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stroker70

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Posts posted by stroker70

  1. I have just installed a new replacement dash pad over the fiberglass 1963 dash. It was purchased from a reputable vendor and is new - although I have had to store it for about a year before I got time to do the install. The pad fits rather tight and I had quite a job getting it on.

    The bottom edge is held in place with clips but, the top edge has no mounting hardware except for three studs above the vanity. There is a 2" lip of vinyl and backing foam all along the top edge. On the original dash this was folded over the top edge and glued in place. The 2" lip on the new dash is about 1/8" thick - vinyl plus a foam backing. It is quite stiff and doesn't want to bend over the upper dash lip.

    My problem is how to attach the top of the dash to the fiberglass. There is now way that I can see to fold and glue as per the original. I am thinking of using small pop rivets so as not to weaken the fiberglass - and with pop rivit washers to better hold the vinyl.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated.

  2. There's a source for shifter indicators for '68-'82 Corvettes converted to 200-R4 or 400-R4 transmissions that have the 1-2-3-O detents.  It won't fit an Avanti without modifying the console as the indicator is flat as opposed to the curved one an Avanti has. 

    I'll see if I can find the information on the supplier and post it.

    I read on another forum that McCloud? I think, was tooling up to make a bellhousing for studebaker V8's to adapt modern transmissions like the T5 & T56. I think that would be even more fun to convert the auto to a stick and have the overdrive gear. I hope someone really does make the parts, It would really modernize the drive train and make daily driver status more of an option.

    Chris

  3. With a "built" Studebaker engine, and a 700-R4 trans in my Hawk, I would get

    around 25 mpg on the freeway.  Avantis are not really "light", weighing in at

    over 3400 pounds, my Hawk would have been about 3000 for the coupe.

    Tom

    Wow Tom, at 25 mpg I gotta believe that 700r4 would be a good investment with gas moving back up towards 3 bucks a gallon. Would that trans hook up to the stock shifter, or what are guys using in this conversion?

    Chris

  4. The best fuel economy I have been able to get on my 63 R1 is around 14 to 15 MPG and thats long freeway trips with minimal traffic. Im a Bit dissapointed given the Avantis Good aero shape,light weight, and small 289 engine size. Im curious what you other owners are getting and if you have any tricks to increase the fuel economy. I always use premium grade fuel and even added a snake oil on the last LOF. Has anyone done an overdrive automatic or 5 speed manual trans swap? Gotta be a huge improvement with that swap,but you can buy a lot of gas for the price of that type of upgrade.

    Chris

  5. Does anyone know of someone who makes a mandrel bent full exhaust for the

    Avanti?  I know Silvertone makes a crush and bend, but I want a performance

    exhaust with minimal restrictions.

    Tom

    Tom, I doubt if anyone make a prefab mandlel exhaust, but don't let that stop you. Im in SoCal and have inquired about the same thing for my Ranchero. Chino valley muffler will cut and weld up a system from pre bent pieces (they dont have a mandrel bender) for around $500.00 with performance mufflers and nice tips. A little further up north is BOB'S MUFFLER in Bakersfield that acually have a mandrel bender and will bend up a complete system on whatever you want.

    Im curious how your car runs when you are done. I have a 63 R1 that I would like to up the power on in a stealth type way.

    Chris

  6. I thought Id pass this air filter option along to anyone intrested in a little free horsepower. I put a filter for an 85 mustang 5.0 in my R1 and noticed a definate power improvement. It is very close to the same diameter as the original but taller so it unshrouds the sides of the filter lid. No problem with hood clearance.

    Chris

  7. 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

  8. Just wondering If if anyone out there has done any hidden modifications to the R1 engine to pump up the power. Ive not seen any performance intake manifolds avaliable from the aftermarket,so i think I will find another set of heads, do a home port job on them and stuff the largest valves that will fit in them. After that the exhaust system looks like the next bottleneck in performance. I just love the Idea of looking stock under the hood and sounding mean as hell. Does anyone make a slightly stronger cam then the R1? This car is an automatic so I dont want to lose any torque on an engine that has very little to begin with.

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