Dwight FitzSimons

I have Don's medium-tone stainless-steel mufflers. They are too loud for me, but that is a personal choice. I am going with Walker Dynomax Quiet-Flow mufflers next time. They are relatively quiet, but still low restriction. --Dwight

I assume the supercharger itself is gone. A core might cost several hundred dollars and a rebuild might be $1000. (Someone who knows more than I do please chime in.) If the supercharger bracket and idler arm are gone then that would be "hundreds" more. Then there is the air horn, air cleaner, and carb. More hundreds. So, assuming those parts are gone it might cost "several thousand $" to put the engine back to R2 status. --Dwight

There aren't any '62 Avantis. All Studebaker Avantis are either '63 or '64 models. The serial number of the first Studebaker Avanti was 63R-1001, and the numbers went up from there. The "63" in the serial number is the model year. It could be that the Avanti you are looking at is an early one sold in the Fall of 1962 and titled as a '62. --Dwight

In 1963 there was only one front seat style, with either Deluxe or Regal upholstery. In 1964 there were two styles, thin-back and thick back. The upholstery was the same style on both '64 seats. --Dwight So, I did answer your question.

In 1963 there was only one front seat style, with either Deluxe or Regal upholstery. In 1964 there were two styles, thin-back and thick back. The upholstery was the same style on both '64 seats. --Dwight

2) 63R 1002

Cheap looking wheels?

https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/ctd/d/san-antonio-1988-avanti-ii-supercharged/7825321540.html

Your console is very much faded, but should be Elk, like the rest of the lower "two thirds" of he interior. Studebaker International may have this Elk vinyl dye in a spray can. --Dwight

The headliner is white on all 1963-64 Avantis. It looks like yours is a good facsimile of the original headliner. --Dwight

Yes.

Everything above the "beltline" in a '63 Avanti is Fawn color, regardless of the interior color. The roll bar cover is always Fawn in a '63. --Dwight

A have a tilt steering column from a 1970 Avanti II, which I assume is the same as a '64 Avanti. I assume you mean this bracket? I can take more pix if needed. Most of the dimensions needed are on the second image - still needed are dimensions for the two slots for the "muffler clamp." --Dwight

Over time your Avanti can become musty smelling inside from damp carpets. That musty smell can be hard to get rid of. The carpets can also rot. I use DampRid (WalMart, automotive/RV section). It really does work. Others have reported the effectiveness of DynaMat (& similar products) in noise reduction and also heat reduction. --Dwight

Yes, I know. I was keeping it simple just referring to the pad size. The disc-brake piston size is what matters, not the pad size. --Dwight

That's why I mentioned non-synthetic ATF for a blower. B&M makes synthetic as well, but I'll use non-synthetic when I change the fluid in my supercharger. I use synthetic ATF in my Borg-Warner automatic transmissions. --Dwight

It could be that the bodyman drilled the holes too close together and had to bend the nameplate to fit the holes. Bad bodyman! --Dwight

Stopping distance (with no booster) with the original Dunlop discs will be greater than with modern Turner disc brakes. Note the much larger pads on modern disc brakes - that tells you something. --Dwight

I use paint remover (including on fiberglass). Sandpaper can easily round off edges and remove detail. Paint remover won't. I once saw a 1930s Packard that was ruined by stripping the paint with a disc sander. Perhaps that has prejudiced me. Different people use different methods and neither is necessarily wrong. I stripped my supercharger years ago with paint remover and was happy with the results (painted it orange). One of the regrets I will carry with me the rest of my life was having my supercharger painted black on my red engine (because I thought orange would look funny next to a red engine). (The paint is good on that blower and I will soon paint it orange. I'll just scuff it with 400 and/or gray Scotchbrite and paint it directly with orange enamel.) Supercharger fluid: This was discussed thoroughly a while ago either on this site or the SDC Forum. I can't find that discussion, but maybe you can. My takeaway was to use B&M Trick Shift, non-synthetic, blue ATF. --Dwight

"A few years later I ditched the factory Dunlop front disc system and installed the ‘84-‘85 ‘Blake’ system on my car." Good for you! But, I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to depend on the Dunlop discs to stop an Avanti under ANY & ALL downhill situations (with no booster). In my area I have to cross the Blue Ridge mountain on a road (Rte 33) that is steep, miles long, and with no place to pull off the road on 90% of those miles. Of course, one can downshift to keep the car speed down. The original Dunlop disc brakes are safe if in excellent condition, but I believe in a safety margin, and that means modern disc brakes. --Dwight

An Avanti with the original Bendix/Dunlop disc brakes is very difficult to stop on level ground if the booster goes out, and IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP downhill with no booster. This is because of the very small cylinders in the Dunlop system. They require very high line pressure from the booster (to produce enough force on the rotors to stop the car). You will have much stronger brakes after converting the front brakes to either Turner's kit or the Hot Rods & Brakes kit. They can both be found online. I am quite happy with my Turner brakes on R-5255. Others have reported satisfaction with the Hot Rods & Brakes kit too. --Dwight

Some recommend Koni shocks (dampers) - see pix below. IIRC the application is 1980 Camaro. Part numbers are: 8040-1017 [front], 8040-1018 [rear] There may be some modification(s) required to fit them. Bilstein shocks (dampers) have also been discussed. --Dwight

Rogers Protofab makes a nice tool (arm/lever) for removing & reinstalling the supercharger belts. --Dwight

Correct, there were 9 factory R3 Avantis, but no factory R4 Avantis. Back in the late 1960s a local fellow had a crate R4 engine installed in his '63 Avanti. As I recall the reason he installed a hood scoop was for clearance (rather than just for looks). There was one R4-equipped Lark type. I believe that car survives. --Dwight

Back in the late 1960s a local fellow (central VA) had an R4-equipped '63 Avanti. The car went through several owners, and by the time the engine failed, ALL the rings were broken and two cylinders were ruined. Sunoco 260 was the only gasoline adequate for a 12.5 C.R. and not all of those owners knew (or cared) that the engine had to have a very high octane gas. But, to answer the original question, an R4 should beat an R3 to about 25 MPH, just as an R1 will beat an R2 to 25. The reasons are obvious. Above 25 the R3 will reel in the R4 pretty quickly, especially if the R3 has high output pulleys. --Dwight