'63 Avanti

[Jeff K]

My '63 R2 has an air cleaner that only has an opening on the bottom. All the other ones that I have seen have a fully enclosed cylinder with the air cleaner partially sticking out from the rear. Why is mine different?

[Bob Preston]

Somebody may have changed it. The design isn’t brilliant because it’s sucking in hot air from deep within the engine compartment. If the whole affair was flipped to put the intake in front, it would be sucking in cooler air. 

[Dwight FitzSimons]

Not sure what you have, but below are '63 & '64 R2 air cleaners.  These were the only air cleaners used on '63 & '64 R2 Avantis.

--Dwight

 

[RS4478]

If it looks like this it may be a R3 air cleaner that pulled cool air through the wheel well

 

[Dwight FitzSimons]

IIRC the R3 air cleaner is the same "can", but with different mounting brackets, and it's mounted behind the grille.  See below.

[Avanti1963!]

13 hours ago, RS4478 said:

If it looks like this it may be a R3 air cleaner that pulled cool air through the wheel well

 

Later R2s used this style as well as the R2 Larks and Hawks.  R3s had a mounting bracket welded to them.

[mfg]

21 hours ago, Jeff K said:

21 hours ago, Jeff K said:

My '63 R2 has an air cleaner that only has an opening on the bottom. All the other ones that I have seen have a fully enclosed cylinder with the air cleaner partially sticking out from the rear. Why is mine different?

Yes… sounds like a prior owner installed the ‘64 style air filter assy on your ‘63 Avanti …Upside down!!

[mfg]

On 2/8/2026 at 1:49 AM, Dwight FitzSimons said:

IIRC the R3 air cleaner is the same "can", but with different mounting brackets, and it's mounted behind the grille.  See below.

I understand Studebaker was desperate to get the air filter assy out of the super hot Avanti engine compartment, frankly though, the factory filter location on the R3’s couldn’t be worse for an Avanti in everyday use!

[Dwight FitzSimons]

This is a good topic for discussion.  I have an R3 Avanti that I will soon be putting back together, so I have a near-term need to know.

I would assume that rotating the air cleaner so that the intake is pointed toward the grille would achieve a bit of ram-air effect.  One wouldn't want to ever drive in the rain, though!

--Dwight, R-5407, R3, 4-spd

[mfg]

41 minutes ago, Dwight FitzSimons said:

This is a good topic for discussion.  I have an R3 Avanti that I will soon be putting back together, so I have a near-term need to know.

I would assume that rotating the air cleaner so that the intake is pointed toward the grille would achieve a bit of ram-air effect.  One wouldn't want to ever drive in the rain, though!

--Dwight, R-5407, R3, 4-spd

That’s the point Dwight.. ‘not rain friendly’!!…. Besides that, it’s blocking a portion of the radiator…. and we all know an Avanti’s cooling system needs all the airflow it can get!

Also, in the event of a front end collision, the air filter canister would be rammed right into the radiator, wiping both items out!

[Dwight FitzSimons]

AFAIK, all modern cars have their air cleaner on the engine, but with a hose leading out to behind the grille in order to bring in fresh air.  So, Studebaker had the right idea, just didn't implement it very well.

For my car I'm stuck with the factory setup, which at least, is better than the R2's air cleaner.

But, ideally, one could leave the air cleaner where it is on an R2 and do major surgery on the air cleaner and fender apron to bring in fresh air.  The fresh air could be sourced from a hole in the fiberglass to the left (i.e., passenger side) of the radiator (behind the grille).

Oldsmobile implemented a fresh-air intake well in the '60s on the 442.

--Dwight