Gunslinger

What he said^^^^. Classic symptom of a bad sending unit.

I’ve read there was about 200 pounds of chains in the trunk to help with traction in the salt. It could be an Avanti urban legend. I doubt if anyone who was there to verify it is around any longer.

I usually kept air pressure somewhat close to the maximum cold pressure listed on the tire sidewall…with four pounds higher in the front than the rear. I found with the forward weight bias in the Avanti that difference made for slightly better handling as it made for a slightly rearward shift in the weight bias.

Exactly what year Avanti do you own? Ford uses a different bolt circle than the GM based Avanti. I forget but the wheel studs may use different lug nuts as well. If you have a Mustang based Avanti you’ll have to see whether the wheels clear the calipers by trying them. You also have to make sure backspacing is correct as well. You would probably do better by buying new wheels that style in the appropriate diameter, width and offset.

3)…Indy race car…FI from the Novi engines. That made sense as Andy Granatelli had purchased the Novi engines by that point. He only had to modify what he already possessed rather than buy from elsewhere.

It seems to me the air cleaner location was under-engineered and was the easy way to duct colder air to the carburetor enclosure without major redesign of the engine bay. It simply didn’t take consideration of road damage to the flexible air hose or potential water ingestion. Maybe if there was more time and money…and Studebaker allowed the Avanti to survive…a better and more well thought out design might have been engineered.

I had Edelbrock EFI on the '70 I owned and it was excellent...but that was on a small block Chebbie...don't know about an R1 but I believe others have installed bolt-on EFI on Stude engines. Maybe you should go over to the SDC forum and ask there. I do agree about the Edelbrock carbs...outstanding carburetors. As an aside...I had a professional carb rebuilder (over twenty years ago) tell me that unless the carb is physically damaged...it can be rebuilt to be like new. It all comes down to money...what the rebuilding costs may be compared to simply buying a new Edelbrock.

I think the large diameter steering wheels were a throwback to an earlier era where most cars did not have power steering...the larger diameter steering wheel provided less felt resistance to turning...plus manual steering ratios were much different. A smaller steering wheel such as the norm today would have required more turns lock-to-lock for manually powered steering. Companies such as Studebaker which had to watch every tenth of a penny stayed with the old standard larger wheel for cost reasons...regardless of whether power steering was ordered for a particular car. Look at trucks and buses of the day...particularly rear engined buses. They had huge diameter steering wheels to provide less overall effort for the drivers without power assist.

Studebaker contracted with MFG to supply complete, painted bodies. We all know how that worked out.

Fiberglass can be repaired...but you should compare the estimated cost of the repair against buying a good, used door. Even then...since fiberglass isn't stamped out in a cookie cutter fashion like sheet metal there's always some variations in its dimensions and fit. Some massaging right be necessary for a proper fit.

Your car came originally with a 400 c.i. engine. It should be a 4-barrel.

P205/75R15 would be closer to the original size 670-15. P215/70R15 would be about the same height and circumference but if your Daytona wheels are 6" wide would be fine. Getting down to practicality...if you're experiencing no issues with tire clearance the P215/75R15 is fine. The slightly larger tires will cause some speedometer/odometer inaccuracy but the Avanti has never been known for being accurate in that regard.

It’s correct that Studebaker used no proportioning valve…they used a distribution block…performed the same function.

What I found out some years back is that parts manufacturers have consolidated parts numbers rather than stock specific parts for specific cars. Just because a parts fits physically doesn't mean it's correct. I found that out on the '70 Avanti and '69 Corvette I owned. Parts books showed the rear wheel cylinders for the Avanti were the same as the front cylinders for certain Jeeps...wrong! While the Jeep wheel cylinder looked and fit the same they had a bigger bore diameter and the rear brakes locked up immediately from the added fluid pressure. You have two options...get an adjustable brake proportioning valve and experiment to find the right front/rear pressure or go to Myers Studebaker or Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors and order correct wheel cylinders. That will be a bit more expensive but it will also fix your problem without experimentation.

About all I can add regarding the 2002 Avanti I owned is somewhat conflicting. Avanti Motors told me it was the 20th new series Avanti built but the paperwork I received from John Hull said it was the 22nd. The only thing I can make from that was it was the 22nd car ordered but the 20th actually completed and shipped. The company told me it was the red car used in some of the advertisements but them saying that doesn't necessarily make it so. Some of the early cars showed differences in detail. At least one had blacked out Avanti emblems...mine had chromed. At least one had headlight buckets painted body color...mine were blacked out. At least one had backup lights in the trunk lid like the original Avanti...mine had backup lights in the rear bumper. It seems they were trying out different design treatments before settling on a standard on the early cars.

John Hull was only involved with the Avanti operation a limited time...after he left who knows who the custodian of the records were...if anyone. If any of those records still exist they're likely in Mexico where the company was last headquartered.

If not already done...replace the radiator hoses...particularly the lower hose. If it's collapsing under vacuum pressure when driving it will cut off the coolant's circulation. Test the radiator cap...if it's not hold pressure it will allow coolant to boil over. Make sure it's the correct cap...depending on whether the car has a closed or open system. After enough time it could have been changed from factory. Also make sure the radiator holds pressure. After so much time has passed any car can have cooling issues.

Alice has owned several Avantis.

Any weight that can be taken off an Avanti front end is worthwhile. Handling improves...maybe not always perceptively but it's there. It helps increase the life of the front coil springs. Any help reducing the front weight bias is a net positive.

False…1962 Indy 500.

I had Magnaflows on my ‘70…great sound. I found Flowmasters have a loud, raspy sound. The Magnaflows had a nice, low burble at idle but opened up at speed.

Costs...state of the art in 1962...lots of reasons why Studebaker did what they did. They were fortunate to even get the Avanti green lighted for production with essentially off the shelf parts with few custom additions.

I once bought a set of engine mounts from Studebaker International. They were aluminum or aluminum/ bronze. Whether SI had them fabricated or they were leftover Avanti Motors or from Altman/Newman I don’t know.

Not that I need one as I’m Avantiless…but kudos! That’s a nice piece of equipment and replacement for a very easily damaged piece on the Avanti.

My '70 had two steel engine mounts. The only reasons I can think of for the two dissimilar mounts are one has been replaced or Avanti Motors had a new batch made of alloy and yours received one of each in assembly. Never say never with Avanti Motors...parts were not always pulled in any kind of order and could easily have had two pulled of non-matching metals.