R3 Numbers!

[mfg]

Stude Avanti R3 engine serial numbers (Paxton numbers) started with engine # ……?……

1) B1…..2) B6……3) B9…..or…..4) B10

[mfg]

No opinions here?

[Mark63Avanti]

I'm going to guess it's B6.  My understanding is that Paxton only built a little more than 100 complete engines and I seem to recall "B" numbered engines numbered at least to B109 (if memory serves).

Just a wild guess.

[mfg]

19 minutes ago, Mark63Avanti said:

I'm going to guess it's B6.  My understanding is that Paxton only built a little more than 100 complete engines and I seem to recall "B" numbered engines numbered at least to B109 (if memory serves).

Just a wild guess.

Good guess, however, B6 isn’t the number!

[brad]

I think B9 was the lowest #

[regnalbob]

Serial numbers started with B1.

[mfg]

29 minutes ago, regnalbob said:

Serial numbers started with B1.

No, the magic number isn’t B1!

[mfg]

57 minutes ago, brad said:

I think B9 was the lowest #

Yes… B9 was the first Paxton ‘B’ engine number!

[regnalbob]

12 minutes ago, mfg said:

Yes… B9 was the first Paxton ‘B’ engine number!

No, that is incorrect.

The serial numbers started at B1, however B1, B2, B3 and B4 are not accounted for.

R-1722 has B5

R-5386 has B6

B8 is an R4 and is or was owned by Nelson Bove.

 

[mfg]

14 minutes ago, regnalbob said:

No, that is incorrect.

The serial numbers started at B1, however B1, B2, B3 and B4 are not accounted for.

R-1722 has B5

R-5386 has B6

B8 is an R4 and is or was owned by Nelson Bove.

 

OK that’s interesting… perhaps Brad Bez or Nels can shed some light on this?

[mfg]

According to the late Al Basile (Avanti Authenticity Guide), Avanti R3 Paxton engine numbers began with ‘B9’…..

Although regnalbob’s statement contradicts this, for now B9 will be accepted as the answer.

[mfg]

If regnalbob’s  info is correct, perhaps ‘B9’ was the first R3  engine used in a production Avanti?

[regnalbob]

41 minutes ago, mfg said:

According to the late Al Basile (Avanti Authenticity Guide), Avanti R3 Paxton engine numbers began with ‘B9’…..

Although regnalbob’s statement contradicts this, for now B9 will be accepted as the answer.

 

29 minutes ago, mfg said:

If regnalbob’s  info is correct, perhaps ‘B9’ was the first R3  engine used in a production Avanti?

No, B9 is not the accepted answer. If you would take the time to do some research you will find that B9 is not the starting number.

You will also find that B10 is in the first production R3 Avanti, R-5089.

The roster product is in three parts.
First, there is a listing of engines by "B"-number. Every B-engine number that we believe Paxton used, is on this listing. Those numbers run from 1 to 117 plus 153, 299 and 300. The most current information we have on every B engine is shown in one row. There are many blank rows, indicating that the engine has never been found or has not been reported by B number. The data for some engines are very fresh and some is 30 years old. 

 

[mfg]

25 minutes ago, regnalbob said:

 

No, B9 is not the accepted answer. If you would take the time to do some research you will find that B9 is not the starting number.

You will also find that B10 is in the first production R3 Avanti, R-5089.

The roster product is in three parts.
First, there is a listing of engines by "B"-number. Every B-engine number that we believe Paxton used, is on this listing. Those numbers run from 1 to 117 plus 153, 299 and 300. The most current information we have on every B engine is shown in one row. There are many blank rows, indicating that the engine has never been found or has not been reported by B number. The data for some engines are very fresh and some is 30 years old. 

 

Info was printed in Avanti Magazine, Issue # 172… It stated that ‘B9’ was/is the first ‘B’ R3 engine number…. A noted Avanti historian and AOAI board member stated this…….

Don’t shoot the messenger Bob… and, as I’ve told you many times in the past…. substantiate your assertions.

[regnalbob]

36 minutes ago, mfg said:

Info was printed in Avanti Magazine, Issue # 172… It stated that ‘B9’ was/is the first ‘B’ R3 engine number…. A noted Avanti historian and AOAI board member stated this…….

Don’t shoot the messenger Bob… and, as I’ve told you many times in the past…. substantiate your assertions.

[mfg]

27 minutes ago, regnalbob said:

VERY dated info…. and, as I suspected, no ‘B1’. ….. get back to us when you have more current information.

[Nelson]

Some of the Bonneville cars had #’s lower than B9. I would think the B #’s started at 1. Some may have been destroyed on a dyno  but the numbers certainly would have started at 1.

[mfg]

9 hours ago, Nelson said:

Some of the Bonneville cars had #’s lower than B9. I would think the B #’s started at 1. Some may have been destroyed on a dyno  but the numbers certainly would have started at 1.

That makes sense Nels…Thank you for the clarification!

[DWR46]

Thanks to Nelson Bove and George Krem and others, I carefully researched and updated the R3 listings last year.

Engines A-1 through A-10 were built.

B1- Dismantled by Paxton 1963

B2- Dismantled by Paxton 1963

B3- Dismantled by Paxton 1963

B4- Exists from a convertible, Texas 2002

B5- Installed in R1722 as of 2010, Paxton sold in 1967, may be 299 cu. in.

B6- Installed in R5386, as of 2011, from South Bend Technical School

B7- No information

B8- R4 engine only, Bonneville #3, parted out, heads saved as of 2000

B9- R4 Lark Convertible Bonneville #3, 299 cu.in. from Paxton August 1963

B10- R3S H320, R5089. 1st production R3, 4-speed

"B" numbers at the end skip around, seem pretty consistent thru B117, then B130, B153, B299 and B300. If all numbers through B117 were used we have 131 engines.

Remember this is what I have been able to research, more info will be appreciated. 

 

[mfg]

DWR46…. Thank you for the updated information on these engines…. Real nice job!

[Anthony63]

Not exactly correct on the above B numbers, at least not according to what I have from Joe years ago. DWR-46: Please no offense to this. None of my post are meant to offend anyone. I only hope to figure out some of this great history and it would seem like there is a lot of crazy info floating around.

DWR-46 I did enjoy your post on trying to correct folks on the Bonneville Record Breaker video. I noticed that the car that they used mostly in the video had no roll bar and had emblems on it, the prototype that became the Due Cento did not have any of those. There are a few shots in the video that are the actual car. 

B-7 was an R-4 that was in the #7 Hawk

B-8 was not an R-4, it was an R-3 that went to the engineering department

B-9 was also an R-3, the Lark convertible #3 had R-4 B-28, dual valve springs, and a 275 camshaft. 

[Anthony63]

In watching the video again, I notice the R-2 badges on the car... the prototype never had those either. No emblems were ever on that car. This picture from the video is the actual car. Notice the roll bar and lack of hood emblem. Most of the video shows a car with no roll bar and all of the Studebaker and Avanti trim. You can also see that the actual car had a USAC sticker on the driver door during the runs. 

[Anthony63]

Looking back it may have been Regnalbob who posted about the video. Again just trying to help straighten the history to the best of my memory and examinations of many photographs.