Desert Driver

Here's what my mechanic sent to me. I can get additional photos if that will help.

Those black seats gotta be toasty in the summertime! You just can't beat the rake of the Studebaker built Avanti 😍

A previous owner installed aftermarket disc brakes on my '84. Pads extend about a half inch above the rotors, and there's no parking brake capability. So we ordered the Turner disc conversion and learned the axle has larger backing flanges than the Studebaker/Newman Altman built Avantis, plus the bolt pattern is off. Doing a deep dive in AOAI archives, I get the feeling I'm not alone in having this problem. The names Jeep and International Harvester occasionally are mentioned. Gotta have rear brakes for my ride. Suggestions?? On the left, the correct retaining plate. The one on the right is from my car. Mismatch on bearings, too.

Nicely maintained and sold for a solid price. I can only imagine what the price would be if it was a four speed!

My pleasure...hope other aficionados have a chance to view it. Take Stephen Blake out of the video, and you can imagine the same assembly process for Newman & Altman built Avantis. Quality always came before cost, and it showed!

Aside from some grainy YouTube videos, I've never seen good factory video of the South Bend Avanti plant. I stumbled across this 35 minute gem posted to Facebook. Blake had a passion for what he was doing, and seemed to know every step of the build process...along with the names of all his employees. https://www.c-spanorg/video/?124750-1/avanti-car-plant-tour

I should’ve said the pad is riding high and not making full contact with the rotor. I’d still like to know if drums or discs brakes were standard in 1984.

Were the rear brakes drums or disc on the ‘84? My newest Avanti has rear disc brakes and the calipers ride high on the rotors, leading me to wonder if there was a conversion. Anyone know what Mr Blake put on?

Same here. I'm convinced they used Loctite to minimize warranty claims.

You're just five away from having a different Avanti for each day of the week 😉. That black beauty is drop dead gorgeous....congratulations!!

Worked perfectly. A lot of elbow grease (and nasty chemicals) needed to remove the old material from the track. After installing the new velcro, I had a little too much material on the sides. Single edged razorblade took care of the excess. No problems since replacing.

Once you get the clamp out from the back of the speedo, you can pull the unit forward and unhook the cable and power to the light bulb. Pretty dang easy...now threading the nuts back onto the clamp while laying on your back is the tough part of the job. Yes, removing the driver's seat and small hands are required. Plus lots of patience and no one within earshot of your loud expletives.

Ya know, $20k on a restoration has a tendency to grow to $30k and upward. If all that you don't like about the '74 is the color, keep your '71 in the barn and save some dough.