Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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Places like Pep Boys, Auto Zone, NAPA and Advance Auto often stock a selection of gas struts. Either take measurements of yours, fully extended and closed, or take the strut itself in and match it up. There might be some internal valving differences, but these would probably be of little consequence.
Try Napaonline.com and they have a search feature where you enter a non-NAPA number and it will do an automatic cross-reference and see if there's an direct application to take out the guesswork. If it does, you can determine what car they were adapted from and let everyone else with an Avanti from that era what to use down the road when necessary.
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I'm pretty sure the yellow is Corvette Millennium Yellow...that can determined easily enough with color chips. A good paint shop can match it easily if necessary or if you simply want a bottle of touch up paint.
There were a few custom color paint jobs done...they're shown in some of the literature. Some may well have been one car only.
If you can get the car for that price range and it's in the shape you say, you should jump on it. I doubt if that many were built with the supercharger option. When I bought my car, the dealer had several other new Avanti's...a white coupe, a blue convertible and a yellow '04 with the blower, besides my red convertible. The red car simply talked to me, and I'm not normally one to drive an "arrest me red" car. I wonder if the car you're considering might be the yellow one on their lot?
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I don't know what limits there might have been for color selection on those years. I've never seen a color chart for "standard" colors available. My car is painted Corvette Torch Red, which is an easy color for touch up if necessary. Some cars apparently were painted some custom colors, but whether that was done by factory choice or for a specific customer order I have no idea. Not a whole lot of information has come out regarding color or interior options on these cars.
About the only options listed in factory literature were a choice of coupe or convertible, manual or automatic transmission and a supercharger option. Everything else was standard. The literature makes no mention of color choices.
Price on a 2004 Avanti with supercharger? I'm guessing as the market is so limited, but I'd say $35k-$40k, but that's using the SWAG method...Scientific Wild-A$$ed Guess. The original sticker price on that car was about $85k-$95k. I think those MSRP retails were inflated to provide dealers with plenty of profit margin to play with when making deals. My '02 had a sticker price of $83.5k and I bought it for far, far less than that and I'm the first and only owner.
As far as the possibility of needing exterior replacement parts down the road...unless Avanti Motors rises again, we're probably out of luck. Not being too smart-a$$ed, you should have a good fiberglass man in your rolodex. Some parts were sourced by adapting them from other cars. As you said, the door handles were from an Olds Aurora and the front side marker lights from a mid-90's Taurus, but for most part, it was all custom fabricated. I'm aware of no source for body and trim parts for this era Avanti.
You pays yer money and takes yer chances! As much as I love driving my '02, I've become very careful when and where I drive it.
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A Paxton costs about $700-$800 to rebuild, and that's if you provide the supercharger to be rebuilt. I'd say an NOS Paxton would be worth double that at least, but take into consideration it would likely have to be disassembled, cleaned and inspected before any kind of use. That could result in a virtual rebuild because of that. Regardless, it's definitely worth some coin.
The air cleaner assembly I really have no idea of its worth. Whatever the traffic will bear.
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The headlight switch is strictly on/off...either the power is flowing or not. You might check the headlight relay. With a test light turn the lights on and see if power is going in and if it's going out. If it takes time for power to come out to the headlights, then you know the relay is bad. The headlights are also on a circuit breaker...that could be bad. A bad circuit breaker can do funny things that defy logic. About the only other place the headlights are wired into is the dimmer switch, but it seems unlikely that could cause the problem.
My bet is either the headlight relay or the circuit breaker. The instrument and running lights are on a separate circuit and switch, so it has to be confined to the one circuit.
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I always thought post-Studebaker Avanti's all had flanged rear axles, but from what I've learned that wasn't the case. Apparently some did have tapered axles like R1 and R2 Studes did. It would seem logical that Avanti Motors used up that supply from buying all the parts from Studebaker in the initial deal, but who knows how long it took to use them up in new production? I would think use of tapered axles would have been primarily during the early years of Avanti II production but never say never about Avanti Motors. It could also have been a necessity due to parts availability from Dana as well.
I also was under the impression that Avanti's all came with finned rear brake drums, but again...never say never about anything. Your drums could also be replacements. Some years ago all the replacement brake drums available were smooth, not finned. That could have been a sourcing issue as well. At some point it was reported in the AOAI newsletter that the vendor stupidly, accidentally or otherwise broke the castings for making the brake drums. It's quite possible your car and others after that point were equipped with available smooth drums because of that. Finned drums are being reproduced now for Avanti's up through '85 if you need replacements.
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There's also the filter sock on the pickup in the gas tank. It's not uncommon for cars that old to have that sock deteriorate or get clogged.
You can check the tank fairly well by letting the gas level get low and look down the filler with a flashlight. You'll be able to see if any sediment is floating around before deciding to take the tank out...which still isn't a bad idea and have it cleaned and checked for leaks and areas that may be about to rust through.
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Look do any body know how many 2002 T-Top Sports Coupe's were made, on pontiac chasse's that year?
According to John Hull's recent book, there were 53 Avanti's made from 2001-2004 using the TransAm platform. I would guess the majority were convertibles. I had read somewhere (which escapes me) that nearly all sales were for convertibles and Avanti Motors wasn't even buying non-convertible platforms from GM after a certain point. My '02 convertible is #20 of those 53...its assembly date was 12/01 according to the manufacturer's plate on the door jamb.
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The part numbers I have for the lower hose are Gates #20046 or Dayco #70623. For the upper hose the number I have is Dayco #25480 but that's for an RQA. Your RQB may have a different hose but I don't know that for a fact. At some point Avanti Motors changed to a recovery system and got away from the expansion tank and that probably required different hoses.
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I don't know if this is helpful, but the ammeter that was in my '70 had nothing on the exterior of it other than the wiring pegs. Avanti Motors changed gauges by the time of the '74 model year, I believe. They were still Stewart-Warner so you might want to contact them and ask.
When I rebuilt my car I replaced the ammeter with a volt meter...more useful. Avanti Motors did the same later, as did most car makers.
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Before anyone can give you an idea of a fair market value, we need to know the overall condition of the car. Just because it doesn't start doesn't necessarily mean there's anything serious wrong. You should find someone familiar with Avanti's to know what specifically needs to be looked at and assessed. There may be AOAI members in your area willing to do that.
Taking the car to a mechanic may not be sufficient as there are specific areas on Avanti's that should be looked at that someone not familiar with them won't know. Without that knowledge, you might have a near concours level car, a driver quality car or a parts car.
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Check with an auto stereo shop that does installations. The techs there may know. Sony may have maintained the same color coding through the years.
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In most GM systems the starter relay/solenoid is mounted on the starter. There are solenoid relocation kits available, but that's beside the point. Make sure your new battery is good (yes, even new batteries can be bad). Make sure the connections are good and tight...both positive and ground on both ends. Try a second main ground to the frame...even from the engine block. Fiberglass cars are very ground sensitive.
You can have a minor problem or real headaches...from corrosion on main connections to critters having used your wiring for dinner while it sat to a bad ignition switch to who knows what. I don't know if your car has one, but many cars have a main resistor wire somewhere near the distributor and coil or a main bulkhead connector. It's not a fuse but is a wire that will melt and disconnect all electrical power should there be a main short or surge. If your car has a main bulkhead connector, it may have corroded terminals and a full cleaning may cure the problem.
If all your fuses are good, use a test light to make sure you have 12v at the starter solenoid. If you have 12v going into the solenoid, see if there's 12v coming out of the solenoid. If all that checks out, you need to follow the main leads to see where the voltage ends and find the source of the problem.
It should take basic electrical diagnosis techniques to find the problem. Hopefully it will not take too long.
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The car is negative ground. Ground cable to the engine block.
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If I didn't already have plans, it would be a nice drive. I'm nearly 100 miles away and it would be nice to be at a show with other Avanti's. Nothing against the local shows I go to, but you generally see the same cars over and over. Seeing different cars would be a real plus.
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I keep trying to figure what to do with my '83. It's a brushed metal (which itself may or may not be an overlay) which looks worn on the console pieces. The gauges appear to be the same white on black with black plastic bezels that Blake used on the "blackout" Anniversary models. Very dull dash appearance, and a dark wood veneer probably wouldn't improve it that much.
Mike...
What I did with the worn dash and console overlays on my '70 was to have new, laminated panels made. I went to a local speed and custom shop and they sent the overlays, bezels and ash tray lid off to the manufacturer of custom panels. They gave me a price and when I agreed and specified what I wanted, they made new pieces for me. To install them I heated the back of the panels and used the supplied adhesive and installed them myself. It was very easy to do.
They have a number of styles available...walnut, burl walnut, light oak, brushed aluminum, carbon fiber in a number of colors, etc. You can really personalize your car this way. The toughest part is taking all your gauges out and back in, which admittedly is no small job in an Avanti.
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Is the gauge overlay on a 1963 a painted metal piece?
Yes it is...the same goes for the radio bezel and the console bezels. I believe the outer edges were left natural metal color. It was for '64 and some late '63-'64 transitional cars that went to walnut overlays and bezels. I believe the factory called it Tenite.
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Are you talking about the padded part of the dash or the gauge overlay? If the gauge overlay, Studebaker International carries an aerosol can of paint the proper color. If you mean the padded dash, that can be matched up by a good auto paint supply shop. They can computer match it and they add a flex agent into the mix.
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An "X" pipe will increase responsiveness and maybe a bit of power as it evens out the pulses from both cylinder heads. I very much doubt if you'll find a pre-made "X" exhaust system for an Avanti unless one of the specialty vendors that services the Avanti market decides to fabricate one. Otherwise you'll be looking for a custom shop to fabricate the pipes. You can buy an "X" from Summit Racing or Jegs. Much of the system would still require fabrication, though stock mufflers and tail pipes could probably be used. I think it would be everything in front of the mufflers that would require fabrication. It would probably be much easier to have a crossover pipe welded in, though an "H" pipe addition isn't considered as effective as an "X", but still better than no crossover at all.
For the cost and fabrication involved, it may not be worth doing, but that's your call.
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I'm sure Avanti Motors had a schematic of some type for internal use, but I've never seen one made available for service use. Whether Avanti made up their own wiring harnesses in-house or had them made by a subcontractor I don't know, but things changed often...particularly in the early to mid-1970's. They changed from the Stude steering column to a different one with the ignition switch built-in, added 4-way flashers, power sunroof, rear window defoggers, moved the power window switches to the console, driving lights, etc., all kinds of changes. All that required changes to the wiring harnesses...either by design or adapting and add-ons. How some of those changes were accomplished may be different depending on the person assembling the car. I know the switch for the rear defogger on my '70 is located differently than on some other Avanti's.
Whatever Avanti Motors did was essentially for in-house. If any schematics were available, I think it was probably for authorized repair centers. I've not heard of any surfacing or being reproduced for owners. All I've ever seen is the Studebaker manuals and using those as a starting point.
Every now and then a new old stock wiring harness shows up on Ebay or at a swap meet, but every one I've seen is a Studebaker Avanti harness. I've never seen an Avanti II harness come up for sale anywhere in any condition. Of course a Stude harness can be adapted and added to. A consideration if you're really ambitious is to buy a universal harness from Summit Racing or Jegs and adapt it to your car. They have eighteen circuits and use modern plug-in fuses and are not all that expensive, but then again, you have to really take thing apart in your car to get it fitted.
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180-200 degrees is fine and about normal for an Avanti...especially considering it's 44 years old. You can do things to help maintain your cooling system...check and make sure it maintains pressure and that includes the radiator cap. Keep it flushed and full of a proper 50-50 mix of coolant and water. You can also add a bottle of Water Wetter...it's an additive that treats the interior metals of the cooling system that allow the coolant to flow better and increases its thermal efficiency...the ability to transfer heat. It's available at places like Pep Boys, Advance Auto, Auto Zone, etc.
You can add electric fans if you want or find it necessary. I would check the fan clutch to make sure it's working properly and the belts are all tightened properly so there is no slippage. Keeping the car properly tuned up helps as well.
If you feel you need a new radiator core, any good radiator shop should be able to do that as long as the side tanks are in good shape. Ask for a core with more fins per inch...that increases the cooling area without resorting to a thicker core. I would do that only if it was necessary to fix a radiator problem.
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Call Nostalgic Motors (!-800-AVANTI-1) and give them your VIN. They have most, if not all post Studebaker Avanti build sheets and can provide you a copy. The fee is something like $20.
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Always go with the most basic and work up from there. Start with the fuse. If the manual calls for a 30A and you found a 20A, it could be the whole problem. Maybe someone replaced it with the wrong size somewhere back in time. Replace it with a proper 30A fuse and see what happens. If it works, you're golden. If it still doesn't work or blows the 30A fuse, then you have work to do.
If it still doesn't work and the fuse doesn't blow, use a test light and see if the fuse is even getting power and then if the power is coming out of the other side. You also would need to check the electric motor to see if it's getting power...same goes for the switch, etc. Try and isolate what area of the wiring harness the problem is confined to. If you're getting power all the way to the electric motor and it still doesn't work, you know that's the problem.
It could always be a bad ground, but let's hope the problem is nothing more than the fuse.
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I'm not aware of Avanti Motors putting out a schematic or shop manual for the Avanti II at all. About all you can do is use a Studebaker schematic and work around it and use basic electrical diagnosis techniques. There are changes...quite a few depending on the year...and that doesn't begin to decipher what past owners have done to a car's wiring.
Tire Size
in 1963-64 Avanti
Posted
P195/75R15 is pretty much a direct cross reference for the original 670-15 tire. P205 will work but would throw your speedometer/odometer off slightly, but they weren't known for accuracy anyway according to period auto magazine write-ups. The limiting factor on original rims is their comparatively narrow width. Also...go too big or wide with a car with sagging front coil springs and you'll have clearance problems...don't ask how I know that!
As far as narrow white stripe tire availability, you'll have to do some searching. There are manufacturers of that, but the selection seems to be limited in white stripe. Try TireRack.com and you can enter the size and it will show all brands available that they carry. Take your pick and see where you can get the best price.
I like Cooper tires...have had very good experiences with them but they're not the only quality tire out there. I checked and Cooper doesn't make a P195/75R15 but they do make a P205/75R15 in white stripe.
There's always Diamondback Tires and Coker Tires for specialty tires like what you want, but they'll generally run about half-again to twice the cost of Coopers, Goodyears, Michelin, BFG or Firestone or others. They're good tires, but you want whitewalls, not gold plated.