From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Detailed overview of the Studebaker 'Champion' model, including engine specifications, features, and pricing from an automotive publication.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\3\ scan0023 | |
| Date | 1st April 1939 | |
| 434 1104 Studebaker's “Champion” STUDEBAKER’S new Champion model, first announced in AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES of March 11, is equipped with a six-cylinder engine of 164.3 cu.in. displacement having a rating of 78 hp. at 4000 r.p.m. The front tread is 56 1/2 in. and the rear tread 57 in. The wheelbase is not given, but the overall length is 185 5/8 in. Weight has been kept remarkably low, at 2375 lb. (shipping weight) for the four-door sedan, and this is said to account largely for the high performance and low consumption with which the new model is credited. The car is to be produced in three body styles, a two-door custom coupe listing at $660 at the factory; a two-door custom sedan, at $700, and a four-door custom sedan, at $740. Prices include the Federal excise tax. Each of the three body styles will also come in a deluxe model. The engine has a bore of 3 in. and a stroke of 3 7/8 in., and the compression ratio is 6.5. Cylinder block and crankcase are in a single casting, and the water jackets are of full length. The crankshaft is provided with integral balance weights and is supported in four main bearings of 2 7/16 in. diameter. End thrust in both directions is taken on thrust plates on the front bearing. Owing to the rigidity of the crankshaft it was found possible to do without a torsional vibration damper. Pistons are of the cam-ground, T-slot, aluminum type, and are tin-plated on their wearing surfaces. Each piston carries three rings, two compression rings and one oil ring. All three are Perfect Circle rings, the top compression ring being a Type 200, 3/32 in. wide; the lower compression ring a Type 70, 1/8 in. wide, and the oil ring a Type 85, 3/16 in. wide. All of the rings have their wearing surfaces treated by the Ferrox process. The piston rings are bored out to a taper from each end and are clamped in the small end of the connecting rods. In this design the small end is not slotted, the piston pin being secured in it by a tapered locking pin which is drawn into a transverse hole in the connecting-rod shank by a nut and firmly locks the piston pin in place by wedge action. The center-to-center length of the connecting rod is only 6 7/16 in., or one and two-thirds times the length of stroke, and every effort has been made to reduce the weight of reciprocating parts and thus to keep down bearing loads. Inlet valves have a port diameter of 1 3/16 in.; exhaust valves, of 1 1/8 in. Inlets open 15 deg. ahead of top center and close 49 deg. past bottom center, while exhausts open 54 deg. ahead of bottom center and close 10 deg. past top center. The valves are actuated from the camshaft through mushroom-type cam followers with self-locking adjustment screws. These screws enable the service man to make valve adjustments with two wrenches, whereas with the conventional design three are required. Besides facilitating tappet adjustments, this type of adjusting mechanism makes it possible to get along with a smaller valve-chamber opening and cover, which renders the cover stiffer and reduces the likelihood of oil leakage through its joint. All main and connecting-rod bearings are of the interchangeable steel-back, babbitt-lined type, with connecting-rod bearings measuring 1 13/16 in. in diameter by 1 1/8 in. in length. Main bearings are of the same diameter—2 7/16 in.—and have the following lengths: Front, 1 5/16 in.; intermediate, 1 1/8 in.; rear, [Image Captions] Cutaway view of self-locking tappet screw Rear axle of the Studebaker Champion [Footer] April 1, 1939 Automotive Industries | ||