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lschuc

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  1. Thanks for the compliments!! We also just opened the virtual doors on our online shopping cart. This has more security, better feedback and invoice/receipts, and a better organized better working product section.

    Lew

  2. Here are photos of the former Avanti Motors property in Cancun, Mexico, which are now for sale. There are no external signs or markings anymore that indicate what this property was formerly used for. The upstairs area that held several historic Studebakers and Avantis is now boarded up. I suspect that all cars, parts and equipment have been moved to an off-site warehouse.

    I just hope that the parts, dies and molds were not discarded, and lost forever.

    Anyone have an extra $3.2 million to buy this property?!!! laugh.gif

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    avanti for sale.pdf

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  3. Billy, I was at the SDC & AOAI meet last week in Glendale, Arizona, and saw a 1963 Avanti that an owner brought to the meet from Canada. It had a metric speedometer, so that confirms that there is more than one with a speedometer marked in kilometers. Try calling Andy Beckman at the Studebaker National Museum to see if he can research your car further.

    Lew

  4. Joe:

    the next time you hear someone say the Avanti looks like a James Bond car, just say, "Well yes, Ian Fleming owned a a black one too!"

    Lew

    Had my '82 at a well attended cruise-in last night in a downtown area that closes the streets surrounding a variety of stores/restaurants that attract non-typical car show crowds...heard the usual questions associated with owning an Avanti: "Who makes it"? (since it's not a Studebaker I tell them "Avanti makes it"); "That's made in Italy, right?" (I say "only if there's a little Italy in South Bend, Indiana"; and the inevitable "They made those in Canada" (which of course leads to a short dissertation of Studebaker & Avanti history).

    I have overheard some discussions while hanging out in earshot of the car which are a little different. Perhaps because my car is black is why I've heard "It looks like the Batmobile" (usually by a kid)...also, usually from adults, "That looks like a James Bond car" (silver DB5 vs black Avanti II???...I guess it's just the sixties vibe it exudes)...and to me the most unusual (I've heard it from kids & women) "The front of the car looks like the back"(memories of the '48 coupe).

    Just wondering if anyone else has heard similar comments or anything else funny/interesting...Joe

  5. From today's edition of Canadian Driver:

    Motoring Memories: Studebaker Avanti, 1962-1963

    1963-studebaker-avanti_bv_-7178.jpg

    Article and photo by Bill Vance

    By the time the futuristic Studebaker Avanti was announced in 1962, Studebaker history already dated back 110 years to 1852 when Clem and Henry Studebaker opened a blacksmith/wagon shop in South Bend, Indiana. They added electric cars in 1902, then a gasoline model in 1904. Electrics ended in 1912, and horse-drawn vehicles soon after.

    Studebaker developed a sound reputation and survived the 1930s Depression, albeit after a brush with receivership. Following the Second World War Studebaker was the first with new post-war styling, the 1947 “coming-or-going” Raymond Loewy design.

    The 1950s were difficult for non-Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) automakers. The end of the post-war sellers’ market brought relentless competition which drove Kaiser-Frazer, Crosley and Willys-Overland out of cars. In 1954 Nash and Hudson were forced to amalgamate as American Motors Corp., and Studebaker and Packard joined as Studebaker-Packard Corp.

    Studebaker’s designs prevailed, and “real” Packards disappeared in 1956 followed by Packard-badged “Packabakers” in 1958. By the late 1950s Studebaker was in trouble, and in 1961 a dynamic new president, Sherwood Egbert, was recruited from chain saw manufacturer McCulloch.

    To revitalize the company’s image, Egbert wanted image cars. He turned to Studebaker hero Loewy, creator of post-war 1947 Studebakers and low silhouette 1953 Starliner/Starlight coupes, later the Hawk series. Loewy agreed to design an all-new Studebaker, if given a free hand.

    Granted full autonomy, Loewy and a few associates worked feverishly in secret in Palm Springs, California, producing a full-size clay model within five weeks. It was dramatically different from anything seen before, the biggest styling departure since 1947.

    Called the Avanti – Italian for forward – the four-passenger, two-door Grand Touring’s hood dipped down to a bladed bumper. Blade-like front fenders extended ahead of the hood and flanked two round, glass-covered headlamps. With no grille, cooling air entered under the bumper, and an asymmetrical hood bulge sat directly in front of the driver.

    There was little chrome, and the “Coke bottle design” flanks were concave. Curved side glass, a large rear window and high tail with an abrupt drop-off gave a wedge-shaped profile. Small taillights wrapped around the rear fenders, and wide C-pillars concealed a built-in rollbar. The Avanti was all curves and arcs with not a straight line anywhere.

    The front seats were comfortable buckets, and the full set of round instruments included a tachometer and manifold pressure gauge. Overhead switches gave the cockpit an aircraft like feel.

    It was the dramatic, daring styling statement that Egbert wanted. To save time and money a fibreglass body was used, mounted on a strengthened 2,769 mm (109 in.) wheelbase Studebaker Lark convertible chassis with stiffer springs and anti-roll bars. It had rear drum brakes and Dunlop front discs made by Bendix, the first volume production American car with calliper discs (Crosley had them in 1949).

    Molded Fiber Glass Products of Ashtabula, Ohio, whose autobody experience included Chevrolet Corvette, got the body contract. The Avanti had an upgraded version of Studebaker’s 4.7-litre, 240-horsepower overhead valve V8. With optional Paxton-McCulloch centrifugal supercharger it developed an estimated 275 horsepower. Transmissions were three- and four-speed manuals and three-speed automatic.

    Road & Track (10/’62) reported that a supercharged, 1,542 kg (3,400 lb), four-speed Avanti sprinted to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 7.3 seconds, helped by a low 4.09:1 axle ratio. While good for acceleration, it limited top speed to 188 km\h (117 mph). Handling was reported as mediocre.

    Andy Granatelli, later of STP fame, took three supercharged “R-3″ Avantis (there were progressively tuned R-1 to R-5 versions) with 4.9-litre engines to Utah’s Bonneville salt flats in August 1962. He broke 12 stock car speed records, including the flying mile at 271 km/h (168.15 mph).

    Although the Avanti was introduced in 1962, fibreglass body difficulties delayed production until 1963; body building was finally moved to South Bend. This delay, plus Studebaker’s precarious financial condition kept Avanti sales to only 3,834 ‘63 models. This shrank to only 809 ’64s, which were identical except for square headlamps.

    Avanti never reached its true potential because of its slow start and because Studebaker was a failing company. Its Indiana operation closed in late 1963, and Studebaker production continued in Hamilton, Ontario, where it ended in 1966. Avantis were not made in Canada.

    After Avanti production ended in South Bend, Studebaker dealers Nate Altman and Leo Newman, established Avanti Motor Corporation in 1964 to produce Avanti IIs. They sold the company in 1982, and it subsequently went through several resurrection attempts.

    The Avanti was a brave attempt by a dying company to save itself. While it ultimately failed, it did produce a daringly different car.

    For more Bill Vance automotive history, see www.billvanceautohistory.ca

  6. As the Avanti approaches the 50th Anniversary of its debut in 1962, Stellar Scholars challenges high school students to design the Neo Avanti, a style-setting, fastback sports coupe that embodies rapid transit in enclosed comfort for driver and three fellow passengers. 

    Judges reward three points for Function, three points for Rendering, including computer-generated entries, and four points for Originality of concept as personified by the timeless Avanti.  A Maximum 10. 

    Entries should have been submitted through Art, Drafting, Computer Arts and Engineering teachers by March 1.  The venue for the 2010 Awards Ceremony has yet to be determined, with Michigan and Indiana settings under final consideration. 

    Rules and previous winning designs can be found at:  stellarscholars.net and theavanti.com

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  7. Following is a press release from Studebaker International:

    It’s Official – Studebaker International Purchases SASCO Inventory

    I’m very happy to announce that after many months of negotiation, an agreement has been reached between Studebaker International and Teachers Credit Union for S.I. to purchase the entire inventory of Studebaker parts that formerly belonged to SASCO.

    I was first alerted to the possible sale this last April when I received an email from Dennis Lambert stating that the inventory was “for sale” and that he considered me to have the “know-how to handle the mass of parts”. It was only when we met at a later time that I learned the city of South Bend had given Dennis notice that the inventory would have to be moved as the building was to be demolished. It’s been a long process since then, looking at possible sites for the relocation, investigating what it would take to make the move and looking at sources of funding. I’m happy to report at this time that a formal agreement has been signed between Teachers Credit Union, owner of the inventory, and Studebaker International and I am now able to go ahead with the move.

    Before I continue, I want to praise Dennis Lambert for his many years at Newman & Altman and then at SASCO providing parts. Dennis could have walked away from this inventory 10 years ago and these parts might have ended up as part of a landfill somewhere near South Bend. Instead, without much capital Dennis was able to secure the former Studebaker Engineering Building and move the huge inventory in a record amount of time and to continue making these parts available for Studebaker drivers. For this we owe him much gratitude.

    I also want to acknowledge Teachers Credit Union and the city of South Bend for their determination to see that these parts were saved. There was never a doubt in my mind that both entities were concerned with the preservation of the inventory and its continued availability for Studebaker owners.

    I am also happy to announce that Dave Spilski and George Imlar are now employed by Studebaker International and will continue working at our South Bend location.

    The inventory will be moved to the Studebaker Business Center which is located in the southern part of South Bend on Chippewa Avenue. The U.S. government constructed this building during World War II for Studebaker to produce aircraft engines. We will share this huge facility with other businesses already operating from the complex. Please keep in mind that this new facility will not be open for some time, so please don’t come there now expecting to buy Studebaker parts or to tour the facility.

    The new Studebaker International South Bend will in some ways be like the former business, but will incorporate my management style and will in many ways also be different. Beginning immediately, all orders for parts, either located in our Greenfield or South Bend locations, will be directed to our Greenfield store and South Bend phones will be diverted to Greenfield. Most shipments will also be sent from Greenfield with the exception of some larger parts which may be shipped from South Bend. Parts located in South Bend can still be ordered from the Greenfield location during this time of transition. We will do our best to keep you supplied with parts from either location. The South Bend store will remain closed for a few months while the move is taking place. Local residents are asked to please support the moving process by phoning orders to Greenfield and to not interrupt the moving process in South Bend. For those willing to wait a few days for their parts, orders may be picked up in South Bend.

    Anyone who has toured the former SASCO site knows that there are multiple crates containing unidentifiable materials that are not car or truck parts, having no value and only taking up space. These will be sorted and most discarded. There are also parts that may have come from production that have no value. There are other instances where large quantities of certain slow moving parts are there. Some of these stocks may be lessened. Remember, each square foot of space that is utilized has a yearly cost in rent attached to it that must be retrieved from sales. For those of you who would like to have a look at items that may be discarded, it is my hope that when the move is nearly complete we can have a sale and invite everyone in for a last look at the building and for a chance to pick up some last minute bargains. The sale will probably take place over a weekend during the winter months and notice will be published.

    I know there is concern as to what will happen with prices for the parts. Although I don’t anticipate any radical increases, there will be some. It has been my observation for some time that some of the prices were unusually high, and some were also very low. The previous owner had the benefit of not having to pay rent. I will not have this luxury with the monthly cost of the building being almost $18,000 and there is the horrendous cost of the move. There is also the cost involved in finally getting this inventory sorted and organized so that needed parts may be found. I know that many who have posted on the Forum and have seen the inventory can comprehend its size and the magnitude of the move, but for those who haven’t witnessed the inventory, it’s hard to imagine its size and the difficulty involved in moving.

    Many have already offered to help with the move and this is very much appreciated. Once we get started I will post information on the SDC Forum as to how volunteers may assist. The new building is 3.3 miles from the current site, and 3 tractor trailers will be utilized.

    I want to conclude by thanking all who have given support along the way. My goal is to continue to make Studebaker parts available for many years to come and to keep these cars on the road.

    Ed Reynolds

    Studebaker International

  8. Lots of history in this former race car from Australia. It was auctioned in March 2007

    Lot No. 17

    The ex-Bert Needham, Bathurst Class-Winning 1964 Studebaker Commander R4

    Chassis No: C505830

    Engine No: R 3847

    Reg: KM-1950 (WA) Concessional

    Studebaker had an excellent reputation in Australia for making solid, but

    powerful compact cars. In the early 1960s their Lark and Cruiser models

    became popular among racers, being relatively small cars fitted with

    powerful V8 engines. For this reason several Police forces in Australia also

    ran these models. The most famous and successful of the Studebaker racing

    drivers was Bert Needham, who also ran a Studebaker dealership in New

    South Wales. He competed in a series of cars and races including most

    famously, Bathurst. It is in this car that Needham had his greatest successes,

    including a class win at Bathurst, when it came 4th outright. The car raced

    twice at Bathurst, as well as at several other eastern states circuits and was

    said to have been capable of "almost 150mph on Conrod Straight".

    The car was delivered to Needham specifically for racing with the 2-door

    body not normally available. It features a Granatelli R4 engine, disc brakes,

    race suspension (uprated springs, shock absorbers, sway-bars), a bigger fuel

    tank, Twin-Traction limited slip differential, tachometer, etc - all correct,

    optional Studebaker parts, fitted for competition in period.

    The 4.2 litre V8 engine produces 210kW (280bhp), which helps explain

    the car's success on the track. Legendary US racing engine builder Andy

    Granatelli built the R4 engines for Studebaker. In 1968 Needham purchased

    a new R4 engine from Granatelli and changed the car to floor-shift from the

    column gear-change it had originally had. It was driven at the Castlereagh

    drag strip in NSW, where the car achieved a 13.93 second run.

    The car will be sold with a file of details including its competition history.

    These documents back up the low 32,700 miles shown on the odometer.

    When not being raced, the Commander sat in pride of place displayed

    in Needham's showroom. The car has been comprehensively restored in

    all areas and is beautifully presented today in its correct Sealight Green.

    The engine was rebuilt and has covered approximately 2000 miles. It has

    been a part of a private collection of Studebakers in Western Australia

    for many years and has won multiple Concours awards as a testament to

    its exceptional condition. It is believed that as few as only two or three

    Commander R4 cars were ever built.

    This important car has appeared in several publications. It is without doubt

    the most famous racing Studebaker in Australia, and offers a very rare

    opportunity to own a car with an excellent pedigree from an evocative era of

    Australian racing.

    On view in Perth

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    Estimate $50,000-$60,000

    Auction:

    Collectors' Motor Cars

    Held:

    Sunday 25 March 2007

    Level 1, 540 Malvern Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC

    Preview:

    Thursday 22 March 2007 10am - 5pm

    Friday 23 March 2007 10am - 5pm

    Saturday 24 March 2007 10am - 5pm

    Sunday 25 March 2007 9am

    Level 1, 540 Malvern Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC

    Level 1, 540 Malvern Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC

    Level 1, 540 Malvern Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC

    Level 1, 540 Malvern Road, Prahran, Melbourne, VIC

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  9. Thanks.. hope to see a story and photos from your trip!! On your way back, you should head north and stop on the Bonneville Salt. Jim Lange is supposed to be there with his Avanti, as will David Livesay.

  10. thanks for your comments, CobraJoe74!! You never know where you'll spot something on the Avanti, or where it will turn up. The Avanti is very popular in mid-century modernistic circles, more for its design than for the car factor guy factor. We've received a number of good comments because of our ad there.

    And the Atomic Ranch editor also turned out to have been a photographer for another publication that covered the 2001 German chapter of the Raymond Loewy Foundation seminar in Palm Springs. Small world!!

  11. As some of you might already know, Automobile Quarterly has published a very good 16-page feature on our favorite car in the current issue, Vol. 49, Issue #1.

    AQ sells backissues, but since this is a current issue, they are not yet listed for sale by the company.

    The AOAI has secured a supply of the current issue and are offering them for sale on our own website, http://www.aoai.org for a special price, reduced price from what AQ normally sells their issues.

    If you have seen this publication before, you know that they have a long history, since 1962, and both the Avanti, Studebaker and Raymond Loewy, Sherwood Egbert and the design team have been featured in this publication since it's beginning. Although called a magazine, it is actually a very nice hard-bound book with no advertising. Just very well-written feature articles.

    It is a hard-bound book, 112-pages total.

    We'll have a review in the next issue of Avanti Magazine, but you can get your own copy of AQ now, from our website.

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    Lew

  12. Avanti buildings on verge of demolition

    by Spencer Crawford/The Villa Rican

    06.17.09

    Preliminary work is being completed this week in anticipation of the

    demolition of a handful of buildings on the former Avanti property in

    downtown Villa Rica, paving the way for construction of a new park and

    municipal complex on the site.

    Contractors had already salvaged 1,800 square feet of hardwood

    flooring from the hosiery buildings that will eventually be used in

    the new city hall building, as well as some of the metal works. This

    week, the cityÂ’s contractor began removing asbestos from the buildings

    slated for demolition.

    Also, this week, Georgia Power removed all of the old transformers and

    transferred power to the new transformers, the phone lines in the old

    buildings were disconnected and city officials are meeting with the

    architects from MacTech to kick off the design portion of the project

    that will result in blueprints for the municipal complex based on a

    conceptual drawing presented to the public a few months ago.

    “It’s going to be a big week for the Avanti complex,” Deputy City

    Manager Jeff Reese said. “Once we get the power disconnected and the

    phone lines disconnected, itÂ’s going to be bulldozers going full speed

    ahead. Everything should be ready for them to do that next week.”

    Demolition of the buildings is scheduled to take about six weeks, but

    city officials are optimistic that nothing unexpected will be found

    and the work can be completed sooner. Once the buildings are down and

    the rubble is removed, the next phase of the project will be

    construction of a park and amphitheater that will be featured

    prominently at the intersection of Temple Street and Highway 61 near

    the railroad tracks. That portion of the project is being funded with

    $400,000 in SPLOST monies granted to the city by the Carroll County

    Board of Commissioners for new greenspace.

    City officials had hoped the park would be completed in time for the

    cityÂ’s annual Gold Rush Festival held the first Saturday in September,

    but that schedule was delayed somewhat in acquiring permits from EPD

    for the asbestos removal. However, Reese said the park would be

    completed before cold weather arrives in late fall.

    Construction of the municipal complex is slated for seven phases,

    which will be completed over several years as funds become available.

    Demolition of the old buildings, construction of the park and the

    creation of design blue prints will get the project through the first

    three phases.

    © times-georgian.com 2009

  13. The Studebaker Driver's Club forum is down for awhile, but earlier had this news about fellow Avanti owner and Studebaker racer Ted Harbit. I am copying it below:

    Lew

    Many of you may know of Ted Harbit. He is a legend in Drag Racing and certainly a Hall of Fame Studebaker owner. Ted was hurt last night after just passing the finish line in a 1/8" mile race at the drag strip in Muncie, Indiana. It appears a rod came through the oil pan and the escaping oil caused Ted to loose control. Apparently, he flipped 10-12 times. I had the chance a few months ago to spend an afternoon with Ted at his home and thorough go over the Chicken Hawk. Ted is an amazing guy. Everything done to the Chicken Hawk was Ted's own hand crafted work. He was a school teacher all his life in Grant County, Indiana. A very humble, very religious fellow that has helped many Studebaker owners. I bought most of the parts used on my 64 Avanti from Ted until he sold that business to Phil Harris.

    Our prayers are with Ted and Mary Ann.

    The following two posts are from the Studebaker Driver's Forum:

    FROM BOB PALMA:

    Ted Harbit is being treated at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie IN for the following major injuries following his accident this evening at The Muncie Dragway. In addition to bumps, bruises, and scratches, he received one collapsed lung, a broken right scapula, and two broken lumbar bones. (They told her lumbar bones, not lumbar discs. I clarified that with her in that I had not heard of lumbar bones either.)

    He never lost consciousness and was talking to her from the Emergency Room. She said it would be OK for Cari and I to come visit him tomorrow (Sunday) early afternoon after church, so that's what we will do.

    As for what happened: He rolled The Chicken Hawk TEN TIMES just after completing the eighth-mile at The Muncie Dragway this evening, in that they were running only the eighth tonight.

    They told her something let loose in the engine room and sprayed the underside of the car with oil. It lost traction and he lost control. It hit the guard rail hard enough to flip over the guard rail and begin rolling. It rolled so many times that he ultimately hit the sign posts holding the signs that signal the times and ETs...and the sign posts are located at the end of the quarter-mile strip!

    We should not assume "the engine blew" or anything, because that is not known. It might have been something as simple as an oil line to a turbocharger letting go. I'll find out tomorrow if Ted knows what happened.

    Needless to say, after 47 years of running who knows how many times at The Muncie Dragway, The Chicken Hawk has been destroyed. Ted turned 74 years of age this past weekend, and the number of times that car has blistered The Muncie Dragway drag strip surely numbers in the thousands.

    Mary Ann said they plan to keep him at least a week, so if anyone wants to send a card or other well-wishes, here's the address:

    Ted Harbit

    c/o Ball Memorial Hospital

    2401 West University Avenue

    Muncie IN 47303-3428

    The Chicken Hawk is/was equipped with a full roll cage, and, of course, Ted wears a professional body harness and full helmet at all times. Those and the Grace of God have enabled us to still have our friend Ted Harbit with us.

    Keep him in your prayers. (For those of you on The Studebaker Drivers Club Forum, as you know, the forum has been down. But when it is up, I'll post this report.)

    Good night & God Bless. Bob Palma

    FROM JOHN FEISTRITZER:

    I was not at the track racing tonight, but received a call and went out. Oh, you know that, you talked to Judy. He had already been taken to the hospital, and we went about the task of moving the car.

    A large tractor came in and pulled it from the soft ground where it stopped. Took it to a paved spot, and it was winched up onto a flatbed roll back truck. Then we backed Ted's truck and the rollback together and winched the car onto Ted's truck. I brought them to my house, that was a consensus of several people as the right thing to do. Here it will not have to be dealt with anytime soon.

    Kenny Robinson (Frantic Fred's son) said a rod was sticking out of the pan.

    Racer Larry Thrash said he heard a pop and looked up and Ted was sliding. He was in the right lane, crossed lanes, apparently airborne, and something broke the windshield of the left lane car. Someone said Ted's car hit it, someone said a piece of Ted's car hit it.

    He hit the left guardrail, and from where he hit it it was a good 50 feet before there were marks in the grass. Then another 50 or so feet before more marks in the grass. A few feet farther was the sign post. A racer on the return strip said the car backed into the post (thank God it wasn't a side impact, the post had been imbedded to the back window), the car stood up against the post, and the front of the car knocked the win light off the scoreboard. A couple of pirouettes and it landed right side up.

    One of the first guys to the car said he had unstrapped himself and was feeling around in the seat as if looking for something. He asked Ted what his name was, he said "Ted". Asked him how old he was, he said "too old". That's all I know, some of it heresy and I saw the marks on the ground myself.

    The last report I heard before I left the track was that he had a broken left arm and something wrong with a finger on his right hand. Obviously, your report is more official.

    John

  14. John,

    When I was going through my 63 Avanti, I cut out a thin wood board in the shape of the original front and rear speakers, then was able to mount 2 small Alipine speakers in each board, thus giving me a four speaker system.

    I connected them to a then-modern Yamaha in-dash AM-FM cassette stereo which worked okay. They are not the best speakers but certainly a big improvement over the old factory single front and single rear speakers.

    You could do this but still hook up your original AM radio in the dash to play out of each pair of speakers. But also hook up a separate head unit under the dash (or even in the glove compartment) and when you throw a switch, go between the AM radio and whatever head unit you install. You'd still have the four-speaker system for the modern head unit, but no one except you would know the difference.

    Lew

    My 1963 Avanti is being restored and I would like a good quality sound system. My 63 came with factory AM radio and front/rear speaker option. I am thinking of keeping the AM original and on a seperate circuit using the original speaker locations.

    Has anyone installed a hidden head unit with receiver using a remote control placing CD changer, amp in the trunk. I would think there is room on rear shelf for modern flush mount left & right speakers and then place the front left and right speakers under dash or on interior kick panels.

    I guess I could always go to a custom audio shop and have them do this, but was hoping some of you on Forum might have experience and suggestions.

    Thanks,

  15. Does anyone know this guy in Suffolk, New York?

    Newsday.com

    DEER PARK: Man killed while working under truck

    March 5, 2009

    A garage owner was crushed to death yesterday when the antique pickup truck he was working under apparently slipped from its jack stand, police said.

    Carl Lange, 70, of Uniondale, owner of Lange Technical Services in Deer Park, had been working on his personal vehicle, a 1937 Studebaker pickup truck, during the afternoon. When his secretary went to tell him she was leaving for the day, she found his body, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

    Link to story

  16. Does anyone know who I could trust to do a complete inspection of a 64 r-2 I'm considering in the Scottsdale Arizona area. I am in GA and this flying around to take a look is too expensive.

    Thanks

    Contact AOAI board member Dale Sexton in the Phoenix area. dsexton@aoai.org or normdales@cox.net

  17. Does anyone know if the original Stude Avanti Steering wheel steel ring is welded to the two center bar spokes? I recently purchased a nice woodgrain 64 style and it seems a bit loose. I noticed some play and see a few cracks near the bar on both sides. Is it just the molded plastic holding the rim to the center part? Anyone ever get a wheel restored to NOS condition? Thanks for you help, Luma

    Yes, the steel inner core horizontal bars of the steering wheel are welded to the main round portion of the steering wheel inner core before they were incased in plastic.

    My steering wheel was also loose because the welds broke. I had the steel welded again and was able to do this because the plastic cracked and was removed from the area behind the wheel at the joint.

    Now that it is welded and strong, I'll use JB Weld to glue the plastic pieces back onto the wheel and once set up, refinish and paint.

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