Zedman

There is a lot of meat in the 13/16" bores- It struck me that they could be drilled & reamed out to 7/8" and a new kit of parts put in...?

Yep solved it- thanks for the offer Bill; waaay cheaper to replace the cyls with the units the Mustang parts sellers have..

Be aware that many SBC's around late 1970's through to early 1980's had problems with cam and lifter wear (particularly giving 305 cid haters more justification to vent). My Avanti II's 305 (1981 year) showed horrific wear on three lobes and 80% of the lifters utterly destroyed- and only 65,000 original miles ! How it ever ran, I don't know. If you're not intending to rebuild a second hand engine, at least look at the Lifters and Camshaft, Timing Gears and Chain. You ought to look at an Automatic overdrive transmission swap while the opportunity presents, unless of course you'd like a 4 or 5 speed manual...

Hi Guy- Photos sent via PM at your request,,,

I can offer you photos taken of my 1981 Avanti Frame stripdown. These were used for references. Photos of the Front Crossmember showing the placement of redundant original Studebaker Lark mounting holes and the pattern shift to accommodate a Chev V8. These would be as per Avanti Factory original. Pictures of the Engine mounts and Shims. I daresay you could Purchase these from Dan Booth in Wixom. Photos of the Transmission mount and its position within the Daytona 'X ' Member (I have a TH350C auto trans. Regards...

Will do !

Hi Bill- I share your sentiments ! Unfortunately re-sleeving here in Oz seems to have become a limited business... not many shops do this work and often "charge like wounded bulls". One mob in South Australia (they do most of the work for various shops) quote a three week turn around and freight on top plus kickbacks were well into three hundred bucks for the pair. ) I did get a quote back from on e fellow in a regional area that said he couldn't do 'em because sleeving material in that size wasn't available (either that or he had nil stock). He did mention that he'd do other cyls for $80 (Australian), which is pretty reasonable. However- The mustang Cylinders are IDENTICAL Dorman products and were postage paid from Sydney to Melbourne overnight for barely a hundred bucks all in- i.e. an obvious choice. I gotta stress, though, that we get absolutely fleeced for car parts here in Oz- Stateside prices are cheep !

I have recently fitted all new tubing on my1981's (RQB 2369) Frame for brake lines, Fuel Supply, Return and Vapour canister. I had quite a task runnng the fuel lines due to their robust diameters and took quite some time to make these look as neat as possible. Brake lines were relatively easily replicated and came out quite neatly although I did not follow the exact 'factory' shape over the rear axle and modified that slightly. My question is were all these lines pre- formed at the factory on some sort of jig, or were they just run and bent by hand and eye by the employee. My instinct tells me these were probably one off bends and hand fitted on each car. Is there anybody out there who worked at the Newman and Altman years able to settle a bet between myself and a friend over this query? I'd like to post a few pics but I'm still trying to figure out how I can reduce my overloaded 'quota'.

Just wanting to put it out there that it might be prudent to put some demand on our suppliers. I have recently been on a hunt for replacement cylinders for the rear drum brakes if my 1981 Avanti II. On researching, it appears that 13/16" cylinders to suit are starting to have the dreaded "Discontinued line" and "Low Stock" attached to various suppliers like Jegs, Summit etc. I have ordered Ford Mustang 1968 V8 cyls (13/16" bore) from a mustang specialist here in Australia and will be trying these for fit- they are ostenibly correct, but ya never know. This site has a lot of good info on interchangeability just in case others might want the info.... https://www.dormanproducts.com/p-15271-w37782.aspx?origin=keyword

Hi All- I cannot post any more pictures as I have apparently used up my limit. I'm trying to delete these in my account but cannot see any provision for it. Can somebody kindly tell me how I can delete these, please?

Hi Desert Driver- Yep ! That looks like it's the same line ... Thanks so much for confirming what I have to look for and where it emanates. The Body is off the frame and on supports, I can easily go find the loose ends and at least put a tag on 'em. Much appreciated. 🖖

Hi Dazavant- You haven't declared the cylinders are defective/pitted/leaking so I'm assuming they are. You might consider getting the originals sleeved in Stainless steel or brass and re-kitted. I would caution using larger diameter cyls because it will alter the amount of fluid needing to be pushed into 'em (longer pedal stroke) and alter the braking characteristics. Of course this will run into a bit of money but... Brakes.. Mate ! 😉

Hi All- I am hoping somebody with a 1981 circa Avanti II with the ECU controlled Carb might be able to confirm the vacuum end of the line connected to the MAP Sensor in the picture. I don't rightly know where it sources its vacuum from other than making assumptions it is variously fitted to the carb or manifold somewhere. The Sensor end is bundled with the wiring harness running along the right hand fender skirt- so I really don't know where it originates from. The tube appears to have a rubber end on it that fits on the MAP Sensor barb, but the line appears to be very thin plastic. I'd really appreciate somebody having a look for me please !

Thanks, that confirms my assumptions. 👍

Thanks I've noticed at least two other Earth connections... one on the RH engine mount to chassis, and another from the Transmission to RH Chassis rail (somewhat like you've shown in your pic). I guess my white earth lead is there to mitigate the inherent insulation of the head gaskets.