Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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Go to <http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/avanti/> and you can join the Yahoo group there.
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The remote starter should have two wired clips...one goes to the large terminal that the battery cable is connected to, and the other wire is clipped to the small terminal marked "S" (starter). You don't want the small terminal marked "R" (resistor).
There are remote solenoid kits sold for GM starters...many with GM chassis motorhomes install them, but it's not necessary unless you want to.
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The solenoid is mounted on the starter itself, not on the fenderwell like a Ford. You're gonna have to crawl underneath to access the post to hook it up if you can't find room to reach down from above.
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Owners manuals can be purchased from Studebaker International, and the original fluid for the power steering is no longer available and hasn't been for many years...Type A, Suffix A. You should be able to use any universal power steering fluid available at any automotive parts store without any problem.
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I would try removing the switches and try cleaning the contacts first...also check the wiring connections on the heater motor as well.
If you need a new switch I believe you can get those rocker switches from Jon Myers of Myers Studebaker and Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors as well as Studebaker International. They're something like about $50 a pair since they're dual switches. I believe the only difference between the parts is the earlier parts are more cream in color and the later switches are more white. Other than that, I think they're fully interchangeable.
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I agree. I don't know of anyone so knowledgeable on Avanti repairs as Jon Myers and Dan Booth.
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One Avanti owner (I cannot remember who), adapted a set of power seats from a Ford Explorer to his car. He did post pics of it. I don't know if he posted them here on AOAI or the Yahoo group.
I don't know how much work it took to complete the installation, but he did get it done.
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I have a similar situation on my '70...the factory seats don't give good support at all. I imagine you can modify the seat brackets to give you more seat back angle and thigh support, but what I did was to buy a pair of Recaro's from a later Avanti. The upholstery shop I use is trying to get matching leather now.
You might look into the floor reinforcements sold by Classic Enterprises. They call it a seat anchor repair device and maybe you could drill mounting holes a bit higher to achieve the seat angle you want.
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It seems to me a great location that's convenient and already located near the main wiring harness might be to mount a universal fuse block or a fabricated one on the flat cowl area immediately behind the brake booster. Access is easy while you're simply standing there rather than rooting around the trunk and the entire cluster of wires can come up from underneath rather than running mases of wires to the trunk and back. I would think the longer the wire runs the heavier gauge you might need for some circuits.
It just seems a logical place for a fuse block unless you already have something else planned for that location.
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Instead of painting them silver, try having the plastic chromed...it's really not chrome plated but some kind of plating that simulates chrome....I believe it's called vacuum metallizing. There's a number of companies that do that for car restorations but the only one I can remember the name of is Mr. G. They have a website at <http://www.mrgusa.com/>. Contact them and ask if what you want is a workable solution to your problem. It's probably the same process exterior plastic emblems go through that are chromed.
I would do a web search for other companies as well.
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Welcome to the world of Avanti's! You'll find this a wonderful, frustrating and fun car to own and drive. Feel free to ask anything you like. A lot of experience is here.
For moonroof information, go to <http://www.studebaker-info.org/rjtechx3.html> and page down to the "Power sunroof/moonroof" section for help.
The parking brake does look a lot like a Corvette brake handle because it is! It's the same brake handle used in '68-'82 Corvettes. You can either find a used one from one of many Corvette vendors, or buy a new reproduction unit from companies like Corvette Central, Ecklers, Corvette America, among others. I don't believe the brake cables are the same, though. You may have to have them made up.
I have no idea where Avanti Motors sourced their seatbelts from, but for mine, I bought a new set from the SeatBeltPros.com. They have many styles and colors available. There are also other vendors as well if you do a web search.
I don't think anyone is reproducing the walnut veneer...there were several styles over the years and Avanti Motors used different styles depending on the customer's desires. The inlays in my '70 needed replacing and a local speed shop sent them to a custom dash veneer manufacturer and they made new inlays for me. They come in a variety of finishes...burl walnut, pecan, brushed aluminum, different color carbon fiber, etc. The only problem with going this route is that they're thicker than the original veneer and you'll have trouble opening the ashtray.
Once in a great while you might see a very good used or NOS original inlay offered on Ebay.
As far as the owner's manual, Studebaker International sells a reproduction of the 1971 manual (which has no model year shown), which was used for several years at least. If there was ever an actual 1979 manual, I don't know.
Best of luck!
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Is the sound coming from both tail pipes or just one side? Without actually hearing it it's difficult to say, but I can think of several possibilities.
It could be running rich and loading up and unburnt fuel is igniting in the exhaust pipes. Pull some spark plugs and look at them. If they're wet and gas covered, you're running too rich. If so, your carburetor needs adjustment or maybe even rebuilt.
If it's from just one side, you might have a burnt valve.
You say you have a straight through exhaust. Is it recent? Sometimes the noise might be normal but a quiet type muffler eliminates the sound but a straight through design makes it audible. Also, any engine requires a bit of back pressure for proper exhaust scavenging and full combustion. There's the possibility your engine has too little back pressure when backing off the throttle, and allowing unburnt fuel to exit the exhaust and combust in the pipes.
Studebaker used glass packs which were straight through, but also four barrel carburetors on a high compression engine or a supercharged engine to pressurize the induction system. That helped a great deal on scavenging. Your 400 cid engine is bigger displacement and low compression by comparison, plus I believe originally a two barrel carb. That can make for driveability issues of not precisely tuned due to its larger venturi's that can feed large amounts of fuel when you don't need it...like when backing off the throttle.
You could have other issues, but these are the first that come to my mind. I'm guessing your issue is either carburetor related or you need mufflers to introduce a bit of back pressure for full combustion in the cylinders, not in the pipes, or a combination of the two not calibrated to work together.
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The website won't come up for me. Maybe it came up for you if it might still be in your browser's cache?
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There should be no reason they won't fit as the '02 is on a Trans Am platform. Are you looking for completely new design wheels or a replacement for one or more of what you have?
The wheels that came on my '02 are AT Italia Riva's. They're available through distributors like Tire Rack and you can re-use the Avanti center cap if that's what you're looking for.
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Ejector seat?
Sorry...couldn't resist that.
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A '70 Avanti should not need a drum puller...it has flanged axles, not tapered axles like Stude R1 and R2's used. You may have to tap the drums with a hammer to loosen them, but they should simply pull off.
I suspect you'll find a leaking wheel cylinder since you've checked the rest.
When I needed wheel cylinders I got them from Jon Myers. I wouldn't try buying wheel cylinders from NAPA. The problem is in the application charts...the wheel cylinder for your car also fits an older Jeep. While it physically looks right, it's a different bore than an Avanti. It lets too much pressure to the rear brakes and they will lock up before the front brakes bite. Don't ask how I found that out!
It might possibly cost a bit more, but I would recommend buying all your brake parts from the same vendor. Most Stude and Avanti vendor prices pretty much seem to be similar on these parts anyway.
Also...while you have the drums off, check and make sure your rear axle seals aren't leaking. I'm not saying they might be, but while you have the drums off, check everything while you're there. If they're leaking you'll need rear shoes anyway if they're covered in that fluid.
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You bench bleed the master cylinder off the car. That's only necessary when replacing the m/c or it's already off the car. You may not have a bad master cylinder but you definitely need to find where the leak is...it could be the master cylinder, a wheel cylinder or a caliper, a hose or a metal line.
Pull the front tires off and you can see if there's a mess of brake fluid on the back of one tire or the caliper and hose. For the rear, if the inside of the tires are dry and not covered in brake fluid, you'll have to pull the drums to check the wheel cylinders. Also check the flexible hose back near the differential.
If any of your brake pads or shoes are covered in brake fluid, you'll need to replace them as well. Brake fluid and brake lining materials are nor compatible and the lining will rapidly deteriorate and not stop well.
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It's a very strait forward job. I'm guessing you have a dual master cylinder like my '70 has.
Cover your fenders and inner fenders to protect the paint from any brake fluid that might spill. Suction out as much of the fluid from the old m/c as you can before removing the lines and unbolt the m/c and remove it.
You should bench bleed the new m/c before installing it to get as much air out if it as you can, then install it. Basically that's it outside of bleeding all four corners of the car, going right rear, left rear, right front then left front.
That's really all there is to it. You need a second person to pump the brakes while bleeding if you don't have a one-man bleeder kit.
One thing to look for...during the '70 model year Avanti Motors started putting silicone brake fluid in the cars as factory fill. After these many years you may not know if the fluid is still silicone (DOT 5), or has been changed to DOT 3. They are not compatible and will cause trouble if mixed...in fact, the way you describe how your brakes are acting is very similar to what happens when DOT 3 and DOT 5 are mixed. Is your current brake fluid cloudy? If so, you might have mixed fluid. Silicone fluid is usually purplish in color.
It would be very prudent to flush out your entire brake system. Use an alcohol solvent and blow it through with compressed air and make sure it's dry. Once your satisfied it's dry, refill with either DOT 3 or DOT 5 and make sure they never get mixed.
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That's the cruise control servo. It's a vacuum bellows that controls the throttle when engaged.
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It shouldn't matter as long as all are there. Remember the engine was designed for a GM car, not an Avanti, so ease of service in a non-GM car was not a consideration. Even then, service access for many GM cars was bad...just look at many Corvettes of that era.
Many custom small block Chevy installations do away with the breather sometimes. On my '70 I only have the PCV on one valve cover and the breather/oil fill on the other. Admittedly, in 1970 there wasn't as much in the way of emissions controls as on a '74.
You can combine the breather and oil fill to save the extra hole in the valve cover.
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Mike...I wasn't disagreeing with you at all. In fact, I thought I was expanding on your comments. There's just so much open to individual interpretation I guess one could think I was merely being argumentative which was not the case.
I love the Avanti design, but it's not perfect. As you said, any changes would have to take into account gov't safety regulations, etc. I meant that the Avanti, with whatever flaws it did have, was the result of an unusual set of circumstances...Stude's financial straits, Sherwood Egbert being made the company's President, Raymond Loewy's agreeing to take on the project and the men he picked to do it, etc. If it wasn't for that set of circumstances the Avanti would never have been a reality. The same can be said for Nate Altman and his decision to build the Avanti II. A lot happened because of a few men with vision, determination (maybe even desperation) and perseverance that I doubt we would see today.
Like you, I like the squared headlight bezels of the '64 and later Avanti's, but have never really warmed up to the square headlights after they went to the rubber bumpers. I think the '64 style gives the car a more elegant look.
I will differ with you on the seats. My '70 has the high back "Command Center" bucket seats...nice looking, but they give no support. The original design the the '63 I used to own were more comfortable. I'm replacing the high back seats with a pair of Recaro's I found at York last month, once they're reupholstered.
You mentioned the Jaguar "E" Type. To my eye, that's the most beautiful auto design ever...not a bad line in the entire car...particularly the early ones. It has sensuous lines.
I think we could spend many hours discussing our likes and dislikes about the Avanti design, its changes over the years. That's what makes this design so great...the emotions and passions it creates.
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I agree the front turn signals should have been incorporated in the front fender blades in the newer editions of the Avanti. I have an '02 as well as a '70 and like the original turn signal design better. If there was an engineering or cost reason for the change I'm not aware, but it may be due to the lack of working room inside the fender blades compared to the bumpers for installing the lights and housings.
I also agree the original Avanti design seems a bit narrow compared to its length, but the need to adapt a frame for cost reasons outweighed the desire to design a chassis that could have been superior for the purpose. That is one of the compromises that had to be made or there would likely never have been an Avanti at all. It's also been reported that the original design was somewhat shorter, but Studebaker management wanted it longer and the front fenders were extended creating the long overhang. From some angles, that is about the only part of the design that has any clumsy elements at all...at least to my eye. The visual clumsiness in that overhang is worse in my '02...likely the result of having to adapt that lovely Avanti shape to the Firebird chassis with its shorter wheelbase.
Wheel flares are an individual like or dislike. The original sketches by Loewy's team showed flares, but were eventually deleted. Loewy himself liked the flares but left them off for "purity of line". Regardless, a good fiberglass man can add them if someone wanted.
The windshield rake is also part of Avanti lore. The early mockups had more rake until Sherwood Egbert banged his head getting in and demanded a change so taller drivers could get in more easily. The change definitely made for better interior headroom but at some loss in streamlining and a bit greater drag. The worst aspect to the more vertical windshield I've notice is that instead of deflecting, bugs tend to simply squash and splatter when striking the glass. Stones do the same...chip the glass instead of deflecting.
Hardtop or coupe?...design could definitely eliminate the roll bar, but again, costs made the roll bar necessary. It was cheaper to incorporate a roll bar than design a new chassis or build the car out of steel rather than fiberglass. Yes, Corvettes were fiberglass and had no such roll bar, but they had a dedicated chassis plus the money and large engineering resources of GM.
From my point of view, the urgency with which the Avanti was designed and created, the financial condition of Studebaker that prompted Sherwood Egbert to conceive of such a car and the abilities of Raymond Loewy and his design team, made the Avanti what it is and has always been...a magnificent design, warts and all. I consider the GT Hawk as done by Brooks Stevens under similar constraints and urgency much the same. If Studebaker had been in a stronger financial condition, it likely wouldn't have happened at all.
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I think what you're suggesting has been done...at least in a limited way. One member here is fabricating a stainless steel chassis for an Avanti body, utilizing a Corvette rear suspension and Viper rear end. I've seen in a past issue of the AOAI magazine where another owner has installed independent rear suspension to his Avanti. I'm not aware of what front suspension was/is being utilized, or if they went with a stock type. So someone has at least done this to some degree.
As far as the Avanti name, someone won't be able to use the name for new production unless they get permission or buy the rights to the name. If you take an original body and drop a different chassis under it, it's still an Avanti as it was originally registered that way. A particular state my require a different classification, such as a street rod or similar once a car has been substantially modified from its original state of manufacture.
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The problem with original steering wheels is less their availability but more finding one in good condition. Those that become available go for big dollars. Those that are discolored, cracked, etc., are usually rebuildable by a specialist but are quite costly to do so.
Look at a Grant steering wheel catalog or their website. The adapter kits are still available from them as they will fit several cars from that era...Grant kit #4286. Some other brand steering wheels will work with Grant installation kits as well. There are some pretty nice steering wheels out there, and some that are quite cheesy looking as you said.
Tach repair,Lower A frame
in Avanti Pub
Posted
I don't have a copy handy, but I believe there's an ad in back Avanti magazines from someone who rebuilds gauges. Jon Myers sells tach sending units. Look in Hemmings Motor News as well for vendors that restore gauges.
For the lower control arm, it should be a standard Studebaker piece so any vendor selling them should have one...Studebaker International, John Myers, Fairborn, SASCO, etc.