R2 and R3 Engines?

[mfg]

1 hour ago, Gunslinger said:

Now…Carroll Shelby used SN-60 superchargers on some of his GT-350 Mustangs.  They even had Paxton stickers saying they were a division of Studebaker Corporation.  What color were those painted?  I’ve seen then on Shelby cars left natural metal and Ford blue as well as orange.  There may not be a standard color…whatever paint was available when made.  Those Ford blue may have been painted by Shelby American.

A few years ago I purchased a used Paxton "SN" supercharger...It is painted (factory) white!... It was mentioned it was part of a small block 340 Dodge/Plymouth aftermarket kit......In operation, it must have been tough to keep the outside clean!

[mfg]

3 hours ago, regnalbob said:

Yes, I do know the history for the first 24 months and the supercharger was not rebuilt.

Wondering how for certain you'd know that ??

 

 

 

 

[regnalbob]

4 hours ago, regnalbob said:

Yes, I do know the history for the first 24 months and the supercharger was not rebuilt

1 hour ago, mfg said:

Wondering how for certain you'd know that ??

 

I really don't think it is necessary for me to explain to you how I know the supercharger was not rebuilt.

A very simple process.

You should be able to figure it out.

 

[Avanti1963!]

Thanks 64 StudeAvanti. What you provided below aligns with what we have been saying.

'FWIW, the authenticity manual states "With the exception of a few very early cars, the factory original units were painted orange ...", "around serial number R5200, they went back to installing as purchased again painted black". "Both black and orange are considered correct and authentic". Page C-106."

To summarize for the future restorers out there, all Avantis, except for a few at the beginning all the way to serial 5200, were orange.  This would be from Serial number 1001 (minus a few) to serial number 5200 or approximately 4200 cars (of course, the R2 models, not the R1s).  If you have a car from around serial 1001 to 5200, it should be orange.  

After 5200, 443 Avantis were made, and it appears that Studebaker mixed in some black superchargers.  Not all of them, mind you, as we know of some original owners with Avantis that came from the factory with orange after 5200.  So, unless you have one of the few at the beginning or some of those intermingled in the last 443 Avantis (R2s of course), the superchargers were orange.

There is no need to interrogate some folks that have seen these things first hand.  regnalbob's family owned a Studebaker dealership and the cars he mentions were sold new there.  Also, my family purchased three new Studebakers from his family's dealership so I can vouch for all of this. 

With all of the above facts, we now know the full story and can put this topic to bed.   

BTW:  Chevy orange is an excellent match for the supercharger, and the fan blades too.  

[mfg]

7 hours ago, regnalbob said:

4 hours ago, regnalbob said:

Yes, I do know the history for the first 24 months and the supercharger was not rebuilt

I really don't think it is necessary for me to explain to you how I know the supercharger was not rebuilt.

A very simple process.

You should be able to figure it out.

 

No problem Bob...my memory isn't what it used to be either!

[mfg]

6 hours ago, Avanti1963! said:

 

 

BTW:  Chevy orange is an excellent match for the supercharger, and the fan blades too.  

Yes, that was already pointed out in the second post

[mfg]

By the way, I believe statements like "with the exception of a few early cars" and "except for a few at the beginning" are very vague. (We'd never hear that from Corvette restorers!)

More importantly though is WHY Studebaker switched from black to orange painted superchargers...In my opinion it was due to 'eyeball appeal'....The Paxton Supercharger was/is much more noticeable under an Avanti's hood when painted orange...and eyeball appeal meant (hopefully) increased sales of R2 engines!....Ed

[mfg]

6 hours ago, Avanti1963! said:

 

With all of the above facts, we now know the full story and can put this topic to bed.   

 

Hmmmm......I thought this topic was put to bed with 64StudeAvanti's post........No????

[Dunkin]

On 3/5/2022 at 12:58 PM, mfg said:

Now Dunkin.......LOOK AT THE TROUBLE YOU HAVE CAUSED !

So sorry!

 

[Dunkin]

Thanks to all, I was getting close to getting one, then this war crap and gas prices hit. I might have to get a good book on Avanti Restorations and read for a while.

[mfg]

10 hours ago, Dunkin said:

So sorry!

 

That's OK Dunkin....it's all in fun!!

[Nelson]

I won’t argue with orange being the correct color for the bulk of the Avanti run but don’t deny black blowers found their way into the mix somehow either. As someone said, orange stands out and I’m sure Studebaker wanted to see that. I did hear, way back in the olden days, that the service superchargers were black. Possibly final inspection replaced potentially bad blowers with service units in South Bend. As for late production cars having black blowers maybe instead of getting new units from Paxton they opted to use the service inventory as another needed cost saving tool. To throw another color out there I believe R3 blowers were red along with everything else on the engine like surge tank, crankcase vent tube, bell housing and even the transmission. I think the rear brake drums were even painted red.

[mfg]

2 hours ago, Nelson said:

 To throw another color out there I believe R3 blowers were red along with everything else on the engine like surge tank, crankcase vent tube, bell housing and even the transmission. I think the rear brake drums were even painted red.

Agree!....Paxton superchargers installed on the R3's were a deeper orange, (probably red), than the typical R2 'orange' painted superchargers.

[brad]

I have restored, several R3s and they were indeed a different shade of orange than the R2 units. Funny thing though.... they were NOT the engine red. 

[Nelson]

I think the higher output units (probably tighter clearances impeller to scroll) were always red. A slightly different shade than the engine would make sense as it was probably an in-house clarifier for Paxton.