boogieman
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Posts posted by boogieman
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"Made in Canada, right?" is the most asked question or comment if they know what the car is.
"Who makes it?" second if they have no idea.
"It's fiberglass?" the most asked third.
I've even had people rap on the body with there knuckles to test the answer. IDIOTS!
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My '79 had the same problem, a crack in the tank at the mounting location.
I am sure that over-tightening the mounting nuts and solidly mounted attachment method
caused the stress crack problem. Possible freeze related issues too.
I removed the tank, cleaned the edges of the crack and used clear epoxy to make the repair
both inside and out. Testing the repair before re-mounting shows no leaking.
Looks decent enough for a driver.
When remounting the tank, I used an 1/8" thick, 2" diameter rubber washer as a cushion both on
the tank bottom and the underside of the dash mounting location, and ny-lock nuts and fender washers
to snug the tank down and hold, but not exert undue stress on the tank.
It has a small amount of give yet is securely in place.
And the repairs/upgrades don't show.
Problem solved.
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If all else fails, simple chase the threads with the appropriate die.
Good idea to chase the threads on every re-used bolt anyway.
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I have a '71 price guide / speck sheet if you are interested.
Was looking at a '71 but passed on it for my '79.
It is 9-1/2" x 6" printed on blue paper.
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Seems there is a shortage of info on the sunroofs in our cars.
I found a guy yesterday that has extensive knowledge and experience with these sunroofs.
I had him make the body seal that goes around the front and sides of the sunroof,
between the roof edges and front and sides in the closed position.
He has the parts and knows where to get parts for the ASR sunroofs, drive cables, motors,
seals, etc..
He says these same units are still being used by Mercedes as he has worked on them.
Contact info is:
Nicholas
972-841-3869
Located in Grand Prairie Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth.
Possibly this info can be archived for everyone's benefit.
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Nice wheels too.
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As much as we would all like to know these figures, the lack therein only adds to the mystery and mystique
of these cars. And the mystery only deepens with the passing of time. Special cars they are.
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On my '79 the pulleys are black. The finned aluminum valve covers are left natural with
no paint or polishing. They do polish out nicely if you decide to go that route.
Or polish and paint.
Looks good with a polished intake, too.
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Finally decided on wheels/tires for my Avanti. Wanting to use the rare wire hubcaps that came on the car originally
I am going with 225-70-15 on 7" wheels on the rear and 195-65-15 on 6" wheels for the front.
Gets the nose down a bit, easier to steer with a slightly smaller tire, and easier on steering components too.
Not concerned about rotating the tires for wear.
The existing 215-70-15's are, in my opinion, too small for the rear and too big for the front.
The 7" Magnum 500's I can use on another car.
As the school semester winds down I have accomplished all I wanted to do on my car.
Next is a front-end alignment, getting the A/C serviced, and some windshield time.
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Several owners have commented on replacement hoses not being the same as OEM. Might think about a hose
repair/rebuilder in your area and have new hoses mated up to your hose ends to get the angles correct.
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I drove my '79 for the first time yesterday after making the adjustment to the box.
Amazing how tight the steering is now from such a simple adjustment.
That and I rebuilt the steering ram that was leaking, so pressure is now maintained in the system.
I went 3/4 turn tighter initially. Too much resistance. Finally settled on 1/4 turn tighter.
No basis for comparison but the steering feels great. Nice and tight, precise, with very little
if any play in the steering wheel.
AI has the quick ratio steering arms. $125/ pair.
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Other than worn suspension and steering parts there should be an adjustment screw/lock nut
on the outside of the steering box. This is accessible through a hole or cut-out in the lower left
splash apron area in the wheel-well. I had to tighten my '79's to lessen the steering wheel play.
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I just now called and left them a message. We will see if they respond.
Just for grins, what were your set-up and design costs?
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Thanks for the info. Any way you can post a picture? I need a set of these for the factory wire hubcaps
that came on my '79. The original emblem dried and cracked, flaked off, but I have remnants.
Original is 2-1/2", white background, with Avanti script logo, like the front and deck lid badges,
printed on in black. Putting the hubcaps back on the car and need something to replace the centers with.
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Of the 150 coupes and 73 drop-tops I cant find a breakdown on sunroof production numbers.
My guess is that most coupes had the sunroof.
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Maybe a commercial hydraulics supplier/repair company in your area can rebuild yours. Worth a shot.
I rebuilt my P/S cylinder. Nothing to it if you can find the repair parts.
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So, after 16 hard hours of rubbing compound and power equipment wrestling, the paint is
much better on my car. The milkiness is gone leaving a uniform finish. Much deeper dark Brown
than I expected. The metallic really pops now. Now on to hand finishing the areas the buffer
could not reach. Then final polishing. Should be another 16 or so hours there but well worth
the effort.
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Very interesting.
In a side note, couldn't help but notice the 4WD Pinto in the background.
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Thanks for the heads-up but my car is so original it aches. Planning on keeping it that way.
I was just passing along a tip on how to restore, to some extent, the existing lenses.
In the last 2 shop class days I have began the paint restoration process.
Using 3M Machine Rubbing Compound and an 10" electric polisher and terrycloth bonnets.
While not perfect by any means I am thoroughly pleased at the shine still in the paint.
The gold metallic really pops against the chocolate brown paint.
After this process I will go back over the car using 3M Finnesse Polishing Compound.
Then several coats of Meguires hand applied wax and buff out using a lambs wool bonnet.
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So, yesterday at school I fired -up the car, checked the power steering fluid, filled to the
mark and found no leaks in the rebuilt ram unit. Very pleased with that.
Now when turning the wheel from lock to lock, as the wheel approaches straight ahead, the
resistance in the wheel increases. Past center, going in either direction, the effort decreases.
There is also a "shuddering " feel in the wheel going from center to either direction of turning.
I did tighten the steering box adjustment set screw 3/4 turn inward. Have backed it off to only
1/4 turn tighter but am now getting excess play back in the steering action. The steering wheel
turns before the wheels do. This may be normal. I have no basis for comparison except what this
forum can add in response.
Any thoughts or insights welcomed.
And I removed the backup lenses and bezels for cleaning. Using some 3M Machine polishing
compound I brought the lenses back to almost new. The center convex portion is clear and not
"frosted" like the surrounding area of the lens. Who knew?
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Not getting much response here.
Got the underside of 2897 all cleaned-up and refurbished.
Suits me just fine.
Thinking of going back to the OEM wire hubcaps on slightly wider steel wheels.
Have seen a picture of the car from years ago with the wires. Looks pretty good.
More GT-ish than anything else. And different too.
The Magnums now on the car are not originals.
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I was a junior in high school in '64 -'65. There was a brother and sister,
Billy and Cindy Smith, who's dad owned the local import car market, namely Renaults,
Jags, and the like. Snuffy Smith Motors to be exact.
I was very familiar with the Avanti being an avid reader of everything
automotive, Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hot Rod, etc.
Coming back after Christmas, the first week of January '65, the "gear heads", like me,
were stunned at what pulled into the parking lot.
Billy led the procession in his new '64 Red Avanti with white interior and
immediately behind him was his sister in her new White with red interior Avanti.
Both identically equipped with automatics, R1 engines, A/C, full power equipment, hard loaded.
Needless to say those cars made my '62 Sport Fury Hardtop look slow and dowdy in comparison.
Never imagined that someday I would own one too. But the seed was planted.
I still have vivid memories of that day.
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I have been using SI for parts too. Excellent service and very fast shipping.
Good people to deal with. I ordered several items on Tuesday.
Had the parts in hand that following Friday.
And every item was correct too.
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Your car, your engine, your choice.
I for one wouldn't take a chance.
I personally don't have the answers.
Merry Christmas!
in Avanti Pub
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My brother got me a nice "AVANTI II" logo driving cap for my '79. NICE!