Jump to content

Mike Sal

AOAI Forum Members
  • Posts

    85
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Mike Sal

  1. Anyone have any step by step tips for converting my stock 70 over to the 200r4?  I picked up a rebuilt tranny Friday & want to start gathering up the bits & pieces prior to pulling the old tranny out.  What did your new rear cross member look like?  What rear mount did you use?  How much does the drive shaft have to be shortened?  What kind of bracket did you use to mount the cable near the carburator?.....questions, questions.

    Mike Sal

  2. FYI, I found out that you can attach the exhaust manifold to the header pipe and fish the sub-assembly down thru the top to avoid having to reach up from the bottom to get the flange lined up & nuts onto the studs.  I left the nuts a little loose to leave some wiggle room & if you hold your mouth right, it will slip down thru there with the sparkplugs & heat shields in place.

  3. Dan Booth told me Altman's loved to spec the colors themselves & had a very odd sense of taste in colors.  My carpet is in perfect condition (the last owner kept it covered up with shag carpet) so I just have to leave it alone.  Yes on the Monterre green.

    Avanti Interior.jpg

  4. I goofed around & didn't get it painted over the winter & now the guy is 6 months behind....maybe this winter.  Built September '69 but not sold until '72 to a returning vietnam vet who only kept it a couple years before selling it to a college teacher of mine.  I bought it from him 3 years ago.  

    Avanti LF qtr.jpg

  5. Agree, those two rear bolts were a pain due to the steering box.  To compound it, the previous muffler shop had rounded off one of the center manifold bolts.  I had to cut the head off & work the manifold off enough to saw off the bolt shank to remove the manifold.  There was enough stud left to grab with vice grips to get it out of the head.  All new bolts waiting for the re-assembly.  I figured it was also a good time to replace the spark plugs too.

    getting to the tension position bolts on the power steering pump will be fun too....

     

  6. OK, it just looked like there was limited room to swing the wrench to tighten it up.  I have the new studs & long brass nuts all ready to go as soon as the new pipes arrive.  I took the manifold off the engine to clean up the threads for the studs.  The last muffler shop really screwed the former owner of the car with the cobble mess they made.  

    Mike Sal

  7. What type of wrench did you use to tighten that inboard nut on the manifold?  I'm waiting on my pipes to arrive from Don now (stock size).  The last muffler shop cheated & used smaller nuts & bolts instead of the studs & I had to torch them off to get it apart.  

    Mike Sal

  8. Our car (RQA 0330) was built in September, '69.  It didn't get sold for a long time (the avocado green paint & bright lime green carpet may have been a factor....).   I talked to Dan Booth at The SB meet & he thinks the colors indicate the car was a fill in spec car of which the Altmans were famous for picking loud browns & greens.

    Mike Sal

  9. I just ran across what appears to be something on the order of a window sticker (or invoice) for my RQA 0330.  The list of "standard equipment" mentions "350cu. in. Stingray Engine", but no code number.  I also have the build sheet (September '69) which also only says "350 cu. in. Engine".  The engine number listed at the top portion of the build sheet shows number V09078BQ (I think the first digit is a V.....it's hand written on the form).

    Mike Sal

  10. Kevin, what color was your '69?  My '70 (built in Sept '69) didn't get sold until 1972.  Mr. Booth was telling me that it was common for Altman was famous for having cars built with odd colors for personal before being sold.  Mine is avocado green with lime green carpets.

    Mike Sal

  11. The 2 previous owners of my car were carpet nazi's......they kept the original carpets covered with green shag home carpeting during it's entire life.....the result is my "bright" lime green carpet is in pristine condition.  Even the matching carpet on the doors is very nice.  As much as I don't really care for the color, I would never change it has become a "talking point" about the car & the times in which it was built.

    I just regret not being able to talk with the original owner about his time behind the wheel.  He's still alive, but in a nursing home in Florida.  All I know is he came home from Vietnam with money in his pocket & a desire to put the war behind him at speed.

    Mike Sal

  12. So it appears RQA 0330 had 159 miles on it at delivery in '72, and 45,000 on it when the 2nd owner took over in 1976, and now 120,000 on it with my turn at the wheel in 2016.  The car spent over 30 years in dry storage before I got it.

    I wonder if the factory was having 2nd thoughts about picking the avocado green paint & lime green carpet as the car sat those 2 years waiting for a buyer????

     Mike S  

  13. I see that he got soaked for nearly 300 dollars for "Raphael Vinyl" interior stuff.....what would a "standard" interior consist of?

    I also have a "warranty" receipt from the Mark IV air conditioner company, dated April of 1972 & showing Mr. Yocom as the customer and the "Installing Dealer" is Avanti Motors in South Bend.  Did the factory wait to fill this out until they had the car sold?  The "installation mileage" says 00159.

    I also have a copy of the original Ohio title which was issued in exchange for the Manufacturer's certificate, also dated April 1972.  I haven't found any clues yet as to the mileage when he took possession of the car.

     

     

  14. If I've done it correctly, here are copies of the production order & invoice I found for my RQA 0330.  It appears the order was originally written early January, 1969, but the car was actually built in September 1969......then it appears the car sat on the lot for over 2 years.....the first purchase was in April of 1972.....how common was this?  I do remember seeing photos of lots of cars in a lot with snow on them from that time period.  

    Mike Sal

    001 a production order.JPG

    001 a invoice.JPG

  15. Agree that having someone else put eyeballs on the car is very helpful, especially if you aren't already into studebakers.  The engine & power train are the least of your worries....the body, frame & interior are what you have to pay attention to as they are the most expensive to restore if they are not in good condition.

  16. The former owner of my '69 built RQA0330 told me he had the 350 motor rebuilt at 100,000 to replace the hi-compression pistons so he could use regular gas (back when hi test was hard to find).  What other features would this engine have had, other than hi top pistons and aluminum valve covers (compared to a 350 equipped chevy impala)?

    Mike Sal 

×
×
  • Create New...