800 horsepower R-3?

[53k]

Way back in 2005 I put a NOS R-3/R-4 tach along with the correct and complete transition ignition system and the blueprint for that system on eBay. The following is what I posted to the old Studebaker newsgroup.

A week or so ago my eBay auction for a complete NOS R-3 tach set-up closed at my reserve of $1500 (much JP's surprise and mine too). My buyer's handle is "r3avanti800hp". In sorting out details from him I quizzed him about his title. This is info he sent me:
"Special flow work to heads, Cosworth pistions, boring of the block, better valves, and Carillo rods, on the dyno it produced 821 horse power, better ign. and etc. The R-3 block that I have is a B-100 cid is at 335, extremely well ballanced down to every rotating part, very strong rods, and very light weight pistons, this engine raps up extremely fast at 135 mph you can punch it and it will burn both back tires, I feel certain it is above and beyond a 200 mph machine, R-5 I don't think so, R-6 maybe. On the heads are addapted roller tappets, better push rods, and special work on the flow part of the ports. I have extra pair of R-3 heads, know anyone interested? These are aluminum. The fastest I ran this engine was in one of my Avanti's I backed off at 165 mph, front end a little shaky made me nurvous, I assure you was only a little more then half way into the throttle. I am now working on this Avanti project which this engine and components will go into, it will be right for this car, total frame off, and on a blank body shell, will be orginal black, with elk interior, have all nos, even tilt-wheel and the most scarce option I have found yet the rear window tinted with sunband, any way this Avanti is fully optioned out, will make a great show car, and I assume will sale for a few quarters..."
He isn't a SDC or Avanti Owners member- claims too busy, too much traveling. He lives in Wichita, KS (I looked up his address with Google Earth and he looks prosperous).
For what it's worth.
Paul Johnson

The buyer lived in Wichita, Kansas. I have never heard any more from him or about him. Chris Pile may remember my post from then. No one in the Midway Chapter had heard of him.

[Endl98]

id say its possible, stroker crank, bore or sleeves, extensive head work, custom roller cam and 15 lbs of boost can achieve those numbers im sure. id love to see it.

[PackardV8]

"Special flow work to heads, . . . , better valves, . . , on the dyno it produced 821 horse power,

id say its possible, stroker crank, bore or sleeves, extensive head work, custom roller cam and 15 lbs of boost can achieve those numbers im sure. id love to see it.

I'd love to see it also, and also know how he did that. Using real world parts, nothing I can input into a computer DynoSim program will result in 821 horsepower from an R3. No Paxton R3 I've ever measured will hold 15# of boost on a free-breathing 335" at 7,000 RPMs.

FWIW, one reason all the very high output Studebaker V8s, from the R5 onward, were first built as dual Paxton and later Ted, Jim, et al, went turbocharged, was the original Paxton was designed for sub-300" engines and thus runs out of its performance envelope at low output. There have been some post-Paxton Novi centrifugals which make good boost, but supposedly this was a 2005 build using R3 parts as a base. Inquiring minds would love to know whatever happened to this build.

jack vines

[Mike Van Veghten]

Hmmm...!?

Mike

[swvalcon]

I could tell you how you can get 800 HP plus if you could find or build strong enough parts with out a supercharger. It's called a BOTTLE BABY. How long it will hold up? Anyone's guess.

[PackardV8]

I could tell you how you can get 800 HP plus if you could find or build strong enough parts with out a supercharger. It's called a BOTTLE BABY. How long it will hold up? Anyone's guess.

Agree - Nitrous is magic stuff, but it, plus gasoline and air, still have to flow through the existing intake manifold and ports. It would be instructive to see a formula which shows the upper limit of nitrous power for a given CFM intake port.

The Stude bottom end is strong, but those building the big turbo power indicate 4-bolt main caps needed above 600 horsepower.

jack vines

[swvalcon]

Jack I knew a guy with a street legal 80 corvette with a 454 out of a mid 70's chev pickup with a 400 turbo and a nine inch ford with 3.50 gears. Set of used alum.heads and intake, big cam and a two stage Nitrous kit. Car would run high 13's on the motor and low 9's at 150 mph on the juice. The first kit came on just off the line at 250 hp and the second after high gear at 500 hp. After he melted it enough times he built a real big block for it and did a pro stock frame and cage for it. Think the motor was in the 800-900 hp range with a 500 hp Nitrous kit after that. Car ran pro stock numbers in the low 7's high 6's.

[clonelark]

I remember a post about the guy in Wichita, it could have been here or maybe it was on the Racing Studebaker site.

[Endl98]

I'd love to see it also, and also know how he did that. Using real world parts, nothing I can input into a computer DynoSim program will result in 821 horsepower from an R3. No Paxton R3 I've ever measured will hold 15# of boost on a free-breathing 335" at 7,000 RPMs.

FWIW, one reason all the very high output Studebaker V8s, from the R5 onward, were first built as dual Paxton and later Ted, Jim, et al, went turbocharged, was the original Paxton was designed for sub-300" engines and thus runs out of its performance envelope at low output. There have been some post-Paxton Novi centrifugals which make good boost, but supposedly this was a 2005 build using R3 parts as a base. Inquiring minds would love to know whatever happened to this build.

jack vines

I dont know if he used a factory sn-60 or a newer charger or turbo, but if the motor can make 400 NA 15 lbs of boost will pretty much double that, I think to get those results he spent a ton of money.id like to see it, if its from 12 years ago, where is it today.

[sals54]

Shall I remind everyone that Ted Harbits 299 cu in Chicken Hawk was making over 700 HP.