Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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Rick did own an early Avanti if not owned two...that still doesn't get an answer to the question as all listed above did own Avantis. Trick question or a mistaken question?
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Rick Nelson owned two Avantis over time...you say both Neil Young and Joyce Brothers either do or did own Avantis...Alice Cooper has owned at least two Avantis...that's all four possibilities. Is there a fifth possibility or was this a trick question?
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Does your engine have a serpentine belt or standard V-belts? A serpentine belt requires a reverse flow water pump. There's also short nose and long nose water pumps. The water pump on your engine should have a casting number on it. Copy that and see if it can be matched that way.
As far as the transducer...you need to know what brand cruise control is on the car...Avanti Motors may not have used the GM system but an aftermarket unit.
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I'm guessing it's the first Avanti with "63" dropped from the serial number.
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While advertising is usually full of hyperbole, Goodyear, in this ad, claimed the first thing Steve Blake changed was the tires. The ad also shows the "II" already dropped from the Avanti name...so it begs the "chicken and the egg" type of question.
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^^^What he said!^^^ Rosenthal was President of South Bend's First Source Bank and approved the loan.
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Yep...the same guy who bought my Avanti. He lost three dozen collector cars and motorcycles...and not all were insured. He lost all that as well as his home.
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I believe the gentleman who owned RQA0306 is the same one who purchased my RQB1574 to replace it. He lost his entire car collection in the fires...including some very rare and even one-of-a-kind vehicles such as the Studebaker Kart Hauler.
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The hydraulic brake light switch is easy to source and inexpensive...it was used on many cars contemporary to the Avanti. The issue now is twofold...replacements now are usually made offshore and they simply don't last. Another issue is they seem to be sensitive to DOT 5 silicone brake fluid if you use that (my advice...don't) and will also fail early. Why...no one seems to know. My advice about DOT 5 brake fluid is also arguable...some use it without issue but many argue against it.
When you replace the switch...immediately bleed your brakes of air since removing the old switch introduces air into the system.
Another option is to leave the brake light switch where it is, disconnect its wires and install a mechanical switch under the dash. It might take about an hour of work but it's more reliable.
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It could also be the plastic bushing to the brake pedal has worn and the pedal is sagging for lack of a better term...and that's activating the brake light switch. Ask me how I know. I do admit the bad brake light switch is the more likely culprit.
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The '70 Avanti I owned had the same brakes as the Studebaker and here's what I did to update the system...brake update
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First...welcome!
The first and best thing you can do is buy copies of the Studebaker Avanti shop manual and parts manual. While yours is an Avanti II much of the information in the manuals is still relevant. Also...have the entire car gone over mechanically...brakes (especially brakes due their extreme importance)...brake hoses and metal lines...anything and everything mechanical. It's essentially a 1953 chassis and requires a lot of maintenance...many lube points to hit. Check the height of the front coil springs as it's very common for the coil springs to compress with age.
If you don't know the history of the car or documentation of its maintenance then everything is suspect until shown otherwise. It's a great car but it has its idiosyncrasies. Any forty-one year old car is going to have issues...hopefully they've been addressed already but you need to make sure.
Others should check in and give advice and to welcome you as well. Don't be afraid to ask questions. As a group we've learned workarounds or substitutions for unavailable parts or by-the-book repairs.
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The Avanti was initially supposed to have quad headlights but it was changed to duals for cost reasons. If it had been introduced with quads we wouldn't know the difference to discuss it.
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SWAG...it was the Altman car built for Bob Morrison of Molded Fiberglass...with a supercharged 327.
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Front overhang.
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I'm glad you're happy with it. CAS has a long-time reputation for less than sterling reviews but they've been one of the few options for someone wanting an updated sound system which doesn't require a lot of mods to the dash. Maybe they've upped their game...hopefully so.
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If you're not sure what you're doing you're playing with fire...or a grenade with the pin partway pulled out by increasing the compression ratio on a supercharged engine. Small amounts of CR increase can result in a huge increase in blower pressure...resulting in detonation and a blown engine if you're not careful. Compression ratios and supercharger pulley diameters have very specific mathematics to get it right.
The best thing is to keep the engine the way it was designed...it certainly can be improved but it requires lots of machining to the heads and combustion chambers to increase airflow and a better, less restrictive exhaust system...plus improvements to the intake manifold, carburetion and camshaft...and that doesn't even begin to take into account the octane ratings of today's gasolines if you're talking pump gas rather than racing fuels. It all comes down to how much money you want to dump down the rabbit hole.
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I believe the bezels will pop out if you pry them gently. More than likely it's the bulbs. If the bulbs are ok then check the ground...electrical ground problems and fiberglass cars go together. If it's the bulbs, you can buy replacement LED bulbs...a whiter light, less current draw and less heat to yellow the lens.
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4 hours ago, TED DIMON said:
When I first purchased the '70 I owned I purchased a couple of key blanks...I forget who from...and a local locksmith and friend carefully took the locks apart and keys the blanks from scratch. If we weren't friends since high school I'm not sure he would have done that as it took him a while to do it without ruining everything as the locks weren't made to be taken apart.
You might look into simply buying a new glovebox lock with keys from one of the Avanti vendors.
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An old line locksmith may have blanks for the keys...and I repeat...may. Try Studebaker International, Myer's Studebaker or Nostalgic Motors...they may well have the correct key blanks.
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I think that was a standard Studebaker production order...Avanti Motors just kept using them when they purchased Studebaker's parts inventory.
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Yes...all early Avantis came with 140 mph speedometers. After a short time R2 cars had 160 mph units installed. I don't know at what serial number but I believe it was within the first several hundred Avantis built.
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I don't know whether it's been established that Avanti Motors did their model years the same as the rest of the industry or by calendar year...I suspect whichever was most convenient at any particular time. It as also not unknown for Avanti Motors to retitle an unsold car from one year to the next for sales purposes. The '70 I owned had a build date in September 1970 which could be taken as a 1971 model year by normal industry standards but was titled as a '70.
Since Avanti Motors had no substantive annual model year changes until much later they seem to have done what was to their advantage at the time.
Avanti Owners!
in Avanti Trivia
Posted
Did Vincent Furnier (Alice Cooper) own his Avantis under which name or did his music business own them? He's a conservative Republican so I would imagine he uses the same trick by having cars as a business expense. The same goes for Joyce Brothers and Neil Young...their business managers may well have had their clients do the same for tax purposes.
Just askin'.