Dwight FitzSimons

If you are going to go with a 70 aspect ratio most of us use a 215/70R15 so the height is closer to the original. Also, they provide a little more tire patch on the road for a little bit better handling. --Dwight

I assume you are looking for the two bolts that hold the starter onto the bellhousing? Those bolts don't have a screw slot, they have a hex head (3/4 - 13/16"). They are rather large, closer to 1/2 inch in diameter. In order to not have them your starter would have to not be on the engine. Sorry, I don't have and loose starter bolts, just thought I would pass on some info. --Dwight

All R1 & R2 engines were black (block, heads, intake manifold, water manifold, water pump, oil pan, pulleys, brackets, etc). The original fan blades were orange. See picture below of a '63 Avanti R1. (It doesn't apply here, but R3 engines were red, and R4 engines were blue.) --Dwight

In theory I assume a PCV system would draw some (metered) air into the rocker covers through the breather caps in order to help the engine pull crankcase fumes into the intake to be burned. But, in reality, with the loose clearances in an R3/R4 fumes might be pushed out through the breathers. --Dwight

Oh, so it must be open versus closed breather caps. --Dwight

At one time, some years ago, someone was reproducing them. I don't know if he still is or not. I assume you are talking about one of these? There are short ones (R1-R2) and long ones (R3-R4). The one in the pic is a long one (about 24" long) --Dwight

Studebaker vendors used to have NOS 140 MPH and 160 MPH Avanti speedometer dials for sale (just the dial). I don't know if these are still available but you might try Studebaker International, Stephen Allen, Dave Thibeault, Jon & Mike Myer, etc. Maybe that dial would fit a modern aftermarket speedometer. When I added a supercharger to my R1 Avanti years ago I had a speedometer shop exchange the 140mph dial for a 160mph one. So, it's not too hard for them to do. Dave Thibeault handled the work. If you can't find an original speedometer the above might help. --Dwight

All the fans were painted orange, whether AC or not. Probably the reason for the orange is that it is much more visible than black. Studebaker Corp. didn't want us to get our hands near the fan. I have always heard that Chevrolet orange engine paint (available in spray cans) is a good match for Studebaker's fan color. The same color is a good match for the superchargers. --Dwight

There are two kinds of "tubes" that attach to the right side of the oil pan, one capped off with an open breather cap, the other with a male fitting (3/4"?) for a hose to attach to. That hose would feed into the intake system somewhere. --Dwight

3/62 because a PCV system was required for the first time in all 50 states. The Avanti was an early 1963 model. (required in 1961 in CA)

Ditto, for sure! --Dwight

At one time George Dimitsas had them made, in both steel and stainless steel. I don't know if he has any left, but it might be worth a call. You can find his name and contact info in Turning Wheels. --Dwight

Thanks! --Dwight

I agree with Gunslinger. I believe the engine compartment was painted when the rest of the body was painted. One thing I have noticed is that the fiberglass was not finished smooth in the engine comp. -- one can see the strands in the fiberglass. So, that may account for the lack of gloss that you see. Also, the painter may not have worried as much about getting a smooth, thick (paint) build in the engine comp. as on the exterior. --Dwight

All of these that I have seen are copper color. I assume that they are thin steel and copper plated. But, I have not seen any reproductions. --Dwight

Stan Gundry's book isn't better than the factory shop manual; It is a supplement to the shop manual. It includes tips and fixes that evidently weren't known at the time the Avanti shop manual was written. IMHO all Avanti owners should own a copy of Stan Gundry's book. (No, I'm not Stan Gundry.) --Dwight

Did you purchase Turner's complete kit? If so, then you should have gotten all the parts needed. I bought Turner's complete kit, pictured on my '64 Hawk below. This is the right front wheel. --Dwight

Here are two pix. --Dwight

Hi, Robert, I will dig two of them out and examine them. --Dwight

I have some original 15 x 5" Avanti rims. If this is what you want let me know. --Dwight FitzSimons, Virginia

One source (Bob Johnstone's website) states that Avanti R-4835 is considered the first 1964 Avanti. That car is a round headlight one. Your R4387 falls into the 1963 model year range. But, some 1963 Avantis weren't sold until 1964, and were titled as 1964s by the state in which they were first registered. That kind of thing happened back then. It might be possible to get your Avanti's title changed to 1963 if you were to take the required documentation to your DMV. I would think that doc from AOAI would be essential. --Dwight

From what I have read Studebaker built bodies and stored them in a warehouse and pulled them for final assembly of the automobile in a LIFO order (last in, first out). Bodies were assigned body numbers as the body was completed, just before storage. This was probably true of all Studebakers, Avantis or otherwise. The same must have been true of frames, with the serial number plate spot welded to the Avanti frame as it was built. So, with the LIFO retrieval system of bodies and frames the serial numbers got out of order with the body numbers. A repair bay may have accounted for some of the oddities too. --Dwight

The first Avanti with square headlights was serial number R4892. Note that there were some Avantis with higher serial numbers with round headlights. Another question one could ask is what is the serial number of the last round-headlight Avanti. I don't know the answer to this. --StudeDwight

Both, I think, set records at Bonneville. --Dwight

I agree with gunslinger, plus: There was a '63 Avanti with a crate R4 engine near me back in the late 1960s. I followed the car through 2 or 3 owners, probably NONE of which understood the implications of a 12:1 C.R.; i.e., necessity for using racing gas. Who is going to do that in a street-driven car? Having 12:1 compression ratio on a street-driven car is a very bad idea. Plus, the R4 is very over carbureted. The cam would have been either 276 or 288 deg. same as an R3. An R3, with its 9.75 C.R., would have been a much better choice than an R4. Simply remove the carb enclosure and install an R1 air cleaner. (also dist. advance, carb jets, etc would need to be revised, but those aren't big deals) BTW, the R4 Avanti locally ended up with two badly damaged cylinders, and most if not all broken rings. Perhaps R3 engines WERE available and an R4 wasn't. There were a hundred or so R3 engines built, but only something like 10 R4 engines. Note that R3s and R4s used the same cylinder heads (479). The difference in the comp. ratio was in the pistons, not the heads.