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SBCA96

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Posts posted by SBCA96

  1. Over 110 people have read this thread and NO ONE has bothered to comment

    on it. I also belong to the Impala forum and even when a "newbie" posts a first

    "hello" they get about 4 to 10 replies welcoming them. I would think that some

    of you know how to reply to a thread, and have something to say about the rims

    that I have found. Its kinda frustrating to post and not get ANY feedback.

    Tom

  2. Didnt get ANY replies on this, so I ran with it myself, on some research on the web
    I found that a 17 x 8 rim with a 4.5 inch backspacing would fit. I found that a place
    in Canoga Park called AFS sells a Cobra rim that is 17 x 8 with a 5 inch backspacing.
    On further checking I found that an early Mustang would handle a 17 x 8 rims with
    a 4.75 backspacing, so I figured worst case I would need a 1/4 spacer for the front.
    When the wheel is turned to lock, the rim contacts the front zerk pivot. I will either
    need to find longer wheel studs, or switch to SteelTechs Ford setup. I was not able
    to find a listing for wheel studs for a Studebaker rotor that are longer then stock
    wheel studs. Also, with Avanti rotors costing close to a car payment, I think that
    swaping to more common parts is the best bet.

    I bought the rims, with 245/45 series tires. Here are the pics - Tom :


    Avanti03Rims1.jpg
    Avanti03Rims2.jpg
    Avanti03Rims3.jpg
    Avanti03Rims4.jpg

  3. The Avanti II should have the flanged DANA 44 rear axle. Thats a pretty strong

    axle, and wouldnt really need to be replaced with a 12 bolt. It is also debatable

    whether the 12 bolt is actually stronger then a DANA 44. Also a 12 bolt would be

    a GM bolt pattern, and not match the current "Ford" pattern in the front.

    Studebaker powered Avantis put lots of hp and torque through the DANA 44 axle

    with little problems. Only the tapered axle cars had issues:

    http://patriot.net/~jonroq/Text/flangedaxles.txt

    Tom

  4. I'm looking to buy a 64 r1 avanti from out of state.  p/w, a/c  What  should I look for before I buy?  I'm having an inspection done...but- do they always know?

    Thanks for your insights

    The basics to look for are the same for a Studebaker Avanti as with any older

    vehicle, so a good inspection will give you the same results as say a 55 Chevy.

    With the Avanti, since its fiberglass, someone who is familar with older Corvettes

    could be helpful in finding the signs there has been an accident, or a repair.

    One area that many are concerned with, are the sub-floor boxes, these run down

    the sides of the car and stiffen the frame up. They have a tendoncy to rust

    away and even though replacements are available, they are not cheap to do.

    Just keep in mind you are buying a OLD car, so its going to need work, unless

    you have some documentation that things have been done, in that case have

    the person inspecting it CONFIRM that those things are done, usually the price

    you pay will reflect whats been "repaired", be careful not to get scammed!

    Tom

  5. I want to have either 16 inch or 17 inch diameter rims on my 63 Avanti, I would

    like to run a 275/40 series tire, though will probably end up with ~ 245/40. I have

    been eyeballing the 03/04 Mustang Cobra rims, but the offset is wrong. I know I

    can get bolt-on adapter/spacers, and know that people have put them on the early

    Mustangs. I have been surfing the web for rims that fit early Mustangs and they

    all look so crappy. Has anyone already done the fitment proceedure and knows

    what rim size/offset/width is max for an Avanti? I have a set of Keystone rims on

    the car now, they are 14 (too small) and 7 inch width. I have 245/60 tire on the

    rim and it clears. Because of the small diameter, it gets close to the zerk fitting

    and the tie rod. I figure with a 16 or 17 it would clear those areas. The Keystones

    were bought for my Hawk, and transfered to the Avanti after the Hawk was totalled.

    I want a 5 spoke wheel, the Cobra rims look like exactly what I want, but I would

    rather not have spacers if I can avoid them.

    2003cobra5sidebg.jpg

    Tom

  6. im wantin to restore my 63 r2 but i dont know who to trust . stone has good prices but im new to this whole web thing. <_< help.ps thanks gunslinger

    Wow .. if you know how to get hold of Stone by the web, please let me know! I

    have been trying to call the guy for a while and its always a machine. I want to

    see if he will trade a good Hawk fender for a set of those headers he sells.

    I agree that different vendors are good for different things, thats also true for the

    local parts stores. It all depends.

    Tom

  7. You can always simply replace all the gauges with new VDO or Autometer units.  Besides being superior gauges you can really individualize your car with them.  A bit more work but it can really add to the appearance and be a practical upgrade.

    I have the opposite opinion about VDO and Autometer, they seem like a major

    step down from Stewart Warner. Why not just get a SW replacement from stores

    like NAPA? They still carried them last time I checked. A friend of mine years

    ago replaced all his SW's with Autometer, and they looked so cheap in comparison

    to the SW's. I have a box of them in my garage from after he totalled his car.

    Chances are the Tach still works, I would bet that there is a disruption in the signal

    and once thats cured it would be fine. Does the gauge move from 0 to 500 when

    you turn on the key, or is it ALWAYS at 500 regardless? I remember that my

    buddies Autometer used to stay at the RPM that he turned the key off at, but the

    SWs should settle down to 0 when the key is off. If it moves from 0 to 500, then

    its doubtful that its a bad gauge.

    Tom

  8. HAS ANYONE FOUND A SOURCE FOR INSURANCE THAT WOULD ADMIT TO THE VALUE OF THE CAR AND NOT JUST THE AGE WHEN DETERMINING VALUE FOR ACCIDENT COVERAGE.

    It comes down to how much you want to PAY for your insurance, you can do an

    actual cash value amount with most insurance companies. I have my 63 insured

    as however they classify it. To insure it was a collectible would double the bill

    monthly. If you document the condition well, then if something happens to it, you

    then have to prove the value. I did this on my 1960 Studebaker Hawk. At first

    they were going to give me 1500 bucks, I told them to find me a comparible car

    for that money, they raised it to 2500, I laughed. We finally settled for 5000 and

    I got the car back. I had about 10k into the car at the time, but the it was all in

    the undamaged drivetrain, which I recovered and gave the rest away.

    Even if you insure it as a collectible, the insurance company will "forget" how much

    its worth when the time comes to pay up on it, either way you will have to prove

    the value, and fight to get the money back. Definition : Insurance Company.

    I have been fairly happy with Allstate.

    Tom

  9. My 84 touring coupe uses the same 305HO that the Camero Z-28 used. The belts carb etc are all the same as the Z-28. I'll bet that your 81 is also. If in doubt get in touch with Dan Booth at Nostalgic motors.

                                                              Charlie

    cbk RQB3921

    So its easier to find, it is spelled "Camaro" with an 'a'. :rolleyes: I think that the

    base Avanti didnt get the HO engine, so its most likely just the run of the mill 305

    that GM used around that time. My dads 78 Avanti used a 350/400 combo.

    Tom

  10. I am in the same place as you, though I did remove the bumpers off my dads

    1969 Avanti years ago. I dont remember any "tricks" involved. I also need my

    bumpers replated, the back one is peeling/rusting. If I take them off soon, I

    will post anything I find out. Right now this is a "back burner" project that I am

    gathering info for.

    Tom

  11. Well, the R1 heads suffer from the same drawbacks as the standard Studebaker

    heads, so much so that there really isnt much different between a standard 289

    and an R1. Your engine will benefit greatly from porting and larger valves. You

    can get larger intake valves from many of the parts distributors, and the porting

    can be done by someone local to you thats TRUSTED. There is a lot of metal in

    the combustion chamber that can be removed, along with up into the runners. I

    went with 2.02 stainless steel narrowed neck extended Chevy "NASCAR" valves

    turned down to 1.94. The exhaust valve I also went with stainless, and they are

    1.6 inch head. The combustion chambers were cleaned up and the "shrouding"

    was removed. This was good for some SERIOUS power gains, and not noticeable

    under the hood. I also went with a 276 duration R3 cam, chrysler solid lifters and

    then shortened pushrods. I never got a chance to get the engine on a dyno B4

    I totalled the car in a stupid accident. The engine waits in my garage to end up

    in my 63 Avanti. I can not use the whole engine (it was from a 60 Hawk), but

    the 'guts' will live on ... along with the above mentioned heads. ;)

    Tom

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