Mark L

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.

Thanks. I'm thinking about springing for new replacements. I've run out of dry weather and daylight to get my brakes working, so it looks more and more like it will be parked until next spring before I can work on it again. I should have new lens covers and gaskets before it's back on the road.

I think the gaskets for my headlight covers are not properly installed. The car currently has acrylic headlight covers, and the gaskets seem too big for the covers. The attached photograph shows how my right headlight cover is currently installed. The gasket covers the exterior of the trim ring and partially covers the screw heads. I checked the index of technical articles in the AOAI magazine, but this topic was not specifically covered. I also searched the SDC Forum. I learned that the aftermarket acrylic plastic covers are smaller than the glass covers, which explains why the gasket seems too big for the cover. Regardless of the cover material, what is the correct way to install the gasket?

I just completed the following: New flanged rear axles Turner disc brake conversions, front and rear All new brake tubes All new flex hoses New dual master cylinder Eliminated the hydraulic stop light switch and installed a mechanical switch at the brake pedal. The port on the MC for the hydraulic switch is plugged and sealed. Today I filled the system with fresh DOT 4 fluid and bled the brakes. I found two leaks in the rear circuit. I tightened the leaky fittings and bled the rear brakes again. With the engine not running, the brakes feel firm as they are applied, and I can see the booster and master cylinder flexing upward slightly very soon after I start pressing the pedal and as resistance builds up in the pedal. This is the problem. The car is completely off the ground on jack stands and the wheels off. When I start the engine and apply the brakes, the pedal goes almost to the floor before I feel any solid resistance in the pedal. The booster and master cylinder do not flex up slightly until the pedal is nearly to the floor. As the pedal is nearing the floor, I can hear a change in tone in the engine as if there is an additional load on the engine. With the engine at idle and the transmission in drive, and no pressure on the brake pedal, the rear axle turns. If I apply the brakes, the rear axle does not stop turning until the pedal is nearly to the floor, which seems to indicate to me that the booster is not applying pressure to the MC until the pedal is near the floor. I removed the check valve on the booster and confirmed it only allows air to move towards the engine. I removed the vacuum hose between the check valve and fitting on the intake manifold and verified it is clear. With the check valve installed and twisted into position, it is still a little loose on the booster. There is one gasket in place. When I installed the MC, I had to shorten the length of the actuating pushrod. The contact point on the piston is at a more shallow depth than the original MC. I adjusted the rod so that the rod is not putting any pressure on the piston as the mounting flange seats on the face of the booster. Lengthing it by one or two flats of the nut changes how the MC seats on the booster, so I know it's adjusted right. What am I missing? What should I check next? I'm not going to drive it until I figure this out. It wasn't doing this before I did all this work. The front brake pads were worn out, but the car was stopping and the brake pedal resistance was better than this.

Does anyone have a copy of a membership directory for 1976, or know how I can find a copy? I'm trying to track down a previous owner of my Avanti. The Bob Johnstone Avanti website indicates the 1976 member directory showed an Edward V. Albert in La Mesa California owned the car at that time. He may not live there any more, but I'm trying to connect the dots to see if he's still alive and where he might live now. I was recently given an almost complete collection of Avanti Magazine and newsletters from 2017 all the way back to issue #1 in 1965. I know it's all available on digital media now, but the guy needed to move, and it was free. Would the member information be found in any of the newsletters/magazines from the 1970's? Thank you for your assistance.