McCulloch/Paxton Superchargers!

[mfg]

It may seem like old technology today, but Robert Paxton McCulloch’s superchargers, designed in the very early fifties, seem (to me) to be engineering marvels!

Especially the earlier sliding input pulley versions ….. there’s an awful lot going on there in a very compact package!

Just the idea of a ‘clockable’ scroll housing, enabling his superchargers to be used on many different applications, seems like a stroke of genius!

[Geoff]

Superchargers have come a long way since then. Having said that, I do marvel at the WWII birds that used artificial aspiration to make >1,000 horses at altitude.

Thanks to the advances in pressurizing, today's kids build their car with boo-coo horsepower … right before #3 con. rod. requests fresh air and vents the block, and piston #4 exits the building.

I have a desire to recreate RS1021 but I'll take a couple finagle factors. When it comes to the question of "To Paxton or not to Paxton" that's a tough one.
Vortech / Paxton is a good and viable option today.
There is TorqStorm. They designed an impeller to start generating meaningful boost at a lower RPM.
There is Rotrex. Those Danes make different sized options, engine size and power goals dependent.
There is ProCharger. Oh, yeah. ProCharger makes excellent superchargers.
Powerdyne was an option but went under. Used options are available though.

And those are just centrifugal companies.

[mfg]

I’ll probably never try it, but have wondered for quite some time if a dual groove mid seventies Chrysler-type air conditioning compressor clutch assy. could be adapted to the front of a Paxton supercharger …. allowing the owner of an Avanti to operate the supercharger at his discretion. by simply flicking a 12V electrical toggle switch.

[Geoff]

You mention that idea and instantly this article came to mind. I read this the day it hit my mailbox.

"From each pipe, it's pulled into separate 80mm mass-air-flow sensors and then into a belt-driven Garrett 2.1-liter supercharger. (The supercharger has an electro-hydraulic clutch activated by a console-mounted on/off switch to maximize fuel economy when you're not out to feed on Ferraris.)"
- https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-super-stallion/

Of course, I read that then and threw that idea into the back of my mind. A supercharger belt on a clutched pulley would be an interesting feature, a little bit like a bottle of nitrous you don't need to refill. It's an interesting idea for sure and I want to drive my Avanti GT tribute  … a LOT. A fuel saving mode would make sense for my long haul drives.

I've also had the thought of incorporating a "track key" like some cars have had. A couple keys, one with an economical fuel map and a 4500 RPM rev limit (handy for any valet purposes too) and one that hits with all the available horses through the whole rev range.

--------- Edit beneath---------
I had to take an Internet gander at the A/C compressor you mentioned. Best I can find is it's known as [RV-2 or RV2] and "What makes it cool is that the internals resemble a mini-version of a V-twin motor." - www.originalair.com

It sounds like you could be spinning your engine north of 6000 RPM, suddenly decide you'd like to engage that pulley, and it'd take the abuse while smiling and winking at you. "She's a brick, da na na, HOUSE! Da na na! She's mighty-mighty …"

Edited May 11 by Geoff
Added bit about the Chrysler A/C unit