Gunslinger

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.