All Activity

One thing I forgot to mention while we’re on this subject….I’ve had good luck with the factory Stude Avanti R1&R2 automatic choke system…HOWEVER!… There are two adjustments that need to be made at the plastic choke cover… a summer adjustment and then a winter adjustment…. (At least for those of us living in hot/cold climates) My ‘63 R2 works best with the choke cover rotated to the ‘three lean’ position for winter operation… and then to the index mark or one rich for summer start up….. of course, all engines/carbs behave slightly different… but my Avanti seems to run best using those settings!

Suggestion… don’t remove/alter any of that original wiring… just tie it back using wire ties….. Unless you are going to ‘show’ your Avanti and do it for esthetics, I believe you’re better off leaving it all intact…. Just unplug and remove the electronic control module….and either manually (or through the use of the many aftermarket kits available) activate your lockup torque converter. I did the above when eliminating electronic engine controls on my own ‘83 Avanti, which I use for everyday transportation, many years ago… and have had no problems whatsoever! (also…remove the fuse at fuse box sending power to the ECM…. and, of course, you will need a non electronic controlled distributor and carburetor)

Methinks he is speaking of this

It would be helpful to provide a photo(s) of the harness in question.

No, I bought a kit off of Amazon called "EASYGUARD EC004 Smart RFID Push Engine Start Button kit & Keyless Go System" for about $25. There are a ton of these cheap systems available or you can buy some for a few hundred dollars. I decided to go cheap with a kit that has a fairly high rating and see how it does. These kits can interface with later model key fob cars also.

Sharp... do you use a latching relay for the start/stop button?

Wow!!!… Really, really nice !!!!!

There were 2 gauges in the dash that were inoperative plus the lettering was a dirty yellow due to age when I bought the car. I had done a SW gauge upgrade on an 82 that I had and wasn't satisfied with the night illumination on those new gauges, so I decided to go with AutoMeter this time. They offer LED bulbs in several colors and I decided to add the Red ones to the new gauges as well. During this upgrade (which included a new dash pad among other improvements), I stripped the old paint off of the aluminum panel and installed a glossy carbon fiber wrap. (the wrap will be used in other dash/console related areas as well). In the 2 photos below, you will see 4 other changes. I replaced the amp meter with a volt meter. I added an A/C vent to the left side of the dash and replaced the ignition switch with a modern push button start button. The turn signal and high beam indicators are LED's too. To me, this modernized the dash yet also kept most of the original design elements. There will be a forth coming A/C article among others in the near future. We really like how the gauges turned out!

I am in the process of replacing the 305 in my 1983 Avanti with a 350 and am taking advantage of this effort to include the removal of the ECU. As I was pulling the wiring harness through the fire wall I found a handful of the wires making their way to a double ganged plug / connector vice making their way out to the engine compartment. This same connector set has wires using the same firewall pass through. Any clues??? As we know the wiring diagrams for the Avanti are somewhat lacking....

Hi everyone, here's a quick update. I've moved the leaf spring pivot point slightly forward and higher. This hasn't lowered the body, but the rear swing lever is no longer fully extended and the car has better suspension.

Good move on the surge tank replacement kit, too. I did that with my R2 almost 50 years ago and have no regrets, or leaks. Still have a couple of the kits on a shelf in the garage from when I used to sell them last century. A good upgrade.

Yes and eventually front and rear Turner disc brakes.

I installed that same Ford type power steering pump cover on my ‘63.. Very convenient! You’re probably thinking of updating to a dual brake master cylinder?

Looks good!!!

I will add that the carb I worked on had been rebuilt by a well known vendor, looks brand new and was installed prior to my purchase of the car. My post was to show a how to improve the function of the carb on cold starts. A small investment and a short amount of time created the performance gain that I was looking for. If I wanted to replace the carb, I would move to a Sniper or other brand of Fuel Injection. Since I am making some other serious modifications to the car as we speak, I wanted to retain some of the stock components on the car like the fuel system, at this time. Stay tuned for more upgrades.....

Exactly Correct!!

Hi Roy- I'm yet to get my Avanti II Body onto my new Frame so your story interests me. One query, though, where you mention using rubber in some Frame to Body. Where did you put these exactly- only steel shims should be used throughout the mounting points, so I don't think rubber should be in there. The only rubber I found were two on the top of the Crossmember above the Rear Axle 'kickup' and they were only taped in place at the factory (don't really know why they are even there). My photos in an earlier post on this thread show what came out immediately after the Body lift. Just askin' !

BTW, "RUSH SOLD" was an indicator to those in the factory that the car had been ordered by a customer through a dealer, as opposed to a dealer ordering a number of cars to have on the lot, or the corporation sending a pre-arranged shipment to the dealer under a franchise contract. It meant that a customer had been given an expected delivery date. If the car has not had a full restoration and body repaint, the word "RUSH" may also be written in grease pencil on the outside of the body tub under a fender or on the engine side of the firewall.

Go ahead and find em.

Hi Paul… someone more knowledgeable may chime in on this, but in my opinion ‘Avanti Black’ was a legitimate option from the ‘get go’…. only to be discontinued, and then brought back as an extra cost option. If you’re asking what was the serial # of the first production Stude Avanti painted black… I haven’t a clue! Paul S, by the way, owns a gorgeous ‘Avanti Black’ ‘63 Avanti R1

1500 to 2000 rpm

Studebaker engineers identified an occasional ‘flat spot’ when throttle pedal was floored on some of the supercharged (only) Avanti engines at engine speeds above …..?…… RPM. 1) 900……2) 1500……3) 2000….or….. 4) 2500

That is true

Carburetor choke thermostatic springs & housings are not the same on R1 and the R2 Studebaker Avanti engines…..True?

I have a flyer for 63 Avanti's and it list the five available colors. I have R-4499 and there is no final assy. date, it just says "RUSH SOLD". I was wondering when they started painting them black. I know they only painted 115 cars black.