MM? Mental Masturbation. Yes, I’ve been the master of it all my life: see a car and start fantasizing about what I would do to it if I owned it. A lot easier than the real thing, and cheaper too. I know, I know; nothing like the genuine article…
Anyway, I was staring at this riveting picture of the ’51 Starlight coupe (once again), and inevitably, I slipped into temptation. This time, it was the question of what engine I would swap into this obviously customized Champion Starlight coupe. All manner of seductive thoughts crossed my mind. No, not a Chevy small block. If that’s all you can come up with, you need help with your fantasy life.
Here’s the deal: let your mind wander and make up your own mind before you hit the jump and see what I came up with. BTW, the Champion came stock with a 2.8 liter 85 hp flathead six.
My mental ramblings took this course: it has to be a straight six, to honor the original, as well as look and sound right. If there was the equivalent of an Ardun hemi-head OHV conversion head for the stock six, that would have been choice no.1. A modified sixties Lark OHV six with maybe a couple of carbs might be nice, but good luck finding hot-rod parts for that engine. I literally have never heard of anyone taking that on.
My mind wandered a bit, and I won’t bother you with all the brief stops on the way to the climax. Let’s just say a Pontiac OHC six came in as number two. And the winner? A BMW 528e/325e M20B27 engine. Almost the exact same displacement. A blend of modern design with its curious low-rpm high-torque tuning. Its 122 hp come in at 4250 rpm, only slightly above the Champ’s power peak of 4ooo rpm.
It would give the very light (2600 lb) Champ a better power-to-weight ratio than the heavier 528e, and probably still get close to 30 mpg in easy driving. And be as unique as the car’s front end. Oh, and honor its air-plane inspired bullet nose: put a BMW spinner on that “propeller”. Enough; and time for bed.
And the fruit of your MMing?
I was also going to say the cammer Pontiac, but since you took it, I’ll go a different direction and say that (BMW? Steyr?) diesel 6 that they put in the Lincoln Mark VII for half a second just to try to inflict maximum odd Frankenstude.
That or the obvious Jeep 4.0.
I was gonna go with the Pontiac OHC 6 too. But what was heavier? the 198 Buick Fireball V6 or the Pontiac Cammer? I would think the Fireball V6 would be just as quick in a Stude with overdrive as it was in a Special (13.5 0-60, possibly a genuine 98-100mph top speed). I think displacement/economic wise the Pontiac engine is a bit big.
Why not a Jaguar XK engine? Truly the most beautiful straight-six ever built! The tri-powered 3.8 liter or the mid-60s 4.2L, but retaining the polished aluminum cam covers. The timing chain lobes and long cams would reflect many of the curvilinear shapes of the Stude’s body. It has Le Mans-winning pedigree, and was produced in volume from the late 40s through the mid-90s, so plenty of them to go around. Once decoupled from the Prince of Darkness they run really well.
Oh come on. The Mopar /6 is the no brainer here.
Valiant 265Hemi from a E49 charger lotsa grunt from triple webers and race tuning outa the box
My philosophy is if you got a Stude, keep it a Stude. 51 was the first year for the new Studebaker V8, so it should drop right in. Even though it was small displacement (232 cid) it put out more horsepower per cubic inch than anything but the Chrysler Firepower Hemi that year. But with a way-out car like this, the early 232 just isn’t enough engine. I would go for the big Stude 289, and maybe even one from the 60s with the McCulloch supercharger.
The Stude V8 had a unique sound that this car just cries out for. Plus, it would make this little Champion fly like a rocket.
Mopar big block V8 would be my (obviously biased) answer, but in this case I like yours better.
Turbo diesel from a Toyota Landcruiser to keep the Stude theme
I believe the correct answer is the GM 4.2L Atlas I6. Bulletproof, torquey, and plentiful. What else do you need?
My first place is to go with a Kaiser Tornado OHC 6, second place would go to 2.8 liter Jaguar XK engine, third would go to a turbocharged Mopar 225 /6 (but it’s just so damn heavy!).
If I were to stray from the 6 shooters. I’d probably go for a Ford Turbo 2.3 or a Chrysler Turbo 2.2.
These cars were somewhat nose heavy, I think the turbo 4 would be nice to balance things out.
Why not a Lycoming helicopter engine like in the Tucker?
Lots of good MMing! The diesel BMW six crossed my mind, but it is a more than a bit old-school diesel noisy.
One more thing: that little Champ engine weighed only 440 lbs. Adding any more substantial weight on the front end is a no-no from my POV. Chuck’s Jag engine is a looker indeed, but probably weighs? 650 lbs; or more? That’s also the problem with putting in the Stude V8; an old school V8: thick wall, heavy monster.
The US and Aussie Mopar sixes are both excellent choices, and the GM 4.2 Atlas is intriguing. Bet those are plentiful in the junk yards.
Either the Yamaha V6 from a Taurus SHO, just for the nest of snakes intake runners or for sheer weirdness a Perkins Prima turbo diesel.
edit flaked so .. the BOP/Rover aluminum V8 would also be a good choice or one of the big Japanese I6 turbo engines from a Skyline or Supra
Good grief! There’s a reason why the Chevy small block is the king of transplants… My first choice? LSx of some kind. The 2001 LS1 was about 460 lbs. dressed. 300 HP from the factory. You can put any number of trannies behind it.
I realize this kind of swap (no matter who’s motor you use) will have tons of fabrication involved, but really, who are we kidding? It’s bad enough when swapping same make to same make sometimes, why not take advantage of some prefabbed items when you can?
Ok, to begin with, I doubt that that customized green Starlight coupe is a Champion. The V8 Commanders had the same wheelbase. The chopped coupe I mentioned in my comment on the ’49 Land Cruiser had had an Olds engine in it before I got it. I agree, they were front-heavy with the Studebaker V8’s, which were not light.
Engine swaps are such a pain in the ass anyway that it seems everyone goes for the maximum power that can be crammed in. I saw a lot of 1953-56 Ford pickups back in the day that had Chrysler hemi or Caddy V8’s in them for that reason.
So I’m sure that I’d end up going with the Stude V8 for ease of conversion and good performance, but a later 289 with a 4-speed transmission. If I wanted to keep the weight down, maybe a 289 Ford instead. Since these cars could come with the physically large V8 there is all the room in the world for whatever engine one wants that isn’t too long.
I actually moved a Stude V8 and automatic transmission from a 1951 Land Cruiser into a 1953 coupe. That swap couldn’t have been simpler, everything was the same as far as placement, wiring etc. I had a hydraulic backhoe available to do the lifting, and there is nothing better – easy to wiggle from side to side as well as back and forth.
I think a engine for that rig needs a power adder so I say a super charger sitting on top of a bent 6 displacing 3.8L would be perfect. Since it is an orphan make I’m not set on brand either Ford or Buick would do.
OOh! That comment made the Thunderbird SuperCoupe 3.8 pop into my head! Gobs O Torque and it really screams with the silencer ports blocked off in the blower body.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking of as the donor and the more I think about it that is likely the way to go as it would already be attached to a RWD trans and a 5.0 5sp is an easy swap. Good power in stock form and Ford followed their typical MO of leaving some HP pretty easy to “unlock” .
As long as we’re mentally masturbating, I can’t believe only one person has suggested something with more of an aviation flair, to match this car’s always excellent space-age styling and central spinner. I think it must be a turbine, practicality be damned. Or, if you actually wanted to drive it, a Wankel of some sort. Something with radial symmetry.
[EDIT] Oh nuts, missed the straight six part. Unless you can kajigger six Wankel rotors into a single line, I recommend a short-stroke six that can rev sky high, rather than something truckish. Perhaps some older Supras or BMWs could give up a highly refined six.
Ditto on the turbine, but only if you add a large fin on the back of the car, a period beacon on the roof and bat-cowcatcher over the nose. One of my favorite comic books artists, Alex Ross, created a realistic-looking early-50’s era Batmobile out of a Studebaker and Batman would have definitely run a turbine in it!
Wikipedia’s straight-6 article is comprehensive, global and fascinating.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-6
Lots of good ideas there. How about an Aussie Ford DOHC six?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Straight-6_engine#Ford_of_Australia_inline_six
I was seriously going to suggest electric power for that nice light Stude. The first Studebakers were electric, you know. Some electric dragsters use two motors inline, but not six.
You do realize the original Studebaker vehicles were Conestoga wagons?
http://www.studebakereli.com/history1.html
Which is why the station wagons in the line were called Conestogas…
Although, it is said that John Studebaker liked electric cars the best.
A heavy steel body like that needs torque. How about a Ford 300 Six?
V10 and 6 speed manual from a Dodge Viper. Why? It’s the answer to WWLD. What Would Lutz Do?