WayneC
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Posts posted by WayneC
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The bad steering/handling I am concerned with is the 1/4 turn free play in the Steering wheel and
the drifting of the vehicle out-of lane.
It should be relatively easy for you or a shop to determine where any major looseness is... it should be easy enough for one person to hold parts of the steering system from beneath the car while someone rotates the steering wheel off it's center... by starting either farthest away from the steering column or just past the rag joint and then working one's way along the linkage parts to the other extreme.
Front end alignment can play a part in drifting out of lane, also.
But, it's never going to feel as positive as modern rack & pinion steering.
As for the turning radius, quick steering might get you from lock/stop to lock/stop (or center position to lock/stop) with fewer turns of the wheel, but the wheel stops still determine your tightest turning radius... so don't expect a quick steering arm to let you make tighter turns.
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Thanks for getting back to the forum with your resolution of the problem.
I figured that, with all those older Chevies on the road, someone
had to be reproducing those tubes.
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I've got a 85 Avanti with the 305 engine. The catalitic converter is gone replaced with dual exhausts. Now the air tubes that screw into the exhaust manifolds are leaking badly. I'd like to get rid of them but the mechanic says that will cause the check engine light to come on. Anybody have thoughts in this subject? Bob Fouts
I don't have good knowledge of the '85 Avanti, so I'm not sure which exhaust manifolds you have
(probably sheet metal Corvette or cast iron Monte Carlo, I assume the latter from your description),
but here's some thoughts:
1. Perhaps the injection tubes are still available from vendors; for example, here's
an injection pipe from a Monte Carlo, still available from Delco so far as I know:
2. Find a set of manifolds that have solid tubes; should be standard Chevy
(or Corvette) manifolds of that era (mid 80's)
...try eBay, for example:
If those look like yours, or if you have cast-iron center outlet manifolds,
then perhaps these would be a direct replacement (if the air tubes have
their inlet in the correct position).
I think I have a nice set of sheet-metal injection manifolds (came off a year-old
'84 Corvette 350); I kept them for possible future use, but never did use them.
If you're interested, let me know and I'll see if I can take some pictures
and maybe we can agree on a price :>)
3. Replace the manifolds with earlier Chevy iron manifolds (or just plug the old manifolds)
and see if the check engine light does come on.
Wayne
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Does anyone know where or if rubber seals for the quarter windows are available.
Try this vendor: https://www.studebakerparts.com/studebakerp...art_id=535.8112
(2-page listing, don't forget to look at the second page)
or, Nostalgic at 1-800-avantix (mid-week, as they aren't open some days)
eBay is another possible source
(and Nostalgic also sells items on eBay under the name "avantilady"... try this search:
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/avantilady/m.h...from=&_ipg= )
Also, see if there's a Corvette shop near you that works on the older vettes (56-67)... they may
be able to steer you to a vendor that does soda blasting.
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Haven't driven mine in years, I hate to say, and interestingly, my '80 owners guide
doesn't appear to mention that light. It seems to go on when the key is in the ignition and the
switch is turned to any position other than the locked position. My owner's guide does mention a
seat belt warning light that works in conjunction with the buzzer (perhaps for deaf drivers?), but
doesn't say where it is.... my guess is it's the red light in question. The guide says the buzzer has
a timer, to turn it off (who wants to sit parked in the car listening to the radio with the buzzer blaring
OR with seat belts fastened), so perhaps it turns the light off as well.
Top of page 12 in my owners manual; says the buzzer timer lasts 4 to 8 seconds.
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Hello,
Can anyone advise me on what window motor to buy for my 1981 Avanti 11, the passenger side motor does not drive the gear and it appears to have a worn bearing.
Thanks,
Ray
I'd be interested in a source for this one, myself. Your car may have used the same motor as the original Avanti.
That motor was a Bosch-sourced part used on Lincolns and a few other Ford models in the very early 60's (possibly T-bird
and Fairlane). I think they are pretty much "unobtanium" at this point (try calling Nostalgic Motors 1-800-avanti1);
I seem to recall that when they were becoming scarce about 15 or 20 years ago, they were going for upwards of $200
(but my memory ain't what it used to be).
You might be better off trying to find a source to rebuild your old one; new bearings shouldn't present a serious problem
for a rebuilder. Check the phone book for electric motor repair shops, and if they can't help you, they may be able to
recommend someone who can. Here's one possibility from Hemmings Motor News ads:
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/servic...ird/831135.html
I think I remember seeing a quote of around $150 from a rebuilder years back, but the problem may have been more serious/
Hopefully others will have better suggestions.
If you get this resolved, please report back on your solution so the rest of us can learn from your experience.
Hang on!!! I may have been too quick to assume the PW motor in your '81 is the same as the original; in perusing the
Avanti Magazine, I see that one vendor (Myers Studebaker Parts 1-740-674-4897) offers motors for '63-'72 Avanti's
for $195 (repops, I think)... perhaps either he or Nostalgic can tell you what your '81 car requires.
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Today the smoke escaped from the main wiring harness of my Avanti. I just hate it when that happens.
I can empathize.
Happened to me on my '71 about 20 years ago... in heavy traffic on a Los Angeles freeway without a shoulder,
when I suddenly lost all accessories and instruments. My first clue was when the aftermarket cruise control I
had recently installed abruptly dropped out of cruise, and the ammeter pegged, but I had to get to an exit to stop;
I thought I'd done something wrong while installing the cruise wiring. By the time I got to the exit I could
see and smell smoke. I pulled over as soon as I could and turned off the ignition key but the engine kept running
and the harness kept smoking until I was able to disconnect a battery cable. By then the burn(s) trashed everthing
to within about 2 to 4 inches of the hole in the firewall, but was otherwise confined to the engine compartment;
all wiring insulation therein was completely melted. I don't think anything else was harmed, except maybe the
alternator diodes. As it turned out, the harness had rubbed against the passenger-side hood latch until it wore
through the insulation and shorted out... apparently a harness fastener in that area had come loose, allowing the
insulation damage over time and I didn't notice it.
I was a couple of blocks from a hardware store, so I walked there and purchased some wire, terminals, and a
wire-crimping tool and managed to get it running again to complete the 50-mile trek home. I replaced
the rest of the wiring myself at home, soldering the splices. Still looks pretty ugly near the firewall (I keep
forgetting to look for a decent-looking plastic box of an appropriate size to cover the bulge of all those
splices), and I couldn't find the insulation colors to replicate the original wiring colors. I used electrical tape,
and the split flexible-plastic tubing used on later automobiles, to hide more ugly repairs and the
mis-matched colors. It was tedious but it worked out fine. If I'd had to replace wiring under the dash, it
might've turned out to be a really, really nasty task.
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I am new to Avanti...but am a 50 year hot rodder....I am currently watching a darelict Avanti and trying to find the owner.....It appears to be restoreable, not wrecked but in bad shape. The vin is: 12aav1230j1000251 It has a chevy motor with 4 center bolt valve covers and wire wheels, and 34k orig. miles...... I have zero, zip, nada information on this car but it could be an interesting long term project.....Any info would be helpful in making a decision to make an offer if it becomes available. please contact Bill 352-475-3190 or wildfelr@copper.net or here for everyone to enjoy.Thanks ....Bill
If I read the serial correctly, it is #251 built in 1988. Brings decent, not great, money in good shape.
What looks so bad about this 35k mile car? If the hog troughs (below the rocker panels) are good,
then you're probably looking at cosmetics, which can get pretty expensive if you need to replace
the upholstery, rugs, weatherseals, glass, rechrome, paint, dash wood, etc. It all adds up, certainly
more than $10k for all that, and a few grand more if it needs new hog troughs.
A nice 87 convertible with 35k miles was recently advertised for $18k (although I've certainly seen sellers
ask/expect much more, like: http://shrunklink.com/chgl ) so this one isn't going to bring all that much even after restoration.
Add up the repairs and the price the owner wants, and ask yourself if the hassle of doing a restore is worthwhile.
Now, OTOH, it's nice if you want to do a restore for the satisfaction of doing the work and returning a neat car to it's former glory.
War story:
I ran across a convertible in poor shape about 10 years ago, sitting with a plastic tarp tied over it, 4 flat tires,
rims buried in the mud, shredded top & trashed interior, cracked windshield, engine compartment chock full of pine needles,
rust & mold everywhere, etc, obviously had been there for years. Can't recall mileage or exact year. A sad sight.
The body panels looked OK, just needed repaint. I couldn't see the hog troughs because the car was flat on the ground.
The guy who owned the property (there were a dozen other cars parked/stored on his property, for fee) said he thought
the owner would sell it really cheap because it had been sitting for years and...
- he was having trouble getting the guy to pay even token storage fees, even when he threatened to have it towed away.
- the guy had told him numerous times that he was out of work and in serious money trouble, and he looked it.
- he'd inherited the car some years back, as it sat, from his dead father.
Glove compartment was full of old parking violation notices, and I found out there was a lien listed against it
he hadn't mentioned (DMV couldn't tell me how much, it was with a finance co); his dead father was still
listed as owner because the title was never transferred, nor were annual registration fees paid.
When I asked about the lien, he said he wasn't aware of it, but I'd have to pay that, too, whatever it was.
Then he demanded nearly as much as buying a nice one: $15k!!! because "somebody" told him "it's a very rare car,
worth at least $16 to $20k" ... so it was just a waste of time. I never did find out the total of the lien, parking tickets,
and past DMV fees.
Here's some info on Avanti:
http://www.theavanti.com/services_chronology.htm
http://www.studebaker-info.org/AvantiAAV.html
here's a guy who has hot-rodded his chassis to the max (but this car had a Stude chassis, not a GM chassis like the 88):
http://www.electro-dynamics.com/magazine.html
http://www.electro-dynamics.com/chassis/avantislide.html
The newest Avanti's:
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Wayne,
I took the complete window assembly out of the door. After laying it out on my work bench, I dicovered that the main (LIFTING) spring was in two pieces. I located a new spring and installed it with the window at the top location (NOT KNOWING THE ORIGINAL POSITION). The window works but very slow going up. My question is how do you load that spring? Someone must know the procedure. Thankyou for the feedback. Frank
Frank, I may be beating this one to death, but no one else has yet answered, so perhaps no one knows the
EXACT procedure, since it's not in the shop manual... the factory itself probably got the assembly from a
vendor. I still think the method I used was to use the motor itself to pre-load the spring.
For this explanation, I am referring to the LF door mechanism because you didn't mention which one you
are working on. If you are working on the RF door, the the description of moving the big gear clockwise
and counter-clockwise need to be reversed. (and, I may even be mixed up myself on the direction of rotation,
but that's the way it appears to work from looking at the parts manual), hopefully you know which direction
the spring you removed was coiled, so you'll know which direction to move the gear to unload or pre-load.
With the motor REMOVED, and the spring off, you can swing that large half-circle gear with the teeth all the
way counter-clockwise, right off the gear that drives it, and beyond (holding the motor/spring frame in a
fixed position)... then find an appropriate position to slip the spring on, swing the half-circle back clockwise
(whilst compressing the spring) until it again engages the drive gear, and then re-attach the motor and apply
12v intermittently to the motor harness, spinning the motor to continue to swing the half-circle to load/compress
the spring and move the arm until, say, the half-circle gear is centered in the assembly or somewhere very
near where it was when you removed the assembly. Put it back in the door, align the pivot arms to the guide
tracks and re-install the arm pins in the rollers.
You may also be able to do this without the motor attached, by manually spinning the motor coupler,
but that will be tedious, and likely impossible with a compressed spring in place. You might also be able
to use an electric drill to spin the worm gear instead of the window motor.
You could even swing the half-circle through several revolutions to pre-load the spring, if need be, although
I doubt that is necessary; you should be able to tell by how closely the coils are compressed; obviously if
you pre-load too much, you cannot move the half-circle gear fully through it's required normal rotation on
the drive gear, so the spring is compressed too much and you need to unload the spring, remove it, back off
a half or full rotation, and re-insert the spring... nor do you want the coil to bind upon itself.... or, compare the
coil spacing to the coil in the other door as a guide to proper compression.
Other reasons for the window working slowly, though, are possibly that it's sticking in the guides and the
rear guide needs to be adjusted, the felt in the guides is deteriorating, or that a roller or two are breaking
down and dragging in the track (or they need lubrication).
PS, I would replace the motor coupler and the rollers with new ones while I had the assembly out, as
preventive maintenance, and lube the gears, tracks, pivots, and other moving/rubbing parts lightly with
white lithium grease.
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Here's a few more possible sources I found with a Google search...
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It's been too long ago for me to remember how things go together, and the shop manual isn't much help.
Maybe if you posted some photos it would help jog some folks' minds. How much of the assembly did
you remove... is your mechanism out of the door, or can you see and access the spring with the assembly
still in place?
I vaguely remember taking the entire motor/spring/actuator arm/scissors assembly out of the door to work
on it (I had to replace the motor), but I'm not certain if the window lifting scissors came out with it.... IIRC
I think it did, and I had wedged the (fully up) window at both ends of the door to hold it up before
I removed the bolts from the center pivot and the motor/spring assembly, then the retainers from the
rollers of 3 arms of the scissors mechanism to pop it free it from it's tracks, then it was a matter of
snaking the whole assembly out of the rectangular access hole in the bottom of the door, articulating
various arms to get one part, then the next, etc, until it was all out of the door... not an easy task.
I guess one concept to keep in mind is that the motor needs an assist in raising the window, so I think
the idea would be that the spring be almost fully compressed (wound) when the window is down, almost
fully free when the window is all the way up (scissors actuator arm at the motor/spring assembly moved
towards the rear of the door).
It might help to take the other door panel off to see how the spring is positioned with the window fully up,
and try to visualize the mirror image of that to picture how the opposite door spring needs to look with the
mechanism scissors in that same position. If you spin the motor in a direction to get the scissors actuator
arm as far towards the spring/motor assembly as possible (eg, towards the front of the door), then attach
the spring (and you may have to pull it's end over to the mount pin, slightly compressing it), then reverse
the electrical leads on the window motor to compress (wind) the spring to the position it was in when you
removed the assembly.
Hopefully someone else has a better memory than mine.
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Wow, that IS an amazing coincidence! Be careful with all that horsepower, now.
Just out of curiosity, how did you choose the engine?
Why did you choose it over, say, a GM ZZ4 or a ZZ383?
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Sounds like good info, I'll add it to my notes... thanks for posting it.
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Some thoughts from a non-expert...
I own an earlier Avanti, but enjoy perusing this forum as well,
since the cars have a lot of parts in common. What I'm not sure of, though is
whether your 85 has a Stude frame or a GM frame.... I would think Stude,
but I'm not certain.
I'm not aware of any heat-resistant boots, but perhaps they exist.
In reading your post, I wonder how much space there is between
the center tie rod ends and the crossover pipe, because perhaps a heat shield
might help if there's enough space for one. Here's examples of heat
shields used by mid-60's corvettes to protect their fiberglass floor panels
(they simply bolt onto the pipe, between the pipe and the floor they are meant to
protect, reducing radiant heat, and allowing airflow to keep the shield cooler than the pipe):
http://www.corvette-paragon.com/p-354256-e...at-shields.aspx (2" pipe)
http://www.corvette-paragon.com/p-351049-e...shield-kit.aspx (2.5")
Some trimming would be necessary, of course.
Another possibility might be to re-route the crossover pipe slightly if there's any
room to do that, eg, have a new pipe made up shaped slightly differently to provide
additional clearance between the pipe and the tie rod ends.
Try a Google search on tie rod boots... example:
http://www.ultrarev.com/product.php?productid=45617
http://www.thepartsbin.com/sitemap/energy_...oots~parts.html
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductListSim...?Category=3613D
But I don't know if they are any more resistant to heat than stock, or if they'd fit & seal.
Or, just bite the bullet and regularly change out the stock parts, they're inexpensive and
it's not an especially difficult job.
Possibly a way around the issue is to go to a full dual exhaust, like earlier Avanti II's
to eliminate the crossover pipe, but I realize that may not be feasible if you are in a state
that has strict emissions laws and inspections; although it might be possible to use two
catalytic converters to keep the state happy.
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Further info:
I inadvertently stumbled across a couple of old posts on the Yahoo Avanti
forum that says the tilt column is the same as used on circa '69 Camaro
and Firebird (and probably some later years)...
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/avanti/message/14804
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/avanti/message/14739
Oops... now I notice you also recently posted on that Yahoo forum, saying your
ignition switch is on the dash, which probably means you have a standard
Studebaker column. Because of the cutout for the column in the instrument panel,
you are probably limited to the Stude-style column, although you could
change-out the panel for a later Avanti II panel to use the GM tilt column.
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I have a severe electrical short inside the steering column. I am wondering if anyone knows who made
the column and internals components, are parts still available? Second half of the question, does anyone
have a complete, fully functional tilt column for sale?
I don't have exact knowledge, but I believe the steering column was built by GM (Saginaw Steering)
and should be about the same as GM cars of that era; I believe other makers may have used the GM
columns as well, like Chrysler, because at the time auto theft was becoming a serious problem and the
locking column was devised as a deterrent, to make stealing a car more difficult than just hot-wiring it.
Of course, enterprising and determined thieves learned to use a slide puller to overcome that deterrent,
and repairing a theft-recovery was made more expensive because of the damage caused by the puller.
The electrical short inside the column is most likely just frayed wire insulation, so once you get the
column apart you will probably be able to easily correct that. In fact, are you sure the problem is inside
the column? I think there may be a switch and/or connector attached atop the column near the firewall,
so the issue could well be in that switch, or in the turn signal mechanism. The other end of the wires
extending from the switch up inside the column may be accessible once the steering wheel is removed.
You might even be able to string new wires by attaching new wire to the ends of old, and pulling the new
wires through the column with the old wires. Complete new wiring harnesses for the column may be
available from GM.
But that's mostly speculation, wish I could be more helpful. Sorry, I don't have an exact reference book to
recommend, but shop manuals for mid-70's Chevy sedans might cover removal/disassembly/reassembly
of the column.
I do have a part number listed for an Avanti II: 1561594X41 for whatever that's worth... it's possible
the 7 numbers in front of the X are a GM part number, the last 3 may denote the configuration for Avanti...
But it may be difficult finding out what that part was used for besides Avantis.
I suspect all Avanti II (70?) up until 1984 used the same column. I once owned a 77 Chevelle that had a
very similar column, but I never compared the two so perhaps just the upper part (tilt & lock) was the same,
while the column itself could have been much different.
See if your column looks something like these on eBay, to give you an idea, and pay attention to the wiring:
Note the connector(s) shown in the photos.
Some of those sellers may recondition columns as a business. Here's a rebuilder I found via Google:
http://www.gmtiltsteeringcolumn.com/services.html
Here's a seller that has some parts:
https://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/fbshopm...624&Style=2
Here's some files that I found via Google that have diagrams, etc that might be helpful (each link downloads a file):
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...dr_104de07.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...D&R226JA04.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co..._304jl2007.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...emblyPage1.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...2Rev04MR03.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...ACarBlowUp.doc
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...s&Mounting.doc
Darn!!! ...those links don't seem to work when copied to this forum, but you can find them about halfway down the page at:
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2132479
Good luck.
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What a shame... looks like there were still a lot of usable parts & pieces lying around.
Is it just abandoned now?
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I am still considering installing it myself, but I may quickly change my mind when the pipes come in.
Tony
If you don't have an overhead lift, I'd advise you to leave that job to the pro's. Doesn't cost all that much, only takes
'em an hour or so, and they've got all the right tools to take the old stuff off and coax the new stuff to fit properly....
tried doing an exhaust system on my back, ONCE, when I was in my 20's, never again!
Another time I let a general-purpose shop put a new exhaust system in my Avanti (because they had the time to do it
on the day I wanted it done, using my parts)... that same night it was rattling like crazy, falling out of the bottom of
the car, and nearly dragging on the road; I took it to a muffler shop the next day and they uninstalled and re-installed
every pipe while shaking their heads in disbelief. Moral: use a muffler shop.
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I was playing with a search engine on my computer and came across this:
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projec...o/piaggio1.html
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Yes, with mounts for a Chevy small block, of course. I believe '87 is the first year with a GM frame.
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Wayne...
FYI...Avanti II's came with the Borg Warner automatic until either late in the '70 model year or sometime in the '71 model year. My '70, a September 1970 build car, came with the B-W, as did Profaqualung's, which is an earlier '70 RQA model (mine is an RQB).
I understand that... I once owned a '66, and a '69 with BW's... I've also owned a '63, '71, '80, and '89 over the past 35 years.
My point was that the later cars had a GM tranny with a mechanical cable to their speedo, as did the Borg Warner Avanti's,
so barring some gear issue within the speedo, replacing a Borg Warner with a 200R4 should only require finding a suitable
cable and the proper tranny driven speedo gear to match his differential and tire size.
But I have not done a tranny swap, so maybe I misunderstood his question?
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All suggestions will be appreciated.
I don't see it as a serious problem, it should be just a matter of finding the correct length speedo cable and using
the right plastic driven speedo gear in the transmission, which is easily changed, it simply slides in/out.
After all, 70's Avanti II's came with a GM tranny and use a mechanically-driven speedo cable
and they work fine... question is whether the internal "gearing" of your speedo is the same as those later
Avanti II's, and I can't answer that, though I suspect it is. If you could get your hands on a later speedo you
could hook it up to your current cable and see if it matches your current mph reading at a specific rpm in high gear
(or vice-versa, connect your speedo in a car with a 200R4).
Worst case, perhaps you could get a newer speedo, disassemble it, and put your old speedo face in the newer speedo
(or farm that work out to a repair shop).
This listing might help: http://www.montess.org/speedo_gears.html
But that requires knowing which drive gear your 200R4 currently has, and that will be a function of the number of teeth on it...
perhaps a tranny shop could answer that, or if you know what car it came from, perhaps a Chevy parts dealer can look up
the part number.
There also are variable-speed adjustable adapter boxes that can be mounted inline somewhere on the
speedo cable route, but they are pretty expensive and comparatively bulky.
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Unfortunately my memory fails me, but I seem to recall that my '69 (gone some 20 years now) had plain stamped steel chromed valve covers (the type with a crease depression in the middle coming from each end and a raised rectangle in the center for a horsepower sticker, see below) and a Corvette chromed-cover air cleaner (sandwich-style, with a round black-painted base and chrome cover sandwiching an open-sided filter about 3 inches tall). Unfortunately, I can't swear to that, I can't find any pics, and I've had multiple Avanti's since that one, at least one of which (a '71) that I purposely changed to the older chrome Corvette air cleaner (it had a painted air cleaner and stamped steel painted valve covers).
Here's the style air cleaner I think my '69 had: http://tinyurl.com/56le5q
This is the style valve cover I think it had: http://tinyurl.com/6ysdys
There are factory Avanti II brochures in Thomas Bonsall's "Avanti" book that show the chrome air cleaner (pages 93 and 105), and there is a photo on page 88 that shows the chrome valve covers linked above, but with a different air cleaner with a six-legged star pattern on its top (I know my '69 did NOT have THAT air cleaner)
What did the judges tell you it SHOULD have?
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Hello all, Its been really nice here in north Ga. so I've been driving my 66 more than ever. My question is, have any one of you drivers of early Avantis found a sun visor from another car that can be used to replace the factory joke version? Really these sun shades have to be the poorest excuse for visors I've ever used. Thanks for any suggestions, dclewallen
Peruse your local junkyard with dimensions in hand :>}
Or, perhaps you could fashion an extension, like heat-molding an opaque or smokey sheet of plastic into a "J" shape and sliding it over the old visor.
1971 Steering Column
in 1965-83 Avanti
Posted
Interesting... my '71 is RQB1620 and it has the later column with the ignition switch in the column.