Nelson

Anthony63. Please check your mail box. I sent you a PM.

Dwight, do you still have the seats?

Dwight. Those wheels emulate the 63 style Halibrand small window kidney bean wheel. The ones on this car won’t accept the correct spinner which would be the same as a 64 style. The center tower is not high enough either. I think these on this Avanti are also two piece wheels. I sure hope the 63 style get reproduced. I think they look great. The wheels on that Avanti may be called “salt flat” wheels? I bought a set about 20/25 years ago.

First time I saw this post. The floats probably will interchange but under high boost the R2 float has the potential to crush under pressure. If you take an R2 float apart you will find a honey comb support structure inside the float to prevent it from collapsing.

I assume the early Avanti II used the Late 64 seat bottom and back. Eventually the seat back acquired the built in head rest. Was the head rest simply an add or weld on to the existing Studebaker design? In other words, could an early Avanti II seat back be re conformed to the original late 64 style? I would like to find or duplicate a set of late thick back buckets to reupholster and install in a 64 Avanti.

If you do paint the original it is best to use a dry wall primer first then the vinyl dye. Places where the original paint is gone and the brown cardboard is showing is where the primer really comes in handy.

The way I read that is the close ratio transmission is required with the R3 and it will cost more money. Is that what you are thinking? R5546 is close ratio. Maybe the wide box could be special ordered with the R3?

Bob. You could be right with the R1 and R2 cars but all the R3 4 speed Avantis did have the close ratio box. It must have been standard equipment for the R3 cars in general and you would need to special order the wide box.

I agree, gear ratios. Early box is close ratio 2.20 low and later are the wide box 2.54 first gear. R3/ R4 cars had the 2.20 box.

I’ve heard that but never from someone who was there. Do you know that for fact or just heard that through the grape vine like me?

Anthony. What do you know about the number 8 Avanti? Was it run at Bonneville at all.? If not, why?

I just hit the “events” button to find the dates for the National meet this June and it comes up blank. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? If not maybe some event dates should be installed.

Probably a Wagonaire.

I guess I should know this as it was/is my car. R5593. Originally delivered to Leepers Studebaker. Gray, black interior, automatic, 4.09 axle, tilt wheel and am/fm as delivered. The am/fm not on the PO. However the car had 700 miles on it when delivered so probably was used in SB for awhile and had the radio installed by some executive(?) who was using it? Maybe. The engine was removed by Leeper so his wife could have air conditioning installed. He installed a standard 289 with an ac unit. When I bought it Leeper no longer had the R3 engine. He had sold it to his mechanic. I was told it was in a Stude truck and the mechanic had moved to the Phoenix area. I later found out that Ed Reynolds bought the engine and put it in a black 64 convertible. Roy Heckers bought the convertible and he sold it to a fellow in Knoxville, Tenn. I kept in contact with the fellow in Tennessee and after twenty or thirty years I was able to buy the car with engine. Now the original engine is mated to its original car. At least it’s on an engine stand next to it.

I would check the location of the spacers. I can’t remember exactly but if spacers and shims are on the inboard side of the backing plate you might have this problem. I remember having the problem with one drum and it turned out to be the shims needed to be moved the the opposite axel which gave clearance to the problem drum to backing plate.