Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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You have several options. Contact Phantom Auto Works...they specialize in Studebaker interiors. You can check with Kantner Auto as well. They don't specialize in Studebaker, but carry many, many parts and interiors for many makes of cars.
If they can't help with leather, go to a good auto upholsterer. A good shop can match and make from scratch a leather interior using your original upholstery as a template. It will likely be a better job than buying pre-made covers.
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In AOAI issue number 101 there's an article on servicing and repairing the Dana speed control. If that's the one you have, and don't have that issue, send me a PM and I'll make a copy and mail you the article.
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The dash lights and headlights are on two different switches, so it doesn't seem likely that the swtiches themselves are the problem. Since they're both affected, it must be somewhere in the common wiring that's causing the problem.
Follow the wiring to see if there's a circuit breaker instead of a fuse for them. I would think the circuit breaker is bad and trips when it heats up and then works properly when it cools down. That happened to me years ago in the '63 R1 I owned with the power windows...the circuit breaker was in the engine bay and couldn't handle the heat...in fact Studebaker had issued a service bulletin to relocate such circuit breakers.
If there's no circuit breaker, look for the relay and replace it, but it sounds more like a circuit breaker.
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BillyBob...
I happen to be looking through some older issues of the AOAI magazine looking for some other information and ran across some info you can use.
According to some interchanges listed, the cruise control bellows is a Mopar Jeep-Eadgle unit...part number J3226540.
The cruise control switch for the turn signal lever is Speedostat #250-3020.
Another interchange with no part number is that the "cruise control unit" is the same as American Motors units during the same years.
I don't know how good those numbers are or what their availability is, but it's a starting point.
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The '63 I used to own had the red lighting and said "Studebaker" on it. I can't think of ever seeing an original radio saying "Avanti" on it. There is an aftermarket radio/cassette player that says "Avanti" but that's all I'm aware of.
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Supposedly the factory is shut down and everyone let go. At least one member has said the dealer in Atlanta is shut down as well. From the government's case against Mike Kelly and others it's alleged that Avanti Motors was the beneficiary of illegally obtained funds. So for the time being it appears until things are resolved in some way Avanti Motor Corporation is in limbo.
I wonder if the government can operate Avanti Motor Corporation...the precedent exists...the government operated that brothel in Nevada when they seized it for back taxes.
If (and where) there's any unsold cars left is a big question mark.
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When I ordered my leaf springs from Flex-A-Form, the guy I talked to told me there would be a delay of only a few days and they were delivered when promised.
Hopefully what you're experiencing is abnormal and it's corrected quickly.
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I have no idea if the cruise control used is a stand alone system or tied into the car's electronics. Being a '77, there are likely no electronics to speak of, so my guess would be it's stand alone. That would make it easier for finding and using parts.
You'll have to determine if the steering column used was GM, AMC, Ford or Mopar to get the proper turn signal stalk and wiring. I would check with Dan Booth at Nostalgia Motors...he lists a number of different turn signal stalks, depending on the year. Whatever manufacturer the steering column came from should give you an idea of where to source other parts.
If the cruise control is an aftermarket that Avanti used, all bets are off on finding replacement parts. The maker may or may not still be in business.
You can always buy a new aftermarket cruise control...they are available.
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Depending on their construction, servos can be rebuilt. I had a '78 Corvette that had a bad servo and found rebuilt servos (for a Vette) are very available.
I would think a lot depends on whether the cruise control in your car is an aftermarket system or one from GM or some other major manufacturer. If an aftermarket system you may be out of luck. If a GM system you can probably get a replacement.
If your cruise control is a GM unit, try looking at companies like Corvette Central, Ecklers, Late Great Chevies, Year One, etc., and you may be able to match one up.
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Have to keep working to get the instrument lights painted with a red that'll last more than a week.
You don't have to paint your bulbs red. Several companies have red, as well as other color heat resistant covers that slip over the bulbs. My new Auto Meter gauges came with the red and green bulb covers and I've seen the covers themselves for sale in Pep Boys. I think the brand Pep Boys carries is Pilot Motorsports...do a web search and you should find them.
Another bonus to using them is they evenly distribute the red light...not brighter and dimmer as the red dye doesn't even cover the bulbs.
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My '70 came with the Corvette engine with the York compressor. I've seen early Avanti II promotional material which clearly shows the York compressor installed, but I can't think of ever seeing any promotional materials showing the GM compressor, at least not until maybe the 1980's.
I would think Avanti Motors would have standardized one a/c system to make assembly easier but it could possibly have been an availability issue...they installed whatever compressor they could source at the best price. Possibly when they would place an order for engines from GM, compressors were or weren't available for them. A small company like Avanti Motors didn't have a lot of buying power for such small lots of components so they bought whatever was available at the time.
I spent some time in automotive retail many years ago and often a supplier rep comes in with an overstock of a part and gives a great price if you buy a bunch. It's possible Avanti Motors could have obtained a stash of the GM compressors from somewhere at too good a price to turn down. When they were used up they went back to the York. It's possible but I tend to think they simply bought what was available at the best price at time the parts were needed.
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In Stan Gundry's book on the Avanti "What the Shop Manual Won't Tell You", he says Mopar 15"x6" rims from 1969-84 will work. You have to make sure they're in good shape and the bolt holes aren't rounded out or otherwise worn to the point where the lug nuts won't pull them up tight.
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I have a '70 and there's no evidence it ever had the hood ornament nor the "pirate's buckles" on the sail panels behind the rear quarter windows. I would guess Avanti Motors dropped them in the late '60's...I have RQA literature (pre-1970) that shows the emblems gone.
If your '78 came with a hood ornament, it likely wasn't original. It could possibly have been a special order that way, added by a previous owner, or the hood could have been replaced at some point in time with a Studebaker hood that had them emblem installed.
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Glad you had no real damage from the fire. Fiberglass is not pretty when it melts!
Can't help you on the power steering questions...not familiar enough with it.
The tach...there are vendors who can rebuild your tach, but more than likely whatever problem you have is the sending unit...it's mounted under the dash by the steering column. On '63's it a round flat can. Later cars it was a squarish plastic unit. Look in the Avanti Magazine for vendors that can help you.
The hesitation on take off...carburetion more often than not. Could be misadjusted mixture screws, floats out of adjustment, choke malfunctioning, etc. The carb could be ready for a rebuild if simply adjusting it doesn't help.
Car losing its prime when sitting...could still be carburetor...floats out of adjustment, but you have to keep in mind gasoline today is blended much differently than when our cars were first built. Virtually all cars built today are fuel injected. They require different blends (as well as EPA requirements). Gasoline as it's blended today evaporates much faster than in the old days when all cars were carbureted, so the fuel in you carb dissipates much faster and when it sits for several days, the float bowl is dry when you try and start it. It may be aggravating, but there's really little if anything you can do about it. The difference in gasoline blending could be part of your hesitation during acceleration.
Disc brake squeal...it could be a number of things. The rotors could be somewhat out of true, though that is usually found with a pulsation during braking.
Since your disc pads have been changed, modern non-asbestos compounds can cause all kinds of headaches...from the squealing you describe to excessive brake dust on your wheels.
Did this condition start when your pads were changed? Did you have the rotors turned? If not, they could be glazed and that can cause the noise. If the rotors are measured and there's no warpage, instead of turning them, try using emory paper on them to break the glaze. Do the same thing to the pad surfaces as well.
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Sounds like your speedometer cable is in bad need of lubrication. You can try squirting some lubricant down the length of it or pick up an adapter (NAPA, Snap-On, etc.) so you can attach a grease gun to it and lube it that way.
Try that and if it doesn't do it, you'll need a new cable.
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Damn few, I'm sure. They ultimately dropped the option due to low demand and the potential costs of emissions certifications for so few sales of them
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Nostalgia Motors carries power antennas...they run about $140 USD. I don't see why you can't simply use a universal power antenna like you can buy at Pep Boys, Auto Zone, NAPA or a similar supplier for much less...usually about $40-$50. You may have to splice in the wiring as opposed to a direct match, but it's not difficult.
You can also buy a manual antenna that completely retracts...less than $10-$15. That's what I have and it works fine.
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I just had Edelbrock EFI added with the new crate engine to my '70. It came with an electric fuel pump that was mounted on the frame under the gas tank. The supplied fuel filter was located in-line along the frame side rail. Since the electric fuel pump keeps the line pressurized, you have to use fuel line that can be pressurized, which the kit did come with. It also came with line to use as a return line, or you can utilize original line for return.
You can go to Edelbrock's web site and download the manual for their EFI...it gives you instructions for the installation that may answer a lot of your questions.
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The Flex-A-Form leaf springs are tapered at the ends and thicker in the middle if that's what you mean. I've only had my car back a couple of weeks and haven't really tried it out much, but it does smoke the tires very nicely in several gears. I haven't noticed any wheel hop or squat...just the spinning if I'm not careful pulling out.
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Yep...someone did buy the old leaf springs. They fit Larks and Lark station wagons as well, so anyone interested in an original type repair or restoration can have the leaf springs rebuild by a competent shop for less than new springs.
I was more interested in making improvements in my car so I went with the composite leaf springs. So far, I have nothing but positive things to say about them.
Whatever I sold the old springs or other old parts for, it's better than trashing them and no one would have gotten any use out of them. Studebaker and Avanti parts can be tough enough to come up with without trashing parts that can be put back into the "food chain", so to speak.
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Studebaker listed a heavy duty spring for R1 and R2 and a different Heavy duty spring for the R3 and R4. I would assume their listing is for one of those.
You do have options. You can take your car (or just the springs) to a spring shop and have your leaf springs rebuilt...probably about half the cost of new. You can buy a new set from Detroit, or you can do as I ended up doing...have a set of composite springs fabricated by Flex-a-Form. I did that and they are excellent. It took a little over a week to receive them...they have Avanti specs on file. They weigh about eight pounds each...nearly a combined hundred pounds of weight off the car. They came with new bushings as well.
They cost only a few dollars different than new steel units from Detroit...maybe even a few dollars less than theirs, plus shipping was minimal considering their low weight. I sold the original springs on Ebay to offset some of the cost of the new ones.
If you need new shackles, you should be able to get them from Studebaker International or Nostalgia Motors. You should be able to get new U-bolts at NAPA or a similar supplier.
There's no reason the correct driveline angle won't be maintained with correct spec leaf springs.
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Anyone need any stock Avanti brake parts? ;-)
That's what Ebay is for!
Glad to hear you're happy with your new brake system. I considered either the Turner or Steeltech system for my car, but decided against it both Turner and Steeltech each said their systems wouldn't be compatible with Magnum 500 wheels. I've seen some Avanti owners have said they had no problem, but like some things with Avanti's, that seems to be a car by car thing. After already buying new tires for the Magnum 500's, I couldn't see the further expense of new wheels and new tires all over again. Besides, the stock brake system is operating fine and seems to do the job well.
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There's tons of manuals on the market for small block Chevy engines, but your best bet is find a manual for a '78 Corvette, since the L48 was the standard Vette engine.
The '78 Vette came with a TH350 transmission, not a TH400, so a different manual would be necessary for that.
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I have the GM Performance serpentine system in my '70. You can buy the system from Summit Racing, Jegs or most any speed shop. The price you mention is about right for the system. Summit sells it for about $766.
You will have to modify your fan shroud for it, plus grind off a bit of the idler assembly so it doesn't contact the hood. Also, you'll have to get all new a/c hoses made up as the original hose ends won't be compatible with the new compressor.
If your '71 is like my '70, the alternator was originally on the right side of the engine...the serpentine system puts it on the left, so some wiring harness changes have to be made. If your car has an external voltage regulator like my '70 did, it will be eliminated since the new system comes with an alternator with an internal regulator.
You'll also need to buy a new reverse rotation fan and fan clutch since the new water pump will be reverse rotation.
It's a nice system, but don't expect it to be a simple drop-in installation since some mods will have to made for an Avanti.
BTW - a new crate engine is likely much cheaper and easier than an engine rebuild. For the same money you can get a new, better performing engine than the original.
Headlight Gremlins.
in 1965-83 Avanti
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The three pairs of rocker switches are all identical. Try switching the headlight pair with the blower fan pair and see if the problem goes away. If so, you know it's the switch...if not, you've eliminated it from the list of potential causes.