StudeNorm
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Posts posted by StudeNorm
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Ok. Thanks. I somehow remember reading they are now available but that may have been in a dream. Hahaha...
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I read recently about repo rear quarter seals now being available but I have lost my source... Can someone direct me to the vendor? Thanks.
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I will venture 'false' as the R3 type (factory cast) headers probably were not in production until the R3 engine development was completed.
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My '63 Avanti had a "loose" feeling steering system when I got it and I was concerned about what it would take to fix. I shouldn't have been... If your bushings and kingpins are worn, replace them. Mine weren't so I gave them a good shot of grease. If your P/S pump is weak, fix it. Mine was so I did. If your steering box is loose, rebuild it or adjust it. Mine only needed PROPER adjustment, which is a critical part of a tight steering system. If your bell crank is sloppy, fix it. Mine was but it wasn't worn at the bushings so I installed the proper shims and tightened down the cinch bolt. If it seems to want to wander, align it. Mine did so getting this done right was critical! I started with a basic machine alignment at a good garage and tweaked it from there. Remember that it does NOT align the same when radial tires are fitted.
The end result of all this is that it is now one of the tightest handling Studes I have owned (30+) over the years, and this is with a heavy supercharged Stude V8 up front.
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I seem to remember seeing it closer to the rear of the car, at least compared to mine... so false.
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They stopped regular production?
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Over the years I have owned and dismantled a number of Larks from '63 to '66 and all the a-arms I removed came equiped with the shafts with the eyes. I always thought that was normal on a Stude and even used that point for attaching tow chains when required (too often back in the day but I could never resist back country trails, even in a Lark). I'm not sure if I would recognize a pre-63 shaft and where else do you hook up your chains?...?
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When I listen to that video I hear a cold engine and no attempt to keep it running using the throttle. It also sounded like it hadn't been set up for proper idle and maybe wasn't jetted for the elevation. Normal idle speed for most hot cam engines can be over 1000 rpm and this one WAS NOT THERE... Perhaps 'just coming off the trailer' wasn't the best time to get a video of that car! I will allow it to be parked in my driveway beside my R2 Avanti and I will even setup the idle, gratis...
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I had a non-viscous fan on mine when I got it but am not sure if that was correct for the car or done during its rebuild back in the 80's. I have since installed the viscous clutch but the fan I was sent did not fit so I went aftermarket for now. I do know you can't use a non-viscous fan on a viscous clutch so I am not sure how that might affect this question... Over the 2 years it could be 4 different types.
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One thing to note is the heat sink used for the LED bulbs. Make sure it will fit in the headlight bucket or behind it and not stick out too far to the rear and interfere with the body panel. There are very specific instructions with some of these lights requiring air flow, clearances, etc. I have found that there are a number of different configurations to consider.
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On 21/12/2018 at 3:48 PM, mfg said:
As far as stainless steel brake cylinder sleeves slipping.....instead of blaming the sleeves, I think you boys need to question the technician who did the job.
PROPERLY INSTALLED stainless cylinder sleeves don't "push out"!
Ed, I was relating a story that happened to me around 1989 or so, back when sleeved calipers were fairly new in the market. I am blaming the sleeves but who can know if it was bad machine work or bad manufacturing procedures or bad installation or?....
I am not sure who you mean when you say "technician who did the job". The rebuilt/sleeved calipers were ordered through Newman and Altman and I expect they had some 'technician' installing the sleeves into the calipers. I had a licensed auto mechanic install the calipers on the car and I know he did a proper job. The fault was definitely with the caliper and there was no way to know that it was going to fail until it did. I paid my money, took my chance and lost. At least the damage was minimal and I did get a replacement caliper no charge...
Have yourself a great day and a Happy New Year!
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On 24/12/2018 at 3:46 PM, mfg said:
I wonder how many folks nowadays, if they happened upon a '63-'64 Studebaker Avanti with an R4 under its hood, would consider swapping it out for an Oldsmobile (or any other engine??)
Methinks NONE!!
Methinks you are correct....
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25 years ago I had a sleeve push out one night coming down a hill in my 62 GT. Ended up in the ditch. My Avanti has had DOT 5 fluid in it for at least 30 years and has worked flawlessly since I got it 5 years ago. I got a box of brake rebuild parts when I bought the car so I know the cylinders were rebuilt back in the day.
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Decades ago when my daily driver was a Studebaker I upgraded to H4 halogen lights and had the circuit breaker problem occur. I wired in a relay and dedicated power wires for the high beams and this fixed my problem. I do not recall needing a relay for the low beams. The Avanti I have now has halogen lights and all work as advertised. I don't see a relay system mounted under the hood so the previous owner may have upped the breaker to a higher rating. I suppose I should check. The dimmer switch idea of avantifred is cheap and easy to do so you could start there. Just throwing this out as something for you to consider.
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I would always check Bob's Studebaker resource site before pretty much anything else when I decide to dive into a new project http://studebaker-info.org/rjtechdec2017p1g.html. This is a great resource for any info you might need. It has so much info it is a little daunting to get around but after using it for a while it starts to make sense...
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If you have power steering I might be more inclined to go with electric PS and install a modern compact AC pump where the PS pump is. I expect the 60 amp alt would handle the PS system but don't know what the power requirements of electric AC would be. How about one of those evaporative things that mount in the window?
I would attach a couple of pics of my wiring setup but I am not allowed to post any more than 160K now.
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15 hours ago, mfg said:
Norm, when you have a chance, will you please 'walk us through' the wiring setup for the Toyota alternator single wire conversion in a Studebaker Avanti?....Thanks!..Ed
Ed, I used the wiring diagram I found on Bob's site under http://studebaker-info.org/Tech/Bhend/avantalternatorarticle1.pdf This was 4 years ago. The diagram and instructions were fairly easy to follow and once I identified the wires at the original regulator it was also fairly easy to decide which ones to keep in the circuit and which ones to wire up to dummy terminals on the old regulator (I do have an electrical/electronics background). To keep the original wiring two wires need to be spliced together and this is noticeable so I may gut an old regulator and install my splice inside it. The wires to the amp meter were left intact and I installed a short jumper on the alt itself to provide the one-wire charge function. That wire is also a giveaway for my install. l believe the judges in Tacoma noticed the wiring wasn't correct at that point and docked me for it. I might make the jumper much longer and route it into the loom at some point down the road so that it looks like a "normal" three wire alt. I don't have any good photos of my install and the car is put away on my hoist but I will try to get at it and post some pics here this weekend if I get a chance.
Points to ponder... I have read the opinions of some that the Avanti amp meter is not a bypass meter so it gets full charge current while the car is running. I have never had an issue with that, even when I had to jump start with a dead battery. The needle threw hard to the right for a few minutes but never "pegged" and eventually came back down as it slowly charged the battery back up. I will dive into my wiring diagrams this weekend and get back to you on this issue. Also, I have never had the "problem" of the alternator needing to be revved up before it starts to provide a charge. When my engine is hot it starts without setting the choke and settles at about 700 rpm right away. The amp meter immediately shows it charging '+' and then settling back to '0' after a couple of minutes.
Time to take a breath...
Later...
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My solution to a failed charging system was to install a 60 amp Toyota based 1-wire alternator. It was relatively cheap ($85) and it even looks almost as original equipment. I bypassed the regulator but left it in place and have not had a single problem since. You say you are upgrading instead of restoring so this might be a way to kill two birds with one stone... you get a modern hi output alternator and no longer have to deal with a flaky external regulator. Just sayin'...
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They are available at most of the vendors who advertise in the club mags. I had to change mine out right after I got my R2. Best thing you can do is join the AOAI and SDC even if it is just for the connections to the vendors and membership. I am not sure about that funky inside rearview mirror but it must work a bit better than the stock one. LOL... Good luck with your new project.
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I read that the frame was NOT supposed to be used and the suspension points (rear forward spring mount and front ... blah blah point) were the "natural" lift points for a 2 post hoist, otherwise the body flexes and you get cracks. My car shows micro-cracks and a seriously beat up tranny cross member from being lifted at the wrong points. The problem is I can't remember the exact wording used to describe the front suspension lift points so... I pass.
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I had my car judged in Tacoma at only one event. The SDC judges awarded me 360 out of 400 points. I thought the AOAI judges used a 100 point system so I could have received 90 out 100 given comparative rules. Now I am confused.
I will agree with Gary
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I believe the authenticity 'awards' were gold, silver and bronze. So 3, unless there is also a platinum, then Gary would be correct.
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When I first read this I thought Fiero. Not sure why...
rear quarter window seals
in Avanti Pub
Posted
Excellent news.
When I brought my car home 5 years ago I got caught in a torrential rainstorm beside Mt. Robson, BC. It seemed to me that there was as much water coming in the rear wing windows as around the fronts. I have since got the fronts adjusted but still try to avoid ANY chance of driving in the rain. Now I keep two large terry towels in the car, just in case...
Count me in for a set as soon as they are available.