JavierB

Hi again. I'm wondering if you have any of the SkyTop weatherseal for the front? Its a fuzzy one that wraps around the two sides and the front. I have a new rear one but cannot so far locate the front one. If you do not have this, would you maybe know how to find it? was there a manufacturer for it or was it used in other more mainstream cars that may have more easily available parts? Thanks in advance!

Hi Steve. Did anything ever come of this thread? Its a decade later, and I'm also looking for the front weatherseal of my 81 Avanti with a SkyTop moonroof. Dan Booth has the rear one and is sending it, but he doesnt have the front one that wraps around the two sides and front. Any advice on your search would be welcome. Thanks!

So who has an opinion on the purpose of this canvas material? I'm obviously replacing it, but is it here just to prevent an accidental scrape on the glass or what? I would rather spray mount something than have this flimsy tape-based deal. Advice?

A couple of hours of WD40 later it came free! For some ungodly reason there is a cloth liner on this that is held on by cloth tape that goes all the way to the edge, meaning it sits in the slider channel. So after 40 years it had gotten shredded and folded and gunked and then it sat for a decade hardening. But now its FREE! one step closer! on the plus angle, the leather side is spanking new looking.

Hit a snag on my SkyTop re-bonding project: The sunshade won't budge. Its open all the way, as it has been since i got the car. I got the glass out, and figured that would maybe help dislodge the sunshade. No dice. stuck fast and completely. any advice? I've tried moving the power bar forward and back and that changes nothing. there were some shredded bits of weatherseal, fabric liner, and some cloth tape up there, so it could be gunked up, but not sure what to do about it.

Thanks. super helpful. not cheap, but helpful!

Hi folks. What exactly ARE the wire wheels in the 81 Avanti? The build sheet and paperwork just says "Wire Wheels" but certainly there is a manufacturer/model? I've got a couple of these with some irreversible rust issues, and wondering about the ability of finding a couple of replacements, but don't have any idea what to look for or what the wallet-damage would be. Any info is welcome, thanks! Image of my wheel attached.

This is in my future also. There seems to be a great kit with all the weatherseals from Myers here: http://www.myersstudebaker.com/avanti_rubber.htm Not sure what anyones experience is with these seals, but the all in kit price is a good deal.

I didnt do the extra sound proofing at this time. Removing the seat was trivial, so I figured I would get back around to that in the future. Many more pressing concerns first! Would like to hear your results and if its a noticeable improvement.

An update on the door: What I did was mark where the door was and where the striker plate was, and then also mark a point a quarter inch higher. I removed the striker and loosened the door bolts, and used ratchet straps wrapped around the whole car, 2x4 pieces and some bits of old carpet to keep the door snug into the frame and then raised it a quarter inch out of alignment on the striker side. Tightened it all down, and now its perfect. **I know this may not last** if there are other problems that are causing the sag, those may resurface. But it works for now, and I probably need to remove doors and all the weatherstrip when I paint, so we will see what happens then. Highly recommend the ratchet strap method of keeping the doors snug, although it means you have to climb through the windows to get in and out of the car to tighten the bolts, it was the best solution for me. Now on to the next thing. 🙂

Hi Folks. Just a bit of info I slowly uncovered. I had a missing knob on my 81 Recaro seats, and all attempts to find Recaro replacement parts proved fruitless. BUT it turns out that the 80 style Recaros are the same as the ones in E21 BMW's, and BWW parts are a lot easier to come by, including the Recaro knobs. They are BMW branded, but so what? I can deal with that. Heres a link to the knob I wound up getting, which is a perfect fit. Stupid expensive for a piece of plastic, but there ya go. https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/seat-recliner-knob/52101875826/

UPDATE: The sender unit from AvantiParts.biz was a relatively simple install. Its a Stewart-Warner unit, and it comes pre-cut to size from AvantiParts with a gasket and new bolts. One Word of Caution: Most Avanti tank senders are apparently secured with 10-32 Fine thread bolts. My 1981 is NOT. so I spent most of a morning cursing my poor alignment skills in trying to get wrong threaded bolts into the holes before checking that simple thing. I reused my old bolts and it took just minutes. So I'm not sure what years/numbers may be different, but don't assume, like I did, that the bolts in the kit will work.

Okay! The rear seat removal was actually EASY. Literally the first thing I've done on this car that was super straightforward and simple! Looks like the previous owner installed new gas lines and brand new filter up top. The condition of the gas sender, covered in rust, makes it no surprise that its not working. 🙂

Okay, well, I didnt get any feedback so I went ahead and ordered the one from Avanti Parts. I'll post if it was a successful install next week!

I dont think you get my meaning, or I dont get yours. I know that the door has to *ultimately* align without the striker, but I dont understand why some of you are saying I can't use the striker to correctly SET the alignment? I mean, yes, shims and all that, but the striker helps me get it in perfect position to tighten the bolts, so why is that a bad method? I've tried tape and maybe its just my door or my weatherstrip, but it keeps popping out slightly and falling out of alignment without using the striker. Yes, if i had a helper pushing on the outside it would work, but I don't and the striker seems to fill that need perfectly. I dont mean to be argumentative, I just want to understand why this method isnt valid or doesnt work? I can get perfect alignment. I can tighten the bolts on this alignment. My issue is that once i open the door, it sags a quarter inch at the latch end. So if that means its hinge pins/bushings, how do I get at those? Or alternately, is it a bad idea to align the door tilting a quarter inch too high so that it sags into the the correct height? (that seems to be just delaying a future repair, but just wondering). Does anyone anywhere have a diagram or images of what the hinges actually look like and how they are attached and how to get to the pins?