Dwight FitzSimons

Type F can be substituted for type A, or you can use Dexron. This topic has been covered on the SDC Forum. The results are a bit different for type A versus Dexron, but those are better covered on the SDC Forum than I, an amateur, can describe. --Dwight

An early Avanti II is the perfect "canvas" on which to "paint" ones ideal Studebaker Avanti, starting with an R1 engine, and going from there.

Ni-Noc is 3M's trademark for "a self-adhesive film that can be applied to a variety of flat or curved surfaces." It is what Studebaker used on '64 Avantis for their wood-grained dash & console. Something was wrong with the material at that time, either it didn't stick, or came apart, or something. Di-Noc is still available today and is a good solution for replacing wood-grain finishes on dashes, door panels, etc. I believe that some of the 813 BKV black interiors in '63 Avantis had the Di-Noc wood-grain until it was found to be unsatisfactory--right or wrong, somebody? The Fawn-color dash & console on '63 Avantis was painted on. --Dwight

IIRC this late-1963 option for Avantis was called 813BKV (BKV = black vinyl). The list above states that 55 Avantis were so equipped. I guess that black was popular at the time. I would wish that Studebaker had chosen Elk for the solid-color option. "1833 R2 'variants'" is just a poor way of stating that this car is one of 1833 1963-64 Avantis equipped with an R2 engine. I would have used different words, either "equipped with" or "R2 option." That's a problem with BaT; they write the description, even though they're not experts on your particular make or model of car. --Dwight

It seems to be hard today to find a local locksmith that has the old books needed to make keys from the manufacturer's codes. But, the attached company advertises that they can make keys from the key codes. Whether R-4338 is worth saving would depend on several things: 1) Condition of frame & hog troughs, interior (especially the dash), engine &trans., etc. Ultimately, the feasibility of fixing it up would depend on the cost and availability of free labor (your own). I, personally, hate to see Studebaker Avantis parted out. But, R-4338 is well equipped for what we old Stude fans want today. 2) Availability of a title. In VA one can get a title for an untitled car. A local friend did just that for a '56 Power Hawk. It would probably be a good idea to change the oil, then bring up oil pressure using a drill and a rod inserted in the distributor hole, before trying to start the engine. --Dwight

Jon Myer in Ohio has a number of them. --Dwight

Great picture of a great engine compartment! Thanks, --Dwight

Has anyone tried two Honda Civic batteries placed end to end, and wired in parallel? (Although perhaps two won't fit.) --Dwight

The traction bar mounts have been reproduced and can be welded on. Dave Thibeault in MA should still have them. --Dwight

Do y'all know the formula for boost as a function of RPM, or can you point me to a source? --Dwight

R3 & R4 rocker (valve) covers have two breather caps per cover. I assume the reason there are two is to evacuate the increased blowby gases that the R3/R4 engines produce due to their increased piston-to-cylinder-wall clearances. The larger clearances throughout the engine reduce frictional losses. (One result of this is that an R3 engine will rev up more quickly than an R2.) Note that the diameter of the breather tubes on an R3 or R4 rocker cover is not the same as an R1 or R2 (or 259 or 289). It is larger, probably an eighth of an inch larger in diameter. The larger "open" breather caps used on R3/R4 engines are also used on earlier six cylinder engines. --Dwight

P.S. Thanks to Rick Allen for doing such a good job of reporting the results of his Cobalt cylinders installation.

The Achilles heel of the original Bendix/Dunlop disc brakes is the very high line (hydraulic) pressure required to operate the disc brakes, so high that, without the boost from the booster, one cannot stop an Avanti. Think about that. This is due to the very small pads. Assuming that the coefficients of friction are equal a larger pad will provide more braking power than a smaller pad. That's why the Bendix/Dunlop cylinders must push in much harder to stop the car. True (AFAIK), dual pistons will produce more even wear than a floating, single-piston, disc-brake system. IIRC, GM introduced 4-piston disc brakes in 1967, but switched to a single-floating-piston system in 1969, and stuck with that design for many years. That's the design that the Turner and Hot Rods & Brakes systems use. Those will easily stop a Studebaker without a booster. The Cobalt cylinders use the same design as "modern" disc brake cylinders, although the pads are still the same small size. It would appear that the Cobalt cylinders will maintain their effectiveness much longer than the Bendix/Dunlop cylinders, so that is a plus for them. --Dwight

This pic is of the 1964 fuel delivery & return lines.

The car looks like a worthwhile project for someone with the skills and who is willing to put a lot of sweat equity into it. It looks to have a good frame and hog troughs and those are important positives. The dash looks good as does the rest of the interior. Changing to a more acceptable color interior would be possible and desirable. I suspect that the body should be stripped to bare fiberglass because of the shoddy paint job. We don't know what is under the paint. Awful fiberglass repairs should be undone and redone properly. The engine needs to be fixed, along with the brakes, exhaust, suspension, (possibly) wiring harness, etc. As to value my WAG is $5000 to $9000. Others on the Forum who buy & sell these things will have a better feel for the market value than I. --Dwight

An Avanti has two "fuel" lines from the engine to the tank. One, the larger one, supplies fuel to the engine. The other one is a return line from the engine back to the tank. It returns fuel back to the tank in case of an over-pressure condition. 1963 & 1964 Avantis attach the return line to different places on the engine (63 at fuel pump, 64 at filter between fuel pump and carb). The vent on top of the tank goes over to the passenger side of the vehicle, then down through the fiberglass and exits under the car. This one is a problem to replace. --Dwight

One thought: I notice that the cylinders are fully exposed through the holes in my Halibrand wheels. And, someone has had the "Bendix" discs that were on early '63 Avantis reproduced. So, maybe one could glue those discs onto the Cobalt cylinders (after machining/sanding the "Cobalt" off). Just a thought for those who like their cars to look original. --Dwight

I was kidding about waiting for metal-on-metal noise before checking my brakes. I have always done my own brakes because they are so simple and so expensive. I have, however, seen worse than even that. I once found a Pontiac in a junk yard whose pad material was long gone, AND with most of one side of the rotor gone. That is, the pad backing was rubbing on the ribs between the rotor plates. "Hey, Joe, what do you think that noise is?" --Dwight

A larger piston area would have the effect of increasing the force on the rotor, and we can't get too much of that -- or am I missing something? Avantis don't get very much braking from the 11" non-self-energizing rear drum brakes, so there is little, if any, chance of locking up the rears in a panic stop. Locking up the rears is what we must fear because the rear of the car will swing around. I have had that happen on the '83 Pontiac Bonneville with front discs & self-energizing rear drum brakes that I used to drive (Thank you, GM!). (This is why Studebaker/Bendix used non-self-energizing rear drum brakes on the Avanti.) Another thought: The thickness of the pads from Moss Motors assume a given rotor thickness. How thick are Jaguar rotors? BTW, the metal pad backing hitting the rotor is how I have always known when to rebuild my car's brakes. Any of the above is subject to correction by anyone more expert than I (which is just about everyone). --Dwight

When Studebaker & Bendix adopted the Dunlop disc brakes, they adopted (and manufactured) an existing complete system, except the caliper (bracket). Studebaker's caliper had to be designed to fit Studebaker's spindle. As far as pad fitment is concerned, Bendix designed Stude's caliper to fit a pad already in production by Dunlop for an existing British car. So, pads for some car (Jaguar?) must be available from Moss Motors, and those will fit Studebaker's calipers. I'm looking forward to learning whether the Cobalt cylinders work properly, especially whether an Avanti has more braking power with them. The rim of the Cobalt cylinders presses on the pads. This kind of design ("cup" piston) is like more modern disc brakes (in 1969-up for GM). Moss Motors' pads must be used with the Cobalt cylinders. Concerning pad material, does anyone know which material has a higher coefficient of friction: ceramic or semi-metallic? We all could use more powerful disc brakes. --Dwight

Moss's website shows the following pads, which look right for a Studebaker (may not be right, but look right). --Dwight

No doubt that is why Dave Thibeault put "buttons" on either end of the wrist pins on my R3. --Dwight

Yes, exactly; My R3's second oil pump failed because Lionel Stone's machinist machined the gear pockets of a standard housing deeper for the R3's longer gears. That made the iron housing too thin and it broke. If I had known then what I know now I would have given the engine builder the NOS standard oil pump to install that I already had (& still have).

And, the solution for this is "buttons" on the ends of the wrist pins? --Dwight

Lubrication problems?