Geoff

I bought a basket case in 2022 and have plans for it which do not include any factory drive-line parts. The odometer shows 85k miles and change. The biggest problem is, well, basket case. It was left outside since circa '98. The sunroof leaked which screwed most of the interior and it was buried to the rocker panels in plant life. I have a replacement frame, nobody would want the old one, trust me. All parts are still on the car but will be coming off as the weather starts to warm. Everything coming off this car should be cleaned and/or rebuilt at the minimum. I don't want the: engine(*) automatic transmission driveshaft radiator (*)The coolant entry on the intake manifold corroded so bad it turned to dust. My best guess is that happened over the decades of sitting. The above list is also not the complete list; more parts will become available as this year progresses. I don't want the engine crossmember in the replacement frame. I also don't want the solid rear axle or the wheels/tires. However, I need those for the time being. As far as prices, I'll just say everything is priced based on condition and it's all in pretty sorry shape. Ex: I should probably pay you to take the intake manifold off my hands but that makes less sense than me taking it to the metal scrapyard. I'm in central Maine. If the part(s) can fit inside my Focus sedan I'd travel within 175 miles as the crow flies to meet. That covers all New Hampshire and Vermont. It is most of Massachusetts, even as far as New Bedford. That distance reaches the northern part of Rhode Island as well as the northeast corner of Connecticut. Also, I'm frequently available if you want to come here and pick up parts.

Wanted to post an update. Dave has posted more details about these cars for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Again, not my cars but helping him by passing on the word. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1546663282791815/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks I'd love one of those project R2s; that would become my #25 homage.

I have some electric fan notes which I've taken throughout the years. All of you are done with your cooling setup though maybe this information could come in handy for other information seekers. 1300 - 1600 CFM range 4-cylinder 2000 CFM range 6-cylinder 2800 - 3000 CFM range 8-cylinder, smaller displacement 4500 CFM range 8-cylinder, larger displacement Generally, a pusher fan is 80% as efficient as a puller fan Aim for 70% of the radiator core to be covered by electric fans S-blade fans are typically quieter. Straight blade fans are more noisy With the radiator as a rectangle and the fan(s) as circles, the ol' π × r² comes in handy here. To achieve 70% coverage might require dual fans. I don't know where the line gets drawn between the 8-cylinders, I would guess circa 5L. Since the smaller displacement and the larger displacement has a gap there is room to manipulate. 2800 - 3000 could be for sub 5L. Between 5L & 7L could be 3000 - 4000 CFM. And 4500 CFM is warranted for ≥7L.

Yep, since Wedge Engineering handed off their bracket business to Corbeau, Corbeau seats are now the seats of choice for new brackets. Recaro sliders are sold separately and are available new if needed. It looks like the sliders attach with screws (I've highlighted two screws with red circles). If what I see is correct I speculate screws also attach at the far end. Even if they're welded on, a welder who also works with a plasma cutter could install Recaro sliders on the Corbeau made brackets.

Sure, no problem. I hear your bolt frustrations. I'm also dealing with major rust issues.

For the seat brackets, Wedge Engineering handed-off to Corbeau, and they now make the brackets: https://corbeau.com/avanti-seat-brackets/ The sliders are now meant for Corbeau seats. I speculate if you were to unbolt the sliders you could make Recaro seats work instead. As for the seats, I have recently seen 1980s Recaro advertisement pages. There was the N, LS, KR, KRX, KRS, Model C, and Orthopedic models. The best I can figure, it was the KRX seats which blended bumper Avantis used; KRX have that backside upper plastic shell. And what about earlier cars? Those could be N, or KR model seats. That mesh headrest was kinda popular back them, I definitely recall them on foxbody Saleen Mustangs, though I believe the headrests are as easy as sliding off one version and sliding on another.

Recently I found some 1980's Recaro advertising. Starting with the blended bumper Blake cars, I believe they received Recaro KRX or Recaro C model seats. The KRX are full manual, and the C seats come either powered or unpowered. The seat back angle is independently adjustable lower & upper on those models. This is a cool feature as your lower back could be set to a different angle than your upper back.* I Tweeted @recaroautomotive asking about KRX reprod's. I'd love a new set as mine are pretty well hosed. Then again, maybe a complete tear down, some Evapo•Rust and a phenomenal upholstery shop could perform a miracle? *Nevermind, that upper adjustment knob is for bolster squeeze/relax, made to fit different people's shoulder widths.

I am good with clapped out parts. As GE's motto was said in, Batteries Not Included, "We bring good things to life." I'm going to try to breathe life into many clapped out items. Totally understand the want for privacy. Message sent to your inbox.

Curious how this part-out went along; do you have any pieces remaining?

I don't suppose some interior pieces are for sale, are they?

In this thread, two dead spaces are shown in front of the radiator. These are unfavorable to cooling as they cause turbulent regions of air which aren't forced through the radiator. I'll definitely look into some aluminum flashing and try to close off that dead space in my build. I also plan on more extreme things but every little bit helps. Redline's product Water Wetter also helps bring down temperatures. If you are in a climate that does not freeze at all, or if you drain your car's fluids before freezing weather, it can be mixed in only water. For everywhere else, it can be added to the usual water / coolant mix.

I have not yet made a solid decision but am leaning toward a spoiler moonroof. As far as pricing my project, a majority of the work I strive to achieve DIY status where I can. And for parts I am looking to insurance write-off sites, so a totaled car's moonroof may be what I install in my car.

I know of one source for that tachometer quote. It's on the studebaker-info.org website and I quoted that in the Pub's Aerodynamics thread. http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB3/Duecento/dcind2d.html I get a chuckle every time I read that. The damned thing [Due Cento] was doing a circa 200 MPH rolling burnout on the wet salt. Talk about a rooster tail. More power would not have helped. Drier salt most definitely would have helped. Or my favorite: suck the air out of the engine bay! Hood louvers, a "waterfall air extractor" hood element, fender louvers … anything! But the car would have needed to be designed with those from the get-go. Otherwise performing those modifications would have bumped the car to SU [super unlimited] or some such class.

I hear that argument loud and clear. If I find myself keeping a moonroof I might investigate what it takes to increase the diameter of the drain tubes. I may also investigate routing the hoses in reasonably accessible locations so I could use a shop vac to clear them out periodically.

I'm at a few crossroads with my project, the roof being one of my dilemmas. The car was left outdoors in Ohio for two dozen years and its moon roof leaked. I'd like to keep the moon roof (or replace it with something) as I enjoy some semblance of an open top. In no particular order of preference: Repair the factory moon roof Delete the moon roof and close the hole Replace the factory one with a no-motor version (rear vent or lift out and stow the panel) Replace the inbuilt moon roof with a spoiler moon roof (those slide rearward above the roof) to gain about 1.5" more headroom Rip out the moon roof and fill the hole with Plexiglass; a "panoramic roof" as they call it today. And I'm comfortable with fiberglass so I could make alterations to fit any size demands/constraints. I could go with two no-motor moon roofs, one over the front passengers and one over the rear passengers if my heart desired.