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Avanti Shop manual....

Working on my '64 R2 and the factory manual indicates to torque the connecting rod caps to 52 ft lbs but watching the video of Petes' garage, he is working on a '62 289 and says the torque is 32 ft lbs. I doubt the torque is different for a '62 vs '63/'64 289 so is the manual wrong or is Pete? Below is the video, FF to around 29 minutes in to see his commentary,,,

‘65 through about ‘71 are possibly the best to rebuild…still using most Studebaker parts and the Chebbie engine makes things easier. Add to that Avanti II cars are all individual…few are exactly alike so you can modify them easily to suit your personal tastes. After about ‘71 Avanti Motors started changing things as original parts became used up and more to the point…meeting increasing federal emissions and safety standards they had previously been exempted from as a small manufacturer. The down side? Post-Studebaker Avantis will rarely ever maintain the value of original Studebaker Avantis in equal condition.

Both are out there. I’m pretty sure the hood bracket is the same as what the 60s station wagons used to hold up the rear window above the tailgate if that helps. Pb

63-64 were original Studie.. 65-89ish (or whatever the end of production was) were Chev small blocks. '01 -04 were Pontiac Firebird TA 05-06 were Mustang GT. The 65 and up series are the Best Buy since the prices are relatively low and the upside is the GM driveline is a easy car to find parts for. Hope that helps

So on the ''Vehicles for sale'' section... a '73' was listed. I bought it this past weekend It WILL become a derivative of that Photo.... I expect to do this for around $10k.

Thanks guys. Hope to hear more experiences.

Am confused re the 4(?) generations of Avantis. Not too keen on the first gen due to high prices and possible lack of parts. Of the next 3 generations which used Ford or Chevy engines? Transmissions? Frames? It's hard enough finding qualified mechanics to work on older cars as it is. I want one that is ready to go. Don't want a trailer queen. Limited mechanical skills I changed radiator/PS pump/starter etc on my 67 Riviera but am getting a bit too older to be crawling on the ground. Much thanks in advance.

Nelson, Yes ,this is the Paxton building on Olympic Blvd in Santa Monica where all the R3 and R4 magic happened. This photo is about a year old and the building was vacant at the time.

Bob. I that photo the old Paxton Products building?

Thanks for the compliment The same can be said for you, Bob. I indeed enjoyed our long conversations and look forward to more of the same in the future.

We met you guys at them Palm Springs meet last week. I think I remember Idaho plates on your Avantis? It must have been a great road trip! The no ac, windows down and loud sure brings back memories. I remember going to the nationals in Dallas Tex forty plus years ago. I drove down in a black 64 R3 stick. It was hot as hell all the way down and back. Over 100 degrees while we were there and humid. I was a lot younger then so I guess it didn’t bother me as much. I remember at that meet Denny Lockman showed up with his freshly painted 64 on a trailer behind his Buick convertible. I also bought an Avanti II while I was down there. I don’t even remember how I got it home. The good ole days!

I haven’t personally used it, however a number of friends and relatives have used FB Marketplace to sell vehicles. In some cases a car or boat was sold and gone within a few hours. It’s a little more work than the consignment process but it opens up the possibility of capturing the fees/commissions that would otherwise be paid to a dealer.

Has anyone replaced their power trunk latch with a manual one? I'd love to know how.

Bought it. Thanks Dave.

I agree with Nels 100% concerning the separate SDC and AOAI national meets. (stemming from a fued of some sort) From what I’ve seen and experienced since joining SDC many years ago, the Studebaker Drivers Club has become more like a business than a drivers club… Also, I believe SDC management’s big push to modernize the club turned many folks off….. A pet peeve of mine is when SDC ‘deep sixed’ the historic Studebaker Wheel emblem for the ‘modern’ emblem… not to mention that silly “We Invented Cool” motto!

Our SDC liaison is working with both SDC and AOAI to bring the clubs closer together. It was disappointing that there wasn't a swap meet especially considering how big that is with SDC. There will be an opportunity in the Sept Waxahachie Tx meet to attend one. In the meantime, you will be seeing a change in the hype part of the AOAI forums, notices, etc. in the near future. Thank you for your input.

An Avanti road trip is always an adventure. No GPS maps, no A/C, no airbags, hand crank windows, loud, and enjoyable. Just like it was 60 years ago.

Nelson, the fire will not go out as long as you share your Avanti passion with the rest of us. It was a pleasure to have finally met you in Palm Springs. Stay well.

I went with a friend and split the gas and motel room so those cost were minimal. The meet was 300 miles from eastern Phoenix. We left at 4 am and drove close to the California border and refueled as we didn’t want to get screwed on the California gas prices which were more than a dollar per gallon higher than Arizona. That fill up took us there, around the town for a few days and all the way back home. We booked two nights at a motel about five miles from the main event at $75 per night for two nights. Registration was $55, I bought an AOA 40 yr pin for $5 and we ate at McDonalds and Dennys. I met a lot of great Avanti people and looked over many Avantis. There was no parts meet so no costs there but that was a little disappointing as I drove my F150 thinking I might need it in case I bought something big or heavy. Fortunately that didn’t happen🤔. Over all I really enjoyed the show and I’m glad I was able to attend. I am disappointed in the lack of any type of hype prior to the show. Nothing on this forum or the SDC forum prior to the meet. It just seems like the fire is going out. The SDC and Avanti national meets really should be at the same time and location even if they had two different meet head quarters. They need to kiss and makeup for the good of both clubs.

I used Gateway Classic Cars, San Antonio, Tx to sell my 1989 model. Their goal is to make 15% but they started at 30% since they know there will be negotiations. Your cost of doing this is to pay $49 for a fresh Car Fax. If they get an offer that pushes them below the 15% minimum, then they contact you to see if you want to drop Your Price to get them back in the 15% profit range. I found the San Antonio store to be professional and did a good job at marketing. Streetside classics was also under consideration but farther from my home. I read all of their past 12 month reviews and found that all of the negative ones were from buyers who did not inspect the car that they purchased and discovered problems after receiving the car. In addition, you will sign a 90 day contract that prohibits you from selling the car outside of their business. Once the 90 days is past, you can renew for another 90 days or come pick up your car. My car sold at 75 days.

Good for you Bob… Driving these cars is what the Studebaker/Avanti clubs were supposed to be all about!!! Many happy future miles to you & yours!!

Folks... I'm running up against a wall. I need to sell 2 and maybe 3 vehicles... I'm looking at B.A.T. but some of You have talked about Brokerage Firms and saying they charge around 10-15% (which is fine). Then there is Hemmings.. I've purchased from ''Streetside Classics'' in Atlanta in the past, They seem reputable.. So basically I'm asking who You all use and what Your experiences have been ...from a good and bad standpoint. Seems I'm very good at the purchase side of things, but kinda suck at selling.

2 weeks ago I loaded the '63 with luggage and goodies with my wife/co-conspirator and headed to my brother Mike's house in Boise with intentions of going to the Palm Springs meet where my cousin lives with her R2 4 speed. After looking over my brother's Avanti (the Gattaca car), he decided to accompany us. We left on April 1st stopping in Hawthorn, Nevada then on to Palm Springs. Mike's wife flew in Sunday and 2 more of my cousins came to town. We had a great time meeting many other wonderful people with just a love for the Avanti in common. These were 3 of my uncle Dan Skidmore's, cars finally together in one place. The confidence in the cars grew every day and the experience was fantastic. A once in a lifetime adventure for us. We returned home today with many miles and smiles to remember. Thanks to everyone who helped put this together. Rob Dudley