Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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Door weight over the years causes some sag and add to that possible flexing and stress cracks forming in the fiberglass where the hinges bolt and you have even more potential sag. The shop manual should tell you how to rehang the door. I also believe hinge rebuild kits are available from Nostalgic Motors.
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Rudy...
I can only tell you my experience. When I bought my '70 a few years ago, it had the BW transmission. It was leaking quite badly so I thought it could be rebuilt while the engine was being replaced. I found out that while parts are available, it was more cost effective to get a 700R4 for very little difference in cost. Not only that, the 700R4 has an aluminum case rather than a cast iron case so I was also reducing weight in the car. It did require a different length drive shaft, so I spent about $100 extra over the cost of a cast iron unit for an aluminum shaft to further reduce weight and rotating mass for the engine to turn over.
I've not heard of anyone adding an overdrive to the BW unit but I tend to doubt it would be cost effective compared to a complete swap.
The downside to a swap to a 700- or 200R4 is you will probably have to fabricate new neutral safety and reverse switch mechanisms...I had to as the swap made the original setup too close to the exhaust. I had a 2 1/2" exhaust installed so the bigger diameter pipe could have made that necessary. You'll need your driveshaft modified or replaced, but that might be necessary with an overdrive unit...I simply don't know on that one. Also, some cars seem to need modifications to the transmission tunnel for clearance for a 700R4...mine did not, so it may simply be a car by car thing. A 200R4 likely won't give a problem in that regard.
I've heard that 200R4's have a better spread of gearing than the 700R4 but again, I can't say that from personal knowledge. 200R4's can be built to pretty stout specs, but 700R4's are already built that way. The speed shop that installed the engine and 700R4 in my car used the cam specs, horsepower and torque ratings of the crate engine and the 3.31 spec rear axle ratio of the car to build the transmission to match those characteristics. It turns about 2200-2400 rpm's at 70-75mph. I have P215/70R15 tires mounted on the car.
I agree going to an overdrive unit is a good idea...better gas mileage and less wear on the engine. Being a pioneer by adding overdrive to a BW Powershift might be more trouble than it's worth compared to a swap to a GM unit.
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I believe that light tells you the electric choke is in operation. If it doesn't go out anymore, it could be the choke doesn't operate properly anymore. Whether it has a sensor I don't know. By that time GM was using computer controlled carburetors on many cars...it could be related to that. Whether Avanti Motors was installing those engines yet I don't know. They seemed to be a year or so behind GM in many things...possibly from buying crate engines for several month's production or even a year's worth to reduce the unit cost.
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Just guessing, but it might be a distant/local switch for FM reception. According to the build sheet, my '70 was originally equipped with a Blaupunkt but it was long gone by the time I purchased the car, so I cannot say for sure.
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There's three water pumps...short, long and Corvette. The Corvette pump is short...likely with a heavy duty bearing, but not positive of that. All I can tell you for sure when the original 350/300hp engine came out of my '70, it had a short water pump...probably the Corvette pump since it's a Vette engine but I can't say for sure. Essentially, you should need a short water pump. If you can get a heavy duty version, so much the better.
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Your current mirrors look very similar to a style sold in many auto parts stores like Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc. The mirror bodies are either chrome or plain so they can be painted whatever color you like. The mounting stems are also chrome rather than paintable.
For parts for AMC or different model Fords, try Year One for many reproduction parts. You might also try Speedway Motors as they're a street rod specialist supplier.
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You can get your original window motors rebuilt. There's a rebuilder local to me that you can ship them to and they do excellent work. They rebuilt the window motors in my '70 several years ago for something like $40-$45 each, though I don't know what today's cost might be.
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I have the book...found the section on installing a mechanical brake light switch most helpful. That was one of the best modifications I've made to the car as well as the Turner Brake Conversion.
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I don't have the exact dimension but it should be cast into the drum itself what the allowable tolerance is.
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If that style works, it will only be fore '76 and later Avanti's as they had the parking brake lever between the seats. I had one of those type cup holders in a '78 Corvette I owned and, while it fit, made parking brake access difficult and dug into my side. I ended up selling it on Ebay.
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I don't believe Avanti's came from the factory with a gel coat. When my '70 was repainted it was chemically stripped and gel coated. It makes for a better job when painting fiberglass. I can't say when Corvettes began being gel coated...I don't believe they did for years but eventually did. I'm guessing they did in the early 1980's when the old St. Louis plant was closed and production moved to a modern plant in Bowling Green, KY. That's when they began with base coat/clear coat paint.
You can certainly paint your car without stripping the old paint first, but don't expect the best results unless that doesn't concern you. Preparation is paramount when repainting a car. The finished product is no better than the surface that's under it and how well it was prepped. Unless you're simply doing touch up repair, my own feeling is you're throwing away your money without stripping the paint and doing it correctly. Any flaws will show through the new paint and when you strip it, you may well find stress cracks in the fiberglass that require repair before refinishing and repainting.
As far as what kind of primer, that can be the personal preference of whatever shop you ask. I would suggest sticking with one system of paints...PPG or whomever. Sticking with one brand will guarantee everything is compatible. EPA, state and local regulations can dictate what paints you can and can't use.
What some people will do is strip and prep the car themselves and take it to a shop like Maaco and have them shoot it. There's recently been a lot of controversy on doing that on a Corvette forum I frequent...some vociferous opinions being aired about that. A lot of pros and cons to that. A shop won't guarantee the work if they don't do the complete job, but some won't care.
It's your car, your money...do as you like and don't worry what anyone else thinks.
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What I mean by "tried and true" is basically some more cam, improvements to the induction system...porting and polishing the intake manifold and exhaust passages, stronger ignition with a distributor curve matched to the engine performance, valve work to the heads, free flowing exhaust (though the Avanti exhaust is pretty good in that respect anyway). About the only real improvement one can make to an Avanti exhaust system is to add headers, which would have to be custom made or find a set of R3 exhaust manifolds (expensive).
Remember...more horsepower means greater heat that has to be dealt with. Many Avanti's are considered marginal in cooling ability anyway so overdoing the power modifications can mean more mods to the cooling system, though that may be a car by car issue. An old car, old radiator, possibly full of crud, fan clutch possibly not up to spec anymore...could be problems, but should be dealt with anyway if they're an issue.
Little of these are "bolt-on", though most are not difficult to have done. Much of it requires shop and machining time by someone trained in doing it. If someone says they're not sure about it since it's a Studebaker engine, you don't want them to do the work for you. The basics are the basics, regardless of who made the engine. Admittedly, Stude engines may have a few quirks, but so do most any other make.
Depending on how much originality means to you, and how much you're willing to invest, consider a transmission upgrade to either a GM 700R4 or 200R4 (if you have an automatic now) or a Tremec 5-speed if you have a manual now. You can get a well engineered and quality made transmission adapter from Michael Myers of Myers Studebaker. It allows the use of a Stude engine to a GM transmission pattern. Attach an aluminum driveshaft behind that and your car will fly. Do other engine mods as well and you won't believe it's the same car. All that can be done without resorting to extreme engine modifications...keep a good idle and drivability and better performance.
Decide what you want out of the engine, make a plan, ask questions, make sure everything is doable and reasonable in accomplishing your goals. Don't simply throw a bunch of performance parts together and expect better results. It's the right mix of parts that makes the difference.
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The GT Hawk...one of the most handsome cars ever designed...particularly the '64 with vinyl half roof. Add an R-series engine and full R-package and you've got a really great car.
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There's a number of things it could be, but long distance all anyone here can do is provide some suggestions. You've already changed a bunch of parts but that's kind of a shotgun approach.
In 1981 model year GM began using a computer controlled carburetor and if the carburetor is replaced with the wrong model the computer will malfunction, or the computer could be the culprit by having gone bad. I don't know if Avanti Motors began using the computer controlled carbs at that point. They may have had enough crate engines on hand before installing the computer controlled carbureted engines. If your car has that kind of system, it would need to be completely disabled. It could be your whole problem. If you do have a computer controlled carburetor, it may have an oxygen sensor in the exhaust pipe and that sensor could be bad.
Outside of that, there are a number of other issues. You could have a major vacuum leak. What kind of vacuum reading do you get from your gauge? That can tell you a lot. The intake manifold could be leaking or from some other location. The EGR could be bad as you already have thought of.
You could have a bad distributor cap and/or rotor in the distributor. The electronic module inside the distributor could be bad...it's been enough years and they do go bad. The coil itself could be bad, though not as likely as the module. All of these are an easy fix and not very expensive. You didn't say so, but the plug wires could be part of the problem as well.
You could have a blown head gasket or even a cracked cylinder head. Check your oil dipstick and see if it smells of coolant or even an excessively high level of fluid. If it does, you have to find which cylinder head might have the problem. There's ways of testing with diagnostic equipment, but you can pull spark plugs and see if any are coated with glycol. If so, you'll find two adjacent plugs are likely coated. It's between those two where a head could be cracked or a gasket blown. If this is the case, get it fixed pronto as ethlene glycol does not like engine bearings.
You could have a clogged catalytic converter or some other restriction in the exhaust system. I've seen exhaust pipes look good on the outside and be collapsed internally...rare but it does happen.
There could be other areas to look at but work on the simplest first and see where that gets you. I hope you find it's a simple solution.
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Try LectricLimited <http://www.lectriclimited.com/mainpage.htm>. They make reproduction wiring harnesses and may be able to make a new one for you with your harness as a donor. Google "automotive wiring harnesses" and there's a number of other places that might be able to help...even if it's nothing more than supplying you the correct color and striped wires and connectors.
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I would check with Dan and Betty Booth at Nostalgic Motors. I've been told they're retiring. I don't know how true that is but Betty has been putting a lot of NOS stuff on Ebay lately. Since they bought out Avanti Motors of parts back in the late 1980's, if anyone would have a wiring harness, they would. I've not heard of any kind of reproduction harnesses on the market...Avanti Motors made their own from what I've read, and the harness changed regularly as model years went by and equipment changed.
If you're completely unable to find a replacement harness, you might try a universal harness and modern fuse block that Painless sells. It's for hot rods and custom vehicles (which an Avanti II is). It would take some work to run it, but it might end up being the best bet. Summit Racing and Jegs sells identical universal harnesses under their own names as well.
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I'm not sure I completely understand your questions, but beginning in 1967, Federal law required all cars to have dual master cylinders regardless of whether the car was equipped with disc or drum brakes. I have seen at least one '67 and a '68 Avanti still equipped with single circuit master cylinders, which I assume was due to small manufacturers such as Avanti Motors being granted an extension to many regulations, but they did have to comply, only by a later date.
I do know most, if not all, cars with disc/drum combinations used distribution blocks, sometimes incorrectly called proportioning valves, in the brake line fed by the master cylinder, which regulated the brake line pressure between front and rear brakes. True proportioning valves are adjustable...distribution blocks are fixed by their internal machining to give specific front/rear proportioning brake line pressure. Studebaker also went slightly different, or maybe it was Bendix since they supplied the brakes, but the rear hydraulic wheel cylinders were fairly small in inside diameter to further limit rear brake pressure. I found this out the hard way...when my '70 was rebuilt I discovered that the rear wheel cylinders were the same application as certain Jeeps...wrong!!! While the wheel cylinders were visually identical and fit exactly the same, as soon as they were installed and the car tested, when the brake pedal was touched the rear brakes would lock up. It was due to a larger inside diameter to the wheel cylinders allowed greater fluid volume and pressure to the rear brakes. My only solutions were either install the correct rear cylinders or install an adjustable proportioning valve...I installed the correct wheel cylinders. NAPA's application guide was wrong...just because something is an exact bolt-in doesn't mean it's the correct part.
I don't know if this answers your question, but I hope it does.
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Short of dropping a small block Chevy in it, there's not much on the aftermarket specifically for a Studebaker engine to increase its performance. Basically, you follow well tried and true techniques to increase its performance, but first, you need to decide what you want out of the car and assemble the parts necessary to achieve that.
There is an aftermarket of some performance parts offered by several Studebaker vendors...some aluminum intakes, ignition systems (HEI and some other types), superchargers, aluminum heads, etc. I have no personal experience with the aluminum heads or intakes available, but some say they need some work before they can be used. True or not, I cannot say. Basically, when it comes to aluminum intake manifolds, given equal runner design, the air doesn't care what the intake is made of, so the only real advantages of aluminum is some weight reduction and some better efficiency at shedding heat. In a well designed engine system, that can mean a lot or a little. Supposedly, Edelbrock has shown some interest in making a run of intake manifolds for Stude V8's, but it would probably take a lot of Stude people asking for it as a minimum number of intakes would have to be manufactured to keep the price reasonable for resale and profitable for Edelbrock.
I'm not aware of any fuel injection units available for a Studebaker engine, outside of some custom fabricated units which are probably quite pricey to accomplish. I understand that Mopar small block intakes can be adapted to a Stude V8, so an aftermarket EFI like Edelbrock could possibly work. You have to worry about hood clearance though. I have that unit for the small block Chevy under the hood of my Avanti II and we had to do some custom work for the air cleaner I wanted to clear.
There are a few Stude vendors that sell reground camshafts for additional performance. Whether a cam company would agree to design and make new camshafts for a Stude is highly problematic. Anything is possible, but there would have to be a lot of serious campaigning by enthusiasts before a company would invest the design and manufacturing time and effort.
Since you say you want to modernize your R1 a tad, I think you might consider a reground camshaft from a Stude vendor for a step up in performance, not a huge increase or you'll end up with a badly loping idle with little engine vacuum (unless that's what you want), have the stock intake ported and polished, install a new Edelbrock Performer carburetor with electric choke which is an updated Carter AFB (500 cfm should be adequate...600 or 650 only if you do some serious porting on the intake or heads and like to drive at high rpm's).
A distributor converted to HEI or another type of electronics would be a good move...and it can be set up with an advance curve tailored to your engine specs. That alone can bring your engine alive. Having your stock distributor rebuilt and recurved, plus adding a Pertronix electronic conversion kit would accomplish the same.
There's quite a bit that can be done to wake that engine up without spending a fortune, it all depends on what you want out of the engine and work to attain that goal. An intelligent mix of the right parts will do far more than simply throwing together a bunch of performance parts, no matter what the names on them are or how high their quality.
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No problems with 70 series tires on a 15"x6" rim. 6" is standard width for them. I have P215/70R15 on 15"x6" Magnum 500's.
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At a certain VIN, Studebaker installed all black carpets in all Avanti production, regardless of what the interior color combination was. I don't have that VIN when the change was made, but it's at least possible yours was originally black.
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If the core is bypassed, it likely was because the core leaked and the previous owner didn't want to repair it or saw no need to do so. There's two ways to test it...reconnect it, open the heater control valve and pressurize the system and see if it leaks all over your carpeting, or remove the heater core and take it to a radiator shop to be tested. If it is leaky, a good shop may be able to repair it depending on how bad the leaks are. You could be able to find a good used one...I'm not aware of any interchanges on the market but there may be some that can be adapted. The other alternative is to live with it the way it is and leave it bypassed.
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For a time in the '70s...I believe only one year...the Federal government in its eternal and ongoing wisdom required all new cars be equipped with an ignition interlock. If you were in the seat and didn't connect your seatbelt, the interlock kept the car from starting. To say the least, it was not popular with the public...people would disable it or leave the seat belts connected and sit on them or whatever else it took to defeat the interlock. And that's when the interlock even worked properly to begin with. I think it was after one model year that the government relented and eliminated the requirement due to the negative response from the driving and voting public.
Try starting your car with the seat belts not connected and see if the interlock works anymore. If it no longer works, it's up to you whether to do anything about it. What it comes down to...if it doesn't bother you, don't bother it.
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Joe...
You can jump start it though it might take letting the other car run awhile with the battery cables connected before enough charge is transferred to crank and fire your Avanti. If you do jump start it, it will probably need a bit of driving to bring the battery up to full charge. It would probably be better to simply hook up a battery charger and let it bring the battery up over several hours or however long it takes.
I use a battery tender over the winter or whenever I know the cars will sit for extended periods. The '02 Avanti is probably the more critical one as modern cars with lots of electronics can run a battery down in about a month of sitting.
BTW - I had planned on coming up your way for a car show today at Hedgesvile High School, but the weather put the kibosh on that!
Bruce
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What I use on each car is a Battery Tender Plus, though there are other brands available. Just hook them up and leave them on the battery all winter. They have an electronic regulator that when it detects the battery drops to an 80% state of charge, it kicks in and brings it back up. You can't hurt the battery if you hook it up backwards as it has electronic circuitry to prevent damage. It helps a battery last far longer than it would otherwise from constant drops in charge and recharging.
The Battery Tender Plus is pretty widely available at places like Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc., as well as on-line.
Exhaust for my 1970 Avanti II
in 1965-83 Avanti
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You shouldn't have a problem using a "turbo" muffler on an Avanti. Most aftermarket muffler manufacturers have diagrams of the different mufflers they sell so you can pick the physical size part that suits your needs...length, width, thickness, inlet/outlet diameter, center or offset inlet/outlet. It should be little problem for you...the biggest problem will likely be what brand to choose. Studebaker offered oval style mufflers as an option on the Avanti at a certain point so there's no real issue installing them. My car has Magnaflow mufflers as it gives the sound I like.