Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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I sold a NOS Avanti trailer hitch a couple on months ago...if I remember the Fedex cost of shipping was just under $40 but I don't remember where it went as distance makes as big a difference as much as weight.
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Check with Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors. He's probably the best person to start with.
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I had Flex-a-Form composite leaf springs on the '70 I owned...first class product. They weigh about eight pound each instead of about fifty pounds apiece.
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It's not necessary to remove the rear shelf and it shouldn't be necessary to remove the rear tires. You should be able to disconnect the sender wires and have access to remove the sender itself. I'm not as familiar with an '81 as with earlier models so there may be differences I'm unaware of. Does the '81 have an electric fuel pump inside the tank?
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Depending on the year...sometime in the early to mid-70s Avanti Motors dropped the glass lenses due to federal regulations.
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Find some matching upholstery and a block of foam that will fit in snugly and have an upholsterer cut and fit it.
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That's the starter solenoid. It's an easily found part...many Fords used it during that time. You can get one at NAPA, Pep Boys and most local places.
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Antennas work better with a ground plane...with a metal body the antenna is self-grounding and the body acts to broaden the area of reception...especially with FM radio.
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You can use pretty much any universal antenna that appeals to you...but you have to run a ground wire to the chassis somewhere...one of the bolts under the trunk carpeting will work. On the '70 I owned I added some sheet metal under the antenna to act as a ground plane for better reception. I used an antenna that retracted all the way into the body nearly flush with the mount.
A power antenna can install the same way...other than the power lead and make sure you run a ground wire.
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What to buy depends on the sound you want. Muffler technology has improved immeasurably since the Avanti was designed. You can get the sound you want without shattering windows when going down the street. For performance mufflers consider either Magnaflow or Flowmasters. Flowmasters have a loud, raspy sound that wakes up any neighborhood. Magnaflows have a deeper rumble that opens up with rpm's and speed.
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8 hours ago, studegary said:
I just looked in John Hull's book and, like me, he considers it to be a 1965. Of course, built in late 1965, some consider it to be a 1966 and it may not have been titled until 1967.
Avanti Motors played some games when titling cars. Some were titled to whatever year they were sold until the feds came out with rules against such things. I don't know whether Avanti Motors followed model years like the big automakers did...September to September or by calendar year...maybe it was whichever was most convenient to make the sale. Even automakers today have pretty fluid model year designations.
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Studebaker International has reproduction manufacturers stickers for '87-'90 Avantis. Part #801118.
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11 hours ago, pantera928 said:
Is the bolt pattern the same as any of the big 3?
The bolt circle is 4.5"...the same as Chrysler, AMC and most Ford products.
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When the Avanti Motor Corporation introduced the Avanti II in 1965 the cars were "loaded"...came with a/c and most accessories as standard which was the opposite of most car makers. The MSRP reflected that. Within a year or so that policy was changed to base level plus options which was more in line with industry standards and more importantly...what potential buyers were accustomed to. That lowered the MSRP so it didn't scare off buyers.
It's quite likely your Avanti came standard with a/c. It's a good system...for the 1960s. If in fine order it will freeze you out of the car. If it requires repair there are better options today.
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Looks custom fabricated to me. It also looks ineffective. It doesn't look able to either direct air up into the radiator opening or to redirect air from the underbody.
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After over twenty years since the "gadget car" DB-5 was stolen from a supposedly secure location in Florida, it looks like the Goldfinger car has been found. Goldfinger DB-5
I saw the at the Washington, DC Auto Show in the early '90s where I took these photos. The car sits high as the engine had been removed.
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There's no direct replacement other than an Avanti rear seat base. I'm thinking rebuilding them would be tedious and expensive...I could be wrong as maybe cleaning the rust off and giving them a coat of a rust resistant finish could suffice.
You can contact Jon Myer of Myer's Studebaker or Dan Booth at Nostalgic and see what they each might have. When I was at Myer's Studebaker some time ago he had a number of Avanti parts cars. Otherwise you need to keep an eye on Studebaker swap meets (few as they are) and maybe source seats. That's how I found a complete set of Avanti seats for the '70 I used to own. If you can locate a rear seat from an Avanti II from after the '71-'72 era they were made with "pneumocel" (sp?) which doesn't use springs but looks like spaghetti noodles formed to make the seat support. Avanti Motors switched to that when they started installing sun roofs and needed a lower seat due to the loss of some headroom due to the sun roof installation. Standard coil spring seats would bottom out when the seats were made lower...the pneumocel seats didn't allow for much compression. They did make for a superior seat.
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It's probably wired into the horns. Check the wiring and see whether there's extra wires in the horn circuit. You said there's a fuse for the alarm...follow its wiring.
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While I don't know for sure, Corvettes of the same vintage had alarms set by locking the door with a key.
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The third wire is probably for automatic up and down when the radio is powered. With the two wire hookup you won't have that function...just the switch to run the antenna up and down.
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Yes...Riva is the name. If you want to change brands and rim style anything for a Trans Am will work fitted to the tires.
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It's Italian made but the name of it escapes me. Hopefully someone will remember.
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It's been a long time since I looked under the hood of an Avanti (sold all mine a couple of years ago)...but I would look and see if the reservoir sits in a saddle or bracket. If it doesn't, then I would use a flashlight and look up under the dash and see if there's a nylon bolt sticking through and held down with a nylon nut or something similar. There could be a nylon stud molded into the reservoir.
The best advice I can give is to call Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors and ask him...he would know for sure and likely have a replacement.
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It's a decent read...kind of dry at times but the information about working with Studebaker and the Avanti is great information. I'm selling it as I no longer have my Avantis and will be relocating next year and am disposing of a lot of stuff I don't want to transport across country.
Fuel Gage Sender Replacement Questions
in 1965-83 Avanti
Posted
My experience is with a Studebaker and a '70 Avanti II so your '81 might have significant differences as there were ongoing changes through the '80s...plus you said a previous owner made many modifications that could certainly impact what you're trying to do.
I never had any problem changing the sending unit on either Avanti I owned that needed replacement. The sender goes in pretty easily from my experience. Remove the mounting screws (disconnect the battery first) and pull the sender out and reverse. You may find it easier to angle the assembly out.
The rear seat back has two "hangers" for lack of a better word that the top of the seat back attaches to plus two bolts at the bottom that thread into a hole in the fiberglass at the bottom. It's also not unusual for the threaded hole to be broken and you have to use a large nut and bolt to attach it through the body. That would require someone with a wrench or socket holding the nut while someone up top tightens the bolt. I've never had to remove the tires to accomplish that.
As I said...my experience is with earlier cars...an '81 may be different plus having to deal with mods someone else made.