mfg
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Posts posted by mfg
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4 hours ago, ronmanfredi said:
You should have a VIN # on the drivers side of the dash where it meets the windshield. Take a photo of it and bring it along with the bill of sale to your license department and see what they say. You may have to get a bonded title.
Seventeen digit ‘VIN’ didn’t come into play until 1981… This Avanti is a ‘75.
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19 hours ago, brad said:
I use Autolite Platinum AP85. Champions are now China sourced, and quality is non-existent.
The quality of Chinese products has improved tremendously over the past couple decades…. That’s why America is now playing ‘catch up’ …..Just sayin’
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When it comes to spark plugs…. To each his own I guess!!!!
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Message to Bob Johnstone….
Hi Bob.., if you check any of the rosters sent out to AOAI members over the last several years, you’ll see that every 1985 Avanti listed has its internal four digit serial number preceded by the letters RQB. I feel that ‘AAV’ did not become the standard prefix until the 1987 model year Avantis… Thanks, Ed
( Of course, when it comes time to register a 1985 Avanti, it’s the seventeen digit VIN number that only counts!)
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33 minutes ago, Dwight FitzSimons said:
IIRC Champion J12Y plugs were specified by Studebaker for both R1s and R2s. The modern number might be RJ12YC.
H14Y plugs were spec'd for 259 & 289 engines
J10Y plugs were used on R3s (J10Y are colder than J12Y)
This is IIRC, so someone correct me.
--Dwight
P.S., Autolite 437 & Bosch 7517 have also been recommended previously on the SDC Forum
That sounds right Dwight… but try to find H14Y’s (a Champion plug I always liked) at your local FLAPS quick & in a hurry!!!
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12 hours ago, 63stick said:
The R2 takes different plugs though. I talked with Jon Meyer the other day and I think he said HR5. Unfortunately the piece of paper I wrote it on got brake cleaner on it and no more writing. I hate to call him back up.
Yes you are right… but at this point in time the J12Y’s seem to be a reliable, easily found, universal fit…. (If there actually is such a thing!)
And, I’m my opinion, this plug also works well on ‘non-R’ Studebaker V8’s!
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20 minutes ago, 63stick said:
Any recommendations for spark plugs for my R1. Some brands seem to perform better than others.
The Champion RJ12-Y’s I installed in my ‘63 R2 seem to go on forever!
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29 minutes ago, Brooks Barnes said:
Hi all, I have a gas tank with medium rust inside.... has anyone ever used a product called "Evaporust" to clean out the tank? any comments?
No, I’ve never tried that…. but I have used aircraft wing tank ‘sloshing compound’ …which did an effective job encapsulating the rust in an Avanti’s I once owned fuel tank.
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6 hours ago, AG-R3 said:
Ed, I tried to send you a PM, but it wouldn't go. if you would, email me through the S-I-O website. /RJ
AG-R3……S I O website?
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That indeed is my silver 1985 Avanti, RQB4234, in the above photo…. I probably should have corrected Mr. Johnstone on his ‘AAV’ mistake when I first saw this photo years ago….. As we can now see, errors like this tend to confuse people!……Ed
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3 hours ago, Guy said:
I imagine every Avanti out there has this problem as both of mine have warped defroster ducts. My solution was to take a piece of 1/8" aluminum ( old road sign) cut strips 3/8" wide and mill 1/4" slots to make wedge to hold opening open. Hope you find this helpful.
Very crafty!
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2 hours ago, Brooks Barnes said:
Hi All, I purchased RQB2273 back last summer and I received a Bill of Sale only,,,,, In S.C. you must have the "12DIGIT" VIN to fill out the proper paperwork for the DMV to proceed... Can anyone out there tell me where I can get the "12 DIGIT" VIM number? bb
The factory build sheet, available at Nostalgic Motors, will contain both the internal RQB car number… and the VIN number needed to register your 1975 Avanti….(if there is one?)
I don’t believe the now common seventeen digit VIN number came into play until 1981.
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3 hours ago, ronmanfredi said:
Actually Bob's website mentions that both prefixes were used, but the sequence numbers that he has is correct, so it's whatever is on the Avanti VIN plate that counts
The internal car number, used at Avanti Motors during the build, began with ‘RQB’ for the 1985 model year Avantis… Not ‘AAV’……
Mr. Johnstone may have used both the ‘AAV’ and the ‘RQB’ prefixes for ‘85’s in his roster, but the Avanti factory didn’t !
Just want to avoid future confusion here.
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On 6/23/2025 at 8:47 PM, Brooks Barnes said:
OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb
No Brooks…. You are the proud owner of RQB-4152!
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I know that my Avanti (RQB4234) is listed on the Johnstone website… and it may say AAV there, (haven’t looked at that in awhile) However, I’m simply stating what the Avanti factory placed on the car itself….RQB.
In my opinion, the ‘AAV’ prefix started with the 1987 model year Avantis (major change to Chevrolet frame)
Of course, there were no 1986 model year Avantis!
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1 hour ago, ronmanfredi said:
RQB numbers were not used in 1985. The correct number is AAV-4252 and is shown on Bob Johnstone's website as being owned by Jack White of Charlotte, NC as of 5/2015. You can contact him with a current photo and your information to update his registry: avanti5011@gmail.com
Sorry, but I must disagree with you here…
I presently own a 1985 Avanti… and the number stamped into the stainless steel factory plate mounted on the left ‘A’ pillar is….RQB 4234.
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16 hours ago, Brooks Barnes said:
OK, i AM THE PROUD OWNER OF AAV-4152......bb
Congrats!… I also own one of the rare ‘85’s…. However, I think that if your Avanti still had its internal serial number stainless steel plate on the ‘A’ pillar it would read…RQB 4152
(Not AAV)
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3 minutes ago, David Keane said:
Thank you, was that using the R-12
Freon ?
When new… definitely R-12.
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Well, the fuel line itself is 3/8”… and the fittings are 9/16” (wrench size)
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If anyone does decide to push out the rear window… I’d order a weatherseal ahead of time
The last Avanti rear glass I replaced ( I’ve done two) definitely needed a new weatherseal.
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4 hours ago, Footer said:
I wondered that too. Maybe take it to the shop that does the work and get their opinion. How about the side windows, anyone done that and had good results? Mike
Side glass & 1/4 windows (and vent wings) should not be a problem… even for the home mechanic… however, the rear glass is something entirely different!
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14 hours ago, Ron Dame said:
It seems that the amount of glass and the curves would make this difficult without seams and wrinkles, but it sure would be nice to reduce the heat gain through that thing! I'd need to remove the defroster (which has too many breaks to fix anyway) but can a tint shop do a decent job of it?
I’d guess the best way to do it would be to remove the rear glass and apply the film with the glass on a stand upside down… a lot of extra work though!
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By the way… you’re lucky to own an ‘85 model year Avanti… Blake tried to improve the car… and a few of the more important changes were… larger diameter front & rear sway bars….. shorter steering arms…. improved engine air intake arrangement… and a major change from the earlier Bendix disc front brakes to a modern GM ventilated front disc with sliding brake caliper and larger kidney shaped brake pads.
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Also, a period (‘82-‘86) Chevrolet passenger car shop manual would have all the info you’d need concerning the engine/ trans…..and the Computer Command Control (ugh!) system.
RQB2594
in 1965-83 Avanti
Posted
Wow!…. It appears you’ve definitely caught the ‘Avanti Virus’ !!!… Good for you!