Dwight FitzSimons

3) 1949 Commander

I've always thought Avantis look better without a grille. But, to protect the radiator, some kind of near-invisible grille is needed. It should be flat black, of low restriction, and just in front of the radiator. I'll have to fashion one for my '63 project Avanti, which came to me without one. -- Dwight

I've never heard of not bench bleeding a M.C., and, although I'm not an expert, I've done my own brakes for 50 years. --Dwight

I'm not a buyer, but they certainly are pretty. --Dwight

Yes, if you're selling. --Dwight

You might try Myer's Studebaker in Ohio. Jon & MIke Myer have parted out many Avantis. --Dwight

I assume that your Avanti II has the same Bendix power steering system as the original Studebaker Avanti. If otherwise, let me know. The OEM for that P.S. system is Bendix Corp, then (maybe now also) in South Bend, IN. Ford also used the Bendix system, altho the parts don't necessarily interchange. AFAIK, the only rebuilder of these systems is the Lares Corp in MN. I have to get two of these rebuilt myself. For my '63 Avanti their webpage is: https://www.larescorp.com/select/Studebaker/Avanti/1963/4.7L 289CID V8/ I believe that they need your core to rebuild. --Dwight

Yes, there is. Years ago some Avanti owners swapped out their original seats for something else. Most people today try to return their cars to original. --Dwight

Holy cow; what an impressive Avanti II !

Hi, Paul, The guys at S-A are world-class in terms of knowledge of parts, so they probably sent you everything that you need (minus the booster itself). I'll hang onto the booster. Just let me know what do do next. I'll dig around & see if I have an original Carter R1 fuel pump (core). (BTW, Matt Burnette at S-A rebuilds fuel pumps.) --Dwight

Hi, Paul, That looks like an excellent start toward a nice Avanti. I have an original Avanti booster in hand. Because your car had an incorrect booster it may be missing brackets, etc. Can you photograph the booster & brackets that you have? In the meantime I'll photograph mine and we'll compare notes. --Dwight

Hi, Paul, Did you find a booster? I may have one; not sure at this point. I don't know if there are any rebuilders in Nederland or Europe, but there are in the U.S. Stephen-Allen's in Florida and Studebaker International in Indiana (& probably others) sell them, but require a rebuildable core in hand before they will ship a rebuilt booster. I bought a rebuilt one from S-A and it works well and looks good. If I, or someone else, come up with a core, I assume that either SI or S-A will ship to you. The rest is obvious. I'll let you know if I find one here. --Dwight

DobbM, your idea is sound. I suspect that the electro-mechanical clocks in our Studebakers would last longer if always powered up. There are small 12-volt rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries on the market--just search. --Dwight

You would have static on your AM radio.

Well I'll be darned! But not surprised. The all-black carpet was available in '63 only with a Fawn & Elk interior AND with either a Gold or Red exterior. So, probably not very many cars.

Yes, that's curious. Maybe there will be just the two of us there.

Let's not get into this kind of rhetoric. As far as the term "salt & pepper" carpet is concerned I will note that a true salt & pepper carpet would have to be black with white speckles. Fawn (light tan) looks nothing like salt. AFAIK Studebaker never used the term salt & pepper. So, it is a term made up by Studebaker fans. Therefore, no one person can define the term's meaning. The meaning is what the majority of Studebaker people say it is. Ok, so let's vote. --Dwight

Production variances is one thing that makes Avantis so interesting. Especially interesting are the "round-headlight '64 Avantis," with interior variations practically from car to car. --Dwight

I have always thought of "salt & pepper carpeting" as referring to two-tone carpet, i.e., Fawn & black, red & black, turquoise & black, etc. That's how I have always heard the term used. RegnalBob stated: "All 1963 & 1964 Avantis with two tone interiors had salt & pepper carpets, except the Fawn & Elk had Black carpet." (paraphasing a little) Yes, AFAIK that is the lone exception on '63s, AND that Fawn & Elk w/ black carpet interior was available only with either a Gold or Red exterior. The upholstery & exterior color combinations available are detailed in the Avanti Color & Upholstery Selector book. --Dwight

Lares Corp. in Minnesota rebuilds these power rams. I am about to ship them two rams for rebuild. Maybe some of the usual suspects (Studebaker suppliers) stock rebuilt power rams to sell on an exchange basis. https://www.larescorp.com/ --Dwight

I have seen a textured finish on the very bottom of some late model cars. I assume the intent is to prevent or hide chips. Or, maybe it is to hide rust bubbles on Northern cars. There are rattle-can spray paints that produce a "pebbled' finish so I assume this stuff does that too. --Dwight

Nice job, Nels. There is a paint on the market to restore the texture of vinyl. And, for those of us who are less creative in the use of materials, there are materials for repairing vinyl on the market. It would not surprise me if the vinyl repair filler (below) is just re-packaged Bondo (like you used). I, too, have a '63 Avanti that I am trying to resurrect, including the dash. --Dwight

IIRC there was a document detailing at what serial number all of these changes took place. I can't find it at the moment. --Dwight

Assuming that everything else in the system is up to par it would have to be the booster. I had a booster in my '64 Avanti go bad in Feb. and the symptoms were similar to your car. Stephen Allen in Florida, at that time, had two rebuilt boosters in stock. Their firm rule is that they have to have your rebuildable core in their hands before they will ship you a rebuilt one. The rebuilt booster cured the problem and works well. If you don't have an original core they can be found stashed away by SDC members. --Dwight

I'll second that vote for Dave's shifter. I have one of his in my '64 Avanti. The top is turned down & threaded to accept the stock knob. The handle (rod) looks just like the original, except that it's not tapered. The original had a slight taper from bottom to top. You would have to be told that it lacks that taper to see it. The Hurst shifts a whole lot better than the stock el-cheapo shifter. If you want one, though, I may have one in the basement. --Dwight