Jump to content

Jim78

AOAI Forum Members
  • Posts

    273
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Jim78

  1. I realize that there is much discussion regarding the relative benefits of DOT 3 vs. DOT 5. I recently upgraded my brakes to Turner. When I disassembled the old original calipers, I was amazed at the condition. After 36 years, they were virtually like new. The brake system had DOT 5 from the factory.

    I had a similar experience with my '63 Avanti, after changing it over to DOT 5 many years ago. The only issue was the old pressure-operated stoplight switch. Changing to a mecanical switch on the pedal cured that, and had the additional benefit of faster operation of the brake lights.

    As WayneC noted, the easy test to determine fluid type is to add a few drops of water to a sample.

  2. "The shop that changed the A/C refrigerant claimed the problem was the rheostat in the A/C temperature control was not passing enough current to properly engage the magnetic clutch on the compressor. This lack of current caused the compressor clutch to slip which resulted in overheating. They installed a relay that passed current directly from the battery to the compressor clutch when the system engages and thus far this has corrected the problem."

    This sounds like the wires were incorrectly installed on the controls. The rheostat powers the yellow wire to the variable speed fan motor. The brown goes to the clutch from the thermostatic switch. The black is the power.

    .DSCF5904.jpg

  3. I enjoyed attending the Avanti Airlift tribute at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum on June 28th. There was a lot of informative discussion among the Avanti owners present and the museum staff. I was motivated to go home and learn more about the original airlift. After re-reading "What Ever Happened to N-5201?" (Issue 164) and "Avanti introduction was in now-historic aircraft" (Issue 144), I noticed something odd. The original aircraft pictured with an Avanti logo on the tail boom is N5102. The aircraft featured in issue 164 is N5201. Is this a typo, or has the wrong aircraft been "discovered"?

  4. IIRC, I read that the difference in the spring bolt height was to compensate for the driver's weight, so the ride would be level with the driver only.

    The 3/16 spacer may be necessary due to the length of the wheel studs. The Magnum 500 lug nuts are closed end. Without the spacer, they may bottom out without fully tightening. I recently installed Turner brakes on my Avanti, and I had to shorten all of the studs on the rotors about 0.090" because of the lug nuts. I didn't want to use a spacer since it would bring the tires closer to the fenders.

  5. Same exactly here. Usually don't care for RWL tires but they look great on our cars.

    Yours looks lower in front than mine.

    Beautiful car. Love the color. Your spread in the background?

    If I could I would post a comparison pic. System won't let me.

    There is one posted elsewhere in the thread.

    The paint is BC/CC 1978 Buick "Firemist Red" which is the original color of the car. The pictures were taken at a meet at Penn's Cave, here in central PA. I was able to include the picture by using a link to Photobucket.

  6. Actually, the apparent stance is due to the camera angle. The car is basically stock with a few cosmetic changes. I attempted to attach a profile shot, but haven't quite figured out how to make it work on this forum.

  7. I checked the centering on my RQB2758. It is within 1/4", wheels vs. body. When you measured, was the axle off center with respect to the frame, or just the body? I would expect that the axle would be centered on the frame. The body may have been assembled and/or mounted to the frame off-center. Is it possible that the back-spacing on the two wheels is different?

  8. You can certainly take our suggestions with a grain of salt...it's your car. When it come to suggestion of converting to the Turner brake system...the original system is an excellent design. There are a couple of potential issues...first it was originally designed for cars about 1000 pounds lighter so it's more or less at the edge of it capabilities with a car the size of an Avanti. It's worked since day 1 and can continue to do so. Now...if it needs serious maintenance such as calipers and rotors...while available, they're quite expensive. To replace these parts if necessary runs as much as the entire Turner kit, so it's pretty much a no-brainer doing the conversion.

    That's all I was getting at...you can decide as you go through the car.

    Just my 2 cents worth... My Avanti has 36,000 miles, and the original brakes work as well as they ever did. They were great brakes when first used in '63. I was recently driving on the PA Turnpike, which was a 70 mph, bumper to bumper trip. I realized that most of the vehicles in front of me could "out-brake" me. Dropping back was of little use, as someone else would pull into the gap. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. My Turner brakes arrived this week.

  9. The Stant #6817 is a good number. I bought one today after convincing the kid that there really is an Avanti listed on his computer. Of course, the computer didn't list the cap. The kid disappeared and came back with a pile of gas caps for me to try. Fortunately, the #6817 was among them.

  10. Thanks, Bruce. That will give me a start. I'll take my old cap along to check the match. I've found that going into most FLAPS and asking for a Stant #6817 will befuddle the kid behind the counter. They need a make and model to punch into the computer. I'll try the '75 Camaro approach.

  11. I am interested in adding cruise control to my '78. Has anyone BTDT? Anyone know what the source was for the cruise control that was offered at that time? Anyone got a parts car of that vintage, and interested in selling the cruise control?

  12. When I bought my '78, the P.O. had removed the cow catcher, and installed fog lamps on the frame extensions. Apparantly there was a kit marketed at some point that included brackets to mount the lights. While better than the cow catcher, I really didn't like the looks of the fog lamps. I owned a '63 for 29 years, and I guess that I'm partial to the original look. So, I cut off the frame extensions and replaced the grille with an early one.

    Since the frame extensions include the mounting point for the body (core support) they cannot simply be discarded. I supported one side of the core support with a jack and removed the frame extension. I used a band saw to cut the extension, at an angle, just in front of the body mount. Then I reinstalled and repeated for the other side.

    This leaves the issue of the grille. I bought a reproduction sold by a large Studebaker parts vendor in South Bend for $200. It was absolutely junk. It was made without the correct perimeter trim, was welded together backwards, and didn't come close to fitting. Need I say more? Avoid these. NOS grilles are very rare and expensive. As mentioned above, alternatives include filling the gaps in your existing grille by welding in pieces of stainless wire. I preferred to go back to the original look. I was able to find a used grille at the York swap meet for $100. It had a broken wire and was a little bent. After a bit of TIG welding, straightening and polishing, it looks like new.

  13. On the top of the steering column, just inside the firewall, you will find a plastic switch with 4 wires attached. It is a combination neutral safety switch and back-up light switch. It sounds like the switch is just barely being made in the park position. There are two screws that hold the switch in place, in slots to allow adjustment of the switch. Loosening the screws about 1/2 turn allows the switch to move. Moving the switch very slightly clockwise may be all that it takes to cure your problem. Just make sure that, after adjusting the switch, the engine will start ONLY in P or N, and not in R or D, and will still start in N. It's a fairly delicate setting. Also, check the operation of the back-up lights in R.

    There is also an adjustment in the rod that goes from the transmission to the steering column. Lengthening that rod slightly may also cure the problem.

    The other possibility is that the switch itself is going bad. You should have the MOPAR steering column, so finding a replacement would involve some research.

  14. I often have people ask what my '78 Avanti would have sold for when new. I don't have any documentation from the original sale. Would anyone have an idea of what the typical "base price" would have been in '78?

  15. I agree that the turner set up is the way to go . I was really looking for a set of caliper seals for the bendix calipers just to get me on the road if i could clean the bores and pistons. I also need the full set of control arm bushings and hog troughs. I am streched a little thin at the moment and thought if I could get the stock brakes and bushings in for the mean time I would register the car and use it occasionally. I have a triumph gt6 for sale and if I sell it I will have some cash for the two current projects, my TVR and Avanti. I would have thought the seals were easy to get but most major sites don't even acknowledge the bendix calipers.

    The seals are available from Studebaker International, and other Studebaker parts vendors, I suppose. The seals are essentially a flat rubber washer on each piston. The dust cover seals can be re-used if not damaged. The question is how badly rusted your calipers are, and whether you can get a leak-free seal if they are badly pitted. Given the cost vs. new calipers, it may be worth a try. I would suggest getting a copy of the shop manual that outlines the proper procedures for changing the seals. You can damage the calipers if you do it incorrectly.

  16. I will also try and salvage the back half of the system and use earlier engine pipes for a true dual system.

    I thought that I might have been able to salvage the stainless mufflers. I found that the ovals were not a good fit when mounted forward in the "X" of the frame. The rear sections of the tailpipes were the only items that I was able to salvage.

    The straight system has the downpipe, downpipe to muffler, muffler, muffler to tailpipe, tailpipe, exhaust extension on each side. On my '63 Avanti, there was an "equalizer" pipe between the two pipes in front of the mufflers. I haven't seen this "H" pipe arrangement in decades. I guess that the flow improvement didn't justify the cost.

  17. Hi, I am new to he forum and just become the owner of RQB 2464 which is in pretty good mostly original shape with the exception of a few minor and one major item. The car needs hog troughs but I will address that at a latter date. My current focus is the left side engine pipe that comes down next to the steering drag link. The pipe has been smashed almost flat to allow the steering arm to make a full swing. the pipe is at the end of the travel of the arm. Is this normal? Could the wrong manifold be on the engine. Is the pipe wrong? The car still has the cat and fake dual exhaust. I am thinking of doing a true full exhaust but if the d/s pipe has to be smashed to fit I guess there would be no benefit to true duals.

    Believe it or not, that ugly pipe is from the factory. Like you, I couldn't believe that they would restrict the pipe that badly. Last year, I converted my '78 to straight duals. I installed stainless pipes that I purchased from Don Simmons (Silvertone Exhaust Systems, 519-485-1966). He had not done a system specifically for replacement of a catalytic equipped car. I used pipes from the system that he sells for 65-74 Avanti II. The d/s downpipe is shaped in such a manner that it is not crushed like your original.

    The important consideration is which of two possible manifolds types you have on the engine. Don can give you specifics on what to measure to determine the type that you have. IIRC, it is the distance from the outlet flange up to the centerline of the bolts that attach the manifold to the block. There are two pieces to each exhaust pipe, and two pieces to each tailpipe. On my Avanti, I found that the rear part of the tailpipes (over the axle) were the same as the originals, so I didn't need to replace them. I used Thrush round glass-packs for the mufflers. There is some tricky alignment getting that many components turned and twisted to snake through the frame without something touching. I would not recommend attempting the job without the benefit of a lift. Don can also supply new hangers and very nice HD stainless clamps. I would recommend buying them.

  18. Like some other things, everyone has an opinion. I have been an SDC member for over 40 years, and have encountered all sorts of people with various opinions about the Avanti. From its introduction, there were people who thought that the Avanti was the best, or worst, styling in history. Many think that the Avanti II was the best, or worst, idea.

    I drove a '63 Avanti for 29 years. I now have a '78. I can't say that I've encountered "snobs", but I do know a number of people who feel that the Studebaker Avanti is the only "real" Avanti, and that the Avanti II is something less. As an AOAI member, I have met a number of people who feel that the Avanti II is a superior vehicle, and would like to divorce it from its Studebaker ancestry.

    "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself"

  19. Not sure about the ones built on the GM chassis.

    The earlier ones had a flapper opening in the trunk so that air would flow in the front vents, around the package shelf, and out the trunk.

    cbk

    Do you have any idea of where in the trunk this flapper might have been located? I know that the '66 Studebaker sedans used this type of system, venting through the tail light housing.

  20. When I open the fresh air vents on my '78 at highway speed, there is a marked increase in wind noise around the doors. Apparently, this is due to increased pressure inside the cabin flowing out. Opening a vent widow reduces the door noise, but creates its own noise from the turbulence.

    I seem to recall hearing that later Avanti models had a vent to create a "flow-through" that provided an exhaust for the cabin air. Is this correct? If so, where was the vent located, and how did it operate? Is this something that could be retrofitted to a '78? If someone has already invented this wheel, I would rather avoid duplicating the effort.

×
×
  • Create New...