aardvark

Our Mustang GT and Firebird Trans Am' based models are soooo rare that the specialized parts are near impossible to come across. In the case of my car, an '02'..only 33 were made. (According to John Hull).. Thanks again John for the info.) That said, the upside is they are Mustang /Firebird Based and the general driveline and Interior parts are out there in plenty. Two Edged Sword, eh? Consider ''3D Printed'' items if you run into too much trouble. Yes, You'll pay up, but what other choices do You have??

Whereas that might be an improvement visually, it's like putting putting lipstick on a pig. A new aluminum Intake is a vast improvement in performance and longevity. Note... I'm just speaking opinion and past experiences with plastic intakes getting old, brittle snd cracking. I have no plans on replacing my original Manifold unless it goes bad... Then I'd replace it with Aluminum but not until..

That worked out well. Like it a LOT. My complaint about ANY of these Newer Cars has always been the Plastic Intake Manifolds. Not only do they look cheesy, they also (over time) crack and cause engine issues. They crack due to extreme temp changes from freezing cold to full engine temps. Over time, Plastic is destined to fail.. and it just doesn't look good either., BUT That's My Personal opinion.

Much different than the '02' model with a few threaded adjusters.

Mark L Yeah, I gave up on the Brakes for now as well. I sprung a Power Steering leak from somewhere. It's pouring on the exhaust and smoking like crazy. I finally just got fed up and I'll plug away at the items over the winter on some warmer days. So both Avanti's are in the Barn awaiting repairs on one and detailing on the other. (a '63' and '02') I also have multiple things needing done this Fall, early Winter. We spent 3 days (off and on) just setting up StarLink, since Internet has been spotty now for 5 weeks after the Storm. I'm on it now. Next I have a Cub Cadet ... Side By Side UTV that needs gone thru.. Finally that Porsche died. Plugs fouled due to running too rich.. Been hell over here, but things are coming together in the Neighborhood and Counties. We weathered everything very good being up on a hill. ..Praise GOD for that!

Stacy Generally I'll mothball due to the snow and salt used to melt it. That generally runs thru Jan to Mar. But this scenario has turned my road into a graveled mess with mud and heavy dust. Ya get behind a Gravel Truck at 100 ft and the dust cloud totally wipes vision and You can't see the Truck due to a dust cloud. We're slowly recovering, no thanks to the Feds and FEMA. They are nearly Non-Existent. The repairs are being done by the State, County and Local Residents. The Religious Orgs are here but they are overwhelmed... thus not too helpful.. (good intentions but only so much can be done) The Blacktop Plants basically slow or shut down in the Winter Months. This year they likely will remain open, but i don't expect a blacktopped road until around Jul-Aug. I just won't drive these cars on a graveled ,muddy, dusty road, so my Driving time is done for now. My H2 Hummer and that Porsche was Up 'For Sale" but they're such a muddy mess, nobody will even take the purchase seriously until they're cleaned up. That right now would be a futile attempt. But we're good here at My House.

With the roads “Soooo Tore Up" after Hurricane Helene and being either muddy or dusty after the Storm, these cars are going into storage for the winter. My '63' Avanti is already in the Barn being worked on, so it's already ''off the road''. There is NO WAY I’ll get these vehicles messy. Clean up takes forever under the hood and throughout. Just not worth it. There is a stretch going North on my road that is a ~2 miles run that was not touched by the Storm. So I can take em out for a ''warm up run'', but that’s it. So… The fun ends for this year. These Cars are being Mothballed for the winter in hopes that next Spring the roads will be re-paved. ’02’ Avanti and ’82', 928 Porsche.

You cannot talk a spouse into giving up memories. They will need to make those decisions when and if ready. All You can do is show interest and when / if they change their mind or get cash strapped You are available to help. A good Friend passed last Christmas. He had a collection of firearms that is likely valued at $150k. The Widow knows that IF she sold 2/3rds of em, She would be able to pay off all debts. Still, She's not ready to let go. This is a very sensitive situation Your looking at. Might be better to just go out and find a different Avanti. They're out there and no hard feelings would come out of going a different direction. Someone in the Family is going to accuse You of lowballing the Wife if You buy from Her. Do You really want to be in that situation over a Car?

Welcome to the AV Club.

Geoff. Yup, '02's and some other years also add the Studie name in the door plate. The '01's didn't. So I think I'll use Your Designators. Thanks.

Wow Geoff.. My heads going to ''A-Splode !!'' I can't speak for the AV3's and 4's as You call them...I DO LIKE THE DESIGNATORS !!!... I can tell You what their (my) door tags read like. ...It says ''Studebaker by Avanti Co.'' Now that is My '02' door tag.. The '01's' just say ''Avanti'' (no mention of "Studebaker')'. . It's like by year '02' the rights to the Studebaker name were bought or acquired. And its all ''Bass -Ackward''...I'm essentially driving a Stude by the Avanti Corp.... I own a Porsche, 928 .. but it's not called the 928 Corp, who built a Model called Porsche.... Same with a Camaro by Chev... Not a Chev by Camaro Corp. Ya see the Model designated to our car is as said... ''Bass-Ackward''. But I'll accept he AV-3 and AV-4 designators.. They just don't hold with the reality, or a name tag. ...

Good to hear. It's been a mess.

Nelson... No, FEMA has been non=existent and useless here. They are offering a $750.oo aid package which is being un-veiled as a loan and on Your property. (Land grab??) The only entities here are of Christian Ilk and Local Contractors. Residents helping residents.. The are the only sources for food water and supplies with tents set up, are at Church Locations, There are areas in these Backwoods where no supplies can be gotten to, to those trapped. Death toll is 120 and 200ish missing (likely buried in mud wash). Footer...Florida?? So My 2 Brothers live in the Milton Path. Outside of Sarasota Fla, direct path of the Eye. Their homes survived but the area is slightly flooded. Death toll so far is 17.

So tomorrow it has been 2 weeks. There has been 175ish found dead and another 200+ unaccounted for. My Friend has a 1/2 Wolf Breed Dog. It howls when it smells death. It's been hpwling on occasion. Most unfound people are probably under layers of mud and in the woods somewhere. Upside is we are seeing a lot of backhoes. and gravel trucks flying up the roads to our area to do road repairs and the Electric Co's are being called in from out of State. Downsides is we are seeing very little relief help or funds. Samaritans Purse is overwhelmed and their presence is like a Flyspeck on Your Car Hood.. There's just too much area to cover. Add to that that a Hurricane is about to hit Florida again, which further diminishes their efforts here. The Fed's are useless. I looked into a $750.oo relief fund. The process is INSANELY COMPLEX and it's a useless amount to help in the first place, I have a Barn Wall that has been pushed in due to water pressure. Not sure how I'm going to fix that, but this is not about me. This will be a multi year effort.

I've mentioned the complexity and with that comes excessive costs. but there is another factor. When the hood is opened a Collector is going to see a LS swap and think twice, whereas a same sized Small Block (like some have said a 383ci) at 400+ hp is the same configuration , thus looking the same.) Add to that Your adding modern day electronics in the mix... I'm doing everything in my power to go away from that.. I might add another perspective..... Many of Us want to Hop Up and Modify to the point of massive financial loss. How many times have you seen someone pour $$Cash..into a rebuild and at the end are left with a car that they will never recover their expenses back when the car sells? I can buy a LOT of Vehicles at $.50c on the $1.00 of what the seller invested. I'm not into Collecting to lose $$'s.. We Avanti Owners are Undervalued as it is (which I really don't understand with the rarity of Our vehicles). To sink $thousands. into a rebuild that will never be returned at the end of the day, seems outrageous. I'll say one positive in this whole realm... IF You plan on keeping the Car until Your Death and just want it up to Your Specs...Go For It !! So do the math and figure if what Your after makes sense to You.

Stacy...Many Charity Org's don't use their Donations to their full ability and run too high in Admin Costs. I'm big on checking into their records to see what % of the $dollar goes out and on the ground. Sam Purse is run by Billy Graham's Org, now run by His Son Franklin Graham, run here out of N.C.. Many local Church and other Local Orgs seem to also do good. Mark L....Yeah, were good. Glad You and Yours are also well,..What was not mentioned is the Hi Winds recorded on the Mountaintops. Speeds of 80-100+ mph . We didn't see those speeds since we are at 3500 ft elec... the mountain tops here are around 6000 ft. MFG ... Yes HE Does.

Nelson... Yes Sam Purse is a good source, but they are a drop in the bucket for what's needing done here. Last time this happened was 3 years back. Funny part is this area should be impervious to this kind of weather. Point being, they didn't have all of the clean up done after 3 years from the last one and then we get hit again.

Helene wiped out our area. It's cutting into my "Drive Time". The roads are trashed and the only way to get around is in my Hummer H2. In fact the Whole 270 mile wide stretch of Western N.C. went under a 30 foot river rise, wiping everything in it's path. When 30 ft of water rushes down a Mountainside at 40ish mph. all hell breaks lose. I'm not trying to belittle the other States effected but in my humble opinion, our area is hit the worst . So currently both of My Avanti's are off the road, and probably will be mothballed for the Winter. I ask You to give to Samaritans Purse, who is the ONLY Org helping here. The Feds are non existent. FEMA is sitting in a School with NOTHING Going on. Useless as Tits on a Boar Hog. So I ask for Your Prayers if You are of Christian Ilk. We've been 8 days with only Local Contractors and their Machinery in action.. (Very Sad) My Personal Residence was basically untouched since we are sitting up on a mounded area. We had some small issues but not worth the discussion. It's the land below by the Rivers that went down stream at a rapid rate. I had to Rock Crawl my H2 out 3 days later. It took the 3 days to just get a path down to the Main Road (which is also compromised). Gasoline is nearly unavailable, food is sparse, I just today got communications back. a few hours ago.

An LS Swap might be a real headache as well as a costly way of gaining HP. It is NOT a clean swap. I would opt for a Chev SB of a larger cubic inch since the dimensions and connections are the same. An LS is a different ballgame.

I feel Your pain. I went thru everything in the Stock Configuration and am still not getting anywhere near the braking power needed,,, Then the power Steering drained itself,, so I couldn't road test right away... Then.. the Ignition Key broke off in the Ignition. (Sheesh,,, What next??) So I haven't been able to even Road test.

MFG...Well, I sorta felt obligated to let this guy do His thing. He's not out to screw me,. It's what He is stuck paying.

Watching His show is always interesting and informative, He's a real Chrysler Fanatic, which I am not.

MFG Well the Locksmith ordered 2 blanks. $40.00 each. (sheesh). The tumbler has been too sticky to pull a key in and out. I never pulled the key out and it worked fine. ...So what I'm trying to do is get the Car running, and use the key He makes for the doors. I'll then order up a new Tumbler and 2 keys for the Ignition. Robert Ziff sells the tumbler w/ keys. Side note, He couldn't figure out exactly what the key was, I had the Build Sheet and it answered the question... #4337 is the listed ''Ignition Key Number''. Still all of this is delaying progress and it likely will be 1 to 2 weeks before I'm back to square one.

Thanks, MFG. Went to 2 locksmiths today.. mass amounts of keys all over the walls, No matches. The 2nd tried to cut what might work. It failed. H.I.H..

Dwight. I'm going to see a very reputable locksmith this coming morning. I have the 2 key parts. and the Build Sheet, but we'll see what He can do.