Avanti Jim

True. I guess the EPA would require emission recertification of an engine with any modification from original. My understanding is that the EPA certification process was both arduous and tremendously expensive with limited hope of success. Avanti motors was stuck selecting whatever unmodified engine a large manufacturer had already certified in a passenger car. There were not a lot of powerful engines to choose from. The only off-the-shelf super- or turbocharged American V8 that I can remember from this time period was the 1980-81 Pontiac 301 which put out only around 200 net hp. The L82 corvette 350 of 1980 put out 230 net hp. This really limits the extent of your market. An expensive personal luxury car should stand out as a great performer, innovative, luxurious, and unique to be successful. Even as early as 1967, the Avanti II was only luxurious and unique. Later added "safety" equipment requirements (like 5 mph bumpers) just skewed the original look and increased production costs. That was a very sad and difficult time in the auto industry. I know Cadillac certainly took a hit during that time period.

Wow, I understand the concept of building low production cars at rather high prices, but the concept normally offers fairly exclusive advanced engineering. Your audience becomes extremely limited if you're using dated systems (brakes, suspension, and steering) and off-the-shelf engines from another manufacturer. Though, I have to add that those engines make the car more easily serviced by any mechanic. It's just amazing that the company lasted as long as it did. You would think that they would adapt techniques to cut labor costs earlier. Then again, with such a small work force, cutting labor costs means laying off workers that have become family. You would think that this would have ended the company much earlier. It seems to me that the company would have kept one item to continue its reputation for performance. The supercharged V8 was a huge attraction to the original Studebaker Avanti's. Why not supercharge the Chevy V8? Does the McCulloch supercharger prevent the installation of an AC compressor? If so, couldn't you just fit a heat-shielded turbocharger somewhere in that engine bay? A performance image is key to exclusive hand-built cars.

Exactly. I was expecting numbers in the 500-1000 per year range. Avanti Motors had no economies of scale. Studebaker (and AMC) could buy parts from suppliers by the hundreds of thousands. Even after acquiring the Studebaker factory and parts inventory for pennies on the dollar, Avanti II production costs must have been absolutely sky high.

My 1980 seats do NOT look like that. Maybe there were different optional seats. I've uploaded a photo of 1980 Avanti seats like in my 1980 Avanti II. Note that the headrest is built into the seat - not seperate.

Anyone know the correct part number for the stock Stewart Warner oil pressure sending unit in a 1980 Avanti II? The Stewart Warner website lists the 279B-F sending unit for their heavy duty series gauges like those originally installed on my1980 Avanti II. But the gauge on their website is 0-100psi. Mine is 0-80psi. Anything I should know before I give them a call?

I did get in contact with Dan Booth from Nostalgic Motors, Bill. He does have NOS Avanti windshield washer reservoirs for $120. I have the same issues as you with time and money. This reservoir may seem pricey, but it is a one-off part for a very limited production vehicle so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet. Avanti83, I understand what you are saying. I knew that Avanti Motors hand-built these cars to buyer specifications, but I had no idea that they produced so few cars per year. It makes sense that, with such low production numbers, they would do what was necessary to get a car out the door with as little cost as possible. My limitations are similar. I want this car to be nice, but I don't plan to gold plate it. Just getting it on the road again is going to cost a bit of time and money. Having a group that doesn't mind newbie questions is a great resource in itself.

Thanks for your quick reply, Avanti83. I have read quite a bit on Bob Johnstone's website. I am impressed by this vast resource. While I'm a fan of many Studebakers, I only own the1980 Avant II. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a section applies to the parts on my car. I also don't know if parts on my car are original or not. I've already run into replacing an old incorrect part with an identical new incorrect part (aargh). Thanks for the parts vendors link. I hadn't come across it yet. I understand that Dan at Nostalgic may still sell a reproduction of the white plastic windshield washer reservoir for my car. That would be nice.

I just bought a 1980 Avanti II here in Fort Worth, TX and I'm new to this forum. 1. Is there a place on this website to search archived topics? 2. Is there a place where OEM parts are listed by specific year for Avantis? 3. Is Nostalgic Motors still in business? If so, how do I get in touch with them? 4. Has anyone considered creating a YouTube channel for information and repairs specific to the Avanti?