Gunslinger

Not being publicly held…Avanti Motors wasn’t obligated to publish such records though they must have existed internally. To be classified as a small producer…or whatever term the government uses…a car company cannot produce over a certain number annually…so Avanti Motors must have had the documentation to report to the government. They just wouldn’t have been obligated to report such numbers publicly. Whatever happened to the records after the company shut down is anybody’s guess. Since Avanti Motors was headquartered in Mexico at the time of shutdown it’s a good guess those records are still located there if they exist at all.

I always understood there were fifty-three Avantis constructed between 2001-2004…how that broke down per year I don’t know. The ‘02 I owned was #20 or #22 depending on how you defined it…the 22nd by production order or the 20th completed. All 2001-2004 Avantis were built on the TransAm platform which was discontinued after the 2002 model year by GM…so 2003-2004 Avanti were all on 2002 chassis until they were used up. If I remember the TransAm my Avanti was built on was made in December 2001.

Actually…there is a slight difference. The distributor cap for the Hemi has slightly taller towers but is otherwise the same. The Avanti cap is shorter due to clearance under the RFI shielding cover. Depending on spark plug wire configuration it could still fit.

The lid to the reservoir as it has a dipstick built in.

Don'y know the answer...but a rotor from a dual-point Mopar Hemi engine works...in fact...the points, condenser and distributor cap works as well.

Sun City West. I was up in Prescott in early December…seems to be a nice place.

I’m happier than I’ve ever been since moving here.

If your side tanks are in good condition...you can always have it recored. If that is done...ask for a core with increased fins per inch. That can help a lot with cooling as additional fins add increased cooling surfaces.

This is out of left field...but the fuel pickup in the gas tank could be clogged and not allowing fuel to pass. Even then...there should be some suction at the pump. Usually the simplest possibility is the most likely answer...a bad fuel pump. The pump arm could be bent wrong. Try another. You could also install an electric fuel pump under the car inside the frame rails near the fuel tank and bypass the mechanical fuel pump altogether...just install a blocking plate over the fuel pump opening on the block. That's a bit more involved...cost of the pump and pressurized hose and installation but it should fix the issue permanently.

If I remember…the AVX cars had the drive trains of the previous generation of Firebirds. The LS engines first appeared in the ‘98 Corvette C-5…a model year before it was available in other GM applications. You said your car was 1 of 77 for 2002. John Hull states in his book there were 53 Avantis built from 2002-2004.

You could have the arm not installed properly. It could be a bad pump altogether. It could have a bad diaphragm...smell the dipstick and see if it has gasoline mixed with the oil. If the diaphragm is torn it can dump gasoline right into the crankcase. That's unlikely but it happened to me when I was driving the '63 I once owned.

If I remember from his book They Call Me Mister 500...Andy Grantelli told them to add some STP to the transmissions as well as the crankcases.

The Due Cento supposedly did top 200 mpg at Bonneville but not officially. Due to the rules of a 2-way average and the soupy conditions of the salt flats the car was more than capable of breaking that barrier and probably did but not enough to average out to 200mph. The ground conditions cost traction and slowed the car down during the two way run. We'll never really know what the Due Cento and its engine as raced was truly capable of.

I've owned a couple of older Corvettes and yes...the purists among Corvette people can be annoying...but the absolute worst I've experienced are the Mopar fanatics. They don't refer to Mother Mopar for no reason. The purists there are maddening. If the factory routinely left overspray in some areas of the car they want that overspray in restorations...no matter the cost. If I'm paying that kind of money for a paint job I want perfection...not overspray. It looks substandard to me.

I believe the change in parking brake location was during 1976. A Jeep handle was used for a short time before changing to a C3 generation Corvette handle assemble. The trunk release was an option at least as early as 1970…maybe earlier. I don’t know when…or if it was made standard equipment. The electric release button was under the driver side of the dash before the glove box location was standardized.

The cable may have stretched a bit over time. I believe there’s some adjustment at the latch. If nothing else replace the cable. I believe at least one vendor sells a replacement cable of stainless steel.

Compare the profile of that generation Monte Carlo to that of a Studebaker GT Hawk…the resemblance is striking. It brings up the adage that there are no coincidences in the automotive world.

As far as being judged in an AOAI or SDC event…originality of color is pretty much immaterial as long as it’s an official Avanti color. To a purist it may mean a lot. To everyone else it matters little beyond the quality of the overall package. It’s your car…make yourself happy and don’t worry about what others think.

Some do…some don’t. The problem stems from the fact the moonroofs used were not designed for the Avanti…but adapted from another car…Lincoln I’ve been told. So after a period of time with flexing, contracting and expanding the framing or the fiberglass may warp and/or the seals dry out and leaks start. Well maintained…kept garaged…the seals kept clean and lubed…and the problem is minimized or eliminated.

Ironically…the parts situation for the Avanti is probably better than for the Pacer. Besides a cottage industry maintaining, rebuilding and reproducing parts for the Avanti and other Studebakers…Chrysler saw to it AMC parts were destroyed. When Chrysler purchased AMC…they really only wanted Jeep. For tax purposes they scrapped all AMC parts the company had…and earned the undying enmity of AMC fans. It was financially more advantageous to scrap the parts and take the write off than sell the surplus parts and pay tax on the revenue. Studebaker sold all their parts and entrepreneurs like Nate Altman, Jon Myer, Dan Booth and others bought them and also from dealers liquidating over the years.

The Avanti was never intended to sell in big numbers…but be a halo car to draw attention to Studebaker’s other…more profitable and mainstream products. It was certainly expected to sell in numbers larger than it did…maybe 10k units annually. But…we all know supply, quality control and production issues kept that from happening. Add to that many Studebaker dealers had no idea how to sell such a car…even if they could get them.

Jon Myer would be first on my list. When I was at his place…admittedly some time ago…he had a number of parts Avantis behind the warehouses…so he may still have some good used parts. He may even have NOS. My next choice would be Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors.

I’m not that familiar with post-‘85 Avantis. I know they’re based on a GM platform with an Avanti body. Is the floor and frame modified from original GM or left as-is with the new body and interior made to fit it? If the floor pan is still GM I would think the appropriate GM seat base will fit. If not…were Recaro seats still optional in ‘87? Recaro bought Avanti bases from Wedge Engineering which I believe is or was located in CA. Wedge may be able to help you. If none of this pans out…contact Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors. He may be able to help.

While not related to this story directly...but it's always fun to tell. About ten or twelve years ago I had my '70 Avanti at a local car show. An old fellow came up and looked it over...said back in the late '50s he and his dad owned a Studebaker dealership in the town. They eventually switched from Studebaker to Ford...don't remember if he told me why. I mentioned in the small city a few miles away there was a building that you could still read "STUDEBAKER SALES & SERVICE" on the building face. It was a street out of the way from most of the town and other car dealers. The old guy said he remembered the dealer and the owner from back in the day. He said besides the Studebaker franchise he had other properties..."...and owned a few whorehouses, too!" I never forgot that...I still laugh whenever something makes me think of it. It's been enough time the old guy has passed on. He was awesome to listen to.

Avanti Motors was forced to use a new engine as Studebaker had shut down the foundry for Studebaker engines...save for finishing up some contract work. Since Studebaker had already done the engineering necessary for the GM engines in Canadian production for '64-'66 cars it was a no brainer to use the GM engine. It was a matter of designing wiring harnesses, the fillers in the front wheel openings and a few other minor things. Essentially the stars lined up for Nate Altman...Studebaker sold him all the truck parts as well as Avanti parts and the Studebaker parts inventory...sold him the building...Molded Fiberglass had something like 150 leftover Avanti bodies from the cancelled Studebaker contract...GM sold him Corvette engines at reasonable costs...lots of experienced Studebaker employees needed work...plus the local bank president went to bat for him for financing due to Nate's reputation. If just one of those things didn't materialize...the whole operation would have been a no-go from the start.