Mark L

Not only are the refrigerants different, the lubricating oils in the refrigerant lines to lubricate the compressor are different, too. R12 uses mineral oil. R134 uses polyalkylene glycol (PAG). If you convert from R12 to R134, any parts that are retained for re-use must be thoroughly flushed with an appropriate solvent to remove all the mineral oil, something that will cut and remove the mineral oil without damaging the parts. About 25-30 years ago I converted the A/C system in a 1993 Ford Crown Victoria to R134. The kit came with everything except the evaporator. Since I didn't replace it (buried inside the dashboard) I flushed it with some kind of alcohol and blew out the alcohol with compressed air. I don't remember what alcohol I used. The conversion worked well, and it was still cooling when we sold the car in 2006.

Deal. Send me a private message with your name and address. I'll break them down into manageable bundles and box them up in multiple boxes for shipping.

The Studebaker Lark I sold last year was originally equipped with power steering from the factory, but sometime before I bought it, it was converted to standard steering. To make steering at low speed a bit easier, I learned to anticipate which way I was planning to turn after a stop. I did some of the turn while the car was still rolling, stopped, then began the rest of the turn when I started roll and avoided turning the wheel when the car was stationary.

For those of you who collect physical ephemera, I am giving away an almost complete set of AOAI magazines, from volume 1 issue 1 up to about 2017 or so. They are currently in three large boxes. When these were given to me a few years ago, I went through all of them and put them in order. A few individual issues are missing. There are some duplicates. These are free to anyone who wants them. No shipping. I'll drive up to 3 hours one way from Seattle to meet you somewhere halfway to transfer ownership.

Do they sell radiators specific to the Avanti, or did you have to pick one for a different car and make it work? What was the part number you ordered?

Wow, very nice. The interior looks great.

There's a 1963 Avanti R1 on Bring-A-Trailer. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-studebaker-avanti-69/

I believe Ford has outsourced all their production records from 1967 through 2020 to Marti Auto Works.

It's looped inside the pillar and held with something like a clip. When I replaced my vent hose I cut the visible ends just below the pillar and shoved it up inside the pillar to get it out of the way. If I ever remove the interior lining of the pillar, I'll remove the clip and cut portion of the hose.

The large hole in the middle can be plugged with a metal or rubber body plug of the same diameter. I used a metal plug to make it less likely for a mouse to chew through it. The smaller hole to the right of it is where the gas tank vent tube passes through the body.

As pictured in post 5, deluxe trim had smooth, perforated vinyl inserts on the seat backs and bottoms. The regal trim had pleated vinyl with no perforations.

Thanks. He spent most of his time at Studebaker working in building 84. This is the two of us outside buildings 84 and 113 in September 2021. My youngest daughter and I stopped in South Bend to visit my parents after driving my '62 Lark Daytona hardtop to the SDC International Meet in Indianapolis. That was a long, hot trip. He passed about six weeks later, and my mother about 10 weeks after him.

Wow, a 16 year old boy with a new Avanti. I'm speechless. Just...wow.

Yes. My father worked in the auto assembly building in South Bend. He was in the Production Control department. One of his duties was to collect copies of the production orders as the cars came down the assembly line and turn them in so they could be filed.

Regarding my response in post 3 above, this is a photograph of the production order that was found in the dashboard of our chapter member's 1961 Cruiser. In the bottom center it says "Production Order - Body Set". In the bottom right corner, it says "Instrument Panel Copy". This does not specifically answer the question in post 1 above.

63stick, it's yours. I just sent you a Private Message requesting your mailing address. For your privacy, please do not post it in this thread.

One of our local SDC chapter members is selling a 1961 Lark Cruiser. He said he found a copy of the build sheet tucked up into the dashboard near the glove box. It certainly looks like it was in the car for quite a few years.

I have an extra 2025 calendar available for free. It was sent to me to pass along to someone else, but that person already has one and didn't need it. I'll even pay the shipping.

The third Avanti sold to the public, 63R1003, is available. It was donated to the Studebaker National Museum, and the museum is now auctioning it through the Hagerty Marketplace with no reserve: https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace/auction/1963 -Studebaker-Avanti/a674bfb8-d821-492c-97ff-496058ccb07a The car is pretty rough. White with orange interior. 289 with serial number RS1003. Body 63RQ 105. 4-speed manual transmission, power steering, power brakes, twin traction, aftermarket AM/FM radio. The supercharger was removed at some point and replaced with air conditioning.

In the parts catalog illustration in post 2 above, illustration number 1110-40 is a threaded rod that passes through the center of illustration number 1110-16. There is a nut threaded on the rod on the front-facing side of 1110-16, and another nut threaded on the rod on the rear-facing side. Turning the nuts toward the front of the car will apply more brake (or apply it earlier with less handle travel) as the handle is pulled. Turning the nuts toward the rear will apply less brake (or apply it later with more handle travel) as the handle is pulled. If it's been a long time since the nuts have been adjusted, it is very likely the threads of the rod will be rusty with a lot of road dirt and debris embedded in the threads. It may be a good idea to first remove the nuts and 1110-16, run a thread die over the threads on the rod, and run a thread tap through the threads on the nuts. This will clean them out and make it much easier to adjust the nuts when it is reassembled.

I recommend that when you get the screwdriver inserted through the fiberglass hole and the tip of the screwdriver in the hole in the latch mechansm, avoid the temptation to use the edge of the fiberglass hole as a pivot point for the shaft of the screwdriver. The metal shaft of the screwdriver is harder than the edge of the fiberglass hole. I had to release the hood once due to a rusted release cable. The tip of the screwdriver kept slipping out of the latch. After a while I noticed my hands were getting itchy from the glass fibers. When I finally got the hood open, I found the screwdriver shaft had chewed up the edge of the fiberglass hole.

Today the stars aligned for a few hours for me to work on the car again. I re-installed the first new master cylinder. Last month I found the speed bleeders on the rear calipers didn't have enough thread sealant so that the bleeders were loose in the threads when they were open. I made sure all the speed bleeders had fresh thread sealant on the threads. Still no luck. With the engine running the pedal still starts to build pressure, then goes to the floor. Next (when the stars align again) I'm going to reinstall the original single chamber master cylinder, since I know it was good, and connect it only to the front brakes and see what happens. Then I'll connect it to the rear brakes only and see what happens. Maybe I'll be able to isolate the problem to half the system. This has been a royal PITB.

aardvark, I'm glad to hear you are well. I've also about given up on getting my brakes working this year. I might be able to sneak a day or two in to work on them, but our rainy season has set in, the days are getting shorter, and with the infernal time change on November 3, it will be dark by the time I get off work. What few dry weekend days we now have between now and February will be prioritized on yard work, exterior maintenance of the house as needed, and maintaining our daily drivers. My Avanti is now stuck in the driveway under a cover. I'm looking forward to retiring and moving out of Washington state in favor of someplace drier and less expensive to live.

You might also call Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motor Cars in Wixom, Michigan. Wixom is 77 miles from Rossford vs. 200 miles from Duncan Falls. BTW, Nostalgic's website indicates that Dan Booth will be retiring "soon". It doesn't say when, or if anyone will be taking over his business.

My wife is the same. Her father passed 10 years ago, but she's holding on to some of his things that we'll never need or use because they remind her of him.