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I understand your frustration. As an unpaid volunteer, I administer the campground WiFi/Internet system. We have over 200 users. Let there be a slow down, or heaven forbid an outage, and I am the devil incarnate. I should demand that they triple my salary!

The tabs are definitely fragile. When I got the trim piece that separates the carpet from the upholstery on the door cards several years ago, one of the tabs had to be reattached. 60 year old car, too much fun!

Wow, I am really underpaid. In addition to publishing Avanti Magazine, I administer our AOAI website and forum gratis… as an IT professional I should be getting $120,000 from the AOAI at minimum. 😎😎😳😳

More power to him… however, when I’m paying dues to a not for profit car club, and I want to know how my money is being spent, I do not think I should be retaliated against just for asking the question… which is exactly what happened to me.

Do not know the admin's salary, but the median salary nationwide is around $115,000 for IT professionals, according to Glass Door. This seems reasonable. When I retired in 2012, my salary was $120,000 for enterprise architect.

Allegedly, the site was hacked and ransom exceeding the administrator’s salary by many multiples is being demanded. It is clearly a high value target.

Hi, Paul, A bit of advice from experience: I received a rebuilt booster in January for my '64 Avanti. It was nicely painted, but there were pits (from rust) all over it, which showed through the paint. This booster will likely have the same problem. So, if you can get the rebuilder to glass bead the booster but leave it unpainted that would allow you to finish it as you want. In my case I would have used Naval Jelly (phosphoric acid jell) to make sure that all of the microscopic rust was gone, then filled the pits with finishing putty. Then paint. --Dwight

I think that demand probably drives the price more than anything. It would be interesting to know the average age of Avanti owners. Are there enough younger fans out there to replace those of us who will eventually “age out” and sell in the next 5 or 10 years? Will the market get flooded? If demand drops then auction prices may drop. You can bet restoration prices won’t drop. Guess it’s on us to keep the Studebaker and Avanti story alive so there is a healthy supply of future owners. Mike

I’ll tell you one thing… although the Studebaker Drivers Club is (supposedly) non profit, never ask the Stude Forum administrator his annual salary!! (Hush-hush!)

Amen!

That’s an interesting point..I’ve never seen the reference that you mention Bob, but it would validate ‘factory orange’ Paxton superchargers on some Avanti models. (as well as black) The very first Avanti I ever saw (a Gold R2 four speed) definitely had a black supercharger. Once again, either black or orange has been accepted by present day Studebaker Avanti expert judges at major meets, so if it satisfies them, it satisfies me! And frankly, I feel orange looks way better than black painted superchargers on Avantis….My own ‘63 had a black blower when I purchased it years ago.. but it’s ‘Chevy’ orange now!!

Why then, are so many Avantis equipped with orange superchargers? The production data booklet shows a photo of a pre-production R2 engine with a black supercharger and a caption that reads “Production cars were fitted with orange superchargers from the factory.”

Yes, it's been awhile since my last post... Thanks to all who have replied about my emblem. I guess it's not really an issue for me, since I actually like the "swoosh" appearance. I'll just let the next "caretaker" deal with it, if they want.

The quote “Price is what you pay, value is what you get” is attributed to Warren Buffet/Benjamin Graham. Price is arbitrary, value is fundamental. Determining the value of a stock is difficult and complicated, however getting a reasonably accurate result is possible. Finding stocks that were priced below their value made Mr Buffet a wealthy man. Determining the value of a 60 year old vehicle may be as difficult as determining the value of a publicly traded company. Each of the ~4500, ‘63-‘64 Avanti's would need to be evaluated on an individual basis. At this point in their lives, no 2 cars are going to be in the same condition. This makes it unreasonable to state a value for, say all ‘63 R1’s. Some are projects, both big and small, some will be DIY jobs others will be farmed out at current shop rates. Some will be nice drivers, others may win a ribbon at a local car show, a few will be trailer queens. True or not, it is often said in the classic car collector world, that you’re better off buying a car that someone else fixed or restored. Not everyone wants a project. They want a car that can be driven for fun and shown simply for the sake of showing it to others. They are frequently bought with disposable income and little to no intent of ever being sold. What we end up with are broad strokes of ratings from 1-4, when it should probably be 1-100. Then we get an average for each group. It’s the best we can do unless we have each car appraised and then add that information to the registry.

Gunslinger, what is the recommended mechanical brake light switch?

If you think about it it would make sense that two colors were delivered to the factory so as there was no mix up on the production assembly lines. Lark Hawk being orange on one line and Avanti being black on another line. They are clocked different for the exhaust outlet so don’t interchange without some dismantle/reassembly.

I have noticed several reupholstered Avantis missing door SS trim, including one of my Avantis. I doubt that the owners wanted the trim pieces left off, so maybe the upholstery shops are the culprits, leaving them off intentionally. Or, perhaps the tabs on the ends broke off. --Dwight

Bob.. 2 points on Your info/ 1) A Hobby and a Job can be one in the same especially if You love what You do.. A Hobby can even be a 9-5 option if retired and dedicated to it. Also there is no reason to think a Hobby cannot show a profit, and be considered in a Business like Fashion. To not do so is throwing money away.. which is fine with me if the thrown cash is headed my direction by me buying at around 50% of said value.. And those deals are out there and offered by sellers. I don't have to lowball Sellers.. They lowball the items themselves. 2) Car values are as you say variable and somewhat dictated by the History of Sales. It's the only indictor we have. Sooo .....there needs to be a Honesty in valuation, but thats up to the Buyer to determine. And yes, the prices cannot be determined by being uninformed or blinded by a Love of something vs actual market value.

I haven't checked the Booth or Myers. I was hoping to help another owner clear out a closet or garage shelf if they happened to have the trim pieces. We all seem to have more than a few Avanti parts stashed away.

That was addressed here:

Wow!… The Studebaker Drivers Club account has been suspended! Not sure why, however I do feel the SDC forum has been mismanaged for quite some time….. Time for a new Studebaker Forum administrator (finally!!)

I'm trying to find a replacement slip yoke for my original TH400 tranny. I believe a C3 'Vette 68-81 used the same quick-change slip yoke, but I can't find dimensions for that part number anywhere, "CA-41277". Anyone know it this is a good replacement or know of another one? Most I've researched are longer than the 5.5" (overall) unit in my car now (pic attached).

Excellent idea!!

I took mine to the body shop to have it replaced, but they found that it was a bad ground. They also put a manual release cable on it so that access to the trunk is possible the next time it malfunctions (or with a dead battery.)

RQB3263/81/305 .... GOOD MORNING GUY ....I found the rams horn headers in Summit ... your appear to be the chrome version ...is that correct.... and do you have a part number for your valve covers ?? .and how bout the ARP exhaust manifold bolts ??it sure looks like im going to blow my 2026 Avanti budget in January YAAAAA..... if you feel like calling me 386-466-6434 in florida.... otherwise HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL ......BILL