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I have a 64 Avanti, when these air ducts were first introduced. As someone informed me when I inquired on the forum, they provide little cooling to the transmission shifter in reality. I've driven mine around with new hoses and the air that exits the hose is just a wisp at best. As far as hose replacement, I found that the hose used for water supply to your washing machine was a perfect fit, it's plastic so won't deteriorate like the originals, they're plenty long enough and will need to be cut to length, they have the same ID and they're inexpensive. There are some foam gaskets that the hoses go through, 2138-71 that also deteriorate over time. I found some foam with a tacky backing on amazon that I cut out to replace them, again a synthetic that may last longer. However, all said and done, as I mentioned, at 65 mph, very little air blows through. I'm toying with the idea of making a small scoop for the air vent cowling in front of the window. Something simple out of sheet metal about 3/4" high, maybe it'll catch enough air flow to make these functional.

But, if you live in a relative cool climate, normally, even with alcohol in the fuel, you should not get boiling gas in the carburator. My Avanti did have a sporty cam and ran a bit hot. I did fit a thick gasket between intake and carburator, that solved the boiling. Also, check the timing. If off (to late if I remember well), the engine runs hotter then intended.

So…somehow I lost my gas cap. Any ideas on what replacement fits? Anybody have a spare they want to sell? TIA

In his book They Call Me Mister 500...Andy Granatelli spoke of the supercharger problem and they found that builders were not mic'ing the balls to make sure all were identical diameters...thus some were carrying too much of the load under use and failed. Could this be the issue raising its ugly head again?

Stefan.. This is an issue we almost all deal with.. Indeed the gas is boiling in the carburetor and can actually cause vapor lock. One big help is ilf you can find and use fuel with no alcohol... Makes a big difference... Beyond that you will have to block the cross over in the intake during hot weather.. Perhaps look at an electric pump with increased pressure which may also help some... Gasoline is a real problem anymore... I know some who put a quart of oil in a full tank of fuel which seems to help! I have the added issues of living at 9200 feet and no alcohol fuels.. Just hope for cool days.. Good luck with it.. Drive that beautiful car.. Ron Husak

Hi, I have the problem with my 1963 R2 the engine always after 30min or so. Now, looking for the reason I found out that the carburator gets very hot so that the gasoline is almost boiling in there. Does anyone have the same problem and/or have an recommendations what I can try to isolate it so that it does not get that hot?

You are right on the traction required. The traction actually comes from the steel balls giving a little bit at the interface with the race. Sort of like where the tire meets the ground. A friend tried precision ceramic drive balls in a blower thinking since they were lighter they wouldn’t have the tendency to spread the outer races from the centrifugal force at higher rpm. What happened is the balls easily slipped on the inner race. The ceramic balls did not flatten at all at the interface so could not get traction to transfer the energy. As for Valvoline synthetic trans fluid not working out in your blower I’m not sure what to tell you. I’ve had multiple failures with type f fluid and none with Mobile 1 synthetic. A friend down in Australia just wrote me the other day. He has less than 2000 miles on his rebuilt Paxton running type F fluid and it started growling so is now off the car and into the repair shop. Also, at one time Paxton Products used the engine oiling system to lubricate the blower. They discontinued that method but I think due to contaminating the engine oil when the inevitable blower failure occurred.

Planetary ball superchargers need a certain amount of friction to operate properly. If the fluid is too slick the planetary balls will skid rather than spin and roll and develop hot spots and fail.

Was the lower radiator hose changed? If it’s the old one the inner spring could have rusted away (or a new hose missing the spring)…and the hose is collapsing under vacuum and acting as a coolant blockage. Another possibility is a wrong or defective radiator cap. If your car has a closed system and a cap for an open system is there coolant will not return to the radiator. If the cap cannot hold pressure it will run hot. Also…was the system burped after being flushed and refilled? There be an air bubble blocking coolant flow.

I installed a rebuilt blower on my R2 and used Valvoline Synthetic Transmission Fliud. It has less than 2,000 miles on it and is now growling at me. So now I get to spend my money again. Lesson learned no synthetic! Type F only! Just thought I would pass that along. John C.

Your carb is leaking at the well plugs and the float is iffy if stock. You can get all the parts that you need for your carb model at: https://quadrajetpower.com/ This Texas based company only offer service and parts on Qjets. You can supply them with the carb #, which is on the main body of the carb and they can send you whatever parts you need exactly for your carb. You can also call them for help.

Jim, Here are my thoughts on where you are. First, you want to set the electric fan turn on temp at about 180-190, turning it on before the thermostat opens does nothing. It should also come on with the A/C if you have one. Next, I'd remove the thermostat and run the engine without it and see if the problem still occurs. If so, and assuming the water pump is good, then you have a blockage of rust in the engine block or a leaking head gasket or cracked head. There is a tool available that can detect for a blown head gasket/cracked head by detecting exhaust gasses coming out of the radiator cap area when running. (I'd check for that with the thermostat removed so you are fighting the thermostat). If there aren't any exhaust fumes in the water, then a blockage in the engine block is a probability. If this is true, then you can remove the rear most freeze plug on one side of the engine block and get as much of the rust out of that side of the engine. Install a new plug and then do the other side of the engine block.

Thanks, that makes sense. I also saw where the well plugs could be an issue, but the post discouraged JB Weld, or similar because heat deltas would cause the plugs to leak again. But no alternatives were given. Do you have an idea?

That’s terrible about your burns!! A ‘72 Avanti would normally have a small block 400 CI engine… Did someone change that out for a 350? All else being equal the 400’s tended to run hotter. I swear by an engine driven viscous fan inside a full fan shroud… but that’s me! Take care!!

If your Q-Jet has a composite float, it could be starting to sink due to fuel saturation… I believe a carb overhaul with a new float thrown in is in order here. When carb is apart, the well plugs at the bottom of float chamber should be checked, as fuel leakage past those plugs has always been a chronic problem with this type of carburetor.

Thea has 68,000 miles, and generally runs well. Cold starting, however, is an issue, as it's always flooded, even after a week of not driving. Why do I know it's flooded? because if you don't hold the throttle at least 1/2 open, or god forbid, pump the gas, it'll be a while before she finally fires and belches black smoke. Even so, it takes a few moments for all cylinders to fire and there is still some black smoke. Once she's cleared her throat, she runs perfect. Plugs are clean, too. First, it's not the choke, as I've left it blocked open and on even chilly mornings, it did the same thing. While a kit is a reasonable start, what areas should I pay special attention to?

OK, I installed a brand new aluminum radiator, new water pump (and 180 thermostat) and an electric fan enclosed in a shroud that covers the radiator. I flushed the system until all the rusty water was clear. I run the engine and she still got hot up to 240 on the guage. I shut it down and let the fan run. (the fan kicked on at 160). It go so hot the lover radiator hose blew of the water pump as I walked by and my back was scaulded with second degree burns that landed me in the hospital burn ward. I'm deeply disapointed in this car and don't know what to do next to get it to run cooler. My 87 with a 305 had all the same new componets and it never got hotter than 150 degrees even in heavy traffic on a 90 degree day!

Thanks. I just discovered last night that the amp was held down by two squares of velcro at opposite corners. I spent too much time agonising about how I was going to get the amp off and in the end it was a simple affair.

Most likely 1204 was the first car they owned that was wrecked. After their insurance company found them a replacement, the insurance company probably sold 1204 at an auction, and it was subsequently rebuilt with a different body (what I have today).

The amp on mine was attached with double sided tape. Wire harness plugs into the amp so once I got it loose, it wasn't hard to get out. Then the radio was next. There wasn't a rear bracket on the radio on mine, but there should have been.

I agree Dick…. And thank you Mike P. for the great photos of your nice work!

I took the radiator out of my 82 model, had it disassembled, cleaned and put back together. Worked like a champ.

Are you selling or buying?

Thanks to all that provided insight into this issue. Since my AC was apparently installed after the initial build, the folks who installed the AC must have just left the hose in. THIS IS A GREAR SITE FOR GETTING QUESIONS ANSWERED!

Thanks for your help and the photos!