01. One of the best Stude swaps in the country, fabulous people & vendors there. Worth your time... Also, the Stude nationals is in Dubuque Iowa, June25-29. Antique Stude Club runs concurrently, but starts June 25, runs for ~3 days.

 

Back to the 50's and the Studebaker nationals are back to back weekends and the plan is to make both. Might have to trailer it there if I can't get some real road miles on it between now and then.

All of the steering will need to be gone though, as most of it is loose. Like I said the tightness is so immediate that it almost has to be in the column of main shaft in the box. If there was some backlash and then tightness I would look elsewhere, but that's not the case.

How much grease does the box take? It was bone dry before, so I have probably put half a tube or better in so far.

 

Ryno -

For a verification, just install a quality mechanical pressure gauge !
The pressure will...still...be low at idle, but with a mechanical gauge, at least you'll know whether your electric gauge is close or not.

It's the Stude system ! You can blueprint the oil pump and "possibly" pick up a psi or two. The clearance between the gears and the cover needs to be snug.
But again...Stude owners have been asking this question for...years. You aren't the first, but you'll be another to find...it's the Studebaker Engineering !

Mike

 

Hey, Ryno;
A dry box? Ouch... Half a tube sounds about right, but let it settle a bit & then stick a wire down the fill hole to see how much you've got in there. I don't remember the volume-specs, would have to consult the factory manual. Yah, a dry box would be stiff, too. Hopefully not rusted/damaged.
If you haven't checked out the steering bellcrank bushings, it's a must. The symptoms you describe fit it to a "T". I don't think there would be any loose/tight/repeat from the bellcrank bushings, unless they were merely just worn out/ Greasing will help some, but maybe not all that much. OEM used leather seals(iirc) top n bottom for the kingpin, & they cracked, letting in moisture, rusting the inside of the body & the kingpin surface. Mine were quite rusty/stiff & I had to pound them out. R&R'd the bushings, used a new kingpin,bearings(would use bushings if I did it again), & seals, after cleaning out the bellcrank-housings' inside.
Did this same thing on my '64 Lark, on advice from friend, = almost finger-tip steering. & that was w/o ps, & on radials too. I was very happy.
FWIW.
Marcus...

 

I "installed" (zip tied in) "quality" (cheap / borrowed from a neighbor) gauges for now. A new sending unit is on its way. I need to decide where to install a real gauge long term though.

Not sure if I can package an oil pressure gauge and tach cleanly somewhere, or if I can settle for a real gauge below the hood and not driving it in such a way that requires a tach. Valve float always makes a great rev limiter

I keep eyeballing the glovebox as a good spot to hide stuff. I could put some gauges in that flip down with the lid or are just hidden away. The radio delete plate looks tempting too...but not sure if I can get away with that.

I got the turn signal and steering wheel put back together and took it for a test drive around town. Steering is still tight, so I think pulling the box is on my future. In the parts book there are a few different types of boxes...do they all interchange? Lark to sedan to C/K? Is there a good / better / best option if I need to put a box in? It tracks straight so I will give everything a good check over and lube job and probably just move on for now to other projects.

Seat belts (bucket seats and console?), parking brake, and working headlights are all pretty high on my priority list right now.

The upholstery shop is moving to a different building, so that schedule is sliding out a bit. For the materials vs. labor cost on a nice top I'm just not willing to take it on myself. Too much risk for too little reward...so I will patiently wait for them to get it done.

 

I've been puttering around the neighborhood with the car getting a few miles put on it. The car seems happy with the thicker oil and the new pressure sending unit.

Decided I needed to go put some sustained cruising and hard acceleration. I got 24 miles in before the water pump gave up.





The nearby homeowner offered to let me load it up in his driveway instead of the blind curve on the road. I did not realize till it was too late that his concrete driveway was a week or two old and PRISTINE. He did not even seem fazed by it, so all is good.

 

The car looks good. The water pumps show up on eBay and the core is easily rebuildable.

 

There are a handful of Stude vendors who are reasonably priced, have it in stock, & are worth supporting. FWIW.
Marcus...

 

Speedway makes a stude water pump and was in stock last I checked

 

I've got a couple HD Avanti style pumps coming from Russ at studebakerparts.com. Had them in stock and priced right.

I'm going to steal a used pump off of a different engine just to get it going again and make sure I didn't hurt something in the process. I was full throttle higher RPM when it let loose, so I think it happened right then and there and got shut down right away.

 

I replaced the old heater hoses and put a different used pump in for now. The old one was extremely crusty and the inside of the block looks horrible.

Of course the pump leaks slightly, but the engine seems to be unharmed.

Going to move on to other projects with it while I wait for parts to come in.

 

There are some good products to clean & flush the cooling system. Maybe get it soaking while you work on other stuff.

 

FWIW, of all the obsolete shite we rebuild, Studes are the worst for being full of ditch water sludge. And no, chemicals won't budge the settled mud in the rear corners of the block. It's a must to pull all the core plugs, rod it out with stiff wire and flush until the water runs clear.

jack vines