Question about a "seized" Paxton supercharger I could get. Advice anyone?

[astronut1885]

I'm not worried about making crazy power with this blower. Once I build my 331 in a few years, I'll be getting a much bigger blower, like an S or T trim, and I could dump the Paxton for a few hundred or whatever. This is just a blower for now, with the 302 I have. I don't want to run a bigger blower anyway, because I don't want to endanger my motor, and I don't want more boost than the 5-6 PSI. I don't see how it matters which blower delivers my boost, so long as it's there. I'm not looking for the best blower with the most power and capability for expansion, I'm looking for a decent blower at the right price. If I were to buy an A trim or Powerdyne, I'd still upgrade it in a few years, but I'll have spent more $ on that, and I don't want a loud blower, and Powerdynes are lower in capability than the Pax. This Paxton can give me what I want, 5-6 psi, low noise output, and cheap price. Where's the problem? I'm not trying to be rude or opositional, I just don't see why it's a bad idea.

 

[astronut1885]

Oh yeah, on the BTM thing, I'd probably get a Tweecer or Tweecer R/T or something like that, but until I do, I'd just tune it rich for safety like you did before you got yours Chris. I eventually want a R/T or a AFM PMS, those are sweet. Blackfox got an R/T, and I was very impressed with it's capabilities. I'm getting a laptop this fall, so I could use it for school and with a Tweecer to tune the car on a dyno. That's all stuff for later though, right now my main concern is the blower.

 

[ratrapp]

i don't care for paxton myself.we put a sn-95 on my buddys 95gt way back in late 96.it has come apart 3 or 4 times,even after having it upgraded one time to fix what was called design problems it didn't help any.the belt has been off for a couple years now and there are no plans to rebuild it again.he said he might get a vortech or another brand later but no more paxtons.

 

[astronut1885]

That's a different model, but I see your point. However, anything spun to 40,000+ rpm will break eventually. I keep finding that vortech is top for longevity, followed by paxton and then powerdyne for the common blowers. Basically, this blower seems to fit what I want: cheap price, safely low boost, low noise, decent low end power. When I do the 331, whether I have an A trim, SC trim, or the Pax, I'm still going to dump it for atleast an S trim or comparable blower. So this isn't a permanent addition, more of a temporary power addition, until I'm ready for something better.

 

[astronut1885]

Well, I'm doing more homework, and I'm finding out more pros and cons. Here's what I've found:

Pros:
-POWER!
-Cheap
-Low noise output
-good low end boost
-faster boost buildup
-cooler air charge (supposedly because of the blower design, not sure how much cooler though)
-self contained oiling (no lines to run or pan to punch)
-Upgraded Impeller available (which I would get if I get the Pax and have it rebuilt)
-Oil cooler kit available (already on the blower I'm looking at)
-Simple and clean install
-Makes the boost level I want (5-6 PSI)

Cons:
-looses boost capability when hot and bearings slip, causing inconsistent boost (can be helped by good oil and oil cooler, which is on it now, but still a concern)
-Needs regular oil changes (not a biggie for me, I change my oil once every month and a half, and I'm a religious maintainer, so this doesn't concern me)
-Robs more power from the crank to turn than other blowers (they all do it, this one's just a little more greedy)
-Electric oil pump can fail without warning (not sure how common this is, but we believe that's what killed the blower in question. I'd like to find a way to patch an oil pressure gauge into the system and monitor the oil activity at all times, like I do with my engine)
-If pushed too hard and too fast, the blower can fail and destroy its self (again, with heat and abuse, as in 8+ psi and higher than stock impeller speed, which I don't want. I'll only make 6 psi at the most)
-They're a little ugly lol (oh yeah, like that matters when you get an extra 60+ horsepower)
-Not supported by Paxton/Vortech. (now owned and maintained by a different company, but they do a good job reportedly, so this isn't a big deal at all)

 

[astronut1885]

Damn. Now Blackfox is talking me into a Vortech lol. Seems the downfalls of an SN blower are not what I thought. Something about a blower blowing up after I put a grand into it doesn't appeal to me, nor does the large amount of parasitic power loss the Pax makes.

 

[drgn5.0]

i'd pass and not get a sn series paxton for any amount of money.

 

[astronut1885]

Seems that's the general concensus. I'm weighing my options with a Vortech.

 

[speedytang]

It is a true and tested design been around since the 50's and have 1,000k of miles on it. I been running the basic design for 60k+ miles and took a car making 265 rwhp to 485 rwhp and 10psi on a ball drive and have for years. The newer units do have modern design but then can you abuse it and rebuilt it yourself when the time happens? I think it is a great 1st blower. My Dad has 40k+ miles on a Vortech A and likes the unit but he even gets tired of hearing the supercharger when driving with the top down. Nice thing is that a lot of units are around used on these boards so find a unit that has a price you like and do what you did here and ask what people think.

 

[astronut1885]

Noise is the one drawback to a Vortech for me. The Paxtons aren't home-rebuildable, they have to be sent out for a 700.00 rebuild.

 

[speedytang]

They are home rebuildable just buy the parts from Craig for $500 and spend a couple of hours and your done. It is easy to take apart and you might not even need bearings it could just be the impeller shaft and balls and your done for under $250

 

[astronut1885]

I think I'd rather shell out the extra 200 and have a pro do it, but it's looking like I won't be using a Pax anyway. We'll see what happens.