Dwight FitzSimons

3) Ferrari

On my '64 the Dunlop disc brakes lost all braking power when the pads were worn down to about 1/3 of the original material remaining. This is with new rotors; with thinner rotors you would get even less wear out of your pads. That is a "gotcha" with the Bendix/Dunlop disc brakes -- don't let the pads get below 1/2 of the remaining material unless you want a rude surprise. I had to remove my cylinders from the car to get the pistons to retract so I could install new pads. I then used a C clamp with a few washers over the center pin on the piston so it wouldn't get damaged. Make sure the C clamp is centered and slowly tighten the C clamp until the piston is retracted to the bottom of the cylinder. You'll have to bleed your brakes afterwards. --Dwight

Oh shoot! Sorry this happened to you. The above answers are good. I'll just add a bit of info (which may help, or not). The problem with Studebaker Avantis with power windows breaking their fiberglass inner door panel is unrelated to breakage of the door hinge area, so I'll just address that problem. The power windows on a Stude Avanti are mounted to fiberglass that is too weak for the torque that the PW motor can produce. I guess Studebaker Engineering didn't test the power windows sufficiently under "abuse" conditions. By 1970 Avanti Motors had added reinforcement to that area in the form of another layer of fiberglass. I have a set of 1970 Avanti doors that I will put onto my '64 soon and they have this reinforcement. I can post pix if desired. So, my point is that, if possible, you should get a door from an Avanti II with this reinforcement. --Dwight

Years ago one could walk into a locksmith and get a Studebaker key made just from the key code (from the production order). They looked up the code in a book and cut the key. That's not true around here anymore, but perhaps there is someone in the U.S. who still does that. --Dwight

Both '63 and '64 Avantis came with two keys, one for the doors & ignition switch, the other for the glove compartment and console. By this point in time many Studebaker Avantis have had either their ignition switch (including the cylinder) or door locks changed, so will have different keys for the doors than for the ignition. But, when new they used the same key for the doors & ignition. BTW, with rare exception, 1963 Avantis used a different key blank than '64 Avantis. Studebaker switched at the start of the '64 model year. The two key blanks look entirely different. --Dwight

I have 215/70R15 B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires on my '64 Avanti and have never experienced any tire rub against the fiberglass fenders. I do drive the car aggressively in the corners as that is what I live for. With power steering I don't have any problem with any increase in steering effort over 205/75R15 tires. If you have manual steering that would be a different story. Also, how low the front of your car sits could be an issue. If it sits low then there would be less clearance between the tire and the fender. AFAIK B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires are the best handling tires available in a 15" size. --Dwight

It looks like there is a sticker on the outboard side of the supercharger nose, but it may just be a reflection. Below are pix of a supercharger with sticker and of a 51R battery installation. The supercharger sticker is available from Studebaker International and others. BTW, your engine serial number should be RS-2514. (BTW = By the way) --Dwight

Beautiful car in a nice color combination! I notice a couple things that I might draw your attention to: 1) Large, unusual looking battery. The original is a 3EE (very long & narrow). Some of us use a 51R, which is about half the length of a 3EE, and perfectly adequate for an Avanti. The 51R was used in 1970s - 80s Hondas. 2) Some of us replace the single-chamber master cylinder with a dual one for safety. There are kits available to do this. 3) The sticker on the supercharger goes directly over the hole (symmetrically). Good luck with your prize! If any questions just ask. --Dwight (I have had/have 5 Avantis)

I agree with your point. But, one does sometimes see some sloppy writing in these car mags. I do wonder why only manual transmission Avantis were dyno tested. If they were testing the entire drive-train then it makes no sense to leave out the automatic Avantis. --Dwight

IIRC, there are also 7/8" rear wheel cylinders that fit the 11" rear drum brakes on an Avanti. Perhaps they were used on a Studebaker truck??? Someone else would have to address the question of whether it is a good idea to use them on an Avanti. Perhaps the 7/8" rear cylinders would work with the larger Sumitomo front cylinders??? --Dwight

I'll note that the statement "each manual transmission-equipped Avanti was dyno tested at South Bend prior to shipment" doesn't exclude automatic transmission-equipped Avantis from having been dyno tested. I.e., the word "only' is not included in the Nov. 2024 Classic Car article. I just wanted to tie up that loose end. --Dwight

So, your Avanti is an automatic?

I'm not aware that any production Studebaker Avantis were dyno tested at South Bend. Engineering would have dyno tested Avantis during the development of the car, but only that. --Dwight

The Turner disc brake conversion does NOT come with new spindles. Replacing them would be a big job and nobody is manufacturing new ones. You keep your existing spindles, but need to install a spacer on your spindle by heating the spacer that Turner provides and pushing it onto the spindle. The spacer is a steel ring that you heat with a torch. Heating it expands the spacer and allows it to go on the spindle. When it cools it contracts onto the spindle and is locked down. That spacer is needed as a "seat" for the new inner bearing to rest on. The rest of the disc-brake conversion is straightforward bolt-on on the car. When I did mine I asked a friend to help me because I was a bit worried about the task of heating the spacer and getting it on the spindle. You have to heat it, then quickly push it onto the spindle before it cools down. I used a Mapp gas torch, which is similar to an ordinary propane torch except that Mapp gas burns hotter. I wanted to be sure that I got the spacer hot enough. But, others can report on whether a propane torch is sufficiently hot. One other thought: Turner recommends the stainless-steel braided hoses (because they do not expand from the pressure of the fluid when braking). The SS-braided hoses are an option that you may want to consider. If you have never done a brake job yourself you might want to farm the job out to a shop. But, if you have done your brakes yourself over the years you will find that installing the Turner discs is simple enough to do in less than a day without calling Jim Turner. But, he is very willing to answer questions if needed. --Dwight

An R3 is considerably more powerful than an R2, all else being equal. I used to think it was fun to ease my R3 Avanti up over 100 on the primaries, then floor the accelerator and feel the kick from the secondaries kicking in (mechanical linkage). I don't do such foolish & dangerous stuff any more, of course, and haven't for over 50 years. These days I'm satisfied with just experiencing the feel of acceleration (and handling) without testing any limits. All my cars have high-performance tires, but I don't burn any rubber off them, I scrape it off in the corners. --Dwight