Gunslinger

There is likely a RQ number used internally by Avanti Motors. Probably the best way to get is to order a build sheet from Nostalgic Motors…that would have any internal accounting number on it.

The racing water pump could be part of the problem. If it's a reverse flow water pump that might be a problem but a racing water pump may circulate the coolant faster than it can be cooled.

To the best of my knowledge...none exists. The best you can do is obtain copies of the 1963-'64 Studebaker Avanti manual and parts book and work from them...and ask questions here.

Yes…an air deflector directs more air to the radiator that would otherwise create turbulent airflow under the car. It serves no purpose idling but really helps at speed.

The entire steering column is likely a Mopar unit. Avanti Motors at different times used both Mopar and American Motors steering columns.

Call Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors. He was an Avanti dealer through the Blake era. If he doesn’t have a NOS cap in stock he’ll know what car it came from.

This was some years back…but I saw a R3 intake on the shelf at Myer’s Studebaker in Ohio. I’ve no idea if it’s still there…Jon Myer had a number of R3 engines on stands as well.

Call Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors...he probably has a NOS switch to sell.

In his book They Call Me Mister 500...Andy Granatelli spoke of the supercharger problem and they found that builders were not mic'ing the balls to make sure all were identical diameters...thus some were carrying too much of the load under use and failed. Could this be the issue raising its ugly head again?

Planetary ball superchargers need a certain amount of friction to operate properly. If the fluid is too slick the planetary balls will skid rather than spin and roll and develop hot spots and fail.

Was the lower radiator hose changed? If it’s the old one the inner spring could have rusted away (or a new hose missing the spring)…and the hose is collapsing under vacuum and acting as a coolant blockage. Another possibility is a wrong or defective radiator cap. If your car has a closed system and a cap for an open system is there coolant will not return to the radiator. If the cap cannot hold pressure it will run hot. Also…was the system burped after being flushed and refilled? There be an air bubble blocking coolant flow.

It draws in outside air from the cowl of the car. If you look outside at the base of the windshield through the intake grating you'll see two intakes under the square covers.

Myer's Studebaker, Nostalgic Motors and Studebaker, Intl should all have what you need.

Try a test light on the 12v wire to see if it’s getting power. If not then you need to find out why.

Single-plane intakes are better for high rpm performance but a dual-plane such as the Performer are better at lower rpm’s and better all-around performance.

Call Summit Racing’s tech line…explain what you have and your concerns. They will give you solid recommendations.

I can't get the sheets to load. If you send me a personal message with your email address I'll send them that way.

It was available on one of the Avanti websites but I believe it's no longer active. If I still have a copy I'll post it...might take some time looking.

Avanti Motors went to the 350 engine in 1970 with the start of the RQ-B series. The last few RQ-A models would still have used the 327. But...as already said...there could have been some unused until much later. The intake would likely have been what was standard on a Corvette of that year.

I don't know how much these will help...they're from some time ago and vendors could have changed or dropped their parts numbers...but it's what I have.

Your rear brake wheel cylinders may need rebuilding…one may be frozen, a leaking seal or a bad hose. Don’t go adding something that may not be necessary.

You have to remember...back when the Avanti was built Studebaker (and other car makers) were using pretty skinny tires...not those with wider footprints like they do now. It took less effort to turn the wheel regardless of whether equipped with power steering or non-power.

Somewhere I read the “C” meant “convertible”.

Studebaker owners are very fortunate, indeed, to be able to have access to such records. From experience I know how Mopar and other Brand X owners get so extreme for originality. I owned a '69 Corvette L71...427 435 hp convertible and was fortunate to have its original sales invoice, window sticker, copies of all prior titles, complete service history of the car and the broadcast sheet from on the gas tank. That was an uncommon thing to own a car that was maintained as it was plus all its records. No knows whether Chevrolet has records for them anymore...they disappeared long ago...either lost or destroyed. It's well recognized within the Corvette world that if those records were suddenly found and people had access to them there would be many unhappy current owners as they would find out their "all original" and "correct" Corvette left the factory in a completely different configuration. It's already generally acknowledged that there are more "original" big block Corvettes extant than ever left the factory during the big block years. Having the original records found would be a disaster for the Corvette hobby. Pontiac owners generally do well as the factory records for them are pretty complete and available.

Roughly 8000-9000 Avantis were built. I don’t know if anyone has a firm figure of survivors but I would think there’s a good 50% still around whether running or not.