Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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As far as I know the differences are for the cow catcher openings which started around 1972-'73. Your '69 should use the same stone guard as the '64 and later Avantis. Be careful as there are lesser quality reproductions out there. If I remember correctly, original stone guards are round wire bar and the reproductions are flat on the inside...maybe I have that backwards but there are differences.
If you want correct and maybe even NOS...check with Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors or Jon Myer of Myer's Studebaker. I would hope they would have originals more than Studebaker International.
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There's a 1983 Avanti being auctioned off in PA for anyone interested in a project. 1983 Avanti
There's also a '63 GT Hawk in the same auction. 1963 Hawk
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This is the book written by Bob Morrison of Molded Fiberglass which made the Avanti bodies for Studebaker and later Avanti Motor Corporation. It goes through his own history and philosophy and his association with Studebaker and the setup and production of Avanti bodies. It has a lot of interesting stuff regarding the association and process. $35 + $8.40 shipping.
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An auto supplier or an auto a/c specialist can make up hoses as needed.
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The '70 I owned had Sumitomo calipers on it. Avanti Motors must have purchased them when the Bendix made calipers were either unavailable or too expensive.
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There's a tool made for that...not very expensive. You can find them online or possible at a local NAPA, Pep Boys or similar retailer. It works quickly and safely and won't damage the car body.
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The speed shop that did the work on the car provided them. They're excellent quality and the thickest ranges I had seen on headers. Sanderson headers
I believe you can buy them direct from Sanderson or from Summit Racing.
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Some Avanti IIs came with tapered axles. When parts were being pulled they simply pulled what was there without regard to which type of axle.
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You will have a very difficult time finding original rear wheel cylinders for your Avanti. Also...do not rely on application guides from NAPA or other parts suppliers! Over the years they have combined parts numbers to reduce inventory and they will tell you the rear wheel cylinders from the Avanti will interchange with the front wheel cylinders from some year Jeeps. While the wheel cylinders look identical and fit the same...the internal diameters are different. You install the Jeep wheel cylinders on the rear of your Avanti and the rear brakes will lock up immediately from the increased line pressure. By adding an adjustable brake pressure differential valve you can get the line pressure balanced but you'll do better to simply order new reproduction wheel cylinders from Myer's Studebaker or one of the other vendors...it fits and operate exactly and no need to pay for the adjustable valve and experiment until you find the appropriate pressure.
Another option is to have you present wheel cylinders rebuilt by boring them out and sleeving them...but it's simply easier to buy the repops.
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On the '70 I owned I had Sanderson block higher headers installed. They cleared everything. I also had a 2.5" exhaust installed all the way back with Magnaflow mufflers. It had a nice rumble at low rpm's and opened up nicely as rpm's rose.
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It would not be surprising at all if the front coil springs have compressed and require replacement. The same goes for the rear leaf springs. One way to test the shock absorbers is to start pushing up and down on the fender...let go and it should go down once, come up and stop. If it rocks more than that the shocks need replacing.
Also...don't expect your Avanti to handle like a modern car with a modern suspension...it's a 1953 design chassis and simply cannot keep up with modern suspensions...you might be comparing to your modern car and it will come up wanting.
If you need to replace the leaf springs, I would suggest getting a set of composite leaf springs from Flex-a-Form. They're comparable in cost and weight much, much less.
I always found with an Avanti to keep four psi less pressure in the rear tires than the front...it helps some with the car's inherent forward weight bias.
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Do you want new seats or new upholstery coverings for the existing seats?
You could have an upholstery shop rebuild your current seats with new foam and coverings...or you can buy aftermarket seats. If you buy used seats they will likely need rebuilding anyway.
In the '70 I owned the original seats really sucked...not much support and tiring over a longer drive. I eventually found some Recaro seats from a later Avanti and had them recovered and were the best automotive seats I ever sat in.
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Not wanting to dissuade you from your project, but before you start anything undoable...you really need to think through what your plan is...what you want out of it and the best way to proceed. These kind of projects can get out of hand financially very quickly and almost exponentially.
Turner brakes...excellent move. Go ahead and keep the rear drums...that will simplify the project and save beaucoup dollars for little gain in braking efficiency if any at all.
With the engine work you're proposing...I'd give serious consideration the the LS engine swap...probably much more cost effective. Regardless...the idea of a Tremec transmission swap is a good one.
Wheels...lots of options. What appeals to you might no appeal to someone else. You have to go with what you like. A 6" wide front rim with standard offset is probably optimum considering the limited clearance. The rear has much more room. For a spare tire...find a donut spare from a Jeep or Chrysler product...it will fit in the spare tire well with room to spare and allows space for added items. Anything but a stock Studebaker rim and tire will not allow the spare tires cover to close flush.
Best of luck with your project.
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I don't know whether RQ-A0315 was the first '70 but my information states it was the first equipped with the 350 engine. I also know that with Avanti Motors to never say never. It's not clear whether Avanti Motors followed the industry standard of introducing the next model year about September of the previous year or went by the calendar year in how they designated model years...or titled the car the year when it was actually sold as opposed to built and sat on the lot awaiting purchase.
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11 hours ago, studegary said:
It probably is a 350. Some of the late RQA 1970s came with a 350 instead of the 327 that most RQA 1970 models had.
RQ-A0315 was the first Avanti II equipped with the 350 Chebbie engine...so the engine in the car is correct.
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Yes...each car had the same issue...bad tank sending unit. Neither gauge fluttered as you describe...they simply would go slightly over halfway to full but no more.
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If the car has a closed coolant system make sure the cap is for a closed system.
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In two different Avantis (a '63 and a '70) I had similar experiences where the gauge would only go so high even when I knew I had a full tank. Each time replacing the fuel tank sender cured the issue.
If you have the shop manual it gives instructions on how to test and determine whether the tank sending unit or the gauge is at fault.
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Unless originality is what you're going after, you can do what I did on the '70 Avanti I owned aand eliminate the factory trunk light and install LED light strips. They really illuminate the trunk. I also added a manual switch to turn the lights on and off for when the car was at shows with the trunk lis left open.
Here's a link to where I posted it here in 2014...LED trunk lights
If you want to keep the factory light I believe Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors has replacements. You can use a LED light bulb to eliminate heat and draw less current doing that.
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Definitely get the surge protector...the Unilite distributors are famous for blowing out if there's an electrical spike. I think the protection should have been designed into the unit but they didn't ask me for advice.
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It may depend on what carburetor your car has. Avanti Motors changed carburetors several times during the early years before simply going with the GM supplied carb on complete crate engines...maybe to piggyback on emissions certifications. Avanti Motors used Carter, Holley and Rochester carbs over time...some Carter AFB (not all) and Rochester (at least the Quadrajet) have replaceable filters that fit into the carb inlets. Those carbs that didn't come with inlet fuel filters would use the inline filter such as yours.
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Check with either Jon Myer at Myer's Studebaker or Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors. I would think either can help you out.
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Unless your Avanti is equipped with the forklift steering box rather than the Ross unit don't waste your money on the quick steering arms. The forklift steering box added in the late '70s was detrimental to the car's steering and Steve Blake had the quick steering arms made to return the original geometry. In an earlier car they make no appreciable difference other than to make the steering more "darty" to coin a term. Ask me how I know.
I would not recommend the change for an earlier Avanti.
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Not sure but I believe the Jeep Wagoneer used King Pins until about '91 but Ford or Chevy may have used them in some trucks until a bit later.
Handbook for Manufacturing Entrepreneurs by Bob Morrison...
in Avanti Parts
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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.