Gunslinger

Not all states required outside rear view mirror at the time plus they would have been prone to damage during transport. For the factory to install mirror would have also increased payroll costs...maybe not much per car but it adds up. Car makers don't think in terms of dollars or pennies...they think in terms of tenths of pennies.

Locating the battery allows you the option of a Group 24 battery or the larger Group 27 giving increased cranking amps and reserve power. This would be at the cost of losing a bit more trunk space.

I doubt if Studebaker intended or cared about such issues so far into the future…there was never a thought about these cars still being on the road sixty plus years later. I doubt if any car maker did…any words to that effect were nothing but ad copy.

The Dunlop/Bendix caliper brakes were excellent for their day…but they were also designed for cars roughly a thousand pounds lighter than an Avanti. Studebaker wanted a fully engineered disc brake setup and contacted Bendix and said they wanted it in only a few months ready to go. So Bendix licensed the design from Dunlop and put it in production. It may not have been optimal compared to a disc brake setup designed for a car the Avanti’s size but it worked and worked well…and was still better than other American car makers.

Magazine writers of the period commented on the Avanti 4-speed not having a good spread of gears. One writer even wondered whether Chevrolet had an exclusive on the gears from Borg-Warner for the Corvette…thus keeping others such as Studebaker from choosing better gear ratios. The Hurst shifter has enjoyed universal praise as superior to the Studebaker supplied shifter.

I believe dealers had a template on where to drill for the attaching screws…whether the fender of the door. Place it wrong on the door and the wing vent hits it.

Be careful with the fluid you use in the blower. Paxtons require a fluid that has at least some friction. Too slick fluid allows the planetary balls to skid rather than roll smoothly which can create heat spots and cause early failure. Original fill was Type A Suffix A which was made from whale oil and is no longer available…that’s why Ford Type F or equivalent is recommended today. Andy Granatelli in his book They Call Me Mister 500 said they used some STP in the blower as it helped keep blower oil temps down…but Andy was a master promoter and that was his product. Besides…how many drive at Salt Flats speeds?

Yes…it looks like the mounting holes are off enough to force a bend in the name plate.

Not trying to get you to spend money unnecessarily…but let a locksmith open the fuel door…he can probably pick it quickly with no damage and cut you keys for it.

The Edelbrock Torker is designed for higher rpm driving...the Performer EPS is optimized for better all around performance. The EPS is optimized for the Edelbrock Performer carbs but the Holley will work just fine.

Considering the time frame and rush to get the Avanti into production...it's likely no more than simply a quick way of solving a problem...find space for a battery. The engine is tight enough and using the 3EE battery simply was the cheaper and easy way out. Once they transitioned to the Group 24 battery for the '64 model year after incorporating it into the redesign of the front it made for much more versatility in battery selection by the factory and by consumers. That being said...the engine bay changes for the Group 24 battery do make a tight area even more so. If only someone at Studebaker had thought of locating the battery in the trunk it could possibly have made for a more logical radiator/belt drive design for the car...maybe even incorporating a/c with the supercharger from the factory. But...as out of the box forward thinking as the Avanti design was...the Studebaker mindset was stuck in what they most knew and could afford...traditional thinking.

First…welcome to world of Avantis…one of the most strikingly beautiful cars ever…and can also be one of the most frustrating at times. This is great bunch here with lots of real world experience with these cars. By experience I mean that’s what you get when don’t get what you want. By that definition we’re very experienced here. Before anything else…upgrade brakes…pads…calipers…hoses…metal lines. Safety is paramount. If the car won’t stop safely nothing else you do will matter. The Turner brake kit is the way to go. It’s far more cost effective than rebuilding the original system. You can sell the old parts to offset the costs as well as they have value. On the ‘70 Avanti I had I had a set of Sanderson block hugger headers installed and a 2.5” exhaust system to let the engine breathe. I had a GM Performance 350/330hp crate engine installed with Edelbrock fuel injection…that’s not where you seem to be going but Edelbrock carbs are excellent. There’s nothing wrong with the GM HEI…it may need tweaking by a carb tech as it’s set up for smog reduction…not performance. There are good hi-po distributors marketed if you want one. For information on camshafts…give a call to Summit Racing’s tech line. They will ask you specific questions about what you want out of the car and will give you solid recommendations. I’m kinda partial to Lunati VooDoo cams…they have asymmetric lobe profiles that can give power without a loping idle…but there’s lots of good cams and profiles to choose from. As far as a radiator…aluminum is fine…anything that helps take some weight off the front end is a plus. I would suggest whichever way to go…aluminum or brass…get one with a core that has more fins per inch than stock…it increases swept area and aids cooling. Electric fans are an advantage as well.

I put LED lights in the '70 Avanti I had with no issues at all. Interior...exterior...they all worked fine.

While it may not have anything to do with your problem…I would swap out every light with a LED replacement along with a flasher made for LED lights. You’ll get brighter illumination…longer life…less heat to fade the lenses…and it uses less power draw on the electrical system.

I looked it up and Avanti Motors switched to the Lark frame in the 1977 model year...the frame was used continuously from serial number RQB-2607 with earlier numbers RQB-2696 and RQB-2699 also receiving the same frame.

Avanti Motors ran out of Avanti frames in the late ‘70s and began using true Lark frames and welded in the X-member and supposedly added some additional stiffeners as the Lark frame was a thinner gauge steel. I believe many of the safety standards Avanti Motors received exemptions from had run out…along with running out of parts for a 30+ year old chassis prompted the need for a modern chassis. Prior to Mike Kelly…Steve Blake initiated a design for a proprietary chassis for the Avanti which never reached fruition.

$22k purchase price + $40-$50k restoration price = $30-$40k retail value. The math simply isn't there. That could be adjusted if the buyer of capable of supplying his own labor at no cost...but still...it simply proves it's far cheaper to buy an Avanti already rebuilt than think a project car will be profitable.

First fill of trans fluid in a dry transmission…making sure the torque converter is properly filled before starting then adding the appropriate amount to top it off.

The Avanti is the first "continuation" car...same body supplier...same chassis...same factory...just a different engine and it evolved from there.

I believe many, if not most, 427 marked Cobras were actually 428 equipped. It was probably due to cost and engine availability issues with Ford. Carroll Shelby probably knew many of his buyers were not capable of safely handling a full out 427 car. There's probably more replica Shelby Cobras out there today than Carroll Shelby ever rolled out of his shops. All seem to have 427 emblems but a small block engine under the hood.

The Cobra when released used the Borg Warner T-10 transmission and Girling disc brakes...but whether they were the same model, gear ratios and calipers and pads I can't say. Many think the Corvette of the period that used the T-10 had GM exclusive gear ratios thus forcing Studebaker to use less than ideal gearing in 4-speed cars.

It gives dwell specs...which must be standard GM specification. The '70 Avanti...at least the RQB series...was given transistor ignition by Avanti Motors. The '70 I had was equipped with the GM transistor distributor and ignition box and ad material for the era showed that as standard also.

I was going through Avanti memorabilia I have to find new homes for since I sold my Avantis before downsizing and relocating and found these sheets from Avanti Motors providing engine specs for the 1970 350/300 engine they started using as standard. I'm sure the specs are standard GM but am providing them for anyone who could use them.

I don't see why it's not possible...just takes money, time and some talent. You would have to add extensions to each gauge wire or things would come off when pulling the cluster. You would also have to make sure of a solid electrical ground for the gauges and lights.

There are no mom and pop oil refineries...all modern motor oils come from the big boys. As long as the oil you choose meets the specs for your particular year car you're good to go. The oil you buy today will be different from the same brand you buy next year as car companies are always changing their recommendations and the oil companies respond. We all have our favorites and there's nothing wrong with that. What may be more important...and that debatable...is using a brand from the same base oils. With dino oils there's paraffin base and asphalt base. They each require different levels of being refined but in the end do the same thing. I understand Pennsylvania grade crude is the choicest oils and is generally refined into lubricants where mid-eastern oil is generally refined into fuels...just the best use of the raw materials it seems. Use the grade oils recommended for your application...use appropriate oil change intervals and you're good to go. One thing I learned from car forums...if you want to start a flame war that costs many lives so to speak...start a thread that questions someone's favorite motor oil...gasoline...car wax...oil filter...tires...most anything they're passionate about in their car care.