Dwight FitzSimons

It would be interesting to hear from anyone adding (or who has added) a supercharger to his R1 engine. It is tempting for me to do it too. Three caveats, though: 1) Have your hearing checked, 2) Install quieter mufflers so you can hear pinging, 3) Add racing or aviation gas to 93 octane gas -OR- use an octane booster (assuming that those work and aren't harmful) --Dwight

In my experience with several R2s, both back in the day and today, you will need to use gasoline of higher octane than the current 93 if using R1 heads with a blower. Going from 9.0:1 to 10.25:1 C.R. will increase the chance of pinging considerably (& increase power considerably too). You could add some racing or aviation gasoline to 93 octane. A while ago someone on the SDC Forum said that he was running 570 heads (R1 heads) with a blower successfully, but I suspect he was using something above 93 octane gas. Yours is an intriguing thought. As we know an R1 will beat an R2 up to 30-40 MPH, and that is partly (mostly?) due to the higher compression ratio of an R1. With the small number of miles most of us drive our cars today the additional cost of higher octane gas would be insignificant. BTW, an R3 has a 9.75:1 C.R., so gives us an indication of what happens when increasing the C.R. on a supercharged Stude. I had an R3 in the late 1960's and it required Sunoco 260 (which is NLA) or it would ping. (I can't address the ping resistance of an R1 head versus an R3 head, however.) As far as what happens when using insufficient octane gas in a Studebaker: A local '63 Avanti with an R4 engine experienced failure because the owner didn't buy only Sunoco 260 gas and ignored the pinging. R4s have a C.R. of 12:1 (but no blower). When the engine was pulled apart EVERY ring was broken and one or two cylinders needed to be sleeved. You must NOT ignore pinging. --Dwight

Which would I keep? The question is a form-vs-function question: the more beautiful one, the '53, versus the better driving one, the Avanti. For me, the '53. --Dwight

I am surprised that only ninety-some Avantis were sold in calendar year 1962 given that: 1) it was a new car, with all the excitement of a new car, and 2) the Avanti was introduced about mid-year 1962. That only 90-some Avantis were sold in 1962 speaks to the production difficulties Studebaker was having. So, the follow-on question might be how many Avantis were produced per month and then compare that to sales. Of course, that info is known and documented. --Dwight

I, for two, am looking forward to it, too. --Dwight

It's my experience, with both the new R3 (B86) I owned back in the late 1960s and the one I own now (B69). With B86 in the late 1960s I could drive through a small town (no other traffic, buildings on either side reflecting sound) and, with quiet mufflers, hear piston slap. It's well known that R3 engines burn oil. My B69 has gapless rings to hopefully reduce some of that oil consumption. With the current disassembly (at an engine builder) of B69 I am hoping to keep the original pistons (ForgedTrue, IIRC), but we'll see. If I have to buy new pistons we may be able to go with somewhat tighter piston-to-wall clearances. Might be able to get that oil consumption up to 500 miles/quart! --Dwight

4) 1965 --Dwight

Fewer people had two cars back then. I'll say 2) 28%. --Dwight

Yes, it's true that 99% of the time I'll drive my R1 and R3 Avantis exactly the same. The only factor that might play in here is that R3s burn oil like you wouldn't believe (due to the much larger clearances): ~300 miles/quart. So, I might need a hotter plug just for that reason. Time will tell. --Dwight

So, Autolite Platinum AP85 plugs would be appropriate for both an R1 and an R3??? I ask because I have both an R1 and an R3 which both need new plugs. Thanks in advance. --Dwight

These are what I'll use on my R3. Thanks for the recommendation. --Dwight

Unfortunately, these are on "National back order."

IIRC Champion J12Y plugs were specified by Studebaker for both R1s and R2s. The modern number might be RJ12YC. H14Y plugs were spec'd for 259 & 289 engines J10Y plugs were used on R3s (J10Y are colder than J12Y) This is IIRC, so someone correct me. --Dwight P.S., Autolite 437 & Bosch 7517 have also been recommended previously on the SDC Forum

Thanks for sharing. This might be something that one of our larger Studebaker parts suppliers could manufacture. --Dwight

Below is a close-up of the pic in the post above and lightened. It appears that the builder of the black '63 Avanti didn't want to drill any new holes either, so made a bracket to hold the 51R battery down. Look closely. --Dwight

Normally, you should have TWO keys, one for the ignition & doors, and another for the console & glove box. That's how Studebaker did it, and your car is a '70, so should be the same. Many times the ignition switch fails and is replaced. That's how a car becomes a three-key car. The door panels can be removed easily. Perhaps a locksmith can reset the door lock cylinders to match the ign key. Or, at least, he can make a key for the door locks. May have to look online these days for locksmith services. --Dwight

Are you selling or buying?

Good! After the discussion a year or so ago on fluids to use in blowers I concluded, for me, to use B&M Trick Shift, the blue non-synthetic ATF. It meets Type F ATF standards. --Dwight

After a certain serial number '63 Avantis switched from a 3-pole starter to a 4-pole one. What is your serial number? The 4-pole starter was added by Studebaker to address the higher starting power needed by the 10.24 CR of the R1 engine. I don't know whether parts will interchange between them or not. --Dwight

Of course you didn't get all of the black stuff out of your superchargers when you sucked the old fluid out. What you might do now to get essentially all of it out is to change the fluid again very soon. There has been some lively discussion on what fluid to use in superchargers within the last year or so on either this forum or the SDC Forum. --Dwight

This is what I get:

I can't get onto the SDC forum, and haven't been able to all day. What comes up looks like the normal logon page, minus the graphics. And, it won't let me log on. What do y'all know? Thanks for any help. --Dwight

Let's use very quiet mufflers on all the engines so that we can single out the engine noises. Then, one engine noise to consider is the sound of the pistons swapping holes in the R3 & R4 engines. By that I mean the piston slap that one can hear with "quiet"mufflers and a nearby building to reflect the sound back to the driver when driving relatively slowly. Under WOT that piston slap would be in the mix of all the other engine noises. Also, aren't the valve clearances greater for R3 & R4 than for R1 & R2? If so, then the R3 & R4 would have a bit more lifter clatter. I'm not trying to provide the answer here; just adding up some of the component noises. BTW, ALL Studebaker engines (excepting the 56J) have solid lifters. --Dwight

A couple thoughts: 1) The exhaust sound of a Studebaker V8 is much louder than that of a Chevrolet V8, all else being equal. 2) The exhaust sound of an R3 is notably different than that of an R2. 3) Wouldn't the R4, with its two carbs, make a loud sucking sound when under full throttle? (I haven't had an R4, so no experience here.) 4) The supercharger of an R2 or R3 will make a nice scream when under full throttle. 5) The more horsepower an engine produces the louder its exhaust. So, it depends on what kind of exhaust sound one wants. --Dwight

I notice a couple things: 1) "Engine number: S-2514" Normally Avantis' engine numbers started with "R", so your engine number should be RS2514. 2) "One quart P6335". P6335 is the code for Avanti Gray paint. That is acrylic lacquer. --Dwight