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**PackardV8** · 08-02-2008, 11:48 AM

Buying a used Paxton should be considered right up there with buying a used rattlesnake. It's very possibly waiting to bite you because of the way it was treated by the PO. Paxtons are fragile units and rebuild cost is high. It is also possible to pay as much for the brackets as for the head unit.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

**bams50** · 08-02-2008, 12:39 PM

"Fragile"?? How so?? I'm not arguing, as I have zero knowledge and experience with them. I have one on the r2 engine I bought from JDP that's only got a little engine stand time on it. He said it's "rebuilt".

Are these things not practical for regular use? My ignorance of them doesn't exactly instill confidence in them and then when someone knowledgeable like you calls them "fragile", I wonder if it's a good idea to expect it to give long-term cruising reliability...

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"It was the last chance for Studebaker to turn things around. The company was down to its last bullet, and this new small car was it. They called it the Lark"

**gord holden** · 08-02-2008, 03:12 PM

i have put 50,000 miles on my R2 avanti with no problems,check colour of oil and watch the level.

gh

**PlainBrownR2** · 08-02-2008, 03:36 PM

I had mine installed for a couple years, with the original Paxton tag still on it mind you, prior to a bearing race letting loose inside. I had mine rebuilt by TBow about a year ago and it has been trouble free ever since. I'd call it a dice roll as it's unknown what the owner did with the blower, but I wouldn't necessarily call it fragile.

Believe it or not I had a temporary blower we had picked from a vendor that had it on a flathead Ford. The color was the shade of rebuilt Paxton black and still turned so it was installed on the Lark. Yeah it was a minor risk, but it was going to be temporary and a boy can't do without his edge he had, lol. Installing the unit was no biggie, just clock the blower to the position it goes on the Lark and bolt it into the mounting holes on the bracket. The other thing I needed to do was to change the pulley from the old blower as the Mustang pulley(despite being smaller) had that nose that would whack the back of the fan blade, and I didn't feel like machining the pulley to fit.

[img=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201950%202r5%20Studebaker%20Pickup%20with%20turbocharger/P1000137-1.jpg[/img=left][img=right]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/DSC00005.jpg?t=1171153370[/img=right]
[IMG=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/P1000578-1.jpg[/IMG=left]

**tony_n_austin** · 08-02-2008, 07:12 PM

Hello and thank you for the responses.
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I still have my original question. If some gets a setup like the Paxton pictured with blower, box, and not much else; what other brackets, belts, and pulleys are needed?
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I know there is a whole science to adding a supercharger. There would be changes in carburetor, fuel delivery, timing advancement, blower to motor RPM ratio, etc. Not interested at this time.
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Can it physically be mounted on the Studebaker 289 with parts available from our venders? Has anyone mounted one of these non -original systems to the 289?
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Under-used minds want to know.

Thanks
Tony in Austin

**Mike** · 08-03-2008, 03:07 AM

What car are you thinking about putting the supercharger in?
See "Installation" at: http://www.vs57.com/indextech.htm . The site deals mostly with the earlier, variable ratio units.
There were four different set-ups used by Stude: '57 & '58 Golden Hawk, '63 & '64 R2 Avanti, R3 Avanti, and R2 "Jet Thrust" Lark & Hawk. There are excellent one page illustrations of the supercharger kit parts for the first three in the Stude parts books. Unfortunately, the illustration in the Jet Thrust supplement is just the R2 Avanti drawing: and doesn't show the parts accurately for the Lark/Hawk.
There were also two different kits sold by McCulloch that were designed to clear the '53 to '55 sport coupe hood. These are rare. Some pictures are available.
That's five different Stude mounts! I think any of them will accept any ball drive Paxton or McCulloch supercharger. Considerations are clearance and pulley alignment.
I'd start by deciding which mount I wanted to use; then looking for it, and a crankshaft pulley, on EBay.
Mike M.

**PackardV8** · 08-03-2008, 09:05 AM

Hi,Tony in Austin - AFAIK, there are no bracket-and-pulley kits available from SDC vendors. See my previous comment; expect to spend about as much for the ancillary parts as for the head unit if you try to piece it together from eBay. Yes, supercharged cars have a unique carburetor, distributor and fuel pump. These all can be replaced by aftermarket units at very little more cost than a NA new unit.

As to Bob's question; today's oils are a quantum improvement and if the head unit was correctly rebuilt with best-science parts and maintained by the book, it will live long and prosper. My comment was based upon fifty years of Stude ownership and observation. Over that time, roughly seven-out-of-ten originally supercharged GH and R-series Studebakers I looked at to buy or at shows had the Paxton in the trunk or missing entirely. The owners of the other thirty percent were usually proudly proclaiming a complete rebuild. The history of McCulloch and subsequently Paxton as a company, their up-and-down build quality, their rebuilt work is well-documented elsewhere. That the current owners gave up on the original McCulloch design, sold all the parts and moved on to the Novi is the bottom line. The McCulloch/Paxton was the best available unit in the 1950's, but expensive to built, complicated to rebuild, dependent upon the quality of Swiss-made matched-set balls for the drive unit. FWIW, one proud local R2 owner leaves his blower belt off until he gets to the show and parks it. He then takes it off before starting the drive home. If gently teased, he claims "fuel mileage", but it's the uncertainty of wondering "is the blower whine getting louder?" Hearing that death scream once and then paying the bills for a rebuild can make a coward of the bravest Studebaker R2 driver.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

**bams50** · 08-03-2008, 09:59 AM

Thanks for the explanation. You once again taught me a little more!

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"It was the last chance for Studebaker to turn things around. The company was down to its last bullet, and this new small car was it. They called it the Lark"

**tony_n_austin** · 08-03-2008, 01:00 PM

http://www.vs57.com/indextech.html is a great link.
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Thanks Dave
-
Tony in Austin

**MikeValent** · 08-03-2008, 03:29 PM

One of the things I remember when I bought my 1964 Avanti R2 in fall of 1963 was that I either read or was told by the dealer that the Paxton would need a rebuild about every 30,000 miles. I had to sell the car with less than 20,000 miles on it and had no problems. Back in the late 1950's you often had to get cylinder heads rebuild by 50,000 miles, so that blower rebuild interval didn't seem too bad.

My current Avanti, RBQ377I, had a Paxton SN2000 added. Well, it was in a box when I bought the car. Paradise Wheels charged $700 to rebuild it, and another $200 for an oil cooler kit. So far no problem (except I can't find 7mm X 51" or so belts to fit the three-belt pulleys it came with). I've only put maybe 5,000 miles on it, and changed the blower oil at 3,000.

If you're thinking of adding a Paxton to a Stude 289, Lionel Stone advertises the mounts, pulleys and such to make it work.

MikeV
Pompano Beach, FL
83 Avanti 377I

**bams50** · 08-03-2008, 05:37 PM

Yes, I see Lionel has a complete setup listed in TW for $2K for the entire kit. Been in his listings for at least a couple years.

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"It was the last chance for Studebaker to turn things around. The company was down to its last bullet, and this new small car was it. They called it the Lark"

**Aussie Hawk** · 08-03-2008, 11:01 PM

I've just received my last shippment of Lionel's parts to fit a Paxton to my '62 Hawk. Which leads me to this question - my Hawk is currently fitted with a 465 cfm Holley, will this work with the Paxton set up, I'm using an R3 airbox.

Cheers
Matt
Brisbane
AUSTRALIA

**tony_n_austin** · 08-03-2008, 11:08 PM

I also have a '62 Hawk. Post some picts on the install if you can.

Tony in Austin

**MikeValent** · 08-04-2008, 01:33 PM

My current one uses a Holley inside an airbox. I think - and there are enough knowledgables here to correct me if I'm wrong - that any 4BBL will work as long as it has mechanically opened secondaries. Making it work well will involve richer jetting, maybe a pressurized fuel pump and some other things.

MikeV
Pompano Beach, FL
83 Avanti 377I

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