Ed Price wrote:

>
> "Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> Ed Price wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "David" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>> James wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> If
>>>>> you can deal with the lack of power the slant six will run forever,
>>>>> and
>>>>> truth be told it's not *that* slow,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> They had sufficient power, but they were pretty slow when you consider
>>>> the poor fuel-economy.
>>>>
>>>> I've had inline-6 versions of a couple of the cars on the list. The
>>>> only one
>>>> I remember the fuel economy for was the Rambler American, 3-speed,
>>>> no OD.
>>>> I could almost get 21MPG on the highway if I kept the speed to about
>>>> 55 MPH.
>>>> At 65, gas mileage dropped into the teens.
>>>>
>>>> My 6cyl auto car today accellerates & stops much faster, handles
>>>> better, has much
>>>> better traction in poor conditions, and approaches 30MPG at around
>>>> 70MPH.
>>>>
>>>> But for frugal-living (since that seems to be a goal of the OP), if
>>>> one did ones own repairs,
>>>> a decent Dart or Rambler American might not be a bad choice.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Having owned both a 49 and 55 Studebaker, I can assure you that they
>>> should only be recommended for calibrating crash-test dummies.
>>>
>>
>> I'm not sure I understand that comment - by '55 Stude had better
>> brakes than anyone else on the market, and the V-8 engine was near
>> bulletproof. (the Champion six was a good engine but underpowered, and
>> tended to only last 100K miles or so before burning oil) Rust was a
>> killer tho.
>>
>> By comparison, the brakes on a six-cylinder Dart are pathetic... 9"
>> front drums? sheesh!
>>
>> nate
>
>
>
> Having never owned a Dart, I can't comment on it. OTOH, both of my
> Studebakers were straight six engines; about 230 cu inch IIRC.

170 cubing inches of ragin' performance. Or 185 in certain years, I
forget which. 230 was the GM/McKinnon motor used in '65-66; if you had
had that you wouldn't be complaining, that's a decent engine.

> Underpowered? Hmmm, yes.

Perfectly adequate for the car for which it was designed. In 1939.

> I was once beat going up a hill by a bus. Just
> love those Study heaters, located under the front seat. They put out
> just enough heat to keep you in a state of constantly alert pain.

All mine have been V-8 models, I have never *needed* the heater, enough
radiates off the back of the engine and the exhaust pipes...

> By the
> time the air blew up to the defrost vents, you might as well just
> breathe of the windows. Are you nostalgic for vacuum operated wipers
> that almost stop when you accelerate?

never had those either... and I like the old electric wipers, they will
snap your hand off rather than stop wiping the windshield...

> How about the idea of placing the
> distributor somewhat low on the left side of the engine, so as to
> maximize the probability of a splash of water shutting you down?

V-8 didn't have that problem either.

> The 49
> had king-pin front-end geometry, but I can't remember if that was also
> on the 55.

Yes, it remained kingpins all the way to the end. that's not
necessarily bad; there's no functional difference between the Stude
suspension and double control arms with ball joints at the outer end.
The kingpins were supposedly more abuse resistant than ball joints as well.

> I don't recall the 55's brakes being any better or worse than
> those on, say, a 60 or 63 Chevy (although the Chevy was a bit heavier).

They were 11" finned drums on all of mine, although I think the sixes
had 10" drums. The V-8 brakes are really the next best thing to discs
(and they did introduce discs in '63)

> And rust; well, rust was a factory option.
>

yeah... I can't argue with that one.

> If I had owned my Ruger at that time, I would now be able to tell you if
> the engine truly was bulletproof.
>
> Ed

LOL... Does it make you feel any better to tell you that if you'd
popped for the V-8 you might have felt better about your car? No? Oh
well... I feel your pain, it's not like I've ever made a bad automotive
decision in my life...

nate

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