Looks like as a result of a few to many 12oz. liquid anesthesias the other night I will be the new owner of a 1955 Studebaker Champion 2 door coupe listed on E-bay. It seems to be original with a flat 6 it seems. My question is is there enough room to install a small block Chevy. Any other help and direction on this vehicle would be greatly appreciated. This will be my first car purchase............
cheys fit, but so do a LOT of other engines....early cads, olds, even Fords. a friend of mine has a 55 stude with a 351W in it
Plenty of room to install just about any engine.....your restriction is height, Mount the engine low, use low profile intake manifolds and air cleaners & you'll be ok......or just go with fuel injection. You may have to change the steering set-up, depending on the engine you choose.
I have a 51 bullet nose Champion that I am putting in a big block with tripower. It is a pretty easy install. You may want to consider changing the steering to a Cavilier rack and pinion. Not too much work involved to do it and it gets rid of the bell crank steering. If ya have questions PM me. I can guide you thru the rack install. Don
if you use an engine cradle mount, it will bolt right in and sit on the factory front mounts. used this method on two different cars, and it worked just fine.
I've done Studes, have one right now with an SBC in it. I used the 1965-66 Stude mounts as they had SBC's in them from the factory. Howsomeever, these only work on the sedan and Lark models. On the '53-'55 "Loewy" coupes and '56-'64 Hawks, the chassis is somewhat different and they won't work there. The biggest problems with Studes are the goofy steering linkage beside the engine and under the oil pan AND the fact that the frames are very flimsy. But the Studes have a great underground support system and many parts are still available for them. Join the Studebaker Drivers Club or least access their website for all kinds of help. Of course, for modifying your Stude, you can't beat the HAMB, great guys here!!
Here's another place with lots of good info, http://racingstudebakers.com/stl-web/bulletin/bb/index.php
Need any parts? I have a 55' Stude president in the garage right now that I am pulling parts off for a buddy. Oh yea, and it goes to the barn in a couple of weeks so the wife can have her parking spot back after it starts snowing out. Chris Nelson Kansas
Yes: as well as Hemi, Bob Block Chevy, Cadillac 500, Cadillac 429, Olds 394, in other words just about anything.
The Champion frames (with the flathead 6) were thinner gauge steel than the Commander frames with the V8 - no idea why. The SDC forum is very helpful, as well as the Stude newsgroup. http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/sdc_forum/default.asp http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.studebaker/topics?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
My friend Joe's '55 uses a huerst mount on the 283 under the hood. You can also use Monte mounts, but you'll need to use the monte shells also as the big car and truck shells are two tall. The champ has lighter suspension components that the commander so be on the lookout for commander suspension pieces. A slick upgrade for the front brakes is Avanti discs. OH disregard that last statement, those aren't trad.
Generally what is the differences between the champion and the commander? What is interchangable from the commander to the champion?
In the pre-SBC days, "Studillacs" were very popular. Even the smallest Cadillac engine was 99 cubic inches larger than the 232 V8 that Commanders used from '51-'54, and the weight was almost identical. Once 265s and 283s came along, swapping them into Studes became so popular that Hurst marketed a complete kit to do it with.
Everything is interchangable up until at least '62. The chanp is a 6 cylinder car and is built with lighter suspension etc.
Some of the 47-52 6-cylinder cars have 4-lug suspension, in fact. A V8 Stude just got scrapped here last week, it shouldn't be too hard to find a rotty car with the heavier suspension and not spend a lot of bread on it.
yes but land cruisers are an totally different body aswell basicly nothing atleast bodywise exchange to the loewy coupes not even taillights that at sight look simular is the same im not even sure they interchange brake parts? engine parts should be the same for same displacement atleast i suppose we are ONLY talking about the loewy coupe champion etc here, onward to silverhawk,goldenhawk,flight hawk,hawk, grand turismo the one on ebay is an loewy coupe actually i have one exact alike car, same coulour and so on, 1955 stude champion thats stored inside a barn, i will probally sell it in 6-8 months when i go and pick it up, had it for like 6 years but to many cars to play with some gotta go..
for thelast 5 or 6 years I 've been building a 55 Champion 2 dr sedan for a guy,with a 80s style mopar front end and a 440. The pic of the pontiac remind me of the work to get a decent size radiator on this one / slants to the rear. Now I gotta figure where to putthe trans coolers and a few other minor probs. Would like to hear from folks who traveled this way..
The hardtops and coupes (C/K's) interchange just about everything even between the Champions(6's) and Commanders(8's). The Sedans (4dr and 2dr sedan) interchange similarly between themselves. Almost nothing goes back and forth between the C/K's and the Sedans except engine parts. No body panels or trim are the same. Just about anything you will need for that '55 is available. Head over to the Studebaker Forum and start asking questions. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum.php
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