Gunslinger

Contemporary accounts from the time indicate that while the supercharged Stude Avantis had the performance image...the early Avanti II 327/4-speed cars were better performers. A lot can depend on other factors such as rear end ratio...whether the car had a/c or not...driver ability, etc. But the early Avanti II/4-spd was the hot setup. I've always heard stories about Avanti Motors installing some Corvette LT-1 engines in some Avanti II cars which would have been the setup to have...but I've never seen conclusive proof it ever happened. If there are any factory LT-1 equipped Avantis out there any present owners may have no idea of it...just wondering why their engine has such valve train noise due to the solid lifters. So many Avanti II cars have been parted out, rebuilt or had some other fate we'll likely never know if such LT-1 versions were produced...or if the car still exists does it still have its original engine? It could easily have been swapped out by an unknowing owner if they ever existed at all. Avanti Motors did promote an "Avanti Stinger" model as an optional high performance version...perhaps that was the source of an LT-1 engine option but whether any were actually produced is unanswered. About the only way to find out would be to examine every production sheet for every Avanti II built during that time period and see the options listed and check what engine was installed.

The Avanti radiator is set at an angle where the Hawk and Lark radiators are mounted vertical.

Horizontal flow vs vertical flow…the Avanti had side tanks and other Studes had top and bottom mounted tanks.

Starters sometimes require shims to be lined up for proper engagement. That may be the problem.

Brake fluid…equivalent to today’s DOT 3.

Checker could be the lifesaver if one looks at it as convincing Nate Altman to do it himself as creating Avanti Motor Company rather than finding an outsider to undertake the job.

No…the owner of Checker refused and told Nate Altman the Avanti was ugly. That from the builder of such homely cars such as Checker.

Besides a complete fuel tank cleaning and inspection…I would change every rubber fuel line hose and take a good, hard look at the metal fuel lines and replace if necessary. Once all that is done I would run a can of Seafoam through the intake…that will clean the combustion chambers and smoke up the neighborhood. Follow that up with a set of new spark plugs.

The ‘70 I owned…

01/05/64

While this may not pertain to an Avanti…the LG4 had a single snorkel air cleaner while the L69 had a dual snorkel. The LG4 also had a 2” exhaust manifold outlet while the L69 had 2 1/4” manifold outlets. There were internal differences such as the cam and a different advance curve but you can’t see that. Getting the carburetor numbers and looking them up should help as well.

Raymond Loewy…he felt it helped the driver keep his attention oriented straight ahead.

This is from 1979 or 1980 at the meet held at the Playboy Resort in Great Gorge, NJ.

On some of these cars you have to be careful when getting the correct alternator...sometimes the way the alternator case is clocked can put a connecting post or cable in a wrong position. Just because the car underneath might be a Caprice doesn't mean the Avanti hood line won't create a clearance issue. By all means get a different alternator if you want..just make sure of its mounting position before buying.

If an upholstery shop isn’t interested in something as basic as that job…I wouldn’t want them as my upholsterer. Find someone who wants your business.

1989

I’ll say #1…I remember Studebaker made an Avanti for a car show event that had one vinyl covered front seat and one leather covered…don’t remember whether it was a high back but possibly could be this car.

I’ve seen Avanti frames with the front cross member dented in…so I’m saying it was acceptable to hammer the cross member in the right spot to make clearance. Using a higher engine mount would cause interference with the hood so the alternative is to put a dent in the cross member.

Yes…I remember the event and the heat as well…particularly in Dover a few days later. A good time was had by all.

At least with transmission fluid the color of any oil on the ground should give it away.

When I had my '02 Avanti I received a Best Foreign Car award as it fit in no other category for some reason.

The Studebaker V-8 has a multi-piece oil pan gasket(s)...something like a dozen separate pieces. It's very common for any of them to shrink and leave an opening for oil to leak from. The rear main seal is a problem area as well with some engines.

‘65 through about ‘71 are possibly the best to rebuild…still using most Studebaker parts and the Chebbie engine makes things easier. Add to that Avanti II cars are all individual…few are exactly alike so you can modify them easily to suit your personal tastes. After about ‘71 Avanti Motors started changing things as original parts became used up and more to the point…meeting increasing federal emissions and safety standards they had previously been exempted from as a small manufacturer. The down side? Post-Studebaker Avantis will rarely ever maintain the value of original Studebaker Avantis in equal condition.

I looked at a crossover chart and the XR4 is equivalent to a Champion RJ14YC…I think that’s a bit too hot. The XR5 is closer to the proper heat range but crossover charts can be inaccurate when it comes to heat ranges.

No…full timer here.