Geoff

This first image is courtesy of Leo B. I saved it earlier and I'm only re-posting. The forums have undergone changes where earlier image links are no longer valid. I have the ability at this particular time (during the tear down of my 1985) to sit in and photograph the area in question. I brought this photograph into an image editor and overlaid some dimensions with text. If somebody wanted to make one of these panels to kill the vortex/eddy (I know I will at some future date) these numbers should get you close enough to trim your way into a finished project. 26-inches of width (more if you want to bend up sides to close the lower side gaps) and 17-inches of length, plus some tin snips or a rotary tool, and you'd have a *fingers crossed* weekend project. The fascia's inward lip could be a good lower mounting location. The top could either feature small U-shaped reliefs (openings on the engine bay side) so the panel slides around the radiator frame mounting bolts, or drill holes and push the bolts through.

Modern factoids: LS1 & LS2 are close bore & stroke matches to the Studebaker 342 & 364 "would'a been" blocks. LS1 was 3.898" bore by 3.622" stroke. Kinda cool those are what came in the Firebird based Avanti. LS2 was 4" bore by 3.622" stroke. It's why I'm putting a 364 LS in my Blake build, as a head-nod to Studebaker. If Lee Zeldin keeps waving his magic wand, I will eliminate the PCV system and drill 2 holes in each of my valve covers to insert breather caps with the blue Studebaker/STP sticker on them. Let freedom ring, indeed!

Ah! Maybe a parallel is plastic drywall anchors?

I opened my Edge browser and in one of the windows with scrolling tabs, this popped up: https://www.chairish.com/maker/raymond-loewy?msclkid=b6f34baf462b18dc1ffa23b798695846

Okay, lemme kick in the clutch and try this again. Number 4, American Motors

I'm guessing numero uno, Chrysler.

I am unfortunately a bad reference point to ask, as my car was left outside with a leaky moonroof 24+ years in an alternatively snowy and humid climate. Disassembly for me just involves grabbing and pulling. Pruning shears have been used. The sawzall will be coming out to separate the frame from, well ... both from itself and from the body. I'm going to plunge cut my Blake with an oscillating multi-tool to put the turn indicators back in Raymond Loewy's location. I bet you have the picture now. So I am guessing here but I would handle a nicer car by first removing the side trim pieces and the roll bar cover (which I believe is held on by those triangle shaped pressure-fit clips). That should give access to edges of the headliner where fingers or tools like hooks or scrapers could get in and start to gently pry apart. The thing I keep reminding myself, and it was true when I was working on 63R-1025 also, these cars weren't assembled in a very complex manner.

How large of a logo? Would you want the logo to span the whole side of the cover, or one reasonably sized logo centered over the hood / bonnet? And do you mean the logo with the skewed three stripes with Avanti lettering in red and the arrow? Or would you just like the Avanti with the arrow? I have the ability to save as an .eps file and could probably make one fairly large. There aren't any [® ™ ©] hangups associated with this are there?

That's what I've heard from J. Pepper, that the heads put on the last of the performance Studebakers would have been more at home with the 3.875" or 4" bore blocks. Oh if only Studebaker could have been in business exactly 10 more years, and bowed out with the oil crisis, Dec. '73. Due Cento could have returned to Bonneville on dry salt and recorded 200 MPH. Maybe ... possibly ... a privateer team campaigning a 5L Challenger in 1966-1972 SCCA Trans-Am?

Thank you for that suggestion. My current plans involve some research to find another vehicle's spoiler style moonroof to install in my car. The spoiler style slides over the top of the car when fully opened. I was advised by a sunroof company this gains as much as 1.5" more headroom over the inbuilt type. If I become extremely anal retentive adhering to Colin Chapman's, "Simplify, and add lightness" another alternative is to buy the least expensive sunroof type which either pops open at rear, or gets removed and stowed to be opened. Two other choices I have involve closing the hole. I could DIY that with either fiberglass/FRP, or maybe some tinted polycarbonate/Plexiglass and seal out the air but let sunlight in.

No problem. I shall be removing that moonroof as these next seasons progress. 4174 is getting torn down to bare minimal levels, as I have a massive build in mind.

I took the car cover off today, it was finally warm enough for that. Here are some behind the scenes peeks at what lies beneath (above) the headliner. My poor basket case was left outdoors 24-ish years, uncovered with a leaky moonroof, so um, rust happened. But besides that, this is how the moonroof is in the car. I'll be taking this one out of the car in my quest to build her back to my specifications. My post above this one goes into that. The first image is looking back from the windshield The second is at the rear, the rear glass is to image's left. Last pic. is along the left side, looking toward interior's rear.

How is your research coming along for this question? I have a 1985 that I'm tearing down completely and don't need many (if any) parts out of it. That being said this thing sat up to her rocker panels in Mother Nature for quite some time. I'm ditching the whole shebang, no more solid axle, leaf springs, or auto trans. Once I remove things later this season I can take a leaf spring height measurement off the car. How much settling was done on mine? I don't know but my car didn't get driven at all post-1997.

Yep, seat belt light. My '85 has that light in place. Well had, anyway. I'm tearing down for a resto custo mod. But 4174 was a basket case anyhow.

That CHMSL looks like the ones used on the roll hoop of C4 Corvettes (1986-1991, plus all ZR-1). There are 'vette owners whom have swapped those halogen bulbs for cheaper and modern LED solutions. Search the Internet for C4 ZR-1 CHMSL LED and that should get all the necessary information to make the conversion.