Zedman

Thanks for the feedback everybody- Question for Ronmanfredi and Geoff.... How does the roof Headliner come off? I have no Idea how to remove that and I'm wary of spoiling it. 🤨 My Sunroof is already well corroded and I reckon it will need removal for any repair/restoration.

Geoff- I applaud your pioneering work and the photos help tremendously. I cannot help but think repairing my sunroof might be folly given I have extricated some really rusty metal pieces so far. In any case your pictures paint a very good picture of what is in store- thank you and keep 'em coming ! 👍

Update- I have managed to remove the outermost screw easily, however the innermost one is rotating without releasing. We have pushed wedges under the base of the bottle and rotated the screw in an attempt to raise it, but no go so far. I don't wish to resort to butchery so if this won't come out I think I'll have to very carefully grind off the head of the Screw using a finger belt grinder or similar. Going overseas for a month shortly so this might be a dead thread until I get back....

Thanks Grant- much appreciated... I had gotten under there but will be a bit more prepared for what to look for, next time.

Appropos 1981 Avanti II - Can somebody please provide some feedback about how to go about removing the windscreen washer reservoir/bottle. How is it attached? Repainting the engine bay soon so info is very appreciated. I'd hate to bust it. 😒

My Avanti II 1981 model had the Kelsey-Hayes Proportioning valve on it and orignal Bendix Calipers when I broke the car down for frame off resto. Because the K-H unit is a bit of a rarity and hard to replace parts for, I decided to go with a brass GM PV2 proportioning valve . This valve is specifically for Disk & Drum combination and is a bolt-up replacement for the K-H valve. From what I have researched, a proportioning/combination valve is there for the purpose of allowing the rear brake drums to apply just ahead of the front Discs- that's all. This is to prevent the front brakes propping, and causing the rear end to 'come around'. For this reason, I wouldn't fob off the idea of using a combination/ proportioning valve. I wonder whether you might have a an issue with the right rear brake applying with more gusto- causing a right hand veer. May I suggest checking the orientation of the Shoes, adjustment of the shoes, the condition of the rear Flexible brake line (they are often blocked- like mine were), the condition of the brake lines along the rear Axle (I found mine crushed !) and condition of the rear brake cylinders. After that, maybe look at utilising a propvalve?

I'd like to thank all of you who have contributed to this query. Despite the simplicity of applying sealant to the area, I feel that I won't get away with it when the car goes for inspection. I'm leaning toward fabricating a two piece steel cover that can be attached either side of the hole and possibly adding some heat sheild material to it or a flue seal. Either way I reckon that the area needs something to negate heat flow into the cabin. 🙃

thanks Peter- I will do that, thanks for the idea.

Thanks Mel- yes that is the plan... looking at something called Dynamat over here. I will be placing this stuff underneath the floor in the Transmission Tunnel and inside the shifter box to ward off heat from the engine and trans. Of course I will be doubling that up with something similar on the inside as well. An owner I know over here owns an all black Avanti R2 and absolutely swelters in our summers.

Thanks for that, Ronmanfredi- I thought that stuff looked like melted bituminous muck. Ok, That appears to answer my query. Having to submit to a roadworthy inspection when the car gets finished, I can probably assume that a handful of semi-solid sealant will go down badly. I'm leaning toward using a modified flue seal plumbing fitting here or maybe something made up from a bit of Dynamat heat insulation. (going to apply this to the Transmission Tunnel while I still have the Body off the Chassis) Just an idea at present but I will see how I go with it. Thanks for the information- it is a big help 🙃 (Aussie smiley).

Wayne- Thanks for coming in on this topic. It is my belief that this car has come to me 'as is as was' from the factory- it has an original 67000miles on the clock. I will have a better look at it from the inside when I'm there again (its 75 miles away). It does have a tilt adjustable collumn. Meanwhile I'd dearly like a few more members to chime in with any other details. I sent an e mail to Dan Booth on another subject a month ago but never received a reply- I wondered if I had the right address.

This is what my '81 Avanti II's steering column lower end looks like where it comes into the engine bay. Is there a seal or collar something to go here? Might somebody show me a picture of what it ought to look like perhaps? There's an engine bay repaint coming up and the body will be going back on its Chassis soon, so I'd like to get this sorted out whilst I've still got plenty of easy access. Is it available from Studebaker International by chance? .

Apologies- I've posted this thread in the wrong group.. Thanks for the replies Gunslinger and MFG. It has been hinted to me that the colour is actually a Cadillac line.

This is my 1981 Avanti II before I acquired it from the previous owner. The paint and fibreglass has suffered somewhat in the nearly 10 years I've taken restoring its rusty Frame so it is to be repaired and repainted soon. Could somebody let me know what this colour is and is there any data to be had appropos its tint makeup, please? It's definitely not gold- more light brown/tan.

Hi Klaus-I have a really nice '81 Avanti II with a 305 V8 and TH350C transmission (with lockup TC) with only 67,000 original miles (but rotted out Frame and non existent HT's !). It has been untouched since new and largely laid up for 17 years before I bought it and imported it into Australia. Like yourself, I felt that I should rebuild and renew knowing what old transmission seals look like given time (I have a Blog here... http://studebakerflightomatic.blogspot.com ). The engine had a worn out camshaft and I really didn't need to rebuild the whole thing but I did. I completely disassembled the TH350 and rebuilt it (even paid for a dyno test to make sure I hadn't buggered it up). I learned an awful lot about this Transmission the hard way and now have the benefit of knowledge. However... as I started to go through the parts, I found that despite its age, it was absolutely perfectly serviceable and was a waste of time. Oh yes , I did find the lockup solenoid faulty and the Speedometer drive will need to be re sealed, but the rest- perfect, Friction Discs/Clutch Plates perfect, with nice soft O rings everywhere. I know I seem to contradict myself, but if your tranny is going to cost you big dough, if it is functional, maybe leave a sleeping dog lie and spend it elsewhere? Best of luck- you are gunna love that car !

I started this thread so I'd better reply- Thanks Lew, much appreciated. I found I had to delete the photos from my various posts. Thanks for the additional space BTW.

Egbert, as a former Marine, strikes me as the sort of man that wouldn't want to be seen as being a 'crybaby' by ordering that employee dismissed. I know nothing of his personality in actual fact- he just looks to me like a real no nonsense type of fellow.... Out of interest, does anybody have any inside info on how Sherwood Egbert rolled?

Whilst I'm no expert on this subject, research into my TH350C led me across a number of sites... I believe you may need a device to substitute for the Computer Controlled Shifts/Torque Converter lockups with either of these transmissions. I have recollections of the 200r4 being a more convenient swap, and the 700R being able to take more abuse. Food for thought.

Hi Quicksilver- Interesting you say you have a 305 cid in there for that vintage of car. BTW What transmission do you already have? My slant on this is to ask a question about two things.... how much do you want to spend and is horsepower an issue... If it's a horsepower issue, by all means follow the suggestions you've been given by the knowledgeable souls so far (up engine, OD transmissions, EFI etc). I also promote the KISS principle- I'd wonder whether just rebuilding what you already have would be the route best travelled. I have just rebuilt my 305 SBC and also the TH350C (lockup torque converter trans) - it has cost me very little and is DONE. I even had the transmission test run on a dynomometer to check its operation after I rebuilt it. Thing is you ought to drive this Avanti- not spend a lifetime working on it Just my humble opinion, mind... 🫡

Thanks Wayne- Looks like I need to spend a bit more time poking about my project. Yes, I've seen it but maybe I oughta be more diligent reading it, especially where it sez... Except for access to the rear support feet, all work is done from the outside of the car- removal of the headliner is not necessary.

Geoff , whenever you tackle this job, would you mind posting a few pics so we can see what things look like behind all the coverings- everything helps.

Hi Ronmanfredi- Thanks heaps for your advice and the photo. This will be a great help moving forward. My Frame is, thankfully, still attached to the roof. Sounds like the difficulty moving the Blind is the result of muck jamming it all up.

I have had to replace my 1981 Avanti II's rear brake cylinders with genuine new ones- these are 13/16" bore units very inexpensively from a Mustang parts supplier for 1967-69 models. They are a Dorman product. I started a thread on the AOAI site addressing this a few months ago. Sleeving to original bore is of merit, but do consider costs involved (it's reached poisonous prices here in Oz!) Appropos the Proportioning valve- good idea. I decided to replace the obscure Kelsey-Hayes unit in my '82 with a GM style 'PV2' all Brass unit meant for Disc-Drum brake combination. you can mount this high up next to your booster or down low on the Frame Rail. I have various Pics- if you want these PM me please.

Hi Ronmafredi- Much appreciated. Thank you for the detailed procedure to remove the Glass Panel- that will help. I assume the "Headliner Panel" is the Sliding portion and it's removal isn't problematical... mine is pretty well stuck. Because I have pulled out some wisps of very corroded mild steel, I daresay some surgery is required to rectify the innards. I hope I will have enough space to do this without major removal of roof lining et-al.

Thanks MFG- not quite what I expected but wilco on that....