[Cool Converter!]

False.  A Studebaker Avanti's coolant circulates only through the engine and radiator.

--Dwight

[Wanted Avanti Brake Booster 1963 - 1971]

Message sent.

--Dwight (studedwight on ebay)

[1964 Supercharged Emblem Placement Location]

I have a '64 R2 Avanti, repainted once, with what looks like the correct Supercharged emblem locations.  The bottom edge of the emblem is 1/2 inch above the crown of the horizontal ridge below it.  The front edge of the emblem is 2.5 inches behind the wheel opening.  I have a little parallax error (or tape error) in my pix, but those numbers are pretty accurate.  The emblem on the other side is exactly the same.

--Dwight

 

[adding the rake back in: Cut the springs?]

I'll point out the obvious, and that is that putting shorter springs will not affect the engine-to-hood clearance.  Removing body shims between the frame and body would.

--Dwight

[Structural sills, no torque boxes]

The roll bar "such as it is" isn't too bad.  A local person flipped his nearly new '64 Avanti on a peaked (sharp) hill on a narrow road.  The car slid, nose first, on the pavement into a pole.  The windshield header was pushed down maybe 2 inches and roll bar not at all (that I could discern).  He was going probably well over 60 at the time.  So, it did its job at street speeds.

--Dwight

[Early Avanti front seat reinforcement]

Hi, Nels,

I haven't done this (I'm a '64 man), but we have a member in the GVC chapter who had to do this repair on a '63 Avanti.  I'll ask him when he returns home early next week from FL.  He bought the car to fix a few things & resell and found that the previous owner had had someone make that repair at considerable expense.  The repair wasn't adequate, so Lin redid it.  He is a retired master locksmith and does whatever he does well.  I doubt that he took pix (unfortunately), but perhaps a verbal description will help some.

--Dwight

[R3 Gears!]

The R3 (B86) I had in my Avanti in the latter 1960s was very streetable.  I ordered it from Paxton Products ($725 + shipping) and specified the 276 cam.  The idle was normal for an R engine.  I recall being amazed at how quickly it would rev up when operating the throttle linkage.

--Dwight

[short/quick steering arms]

It would seem that the paint had to have peeled off either the primer or the primer-sealer (not off the bare fiberglass).  The sealer is applied on top of the sandable primer after it is sanded, then topcoated with the color coat.  It would be hard to tell the difference when examining the car whether it peeled at the interface of the primer-sealer or the interface of the sealer-color paint.

--Dwight

[short/quick steering arms]

5 hours ago, Randy Atkin said:

the workers were dipping the paper into buckets of water that had dish washing soap added in an effort to avoid clogging of the paper

Geez, what a dumb thing to do (in either case).  I can't imagine a soap or detergent that could be guaranteed not to leave a residue.

Twenty years ago there was one of the Avantis so affected that parked in the parking garage I parked in.  I would occasionally look at it.  Later it turned up with a re-paint.  Being black every imperfection showed.  I would bet money that it had been stripped (and had to be), but the owner didn't pay enough for the job.  It is quite an effort to strip an Avanti and prepare it for paint (I have done it).

--Dwight

[Avanti 63R1025]

There was a '63 Avanti near here that was treated to a first-class Avanti Turquoise paint job (its original color).  However, the color was way off, more like a grayish turquoise.  Who knows what the owner told the body shop, but I assume he just said "Avanti Turquoise."  To make matters worse, the interior was completely reupholstered in turquoise vinyl, but that color was too bright.

I don't trust contractors.  They don't like it but I get right in the middle of things when these decisions are being made.

Just my experience.

--Dwight

[Longshot but....]

I'm confused.  Would Studebaker, in 1963, have built two Avanti engines with the same "sequential number."  That is, would they have built R2182 AND RS2182 in 1963 ?

--Dwight

[Longshot but....]

Just a bit of info: Avanti engine number RS2182 is a supercharged R2 Avanti engine.  R = Avanti, S = supercharge.  There is some info on studebaker-info.org about this car.

--Dwight

[1963 R3 RESTOMOD]

One change from originality that I like/agree with is changing the console to Fawn.  It makes sense to continue the Fawn dash color on through the console.

Great job on this car!

--Dwight

[Looking to purchase an Avanti Color and Upholstery Selector, 1963]

Just FYI, these books usually don't always hold up very well over time.  In hot or humid conditions pages will stick together, warp, or discolor.  If I were buying one (I collect them) I would need reassurance that the exterior color pages (small pages or chips) weren't stuck together or warped badly.  Also, sometimes there are pages missing.

If a buyer is looking for a perfect example, especially a '63, then he will look for a long time, if he ever finds one.  The '63 books are rare because dealers replaced the '63 pages in the Fall of 1963 with '64 pages (and often threw the '63 pages away).

I have attached pix of my second best '63 book, showing the degradation issues with these.

--Dwight

[Avanti Column!]

Of course, tilt columns weren't offered until the 1964 model year.

--Dwight

[1963 Headlight Rings?]

I think that might have been Dave Thibeault.  Try him.

--Dwight

[Avanti Linkage!]

Perhaps because other manufacturers had evolved to a cable throttle, and carb manufacturers had also.  IIRC, my '68 Firebird had a cable, whereas my '67 had linkage.

--Dwight

[1964 Avanti R2 For Sale]

What wheels are those?  They are one of the very few that look great on a Studebaker Avanti (to me).

--Dwight

[Is Rotor Pointing to Number 1 Cylinder?]

The engine doesn't care where the rotor is pointed as long as the firing order is correct on the distributor cap and the timing is set correctly.  It's just a convention to point the rotor straight forward.  That way is easy to remember and perhaps makes things a little simpler.

--Dwight

[1963 R-1 Type of automatic trans ?]

Perhaps someone at Stephen Allen's will know of a trans rebulder familiar with the B-W trans

--Dwight

[Square headlight rims / tarnished. Stainless or Aluminum?]

The factory "square" headlamp rims are chrome plated alloy.  It will not be possible to polish them.  For one thing chromium is very hard.  Also, the chromium is very thin.  Under the chromium is a layer of nickel.  It's been a while since I checked but Studebaker International had NOS ones, and for a lot less than $200.  Also, check Stephen Allen's.

--Dwight

[rebuild calipers??]

30 minutes ago, JimM said:

Are those better than new ones from Studebaker International?

New cylinders are cast iron like the originals and will eventually rust like the originals, IF neglected.  The stainless steel or brass-sleeved cylinders won't ever rust.  Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs water from the atmosphere) and should be flushed periodically to remove the contaminated fluid.  Even with the SS or brass sleeved cylinders the fluid should still be flushed periodically, partly because the pistons are iron, and will rust.  My Avanti has SS sleeved cylinders from Dave Thibeault and they have given me no trouble.

An oddity: The partsgeek calls them "pistons."  Actually, the piston is what is inside the cylinder.

--Dwight

[Damaged Halibrand or Real Rodders Wheel Available]

Wow! Great!  I will buy a set or two.  The Real Rodders wheels are 15 x 6" (I have a set).  It might be good if yours are 6.5" or 7" wide. 

One other hair-brained thought: If they can be scaled up you might consider making them in 16" diameter.

--Dwight

[Paxton F-type oil. Mineral or synthetic?]

14 hours ago, Nelson said:

For what it’s worth I always had problems using old F style fluid. On trips to South Bend from Cincinnati I would check the blower fluid after the first 150 miles. When using type F fluid I was not able to pull the dipstick out of the blower without the use of a multiple layer rag….it was just way too hot. I changed to Mobile synthetic trans fluid and could check the fluid at any time with my bare fingers pulling out the dip stick. I’ve had pretty close to no problems for the last twenty years.

So, evidently, the lower friction of the Mobil 1 ATF (synthetic) lowered the operating temperature of the supercharger, but still no slippage of the drive balls?  That's great news!

I'm just throwing the following out there for comment: Others have recommended B&M Trick Shift mineral ATF for Paxtons.  It is blue in color, so easy to recognize.  Both meet type F standards.  Pictures of the mineral & synthetic are below.

--Dwight

 

["ll" !]

You're all wrong!  The "II" was derived from the VIII emblem.

--Dwight