wwundt

HISTORY Avanti stainless-steel fuel tanks were virtually sole-sourced from a gentleman in Chicago named George Dimitsas. I looked for Mr. Dimitsas when I wanted to replace the fuel tank in my 1963 Studebaker Avanti. Advertisements in club publications that listed his address and telephone number yielded nothing. Dimitsas had disappeared and nobody knew of his whereabouts. I called Don Simmons in Ontario, Canada, to see if he perhaps had a source for a stainless-steel tank. Simmons informed me that Dimitsas had moved to Tennessee and gave me his address and telephone number. I called Dimitsas and he said he no longer had any Studebaker Avanti fuel tanks, but somewhere back in a warehouse in Chicago he thought he may still have one very last Avanti-II Stainless-Steel tank. If I didn’t mind making some plumbing changes it could be adapted to fit in my Studebaker Avanti. I wanted it; I bought it; I intended to install it in my Studebaker Avanti. But before I could get around to it, I bought an Avanti-II and my fortuitous purchase was destined for RQB-3430. I pulled the old tank out, and installed the new Dimitsas tank. It is a perfect duplicate of the original – in stainless steel. Stainless-steel fittings were sourced, all hoses were replaced with new ethanol-resistant hoses and new clamps. I would still like to replace the original tank in my Studebaker Avanti. If anybody out there finds a source for a quality stainless steel replacement, please share.

Great job!

Brad, R4415 is the November 2019 AOAI calendar car.

Brad, thanks for your comments. The items you mentioned would cause this problem. When the power steering components were installed, the Pittman arm was lined up with the mark on the splined shaft of the steering box. I did my best to adjust the length of the power steering reach rod to match the original reach rod. Maybe I was off a turn or so. When I backed the car out of the garage the first time after the power steering was installed and the clutch hung up, I didn't know what was going on so I had the car transported to an automotive shop. When we found out that the control valve was bumping into the clutch lever on tight left turns the car went to an alignment shop. The technician had to turn the steering wheel slightly, about 15 degrees to the right, to hit the 1/2 travel high spot and that did the trick. Tolerances are pretty tight down there around the power steering control valve. The engine has R3 exhaust headers which cramps the space; exhaust and starter had to be pulled to install the Pitman arm. When all this went together, I replaced the original starter with a NOS one because I didn't want to have to fight the battle again.

Thankfully no. I found this posted information useful: QUESTION: Anybody got any ideas on how to get the ceiling panel down without wrecking it. My sunshade is so stuck due to the cold temperatures I can't move it. ----------------------------------- I'm not sure what you mean by "ceiling panel," but if it's the headliner, don't even think about taking it down. It's a major job involving glued leather and fabric, and you're almost sure to destroy something in the process. Besides, you still can't get to what you want! Everything you want to do is done by removing the glass panel itself, a real easy job that takes just a few minutes. Basically you mark their position and then remove the glass stops on either side (I like to remove the deflector first- two screws and it's out, even though you can work with it in), put a towel over the roof paint in front of the opening, run the glass forward lifting the front edge as you go, til the glass is a couple of inches out of the opening, resting on the towel. Take the screws out of the hinges on each side, and lift out the glass. Then slightly bow the center of the sunshade up in the center til it clears the track on one side, and lift out. Use penetrating oil on the screws for the stops and the deflector for a couple of days first- they'll be rusty, and they break REAL easily. This is a good time to renew the front and rear seals, too, if you want to go that far- and inspect for separation between the glass of the roof panel and the steel bow that's part of the roof mechanism just under the rear edge of the opening (a major source of leaks). <chuck.lampman@tuff.gatech.edu> Nov 2000

I installed power steering on my 1963 Studebaker Avanti. Afterwards, the clutch pedal would hang up and the clutch would not release when making a sharp left turn. On the lift, you could see that the control valve actually bumped into the lever on the clutch linkage when the steering wheel was turned hard left. Apparently, when the new steering bell crank associated with the power steering ram was installed, the right and left tie rods were switched. And this changed the toe in. In a Studebaker, the toe-in is adjusted by positioning the left (driver's side) wheel straight ahead on the high spot and then adjusting the right wheel to the correct toe-in. With proper alignment, the control valve will no longer press into the clutch linkage. And, if you are lucky, you can find an alignment shop that welcomes you to step under the car and show the technician how to adjustment the caster and camber.

The gasket adhesive cured overnight and today the glass panel went back in. (Note: open the inner sliding panel before installing the glass. A dab of the adhesive on the tip of a Philip screwdriver holds the screw and washers as you try to find the hole). The double hinges are attached to a springy plate that deflects a bit the first time the roof is closed; the rear of the glass slowly rises to level as the new gaskets compress. I now have a moonroof that closes perfectly and seals tightly. I took the car out for a late afternoon test drive and there is no wind noise. I like the moon roof, but in the Southwest there is never any need to open it, because it is only for looking at the sky not for ventilation. In Texas, it's either too hot or too cold to open it. Be happy that you got your moonroof to close and seal properly, now take out the fuse and leave it alone! Our local car club is having an event this Saturday evening at an old fashioned drive-in to see the movie Ford vs. Ferarri, and I have a date...

Owner's manual suggests that the engine should be running when opening or closing the moonroof; the moonroof motor uses a lot of current.

When fully closed, the rear edge of my Avanti-II’s moonroof on the passenger side sags, leaving a gap between the glass and the body that allows water to pour into the headliner (and a lot of wind noise). This is generally a sign that the rear section of the moonroof frame has separated from the body. Repair normally involves removing the moonroof glass, cleaning the frame and roof surfaces and re-gluing the frame to the roof, clamping the surfaces together while the glue hardens. I removed the glass and found that the moonroof frame was securely glued to the body all the way around. I measured the distance from the lip of the roof to the rail below that the glass rests on and found the distance to be the same on both driver and passenger side. I also discovered that the passenger side rear double hinge that unfolds when the window is fully closed to kick the rear of the glass up was frozen. This may be the root of the problem. I lubricated the hinge, "exercised" it, and hope that fixes it. While the glass is out, I am replacing all the weatherseals with a new set from Dan Booth. A previous owner of my Avanti documented the replacement the moonroof motor, worm gear and block. That work necessitated the removal of the headliner. I won't have to remove the headliner - hopefully - at this point.

Does anyone have any tips on how to remove the headliner to access the frame holding the moonroof? The headliner in my Avanti-II is wrapped in white leather and I don't want to damage it.

Studebaker Avanti's used the Mercedes Benz door latches. You might find the part you need at a Benz dealership. From an internet search: PASSENGER DOOR LOCK WON'T LOCK By 67AvantiTom, March 6, 2017 in 1966-83 Avanti Top of Form 67AvantiTom Shingletown, CA, My Avanti:1967 RQA-0256 Hello all, another issue I have to deal with on my Avanti, my passenger door will not lock. Neither the inside lever, or the outside key will lock the door. When you attempt to lock it, it goes about half way then feels like it's hitting something. Anyone have any thoughts on where to start debugging this? Even if I can pull the outside door handle, where do I look for possible problems? Thanks in advance! Tom 1963r2 Perth,Western Australia, My Avanti:R1499 Tom If you have a look at your latch on the door you will see a cone shaped section. Under that you will see a little piece of steel protruding from the latch body. That piece works off a spring and moves in and out depending on if the door is open or closed. From memory that piece needs to be pushed in for the locking mechanism to work. You can test that by holding it in and turning the key to see if the lock now works (with the door open). If it does work then your problem is the catch on the door pillar. The catch on your door pillar pushes that piece inward when the door is closed allowing the lock to work. Over time that little piece wears a groove in the catch to a point where it no longer fully depresses the piece inward and your lock no longer works. Have a look in that area first. Bottom of Form

The number went on the frame as the chassis was assembled and the body was selected out of batches of finished bodies depending upon the color and mated onto the chassis.

There is also a removable panel between the fuel tank and the trunk. After you have removed the seats and the panel behind the back seat, you have access to the top of the tank but very limited access. pulling the sender out requires a bit of twisting too. I replaced my fuel tank about a year ago with a stainless-steel tank and the new tank went back in with a new sending unit. The tank was the very last stainless steel tank offered by George Dimitsas.

I had that problem too. The bar labeled 1101-45 in the illustration above would not fully insert into the brake shoe. Solution, file the slot a little until it seats correctly. Then the hub will go back on.

20 bushings 8 kingpins 2 tierods 4 bellcrank 1 power steering reach rod 1 power steering ram 1 power steering control valve 1 u-joints 2

I am installing a new fuel tank in RQB-3430.