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Brad Bez 573-318-8948. What sort of work are you looking to have done?

Just moved to Kansas City and have a couple 63 R2 Avanti's and looking for a good mechanic that understands them. I'm willing to trailer to wherever I need to go within a 500 mi radius, any suggestions?

It’s possible that he has already done this. We really don’t know that much about his doings.

Did the problem begin at the same time with the two motors? If so there might be some kind of cross-connection in the wiring creating an overheating issue requiring the circuit breakers or fuse to trip/blow. I would check all the ground connections as well as connections to the fuse box. After so many years the connections could be corroded making for overheating of the wires. The motors themselves might need overhauled...maybe the wiring harness itself has become suspect and required replacing.

The ones that Lionel Stone had cast used the original tooling. They were somewhat difficult to get good castings. When we used that tooling back around 1972 the foundry had to scrap about 20% of them.

He should order a rule book and determine what class he might fit into with the LS3 before he spends a lot of money to modify the car with a full roll cage, replacing side and rear windows, installing engine and interior fire extinguisher system, parachute etc. etc.

I am ninety-some percent an originality person. I do make exceptions for safety, reliability, & drive-ability: wider wheels, radial tires, electronic voltage regulators, LED light bulbs, modern batteries, modern paint, etc. I do like a Studebaker to look as original as practical. One biggie: The paint color should be as close to original as possible, but I am never going to paint a car with lacquer again - urethanes are so much better. --Dwight

I forgot to mention, both motors run fine for a minute or so before the circuit trips.

Thanks Bob. Basically I paid too much for the car and am upside down after what I have done ( no surprise there, eh?) so I'm going for broke and donating all proceeds to SNM, The Studebaker National Foundation, and McPherson College of Auto Restoration. So donating the car won't work to help all three, and maximizing the sales price by advertising it as a 100% donation is my goal. BaT can do that by collecting the sales price and donating it, ensuring the buyer that all proceeds go towards these 501(c)(3) organizations. I've not yet approached Hemmings, but assume they will work in a similar manner. I'll post later when I list it, after I make a few repairs and give it a good detailing. And I'll ask everyone to get the word out to help all three organizations.

Am going to agree with 'gunslinger; you can move the water too fast. For adequate cooling you need an adequate volume and area to transfer heat. My heating problem was solved with a re=cored radiator with 50% more volume and 50% more area for heat exchange. You have to move air through it, too. I found a 6 blade stainless steel flexfan worked far better than the original - and it is much, much lighter putting less stress on the water pump bearing.

I’d guess motors need lube.

My ‘83 is like that…. on not so often used passenger side.

64. I can't speak for the classification my ''acquaintance'' is shooting for. And I agree... We do whatever feels right.... that said... When I found my '63' R2 in 100% stock condition, I don't have the heart to modify it. (well except the brakes to ''Turner'' since I live in a mountainous area.)

Has anyone replaced the retractable shoulder seat belts in an Avanti II? My belts in my 1982 are hard to pull out in one motion, have to keep pulling and releasing to get them to come out far enough to buckle.

When I turn on either the wipers or heater (or both) the fuse will blow. I replaced the fuse with a 30 amp breaker and that will trip after a minute or two. The guages and shifter light are on the same circuit. Is it because the motors are old and pulling too many amps? Any suggestions to keep them safely running?

Too bad there’s no mention of the vehicles history in the description. What sort of commission or fees do they charge to consign?

Thanks for the information.

It's the Dolenz car that I recently restored. I consigned it to Gateway last week.

It's not a lense, it's the entire light assembly. Both of mine were broken and I was unable to locate where it came from since there weren't any markings on the light. I found an import light assembly off ebay which fit the car using the factory mounts. www.ebay.com/itm/234000006178

Gateway Classic Cars in San Antonio just listed a Red ‘89 convertible for $26,000.

RQB3263/81/305 ... I ALSO HAVE RECENTLY REMOVED AND NOW UP FOR TRADE SBC ... OEM VALVE COVERS, STARTER, EXHAUST MANIFOLDS, AND MISCELLANEOUS STUFF CALL BILL'S CELL 386-466-6434 IN FLORIDA ... THANKS

GOOD MORNING DWIGHT RQB3263 HERE FROM COLD FLORIDA ....THANKS FO THE PICS BUT YOUR PUMP IS DIFFERENT THAN MINE ,,,,, THANKS FOR THE TRY .... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ...SUMMER IS COMING ....BILL

Shocks: After A LOT of reserch I've decided on KYB front shocks for my 1980 Avanti for the part numbers that fit a 1980 Chevrolet Corvette. I'm going to double-check the dimensions and mounting style, but I'm told that in most cases, these will fit and perform well. If you want absolute certainty, consult Avanti or Studebaker specialty suppliers (as usual), but many Avanti owners use Corvette shocks with great results. They're supposed to be better at handling the extra weight of the Chevy 350 engine. I haven't tried them yet but will in the next two weeks and get back to y'all. Any thoughts on this? Also, I need a pair of sway bar end links but can't seem to find anyone who knows what I'm talking about. Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology.

Doesn't look like it. The link to Craigslist is no good.

Here are two pix from slightly different angles. I can take pix of the other side if it matters. The pulley is a single belt. --Dwight