Gunslinger

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.

Go with a TH200R4 as it has a better spread of gears. It can be built to take prodigious amount of power. I had a TH700R4 in the ‘70 I owned and it was shifting into 2nd gear almost immediately and chirping the rear tires without trying to. Another thing to consider…think about getting an aluminum driveshaft as it reduces rotating mass and weight which is always worthwhile in an Avanti.

Rotary. I was going to say electric as opposed to vacuum…but electric is already in the description.

If I remember correctly...the Shelby Mustang GT-350s equipped with Paxton superchargers had a sticker on the supercharger body with Paxton's name and listing it as a division of the Studebaker Corporation.

The side of the engine and frame the lines run.

Of course it’s possible…but did any actually leave the factory is a better question. I would say no as the oil filter was a standard thing on R engines. I could see an exception made possibly for a special car equipped with a remote filter such as for purposes such as speed runs at Bonneville in a modified non-stock class.

The coolant expansion tank on top of the engine?

Look under the drivers side of the dash at the top left. That’s a very common place in older cars for fuse boxes. The radio may possibly have a fuse in its hot line…depending on the brand.

I’d say Sherwood Egbert as if it wasn’t for him there would be no Avanti. My second guess would be Eugene Hardig as he was in charge of putting it together.

False…it was at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in 1975. It was about Raymond Loewy’s designs. Renwick Gallery Avanti

I would say true…it spent much of its life on display if I remember correctly.

AM/FM radios were an option for 1964.

Did all Avanti bodies come pre-drilled for an antenna or was that done on the assembly line? It would seem there would be a fair amount of variation where the antenna hole was located if done on the assembly line assuming there was no locating device where to center the hole. Then again...Molded Fiberglass was contracted to supply complete, painted bodies to Studebaker...were they expected to pre-drill the antenna hole? I guess that would incur an extra expense paid to MFG when Studebaker had their own people to drill holes.

I would guess the cable was there regardless in case a radio would be dealer installed. Since all Avanti bodies were done ahead of time...painted and inventoried...all would have had the hole drilled for the antenna whether the car was radio delete or not. Would there there have been a plug installed in the antenna hole? Would there have been an antenna installed regardless of radio option?

I had a ‘69 Corvette L71…three deuces on top of the 427. I know where you’re coming from regarding hood clearance. Even with the big block hood clearance was tight…a very low profile air cleaner and an intake manifold that was more sunken than high rise.