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jvespey

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Posts posted by jvespey

  4. Thank you, Avanti83 (SweetOlBob)

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    I wanted to publicly thank Bob for all the assistance he's given me over this year in nudging me in the right direction with my radiator and cooling fan upgrade. I followed Bob's example with the aftermarket radiator and used his guidance to select an electric fan, new shroud and fan controller. Every time I got stuck I knew I could send Bob a message and he'd get back to me with his experience, photos and recommendations. Thanks, Bob - you are a credit to the Avanti community!

  6. Condensation in Temp and Fuel gauges

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    After just over a year off the road for a "simple" project that grew and grew in scope, RQB-4245 is back on the road as of this past weekend.

    Now that it is back up and driving, I noticed the temp and fuel gauges seem to get some condensation on the inside of the glass faces after the car has been running a bit. I do recall that it did this before, also, so it's not apparently related to anything I did over the past twelve months.

    The temp gauge, on the left side of the instrument cluster, fogs first and then the fuel gauge, on the right. Speedo and tach do not fog at all.

    My first thought was perhaps a leaking heater core, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this before and gotten a resolution?

  7. 87 Coupe door seal

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    Apparently there was a change partway through the 83 model year and a different sealing setup was done through the 85 models.

    Dan Booth is sending me a set of what is correct for these cars and I should have it next week. I'll start a new thread and update it once I have received them.

  8. 87 Coupe door seal

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    I bought a pair of these seals and they don't look even close to what is on my '85.

    Jim, do your windows have the metal frame around them or no?

    Do you have any close-up photos of the seal area so I can get a feel for how they are mounted - perhaps these can be made to work...

    Thanks.

  12. Any other 84-85 owners have this?

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    Tim Ingle (via the AOAI Facebook page) posted the attached picture of his '85 confirming this was a factory install:

    Interesting setup, and maybe normal for the 80s, but not for today.

    I ended up using a radiator/electric fan/shroud similar to what Bob has used, but decided to go with this fan controller:

    http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rfw-ar67

    Mostly because of the variable control and A/C switch - engine cooling in Houston is nothing to screw around with, at least this time of year.

    post-9533-0-49618400-1406473877_thumb.jpg

  15. Any other 84-85 owners have this?

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    Thanks, Bob. I looked at the Derale unit and it has mixed reviews at Amazon -

    http://www.amazon.com/Derale-16749-Adjustable-Fan-Controller/product-reviews/B000CNAMMQ/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

    So I am looking at a Ron Francis Unit like this one http://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AR-67

    Which seems to be similar in operation to the Derale unit.

    I still wonder why i couldn't use the existing switch in the side of the block and wire it up as it was originally. Isn't that how the car was set up originally in '85 with the electric fan?

  16. Any other 84-85 owners have this?

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    My '85 originally came with an electric fan setup. Service orders from the selling dealer that I got with the car indicate that the original owner was not happy with how it cooled the car in the Houston summer, so it was replaced with a fan/clutch and shroud sourced from Avanti Motors.

    When I replaced the radiator I was surprised that it's marginally greater thickness means that the fan/clutch won't clear the radiator - I was okay with that and decided to go with a modern shroud and flat electric fan. For others that may have done this, what have you done for a sensor to trigger the fans? I presume that L69HO engine had something in there originally for the factory installed electric fan to operate but don't know if that is still there or not.

    I did find what looks like a temperature probe and a rheostat-looking device in the front left corner of the engine compartment. Not sure if this was part of the factory setup or something else...any other 84/85 owners have this or recognize it?

    probe1.jpg

    Thanks for any tips/thoughts -

  19. Avanti Logo Key Blanks

    in Avanti Information

    Posted

    I have a key blank supplier that has offered to make Avanti key blanks with the Avanti logo on the head.

    I recently bought some from Lew via the Avanti Magazine, but I believe they are for a late 80's Avanti.

    I realize there were probably several different types of keys used over the years from 63-90, but does anyone know which ones for which years?

    Once the tooling is done, the logo can be applied to any style of blank in nearly any quantity.

  20. First Avanti I Ever Saw!

    in Avanti Pub

    Posted

    First Avanti I ever saw in person was at the factory in the summer of 1984 - http://avanti4245.wordpress.com/2012/09/

    I had learned about the car from a book titled "Elite Cars" that was given to me by my brother when I was 14. It must have had an effect on me as looking at it now I have owned or own several of the cars featured in this book!

    First Avanti I drove was RQB-3515 - at the time (2000? 2002?) it was for sale on eBay just across the river from St. Louis in Illinois. Came close enough that I bought the build sheet for it from Nostalgic - which I still have in my files here. In the end, I remember it not being exactly what I wanted in terms of color combination so I passed on it.

    I notice that the car is listed on Bob Johnstone's registry as listed on Ebay in 2007 with lower mileage and a different history than I was told at the time...wonder where it is now?

  22. A couple of nice (and not very expensive) upgrades for an Avanti...

    in Avanti Information

    Posted

    I have one of these armrests from "northeastavanti@aol.com" in my car. Super happy with it. This is some sort of imported car console that the seller modifies slightly and fabs up a special bracket. I got mine from him in the velour material as he acquired it and then had my local trim shop re-upholster it in a blue that looked close. The flash in these photos really makes the blue look brighter than in it is real life.

    https://plus.google.com/photos/102481779718767426915/albums/6015658376191253905?authkey=CIOMkeTA5Z7yrAE

    Installation was straightforward and all hardware is included along with photos and instructions.I highly recommend it.

    James

  24. radiator?

    in 1984-91 Avanti

    Posted

    Got the radiator installed over the weekend, and the fan looks like it will interfere with it. My '85 is "weird" in that the previous owner removed the factory electric fan set up and had the dealer replace it with a shroud and fan with a clutch. I'm re-using the shroud, and was thinking I could re-use the fan, too. Were you able to use the original fan in the 83 as shown above?

    Thanks!

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