1966 Studebaker Cruiser

Studebaker

1966

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Mods

Third Engine swap (Done during the start of COVID 2020): Clapped out 350 4 bolt from a 71 C10 with a used marine cam and old chrome oil pan ( 10 h.p. right there.)
Edelbrock Performer rpm intake.
500cfm Edelbrock performer carb.
HEI distributor.
2 inch dual exhaust, using Avanti 2 downpipes, and Totalflow mufflers.
Used set of semi rough Keystone raider rims, 15x7.
Front Disc brake conversion, using Turner disc brake kit, S10 4x4 front calipers and pads along with 68 Mustang discs and an Allstar rear adjustable proportioning valve, stops amazing.
Rebuilt 68 Avanti II brake booster.
Original radiator, re-cored to a 3 core last fall, almost works too good.

Build story

I got this car in May, 2008 after having seen it for sale at every swap meet I went to for 4 or 5 years straight. It had the original 283, 2 barrel and Borg-Warner 3 speed auto and a factory Dana 44.

The original 283 gave up when I started driving it daily in the spring of 2010, bought a rebuilt 283 for $500 CDN, that engine took every bit of abuse I could throw at it, got a Performer RPM intake and 600 CFM Carb, threw those on and it woke up, drove it until 2012 like that.

Winter 2012, I tore into it to do the floor pans, body mounts and rocker panels, by summer 2014, I finally got the time and finished the drivers side, pieced it back together enough to drive it. My Boss had just bought a 66 Charger and my co-worker was hot rodding his 67 Galaxie, I couldn’t sit by and watch.

Threw a pair of Glasspacks on the car, got some NOS upholstery installed on the seats, set of Keystone Raiders with used tires and drove it on a 3 hour drive after three years of slumber to vist my wifes Aunt. No issues whatsoever. Even took it drag racing that summer, what a blast.

2017 came around and it ate a lobe off the cam, I threw a new cam in, ate more lobes, 2018, another, then another. Got fed up and built a 355, which demolished the cam two days after breaking it in, literally I could fit my knuckle into the bottom of three lifters. Tore it apapart, cleaned it out, crank was chewed, bearings were chewed. Cleaned it all out, new bearings, a good polished crank, new cam, 882 heads.

Drove it for an entire week in December, no issues. When I picked it up from storage, the oil was silver, by the time I got home the lifters were clattering. Tore it apart again, the tips of each lobe were worn through. I felt defeated, but still had the 283, tore into it, found the oil pump pick up had somehow gone up on an angle so I cleaned it up, new rings, bearings, ordered a cam. 6-8 weeks for a cam.

Hopped on Kijiji, found a cheap 350 4 bolt 010 block with a chrome oil pan for 400, talked the guy down to 350, bought it and found the cam was destroyed, sludge everywhere. cleaned it out, bearings were OK, threw a used Marine cam in it, used oil pump from the 283, used bits from everything. The heads were a total mess, so I threw a set of 336 Smog heads on from a junk engine. It ran, and has managed to stay together, decent oil pressure, cylinder walls that look like chrome with an insane ring ridge... it got me through the COVID lockdown last summer without issue, and it just keeps running.

My plan is to finally get to the passenger side body mounts, floor and rocker panel this winter, maybe tackle the trunk floor and support brace as well. I will probably be tearing into the 355 some more, see if anything else got chewed up this time.

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