Ron Dame

It's time to let Thea go. I've enjoyed her and enjoy my crude restorations (I've never started on this one), but this sale will benefit McPherson College's Auto Restoration program, so others will know how to do it right, and even make a career of it. Solid frame and hog troughs, and a really nice driver! https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1980-avanti-avanti-ii-2/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bid_Placed_Seller

I'm wondering if I should change the bearing while I'm there? Is it pretty straight forward, or would I need to re-shim?

Like all, I miss the old FLAPS who had the old guys that knew stuff, or had catalogs and not computers. I need a pinion seal for my 1980 Avanti II, and you all know the drill. Who made it? Is it a Ford? blah blah. I'm not sure if any year DANA 44 pinion seal is the same or not, so don't know whether to try to ask for a 1980 Jeep, a 1963 Studebaker, or something else. A part number would be nice as well, as I don't want to pull this one out until I have a new one in hand. Thanks!

I put a RetroSound unit in my 1980, replacing a dead Blaupunkt. I do not like it. The bluetooth is clunky, the controls are not where you expect (mute is on the right shaft, and tuning??? it's odd) That's all I have to offer. I don't like mine.

Our auto body supply stores are all gone... but ordering from one of the on-line suppliers is a good idea.

Thanks all. I drained the tank for now, it got cold again. I hope it's not the hose that loops up in the sail ;panel, that one is a pain to replace. And maybe that's only on the Studebaker Avantis and early A IIs. Now about the dum-dum. I've not looked for it in years, and I doubt I have enough left, but I don't recall seeing it at the FLAPS. And I hate Amazon. Any ideas of where I can get it? Or maybe even use caulk instead?

I've got a bit of an emergency on my 1980 Avanti II, so pardon the cross posts elsewhere. I opened the shop today, after over a week of bitterly cold weather and was greeted with a very strong gasoline odor. A quick check shows it is leaking from either the fuel supply or return line, where the steel line attaches to rubber hose and disappears into the body behind the right rear wheel. The fuel lines are different than on Studebaker Avantis, so my workshop manual is of no help. Does the A II have the same loop of rubber up into the sail panel, and is this part of that? How do all of the lines run? Does anyone have a diagram or photos? I'll call Dan Booth if I must, not that he isn't great... he's just very talkative and I want this fixed ASAP. Tomorrow will get to maybe 40, so I can work out there without heat, I hope.

I've got a bit of an emergency on my 1980 Avanti II, so pardon the cross posts elsewhere. I opened the shop today, after over a week of bitterly cold weather and was greeted with a very strong gasoline odor. A quick check shows it is leaking from either the fuel supply or return line, where the steel line attaches to rubber hose and disappears into the body behind the right rear wheel. The fuel lines are different than on Studebaker Avantis, so my workshop manual is of no help. Does the A II have the same loop of rubber up into the sail panel, and is this part of that? How do all of the lines run? Does anyone have a diagram or photos? I'll call Dan Booth if I must, not that he isn't great... he's just very talkative and I want this fixed ASAP. Tomorrow will get to maybe 40, so I can work out there without heat, I hope.

Thanks Bob. Basically I paid too much for the car and am upside down after what I have done ( no surprise there, eh?) so I'm going for broke and donating all proceeds to SNM, The Studebaker National Foundation, and McPherson College of Auto Restoration. So donating the car won't work to help all three, and maximizing the sales price by advertising it as a 100% donation is my goal. BaT can do that by collecting the sales price and donating it, ensuring the buyer that all proceeds go towards these 501(c)(3) organizations. I've not yet approached Hemmings, but assume they will work in a similar manner. I'll post later when I list it, after I make a few repairs and give it a good detailing. And I'll ask everyone to get the word out to help all three organizations.

I've decided it's time to sell Thea, my 1980 Avanti II originally owned by Thea Gabor. It's not a bad car, in fact it's pretty darn good except the cosmetics are just OK. Solid #3 car. Anyway, my estate plans are to donate either cars or proceeds from the sale of cars to a mix of Studebaker Foundation, Studebaker National Museum, and McPherson College/Auto restoration program, so an auction now that supports this plan is my desire. I've done well on BaT, so-so on eBay, never tried Hagerty's , and there are other options. What are the opinions of my fellow Avanti owners on the merits and demerits of each of these platforms? Ron

R1092 was mine. Though I have little history on it, the supercharger was black, and had what I believe to have been original stickers. As of Fall, Lance Bush of the Restored youtube page owned it and was trying to sell it.

That's pretty darn good, especially for a machine to write it. It goofed the picture, but the line about going down the highway running hot, is dead on!!

I'm late to the game, but added the emblems to my 1980, both hood and sail panel. I like it. I bought the gold "S" buckles, but they quickly faded to silver. Disappointing, but they still look good. I also added the 63/64 wheel covers and plan to remove the front spring shims.

'63 R2. The left rear axle had stripped threads (how? I dunno) and the axle nut "secured" with red Locktite. Once around the block after I got it running, and the wheel nearly fell off. Thank goodness it was a literal block, because I was 1/2 way around when I knew something was way bad. I replaced the axle and then rebuilt the non-functional rear brakes... front brakes too. Oh, and it had about 3/4" of toe out.

As an aside, why did Avanti Motors switch from having a lock in the handle to a separate lock cylinder? It's ugly and you have the filler plate where the cylinders used to be.

1 and 2 are kind of humorous for us older folks, but also true. I friend told me that my 185 OHV6 Champ was pinging, but I could barely hear it once he pointed it out. Which begs the question: With modern engines having knock sensors, is there a way to add one to a Stude to have a warning light or something?

Not yet. I've got a good laundry list of repairs and upgrades, but building a house and garage has kept me from getting to them. I did temporarily "fix" it with some weatherstrip cement.

Wow, that's what I want. Did they have to remove the glass to do it?

Here's my follow-up and hopefully final post on this thread. The tank was actually nearly full instead of 1/2, thus fuel was dripping from the fuel line with the carb off. The carb looked great inside, though nasty outside. It had been remanufactured sometime in the past, with new throttle bushings and the well plugs epoxied. The float was set correctly, and I found no damage to the needle or seat. Choke was functioning and I reinstalled the thermostat at the same setting as it was. So far, (knock on wood) the flooded starting condition is gone, and the car runs as good as ever. All I can figure is that there was junk on the needle or seat allowing any residual pressure in the line to flood the engine at shut off, yet was not big enough to cause an issue when running, because the engine was using more fuel than was leaking past the seat. Or maybe the float was weak. I installed a new float too. Anyway, so far, so good. Thanks for the ideas and advice!

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?

Thea has 68,000 miles, and generally runs well. Cold starting, however, is an issue, as it's always flooded, even after a week of not driving. Why do I know it's flooded? because if you don't hold the throttle at least 1/2 open, or god forbid, pump the gas, it'll be a while before she finally fires and belches black smoke. Even so, it takes a few moments for all cylinders to fire and there is still some black smoke. Once she's cleared her throat, she runs perfect. Plugs are clean, too. First, it's not the choke, as I've left it blocked open and on even chilly mornings, it did the same thing. While a kit is a reasonable start, what areas should I pay special attention to?

Has anyone *successfully* replaced the vent window division seal without removing the vent window assembly?