Gunslinger

If there was a blown head gasket or cracked cylinder head there should be coolant in the crankcase oil. Smell the dipstick and see if it smells like anti-freeze…the exhaust would have a similar smell. If that’s the case…don’t drive the car…ethylene glycol and engine bearings do not get along.

You can Google Delco plus the part number and may get some hits. Failing that…take it to a GM dealer parts department. They can plug the Delco number into their computer and see not only if the part is still available but what…if any…dealers in the country may have any sitting in inventory. That’s assuming GM hasn’t changed their numbering system.

Just because a Mopar part fits doesn't mean its right. Due to the weight of a different car the master cylinder can have a different bore diameter. That can give a harder or softer pedal feel. That also doesn't mean it won't work...just may change the braking characteristics of the Avanti. Just something to keep in mind when swapping master cylinders just because it fits the bolt pattern. The same goes for wheel cylinders for the rear brakes...I found that out the hard way.

Whatever records still exist are probably in Mexico.

No idea where Avanti Motors might have placed the paint code on the car after they discontinued the vanity mirror. By '83 Steve Blake had bought the company and changed many things. The build sheet would probably have the color but possibly not the color code. Most Avanti colors weren't custom to them...they were standard colors available to any auto maker. The '70 I owned was painted 1970 Cadillac brown when new though it was silver when I purchased it and had it repainted Hyundai White Mica when it was rebuilt.

Look on the bottom of the slide-out vanity tray in the glove box…or the back of the mirror itself. Avanti Motors usually put a sticker under there with the factory color and code. The big “if” is that if the sticker is still there or has fallen off over the years. If there it may not be readable anymore.

Many…if not most…certifications would have piggybacked on the GM compliance certifications. As a small manufacturer Avanti Motors was likely exempt from other safety requirements such as crash tests.

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.