Randy Atkin
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Posts posted by Randy Atkin
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The 5 mph crash requirement was reduced to 2-1/2 mph in 1982 so I believe the original bumper was able to pass that requirement.
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Great article. Please keep them coming. I agree that raising the rotary knob controls makes for a much better layout.
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Ron - I'm curious - what are the four round plugs(?) or fasteners(?) spaced along the face of your Avanti's front bumper? I have never seen these on any 2001 thru 2007 Avanti.
Nice job on the headlight openings. I have seen some 2001 - 2005 with and some without this area blacked out.
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It's actually a 2005 Avanti converted from a 2004 Mustang. If you want a 2005 you have few choices as I believe only 6 or 8 were produced and this one would likely have the fewest miles of all. Yes, there will be issues due to age and this one was in Kuwait so it may have been subjected to very high weather temperatures while not being used. If you look carefully you will see lots of shrunk vinyl in the interior indicative of hot weather which might be not repairable short of replacement. Also it could suffer from coagulated and dried up old fuel in the tank and lines causing fuel starvation and corrosion in the tank, stuck fuel gauge sender, damaged fuel pump, etc. These are just a sampling of what might need attention. So yes it's a beauty but be prepared to do some work on it. I suppose the price is OK considering mileage and rarity. I think it started out at $50,000 on ebay. It's been for sale for several months. Hope this helps you in making a decision.
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I assume you know a '71 would have come from the factory with a 350 and 4 barrel Rochester Quadrajet carb. The transmission was a Borg Warner 3 speed automatic, basically the same trans Studebaker used.
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Blake actually started in '83 and it was pretty much unchanged from the previous year Altman model. Most of his changes began with the '84's.
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Dream on. It is sad that you seem so obsessed with your perceived value of your car. Generally something is worth what it sold for.
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Rarity does not mean high price. There is a very small market for these cars.
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My 2006 came with a very low restriction Magnaflow exhaust system too. It's probably safe to say all 2001 thru 2007 did.
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I guess you didn't catch my sarcasm. There is nothing wrong here as you seem to think. Just because production numbers were not published does not mean the company had "sloppy" bookkeepers. Give them a break. They may have had their reasons. As for the books there's tons of information in them not available anywhere else. True Avanti enthusiasts cherish these books. I don't know how you can not be satisfied. It just so happens what you are looking for may not be available and no one including Avanti Motors or the author can be faulted for that.
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Perhaps you should purchase another of his books titled "Avanti - Studebaker and Beyond" and critique it.
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Aardvark - Here are your requested pics.
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Here we are some 60 years after the debut of the Avanti and brake pads, pistons, cylinders, etc are still available. How long will we be able to buy Cobalt pads - 5 years, 10 years? They could go out of business tomorrow. Then what? Something to consider.
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Either the holes are oversized or wrong bushings. It takes a LOT of torque to thread the bushings into an NOS control arm when everything is sized correctly. With a new control arm the bushings form their own threads as they are tightened down.
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You have to remove the entire headlight bucket assemblies from the backside if you want to replace the lens and reflector. Access is easier if you first remove the front wheels and inner front fender liners. There are three thin metal straps that hold each bucket in place. Removing the three nuts and bending the straps out of way releases the bucket. While you are under there make sure the straps are still firmly glued to the fiberglass front panel as this is a very weak spot in the design. Once you have the buckets out of the car it will be obvious how to switch the lens/reflector.
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Early Avanti II's came with an engine mounted surge tank. I am not sure when they stopped using them, but possibly yours is original. I know my '71 had one. Maybe others can comment on this. The two piece hose with metal tee and cap was offered as a conversion to replace tanks that had gone bad.
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Thank you for complimenting my car. It's hibernating right now.
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I have heard yet another story regarding the paint peeling problem and that was the paint manufacturer sent a rep to see what Avanti Motors was doing that could be causing the failures. It was found that during wet sanding of the primer the workers were dipping the paper into buckets of water that had dish washing soap added in an effort to avoid clogging of the paper which is commonly done on the final finish coat but not on the primer. Doing this was leaving a minute amount of soap on the surface which affected the adherence of the finish coats. The story continued that they stopped adding the soap and no more paint problems.
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I hate to disagree with the King of Avanti but '89 Camaro glass is different. I stand by my answer the correct rear glass is '93 -'02 Firebird Trans AM and same years for Camaro.
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Wayne - I apologize. I compared your photo to mine and see it is not the same. Sorry. Maybe what I wrote will help someone else.
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Wayne - You are correct. Yours is not a proportioning valve as there was no need for one with the Studebaker system. It is a brake failure warning switch which activates the warning light on your dash whenever there is a loss of pressure in either your front brakes lines or rears. It was used on AMC cars from '67-'74 and is no longer available to my knowledge. Muscle Car Research LLC, (Google them) offers a complete repair kit, their part # AMC-Valve-Kit-3 for $27.00. Your switch can only be repaired if the cylinder bore is not corroded. The pistons do not come with the kit so yours need to be in good shape and reused. A word of warning - when reassembling the nylon bushing it is very delicate. Just tighten by hand. It doesn't retain fluid so it doesn't need to be leakproof. Hope this helps.
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I would only add to drn1965's comments that the 2006-2007 dashes were also heavily modified, actually I would say more than the 2005, to resemble Avanti dashes of the 80's. I have seen the picture of the black Avanti outside the Cancun showroom doors many times and mistook it for a 2006 or 2007. I now agree it appears to be a 2005.
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Thanks for the comparison photos drn1965. I never noticed all the differences of the actual prototype. At the SDC Rhode Island meet I talked to the former (and I think original) owner of the red 2005. If I recall correctly, he changed the "Avanti" script to the old style as he preferred it. He told me he had trouble with the upholstery on the door panels in that the Avanti script was deteriorating so he had the door panels remade without script. It seems to me he did some other minor interior changes. Apparently he changed the headrest script also. This car has been for sale for several years now. While it is very nice the price seems too high to me, thus not sold. Personally I like the sloping trunk lid of the 2005 better than the 2006-2007, but I do not like the 2005's flared out wheel openings.
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Jeff - I am interested. I just sent you a message.
Randy Atkin
Owner's manual
in Avanti Parts
Posted
Wanted 2006 or 2007 owner's manual.