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Bearwood, I’m very impressed with the work you’ve done on your Avanti’s braking system! About the front brakes… Do you feel the Mustang brakes stop a lot better than the original ‘Blake’ ‘84 Camaro Z28 brake system? I’ve always felt that the Camaro setup was a big improvement over the original Studebaker Avanti type Dunlop disc brake… used thru the ‘83 model year Avantis.

The gentleman that now owns the Avanti ‘R5’ engine is a visionary! Many years ago he had the initiative to pursue the Granatelli brothers for all the unique R5 engine parts, (back when no one else was especially interested in these parts), he finally acquired them…. Setting those parts to one side for years, he ultimately reassembled this one of a kind engine….. Now, I’m not sure if he’s using the original damaged block or not, and it’s been said the pistons were changed, but all the peripheral parts are now assembled, with the engine now sitting on an engine stand. Once again, it would be wonderful to see this unique R5 engine again under the hood of the Due Cento Studebaker Avanti!

Well said!

Yes they do!

The custom sill plates on that car that illuminate the name ‘Avanti’ when the doors are opened is very ‘Cool’!

Did he mention if there is any possibility of reuniting R5 engine with this car?

One detail on the ‘Due Cento’ I’m not very keen on is the full rear fender skirts! I understand they were added for important aerodynamic reasons… however, as far as looks go, I doubt if very many current Studebaker Avanti owners will be replicating them!!!

I’ve never been a fan of hood scoops on Studebaker Avantis… However, the air scoop which the Granatellis added at the front edge of the Due Cento’s hood looks, to me, mean & aggressive…. I like it!!

Also.. most driveshafts have a weight welded on when factory balanced… Is there any evidence on shaft that welded on weight is missing?

You might try checking for excessive up and down and side to side play at driveshaft slip joint where it enters trans tail housing…. The bushing it rides in could be shot …. Is your Avanti a high mileage car?

‘Due Cento The Next Generation’ was owned and built for Bonneville speed runs by the late James Lange, who was an extremely talented Studebaker Avanti enthusiast….. RIP James

Regnalbob was confused about the ‘DUE CENTO’ Studebaker Avanti….. The Paxton built Due Cento Avanti, mentioned in the latest issue of AOAI Magazine, was fitted with an experimental Studebaker engine referred to as the ‘R5’ and tested on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1963…. It would be wonderful, in my opinion, to eventually see Greg Cone’s R5 engine reunited with Richard Bennett’s Due Cento Avanti!

Incorrect Bob…. The name of the turquoise Avanti, #9431, is: DUE CENTO THE NEXT GENERATION Nice try…. Keep swinging kid!!!

Highly unlikely the problem is converter…. If you have the 400 CI engine, the flex plate could have tossed a balance weight, but you would feel that right away just revving the engine in neutral.

Like the article on the one and only ‘Due Cento’ Avanti in the latest AOAI Magazine….. Looking forward to the full story, which will be printed in the next issue!

Did your p/s operate 0K before you did the repairs?

Is the vibration a recent development… or has it been there since you purchased your Avanti?

Yes, those shims are all ‘factory’ on the ll’s !

I will also add that (in my opinion) the condition and history of the specific car being sold means much more than a broad 1-5 valuation system…. A condition 1-5 evaluation may be practical for modern vehicles, but for a 50+ year old car there are just too many variables.

I understand your strategy, however no one can be sure if a collector car’s value will increase or decrease over a specific time period… and as I mentioned earlier, sale prices on many collector type vehicles seem (to me) to have held steady or somewhat decreased.

Hmmm! this is true… people that remember and understand (and care!) what an Avanti is are unfortunately a shrinking group.

I adapted a used Quadrajet taken from a ‘78 Buick for my ‘83 Avanti everyday driver. I did this to eliminate the troublesome electronic factory Quadrajet which seemed to have a mind of its own! After rebuilding the Buick carb with a zip kit and new composite float, it dropped right onto the stock factory manifold with no major change to the throttle linkage. Biggest challenge was adapting the electric choke from the ‘83 carb to the ‘78 carb…. which wasn’t hard to do. Factory air filter assy dropped right on. The distributor also had to be changed from the stock electronically controlled advance type to the earlier Chevy vacuum advance type… again very easy to do. I made this change approximately 400,000 miles ago… and have never looked back!!

I like the idea that a younger person with some mechanical talent but perhaps not a whole lot of $$$, can pick up a running but ‘worn’ Studebaker Avanti for $4,000–$8,000. Whereas a well worn 1962 Corvette, similar to the one which I purchased for next to nothing when I was a ‘kid’, now will bring $30,000 and up… Out of sight for many guys starting a new family.

Something which I’ve seen as a ‘positive’ over the years is that Studebaker/Avanti prices have never taken off ‘through the roof’ as prices of other collector cars have. (Corvettes, some Mopars & Fords) This fact has allowed me to buy and sell Studes at prices which I (and others) can afford…..Some may see Studebaker/Avanti financial values lower than comparable vehicles as a negative, however, I’ve always felt their more attractive pricing was a good thing! (IMHO)

Nothing wrong with that!!