Gary_Ash

I'm in the middle of building a replica of a 1932 Studebaker Indy car. There was a prototype in 1931 (Hunt-Jenkins Special #37) and four more factory-sponsored cars in 1932. Most of them still exist, in one form or another. One (#22) is in the Indy Speedway Museum. I had a frame made by Charlie Glick in Paris, IL. He did a very good job copying the chassis of the car in the Indy Museum, but there are a few niggling details that I need to adjust. I've been drawing the car in 3D CAD to get the parts placement right. This week, I discovered, several years after getting the chassis, that rear frame end is about 7 inches low compared to the original cars. The photo of #22 below shows the rear spring shackle eye at about the same height as the top of the frame rail. The other cars look about the same. Here's a plan I am thinking about: I can live with moving the rear spring shackle eye up about 3 inches or so, don't need all 7 inches. However, any change at all involves cutting the frame about where the kickup is highest over the rear axle. The chassis is basically a "C-section" there about 4.6" high with 2" deep flanges top and bottom. 1/8th inch thick steel. I think I can cut a pie slice out of the chassis rails about .6" wide at the top flange and narrowing to a point at the bottom flange, but leaving the bottom flange uncut to keep things aligned. Then I can rotate the back 20 inches or so of the frame upward about 7.5 degrees and re-weld it. I can bevel the cut edges, weld on both sides, grind it smooth, then weld on a 1/8"-1/4" thick gusset or fish plate on the back side of each rail where it won't show. Has anyone cut and re-welded a chassis like this? I don't like butt welds for this but I don't see any other choices, and an overlapping gusset plate should restore the stiffness. The rails are mild steel, not high strength alloy. They make stretch limos and re-weld the frames, but usually the frame rails don't show - mine do, so I can't gusset both sides or box the rails. Any suggestions? More pictures and info about the project on my web site at http://www.studegarage.com.

Boojoe, I went back and looked carefully at your photos - it seems that your car didn't have front brakes, as was common on the 1925 vintage cars. Once less thing to have to work on. Whtbaron, I don't know where the aluminum front drums came from that are on the other car, but they are probably specials/customs. I can see the towers on the front axle and the link arms for a rod or cable operated brake assembly, but these would be from a later car, maybe 1929-30, like a GE, GJ, or GL Dictator or Commander. It's a mutt, LOL! I'm trying to watch Boojoe carefully to see how he is solving the issues on his car because it will help me with mine. Thanks for posting the photos and info.

It would be interesting to know where the drums came from. They appear to be cast aluminum with circumferential fins. It also looks like they kept the rod-actuated brakes. I'll try to find out about the drums. Fitting new brakes, hubs, wheels, and drums to axles from old cars is a lot of work! Boojoe, what's your plan for brakes, hubs, and wheels?

Here's the bare chassis. It looks like they cut and rewelded the frame to allow the boat tail. The engine seems to be the 250 cu in straight eight (1929-42), not a 1927 engine.

Here are some photos of another 1927 Studebaker replica "racer" to keep you going. Not my car, but it looks fun.

I bought a set of engine gaskets for a 1937 President block with aluminum head from Sandy Olson at Olson's Gaskets when we were at the Studebaker International Meet in Colorado Springs this past summer. Sandy provided a copper gasket for the head. He said to paint it with aluminum paint before installing it so that it doesn't stick to the head permanently. Torque in 50-60 lb-ft range sounds right. Torque wrenches weren't commercially available before 1938, hence no specs in the manuals.

Looks like hub cap 171804, used on 1929-31 cars with wood wheels. Fits models FC, FD, FE, FH, 61, 70, 80, 90. Also fits 6-cylinder cars models GE, GJ, GL, S1, 53, and 54 with wood wheels. Here's a photo of a dented one on a 1929 President FH axle. The internal thread is 2_3/4-16.

You've got the name right: wire on welting. Restoration Specialties carries it. They still have some left in taupe, maybe some other colors, as well. See their website at www.restorationspecialties.com . You can download the PDF of their catalog (94MB) from their home page. The wire-on is listed on page 115, $2.00/ft - or should they quote the price in shillings/pence per yard for an old car in the UK. Many useful things in their catalog. Send a couple of your photos to jeff (at) restorationspecialties dot com. I called there and said someone was looking for the stuff. He'll try to match it. Good luck!

I'm interested in all 4 shocks, if they are available.

I think he got slowed down by other cars on the track for much of the circuit.

Here's a view of a hot 12 mile ride in the 1932 Studebaker Indy car #46 at the Nürburgring in Sept. 2013. The car is now owned by Ronald Springer, though I think someone else is driving in this video. Note that while #46 passes many other cars along the track, NOBODY passed the Studebaker! They don't seem to worry about putting the pedal to the metal and getting the other guys out of the way. Looks like fun and I love the sounds. [Cross-posted on SDC Forum, too.]

Perhaps because there were no 1937 Commanders. Car serial number would start with 5A or 6A, engine with D-xxxxx for Dictator; car serial number3C, engine B-xxxxx for President. So, your D-186527 indicates a late 1937 Dictator, as the the starting 1937 serial number is D-112601.

Here's a photo of John Cislak in his shop. He has lots of interesting Pierce-Arrow stuff, like V-12 and straight 8 engines, plus some Studebaker items.

I spoke with Sandy Olson of Olson's Gaskets at the International Meet in Colorado this year. Sandy said to use a copper gasket and paint it with aluminum paint before installation. I bought a complete gasket set from him for a 1937 straight 8 with aluminum head, but I haven't done the rebuild yet. The nuts holding the head have 1/2-20 threads, so some tables show 65-70 ft-lbs torque for clamping aluminum. A hardened (Grade 8?) washer should be used under the nut to spread the load. Since torque wrenches weren't generally available before 1938, there are no torque values for old engines in the shop manuals. The 1937 President manual says tighten the nuts, then go around the head again and re-tighten, run the engine till warm, let it cool completely, and re-tighten. Repeat the tightening check at 500 miles. The manual notes that the studs for aluminum heads have a necked-down section to allow for the aluminum expansion. The two engine blocks I have came to me partly disassembled, but had head bolts, not studs. I suspect that neither came with an aluminum head originally. The head was acquired separately. It has casting number 186189, fits 1935-37 Presidents. I would like to see what the necked-down studs look like (p/n 187090/187091). The 1935 engines apparently used 1/2-13 bolts with hex heads in 3" (16 pcs) and 2-3/8" (12 pcs) length. It would be good to have confirmation of this technique from some people who have actually done it successfully.

Ford Stoecker, his cousin Steve, John Burgh, and Bob Burk are driving cross country to Nova Scotia and back. I was able to join them in New England for a couple of days en route. I put on about 600 miles over three days. Other people will be driving part of the way with them. Those guys will be putting on many thousands before they get home! See the story here: http://www.studegarage.com/fall-tour-2013.html [Cross-posted on SDC Forum site] Here we are near Cornish, Maine:

If you call Jerry Kurtz in Dover, PA (York area), he can supply an overdrive transmission for your car. Then you can drive 65 in quiet and comfort. Once you shift into 3rd, just let your foot off the gas for a second, and it automatically shifts into overdrive (above 30 mph). If you install a kick-down switch on the carb linkage, it will drop out of overdrive for passing when you push the gas to the floor and go back to overdrive when you let up on the gas again. Overdrive also works in second gear above 30 mph, sometimes useful around town, almost like automatic transmission. It's much better than changing the rear end ratio.

When all of the bills come in, I'll try to post a review. It isn't cheap, but at least it involves shipping a good engine, not a junker. So where else do you find a rare 1930 Studebaker engine for an Australian car? The cost won't be a whole lot worse than shipping across the U.S., though the special crating does add to the cost.

The engine from the 1930 Dictator (Model 53), which I picked up on Long Island, took the next part of its journey to Australia. The fuel pump had been a casualty in getting the engine moved and loaded from its old home, so I got a replacement built at Then and Now Automotive in Weymouth, Mass. They do very good work. They did not have a Stewart-Warner pump but they did put together an AC version with the correct actuator arm. It looks like new. With that, and all of the paperwork in place, I hauled the engine to a specialized crating company in Wilmington, Mass., so that they could build a custom crate using heat-treated wood that meets international shipping specifications. You can't ship overseas in just any old crate! They used their forklift to get the 600 lb engine out of my trailer, then put it on a pallet temporarily while they build the crate. The old fuel pump and new one will go into the crate, as the fuel pump position leaves it exposed to damage if mounted on the engine. In a couple of days they'll have the crate built. Then the shipping company will come to get it and put it in a container for the 31-day sea voyage to Australia.

It's just begging for a Studebaker R2 V8...

Yes, the serial number is S13775, which is consistent with it being a Model 53 from 1930. That's what made me start questioning things. The donor car is titled as a 1929 model, but maybe that just means it was first registered in 1929. Many old cars got titles and registrations based on date of first sale, not manufacturer's nominal model year. The current issue is whether the flywheel, clutch, bell housing and transmission from a 1929 model GE dictator can be used on the newer S13775 engine. The parts catalog shows the GE transmission and bell housing as being a one-piece casting. I was also concerned about the pilot bushing/bearing compatability. We might need to go get these pieces from the Model 53. Is it just a matter of using the older mounting plate or did the bolt hole pattern change in the blocks, as well. Nothing is ever simple!

I got a quote from "Then and Now Automotive" in Weymouth, Mass. for a new fuel pump, price isn't too bad when compared to a full rebuild kit. I can't believe how many different part numbers there are for the fuel pumps - Studebaker seems to have changed them every year, as well as using both AC and Stewart-Warner pumps. Then and Now has reproduced the AC castings, can build a new one from scratch, though sometimes they want the actuator arm from the old one, if available. Here's a side view of the block. The casting number is 170210-2 and the casting date is J-4-10. I'm pretty sure this is a Model 53 engine from 1930, not a 1929 model. Does anyone know how to de-code the casting date?

My wife Jane and I drove from our house on the south coast of Massachusetts (New Bedford area) down to Northport, Long Island (NY) to pick up an engine for one of our Australian ASC members. We took the ferry from New London, CT to Orient Point at the outer end of the North Fork of LI. Ted had removed the engine from his 1929 Dictator many years ago and replaced it with a Chevy V8, Mustang front end, and some other modern axle. With the hood closed, the only give-away is the set of modern spoked 15" rims. We got the engine out of his shed, but clipped the fuel pump and broke the housing on the Stewart-Warner A-62600 pump. Does anyone have a spare pump or even just the main body? The pump seems to be Studebaker part 168614. The broken body has P-62600 as a casting number. The engine serial number is S13775, which would make it a 1930 Model 53 engine. I'm not sure how to reconcile the 1929 vs 1930 designation of Ted's car. The forged pump arm has a nearly-illegible number stamped on it, perhaps P-63365. The glass fuel bowl got broken, too. The engine is in great shape, almost no rust, had been kept dry for all these years, all the parts still there. Ted's buddy Chris helped us to put the engine in a wood cradle in my trailer using an engine hoist I brought along. It took us about 2-1/2 hours to move, load, and lash it down tight. Then Jane and I drove out through the small towns and vineyards on outer LI, spent the night in the village of Greenport. We had planned to hit the beach the next day before getting on the ferry, but the day turned rainy and I had to wrap some plastic sheet around the engine. On the ferry trip home, we came into New London, just across the river from Groton, home of Electric Boat, the nuclear submarine factory. We saw the Coast Guard's sailing ship Eagle on the New London side - and a low, black nuclear sub in front of the General Dynamics shipyard as it went out to sea. It had escort boats front and rear with sailors standing ready at the .50-caliber machine guns. I'll wash down the engine to get the grease off, deliver it to a company that builds certified insect-free wooden crates, and the freight consolidator will pick it up to put it in a container to Sydney, Australia. A ship leaves Boston every 7-10 days for Sydney, takes 31 days in transit. Chris (left) and Ted with 1929 Dictator The engine in the trailer at a farm stand on Long Island. On the Cross Sound Ferry. Entering New London harbor, U.S. Coast Guard ship "Eagle" at her dock at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. A nuclear sub heads out to sea passing in front of the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard at Groton, CT.

Here are a couple of places to try: South Shore Bearing, Quincy, MA. (617) 471-7800 See South Shore Bearing,ball bearings,roller bearings,oil grease seals,Boston,eastern MA,drive shaft service,wheel bearing hub assemblies,axle rings. Ask for Steve. They have lots of old bearings and seals, and all of the old cross-reference catalogs. Norman Pease, Palmer, MA (413) 283-7620. He has a very wide range of NOS mechanical parts, including seals. Then and Now, Weymouth, MA 781-335-8860. Lots of NOS parts, especially for fuel pumps and carburetors. Olcar Bearings, Southern Pines, NC. 910-693-3324. The felts shouldn't be too hard to come by, but new ones can be cut from #1 dense felt for a reasonable price. The Studebaker National Museum can get you the drawing for the part for about $25; call Andy Beckman, archivist. Soak the felts in oil overnight before installing. I'm not sure where to get new cork parts (or modern replacements), but again they would be easy to cut. Old cork will be worthless by now.

Damien:Check your PMs. I may be able to help with crating and shipping.

Long Island isn't as large as Australia, but it's still a big place. In what town is the engine located? Is the transmission going along for the ride? The engine ought to be close to 600 lb (270 kg), more with a sturdy crate. Will the freight company charge by weight or by volume? An engine crate needs to be compatible with a fork lift truck and tough enough that the engine won't come loose during the bumpier road transport part of the journey. I once received a transmission that had rattled around in a crate and broken off the mounting ears from the case. Here is a pallet I built to move a Champion 6 to and from the engine shop. It was OK to use in the trailer, but probably not enough for sea freight or in a container. It would need sturdy top and sides. http://www.studegarage.com/images/Engine/engmov2.jpg