Gunslinger

I doubt if an '80 Avanti would have the quick steering arms...it was Steve Blake who initiated that upgrade and he purchased the company about 1982.

It will help some but not much. The quick steering arms were designed to restore the turning radius to the original design with the original steering box before the change to the forklift steering box. Remember the Avanti is on what is basically a 1953 chassis and the comparison to modern platforms is huge in how ancient the platform truly is.

I like Cooper tires…but there are many quality brands out there. Tires are a big investment…I consider them like brakes…even the best is barely good enough.

If you plan on rebuilding your present engine…call Summit Racing and talk to their techs. They will ask specific questions about how the engine is to be used…what is wanted from it. They will give solid recommendations on the parts…intake, carb, heads, etc….regardless of brand to match everything together for best performance for the job.

If I remember correctly the Turner kit uses different wheel bearings than the original design.

Check the radiator mounting bracket…if it’s broken or cracked that side of the body will flex more than designed and the fiberglass can crack in the area of the wheel arch. If that’s the problem the proper fix is to first repair the radiator bracket then cut out the fiberglass and lay in a new repair. If all that’s done is to file or sand down the crack and fill it…the crack will come back.

It was originally covered by some kind of supposedly water resistant paper taped down…at least every Avanti I’ve seen was like that.

Use ARP bolts and a two bolt main cap will be just as safe as a four bolt main of standard grade bolts used. But...four ARP bolts will do even better if you have an engine with four bolt mains. Essentially...regardless of what engine you have...you'll be golden with ARP bolts. They're considered the best bolts on the market.

You won’t get it out through the speaker opening…too small an opening. Does your car have a/c? If not it should come out from underneath. If you have a/c then you have to remove the dash. Get the shop manual if you don’t already have one. The procedure is pretty straightforward and not that tough.

It's probably more cost effective to buy a crate engine and drop it in...they're available in many horsepower/torque levels. When you rebuild the current engine it's all too easy to go down the rabbit hole with modifications. When it comes to Avantis having the original engine has never really been an issue among collectors.

First...make sure whatever heel you pick clears the calipers...especially if it has the Turner Disc Brake conversion or another conversion done to it. You also have limited clearance in the front...the rear not so much. If the front coil springs have compressed (not at all uncommon), they should be replaced to restore ride height or the chances of the tire striking the inner fender edge is greater. I wouldn't go wider than a 70-series aspect ratio regardless of rim diameter for the front. Again you have more room to work with in the rear. Maintain a standard offset rather than one that makes the tires stick out from the fenders or body contact potential increases plus it's better for the wheel bearings. With 16" tires you will find a much greater selection of tires available for the car...15" sizes appropriate for older cars are more or less a dying breed with limited selections from most major tire makers. Regardless of what you choose, try and make sure you keep the overall diameter as close to factory specs as possible otherwise your speedometer will be inaccurate...probably even more inaccurate than when the car was new.

Beginning with RQB1563 the serial number was also attached to the dash where it was visible from outside the car...at the corner of the dash on the driver side. If there's no serial number placed there it's prior to that...but that may not be really conclusive as the dash pad could have been replaced at some point. As Pantera said...there should be a plate riveted to the door jamb when you open the river door. A couple of tips to at least narrow down the model year it might be...do the seats have headrests? Are the windshield wipers bright chrome or matte finished? What make carburetor does it have? Does it have a single or dual brake master cylinder? Do the doors have cups in the armrests or pull straps? Is the ignition switch on the dash or the steering column? All those features can narrow it down but again are not definitive as the car could have been modified over the years.

Starting with the 1981 model year the government mandated a 17-digit VIN which contained information such as manufacturer, engine class and actual serial number. Poor to that Avanti II cars were all RQA/RQB/RQC plus numbers. After the VIN requirement was mandated Avanti Motors continued their "RQ" sequence but for internal accounting purposes.

Not sure…there are two different Saturn air deflectors that fit. I used the larger of the two.

If you look at the December 1963 parts manual for the Avanti the plastic cover is listed but never actually entered production...maybe a few but I've never seen one. If Avanti production had continued the cover would have most likely been produced. I believe its purpose was to insulate against heat from the transmission area. Anyone who has an automatic equipped Avanti knows how hot the shifter quadrant can get.

Yes…those air deflectors do help. They do it a couple of ways…they direct additional cooling air up into the radiator area with a side benefit of reducing air turbulence under the car that otherwise would be aerodynamic drag rather than cooling. I installed one on the ‘70 Avanti I had and noticed an immediate 10-15 degree reduction in engine temperature at speed. When idling or low speed it was little to no help. The deflectors need speed to be functional.

R4 engines were not very streetable...radical camshaft and overcarbureted for anything but wide-open driving. While a/c may have been available for a R4 if any had been ordered...it probably wouldn't have been very a/c friendly in a practical sense. What dd they have...12:1 compression? Racing gas would have been required to keep detonation at bay and adding the load of a/c would only make it worse.

Under the dash...directly under the hood latches are holes in the body...should have plastic caps in them but they could be gone after so much time. You can reach up with a long screw driver and pop open the hood latches. The rubber gas hose...if it's what I think it is...should exit to the underside of the car. It's a vent line. Depending on what year Avanti it may be for a charcoal filter for emissions reasons.