Gunslinger
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Posts posted by Gunslinger
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Does it have to be an original Studebaker supplied jack? You can go to Walmart, Pep Boys, Auto Zone or other store and buy a new scissors jack and handle pretty inexpensively.
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Something to check...your front coil springs could be compressed and sagging. That's a common thing with Avantis with some age. If that's the case replacing them will cure your tire rubbing issues.
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Here's photos of the Avanti I was talking about with the solid roof grafted on in place of the original with a sunroof. It was 2010 and the owner passed away not too long after.
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On 3/31/2023 at 6:15 AM, Footer said:
What color was the car Gunslinger? Mine was converted with a new roof panel. My car is white and was owned by Mike Valent who used to post here. He passed away so I can’t ask any questions and Nostalgic doesn’t have any paperwork on it. The conversion turned out very nice. Mke
It was a burnt orange 1985 Avanti if I remember. I may have a photo or two of it on my laptop…will have to look later. -
I’ve seen an Avanti converted from a moonroof to solid. Unfortunately the owner passed away shortly after the conversion was done. He owned the body shop that did the work…which looked flawless once completed.
If I remember correctly…he purchased a solid roof section from Dan Booth and the car roof was cut off and the new grafted on. I don’t remember whether the headliner was custom done or stock Avanti parts replaced the original.
This was probably ten years ago…maybe more and I’ve no idea what happened to the car after his passing.
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You’re better off replacing the speakers while your already there…you don’t want to pull the dark any more than necessary.
Another tip…while you have easy access…replace all the gauge bulbs at the same time for all the same reasons.
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Once the radio is out the speaker and grille can be taken out from underneath by removing four nuts. The speaker will drop down and the grille will then pull out from above. If you plan on replacing the speaker…two things to make sure of…get a speaker of the same impedance (ohms rating)…and get a speaker the magnet is not so big it hits the radio body.
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If your car has no a/c you can probably remove the radio from underneath…where the a/c evaporator would be. If you do have a/c the dash has to be removed which is actually not that tough a job…especially if you remove the steering wheel, drop the steering column and remove the bucket seats. You really don’t have to completely remove the dash…just enough to remove the radio from behind it.
If this is the route you take…tag any and all wires you have to disconnect…you’ll save yourself grief later.
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Disconnect the original hydraulic brake light switch and install a mechanical switch…much more reliable. Do not remove the hydraulic switch…just cap off the leads.
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Any good exhaust shop should have a pipe bender and different diameter lengths of straight pipe and can custom bend them for you. Just ask for either aluminized or stainless pipes rather than standard mild steel. Aluminized and stainless will outlast your ownership of the car in all likelihood.
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Try Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motors. Alternatives are Jon Myer at Myer’s Studebaker and Studebaker International.
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It's not the first time an Avanti as used by a celebrity for a photograph...
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I'm guessing the radio was installed post-South Bend. It would have been specified on the production order if it was factory installed. AM radios were standard equipment or could be specifically be a "radio delete" option with a blank plate covering the dash opening. It could have been installed by the dealer or by a later owner. When I had a '63 Avanti I installed an original AM-FM radio I bought during the '70s or early '80s...yes...they were still available brand new at that time! The swap was not difficult.
The AM/FM radio was a 1964 option...1963 cars would all have come with AM only radios unless dealer installed at the buyer's request. It's possible some of the transitional '63/'64 cars might be factory equipped with an AM/FM but only a production order would verify that.
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The number of R3 and R4 engines assembled are supposedly around 120 but of known survivors there are gaps in engine numbers so the figure assumes all consecutive numbers were built. There is a catch…there appears to have been fewer sets of cylinder heads than engine blocks made as some R3 engines sold by Paxton were equipped with R2 or modified R2 heads.
The number of actual R4 engines is quite small…probably in the single digits.
”Somewhere” I have a list…fifteen years or older…of all known R3/R4 engines…what car they were originally installed in or where they were known to be at the time the list was compiled. Since my move I have yet to unbox a lot of such stuff…if I still have it at all.
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What car? 😃
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By the number it’s a body supplied by Molded Fiberglass and as such it would have been delivered per contract with Studebaker painted. South Bend built bodies started at body number 5001.
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The original system is perfectly adequate for a vehicle the size of an Avanti but was designed for a much lighter car. The problem with it today is the expense of parts today…original parts in good, rebuildable shape are not that easy to come by plus they’re expensive…and reproduction parts are also not cheap. For the money the Turner brake kit is better…parts are easier to source and less expensive.
I would install the Turner kit of the front and rebuild the original rear brakes. There’s no real reason to convert the rear brakes to discs as the front brakes carry most of the load and that conversion really jumps the expense and work.
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Brakes are simply too important to not maintain properly. Even the design and parts are the best they’re barely good enough. If there’s any uncertainty about the age and condition of the brakes then a complete rehab is in order…new rubber hoses…caliper or wheel cylinder rebuild or replacement…pads and shoes…caliper and drum inspection and matching if necessary…metal lines as well. No matter how good the looks or runs…if it doesn’t stop the rest is immaterial.
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My dad had a ‘61 Chrysler New Yorker that had the mirror mounted on a ball socket on the dash. The first Avanti I looked at hoping to buy had the same mirror installation. I distinctly remember that…couldn’t swing the dineros…poor college student at the time. After I was able to buy an Avanti about five years later it had the windshield mount mirror up near the top of the glass. When I started reading more about Avanti I discovered only the prototypes had the dash top mounted rear view mirror. I could have had a prototype Avanti and didn’t know it…but money wasn’t there regardless.
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Wasn’t one snuck in over the border from Mexico somehow?
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If the expansion valve is stuck…it needs replacement or the high side hose can literally explode ooff the compressor making a mess under the hood. Don’t ask how I know that. BTDT
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Find an Avanti II being parted out...most (but not all) came with flanged axles.
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While it fits the internal valving may be different between what's correct for the Mopar and a Studebaker. When I had the '70 I owned rebuilt and a different booster and master cylinder installed the supplier wanted the specs for the car...weight...horsepower, etc. to get the right application. I'm guessing so there's no overboost or underboost issues.
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11 hours ago, 1963r2 said:
Two,
The normal one and the Hurst shifter?
Pb
I don't believe the Hurst shifter was available until after Avanti Motors began production of the Avanti II. While I'm not sure I think Avanti Motors wanted the Hurst option and Hurst complied. Maybe Hurst had the idea and asked Avanti Motors if they were interested...the answer is probably lost.
Looking for: Studebaker Avanti jack and jack handle
in Avanti Parts
Posted
It’s not unusual for car companies to have multiple suppliers for many parts. It’s to insulate them against supply disruptions, strikes and the like. General Motors contracted with Carter Carburetors as a second supplier of Quadrajet carbs in case a strike by Rochester workers disrupted supplies.
Something as generic as a jack is probably such a part. As long as it meets specs and an agreeable price can be agreed upon it can be purchased and used. Tires are another such product.