Dwight FitzSimons

I have the Real Rodders wheels on my '64 Avanti and am quite happy with them. Just going by the pictures of the Tom Goesch wheels I like the looks of my RR wheels better. I haven't seen Tom's wheels in person, however. I am pretty sure that there are only two manufacturers of the repro Halibrand wheels: Real Rodders and Tom Goesch. The others are retailers. Dave Kinney at Endurance Products also manufactures the spinners. Dave is a perfectionist, and all of his products are excellent. The spinners do not come with the RR wheels. They are extra cost. The RR spinners are of excellent quality. --Dwight

I assume you have a 259 or 289 engine, not an R1 or R2? Rotate the engine so the eccentric that drives the fuel pump is at its "low point." That is, so the lobe is opposite to where it pushes the pump arm down. Then, you'll be able to install the pump. A lot of people have had trouble with the Airtex fuel pumps sold in the FLAPS stores, to the point where they consider them to be unusable. An original Carter pump, rebuilt, is a better choice, OR a new pump from one of our vendors, such as Dave Thibeault or Phil Harris (high performance specialists), or SI or Stephen Allen's.

The only P.S. reservoir lids (covers) that I have seen on Studebakers that are not stock are Ford lids. They have a dipstick to check the P.S. fluid. The dipstick has a round cap. Is this what you mean? If the seal on the cap is deteriorated it can leak fluid out onto the P.S. pump lid. --Dwight

I am looking forward to seeing pix of it. --Dwight

Group 51 battery dimensions (LWH): 9.375 x 5.06 x 8.75" (weight: 28 lbs) Group 3EE battery dimensions: 19.25 x 4.25 x 9" (weight: 42 lbs) I suspect that a modern group 51 battery would be a better choice than a 3EE considering all factors. I will soon be doing the same battery swap on a '63 Avanti. --Dwight

I believe the Honda battery number is 51. The dimensions should be available online. --Dwight

I have a 1963 Avanti Color & Upholstery Selector book. According to it Avanti Gray was available with upholstery combinations 6, 7, 8, 9. 6 = black, 7 = red, 8 = orange, 9 = turquoise. A cool color (gray) and a warm color (orange) certainly do go together. Looks good to me!

As far as a source for Avanti paint colors in modern urthane I would contact either/both Dave Thibeault in Mass or Jon & Mike Myer in Ohio.

No bumper guards on the Avanti?

Would dribbling 3 in 1 oil on the cable along its full length help lubricate the inside? Not all of the cable is accessible, but most is. --Dwight

Maybe a single-stage urethane paint job would be a bit more authentic looking, while still giving the durability of urethane paints.

Oops, wrong post.

Dave Thibeault used to (maybe still does) sell HD front & rear anti-roll bars. If those don't bolt on without any major problems I am going to be very surprised. --Dwight

There is some (perhaps) useful info in this string from the SDC Forum: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/tech-talk/1904434-supercharger-service#post1905824

Avanti Gray is a beautiful color.

"I figure the older you get the richer you are as you have less time to spend it." I like that attitude! I'll go with it. My brother has a 3:92 TT diff. I can buy, and there is an excellent transmission shop near here also. I have a 200-4R and the trans. shop is willing to do the work. Studebakers aren't short of power; they are short of gearing. --Dwight

I don't think that changing the color of your Avanti to another Avanti color will affect its value in itself. The color you choose will have some effect on the value of the car, with red probably being the most popular. 64studeavanti is right about the amount of work/money involved in painting an Avanti black. I once painted a '56 Continental Mark II black and my arm is still hurting from all of that block sanding. I had to paint that car twice (first time in sections) to find and correct all the imperfections. Later I stripped a '63 Avanti to bare fiberglass and painted it Avanti Red (was Gold). Again, many, many hours of block sanding. A local dentist had a black Avanti II from the years of Blake paint problems. I saw the car after he had the car stripped & painted. It looked like hell. I assume that he didn't pay enough to get a good job. --Dwight (2 '64 Avantis)

Yes, B69 was rebuilt 25+ years ago at WCD Garage in Mass. We have an excellent engine builder near here and I want to catch him before he retires. So, this winter my project will be to pull the short block and take it to him to deal with the rod bearings. Fortunately, I have helper to help me with removal/installation of the short block. As an aside, my preferences re transmissions have changed (with age) and I am tempted to replace the T-10 with a THM200-4R. That would allow me to put in a 3:92 diff, have good acceleration, and still have reasonable RPMs at highway speeds. Expensive, though. --Dwight

Does anyone have any suggestions for a source for R3 head gaskets (& intake, etc.)? Maybe Dave Thibeault? I have to pull my engine apart this winter. --Dwight

I have two '64 Avantis, one with the larger anti-roll bars, the other with the original ones. Both have 215/70-R15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. The ride is the same on the two cars, but the car with the larger anti-roll bars definitely leans less in the curves and I much prefer that. I did not install them, however, so don't know about any problems. I can probably take some pix. I am tied up tomorrow (Sat.) and it's going to rain on Sunday & Monday. --Dwight

There's no other Studebaker whose trunk latch will interchange. There are a number of Studebaker parts vendors you could call. Jon Myer (Myer's Studebaker) in Ohio would be high on my list. Also, Studebaker International (Indiana) and Stephen Allen's Studebaker in Florida. There are others if you come up dry with those. --Dwight

In 1984 the Pontiac Fiero sold just over 100,000 cars, but sales dropped sharply thereafter, dropping to 26,402 in 1988. The Fiero was a specialty car, a 2-seater with limited space to carry anything. So, that market was limited and they had saturated it. (It didn't help that some early ones caught fire.) Similarly, the Avanti was a specialty car in a limited market, and was never going to sell a lot of cars. Plus, the Avanti had major competition: Thunderbird, Riviera, Grand Prix, Olds Starfire, and an all new Corvette. There weren't very many faults with the Avanti; power window problems and a hot shifter are all that I can think of. They had production problems, though, that limited supply. --Dwight

If your hammer strikes the nail at an angle that would bend the nail. But, if the hammer strikes the nail with the force straight down the center-line of the nail's longitudinal axis then the nail will be driven straight into the wood, no matter what spot on the head of the hammer hits the head of the nail. This is the exact same scenario, physics wise, as with the R3-R4's rocker pushing on the valve head. If the above weren’t true then carpenters would have to hit each nail dead center every time. And, we know that they don't. --Dwight

He might also apply 12V. to the gauge and see if it reads full scale (240 deg.). In electronics we called that the "smoke test." --Dwight

No, different people, so I wasn't recognized. My only regret is that I didn't follow it further, to Valley Motor Sales in Staunton, McGeorge in Richmond, Kern Motor Sales in Winchester, etc. I'll regret that the rest of my life. --Dwight