Jump to content

WayneC

AOAI Forum Members
  • Posts

    536
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by WayneC

  1. Dunno if this will provide any additional info, but I remember reading years ago that, early on, Avanti Motors bought base Corvette engines in batches. If that is true, early original Avanti II engine casting numbers/hp would likely be:

      3782970 (327ci 250hp)

      3858174 (327ci 300hp)

      3892657 (327ci 300hp)

      3914678 (327ci 300hp)

      3932386 (350ci 300hp)

      3970010 (350ci 300hp)

     

  2. I cannot answer your question directly, its been too long since I've done any wiring work, but perhaps I can give you info leading to the answer.

    There was an article about replacing the wiring harness in the Avanti Magazine (Fall/Winter 2011) that is copied on Bob's Studebaker website here:

      https://studebaker-info.org/Tech/Bhend/avantiwiringbhenddec2012.pdf

    The author does not include photos of the harness taken as as he was installing it in the car, but perhaps you could email him (wfhenderson@yahoo.com) to ask if he remembers the location of the plug or kept photos of the install.

    I expect the plug may be located behind the right-side kickpanel, but I am not at all certain of that; it may be closer to the transmission hump, possibly under the dash or in the console since the wiring to the rear of the car runs beneath the rug along the driver's side of the transmission hump.

    If you get the answer, it would be nice for you to update this thread with that information (and/or document your own work with how-to photos in a new thread).

     

    P7030418_800x600.JPG

  3. 4 minutes ago, WayneC said:

    The fella I sold my '80 Avanti to last year had new front & rear seat covers made by Lseat (Recaro fronts); he sent them the old covers as a pattern. He said it took months and he had to threaten the salesman in Texas to finally get them back (they are made in China), but he said they had turned out well and he was satisfied with them.

     

    80 Avanti seats.jpeg

  4. The fella I sold my '80 Avanti to last year had new front & rear seat covers made by Lseat (Recaro fronts); he sent them the old covers as a pattern. He said it took months and he had to threaten the salesman in Texas to finally get them back (they are made in China), but he said they had turned out well and he was satisfied with them.

  5. I had a similar experience some years back.

    I started losing electrical while on the freeway, starting with an aftermarket cruise control that suddenly shut off. I then smelled wiring burning. I took an exit just as the engine quit, coasted to a stop, popped the hood, disconnected the battery, and surveyed the damage. The problem was that the engine electrical harness was shorted by rubbing against the right-side hood latch because a nearby harness guide had worked loose and I hadn't previously noticed it. Much of the passenger-side harness was burned (including up to about two or three inches of where the thick wiring bundle exits the firewall), luckily the damage was all on the engine side of the firewall. I walked to an auto supply store and bought some wire and electrical tape and a few tools.

    Took me a few hours to patch/replace enough wiring to get it running and drive 50 miles home to finish the job.

    I second Gunslinger's comment about the ignition module; buy a spare to carry in the car if you don't already have one (preferably one made by Delco).

  6. Door alignment is done with shims and/or by loosening the hinge bolts and shifting/moving the door in relation to the hinges and/or the hinges in relation to the body.

    The technique is the same as with most automobiles. Its more an art than a science, since shimming or moving one door hinge usually requires adjusting the other hinge, too, and it can require several people and/or some jacks and wood shims to support the door and move it around in relationship to the hinges or body opening.

    See the Body section at the back of the Studebaker Avanti workshop manual, page 9.

    If you don't already have a workshop manual you need to acquire one, and not only for this door adjustment; an Avanti parts manual is also useful. Google "Studebaker Avanti Workshop Manual" ...pricing is usually in the $25 to $50 range depending on condition; they show up often on eBay for around 30 bucks. Some Stude/Avanti vendors offer them, also, such as Studebaker International.

    Or, most collision shops deal with door alignment daily, so they may be able to do the job for you... at a price, of course.

    avanti workshop manual.jpeg

    Avanti parts catalog.jpeg

  7. My understanding is that Avanti Motors would paint a car whatever color the customer wanted (same with interior fabrics/colors)... and there were some pretty bad choices, although I expect they had some "standard" color choices to show customers, and probably built at least a few cars that didn't have a customer order at build time.

  8. In 2006 I  bought a remanufactured Quadrajet for my '71 from Recarbco.com, and about 4 years ago I rebuilt the Quadrajet on my '80 myself.

    The remanufactured carb looked and operated like new, it was much nicer than I imagined and certainly far better than the one I rebuilt personally. But it was expensive at the time: $280. Here is a pic of the '71 carb when it arrived:

    P5040235.jpg

  9. I haven't made that change, but I investigated it 2 years ago for a Jaguar XJS when I was contemplating new tires and had a hard time finding decent (and reasonably-priced) 15" tires to fit. I decided that 17" was probably my best choice because desirable 16" wheels and tires were becoming difficult to find. I did not go forward with that plan, I ended up buying 15" Kumho Ecsta LX tires (rode fine but I live in CA and they would not be a good choice for use in snow country).

    If I had made the swap in wheel size, my intention was to use one of these tires (not sure these would be a size I'd choose for an Avanti, though, due to the wheel width):

          Pirelli Cinturato All Season Plus 235/50R17 96V

          *Bridgestone Driveguard 235/50RF17 96W

          BF Goodrich F-Force Comp-2 A/S 235/50ZR17 96W

          *Continental PureContact with ECOplus Technology 235/50R17 96W

          BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S 235/50ZR17 96W

    I also looked at 18" wheels & tires and decided the starred (*) tires above were my choices in that 18" size

  10. It's tempting to say, yes it'll fit, but unfortunately its not that easy to tell you what will work, because offset also comes into play, Also, not all repro "Magnum 500" aftermarket wheels have the same exact measurements, nor do tires, which you will undoubtedly change. Your major issue will be clearance of the front wheels while in full/sharp turns and hitting bumps (fender and suspension clearance). Brake clearance is likely OK with the 4.125 backspace.

    Unless someone on this forum has installed the same wheels you are contemplating, you can probably only guesstimate by measuring your current front wheel clearances and trying to compare that with the differences in the wheel and tire dimensions.

    See if you can find a vendor who will allow you to return the wheels if they don't clear (but then you may damage the wheel when trying them, so be careful). Perhaps a local tire shop can be more helpful.

  11. Can't answer the question of specs, 5x4 1/2 is correct, and 7" rims fit (Avanti originally probably used 6" rims), but I don't know the offset.

    Have you also talked to this vendor: https://www.truespoke.com/

    I sold an '80 Avanti last year that had factory wire wheels; not show quality though, and wire wheels are extremely expensive to have refurbished. A problem I had with them was that I misplaced a lug nut and they took a very special one with a small hex head to allow a socket wrench to fit over them and also fit between the spokes (difficult to find). I can contact him to see if he wants to sell them, if you want.

    Try calling Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motorcars 248-349-4884 its conceivable he may have wire wheels. He had the lug nut I needed (albeit expensive).

  12. I'm not certain, and I don't have an '83, but I looked through some of my photos. I'm attaching a photo of an '82 a friend of mine was considering purchasing some years back; my guess is that its the green(?) box just rearward of the right front corner of the engine compartment (but its also possible that's the headlight relay). If you can't trace the physical wires, a few simple tests with an ammeter should give the answer.

    1675930363_82AvantiEnginecroppedannotated.jpg.83e55e8f5bfad17414dc4274da408c97.jpg

    There used to be some wiring info on later Avanti's on Bob Johnstone's website, but darned if I can find it on the website now; I did copy a few items from it...

    1917849371_fusepanel(fromBobJohnstoneswebsite).jpeg.11a7ccc3782a732687918ac3479bb85c.jpeg

  13. The column is a GM tilt column with a Chrysler key, and most GM cars from an extended period (about 1970 to 1987) used basically the same design (other car makers like Avanti and Chrysler bought their columns from GM). I believe the steering wheel bolt pattern is the GM 3-bolt pattern. I assume you intend getting an aftermarket steering wheel (MOMO, Nardi, etc) so you need a column adapter (of the spacer height you want) for that make of steering wheel, and a horn button, to bolt to a GM column of that era.

          Examples: https://www.carid.com/chrysler-steering-wheel-spacers-adapters/

    I think that's how I approached finding an adapter to put a Nardi steering wheel in my tilt-column 1971 Avanti many years ago, but that memory is long gone.

    Dan Booth at Nostalgic Motorcars might be able to give you more information (he may even sell steering wheels)

  14. I bought my '71 Avanti from the original owner in the late '70s.  I wasn't crazy about the shade of brown the car was painted, but it was in beautiful condition with low miles. I nicknamed the color "baby s**t brown".

    Some years later the RF fender was slightly damaged while parked (hit & run), and when I took it to the repair shop they identified the color as being from a dirt-cheap Japanese economy car (can't remember which brand now, but the repair color matched exactly); I've no idea why the original buyer chose that color, but I guess it proves that Avanti Motors would paint them any color the customer wanted.

    I had it repainted later in a lighter (and less greenish) early-90s Mercedes color: "Desert Taupe".

    BTW, if perusing colors in online catalogs, be aware the colors look entirely different in person (I bought some manufacturers color sample books before I chose);

    here are 1) catalog color as viewed online  2) photo of a Mercedes in that color  3) closeup of my Avanti in that color

     

     

    1521133053_1990MercedesDesertTaupe.jpeg.39f9733a23cd4f6759fbfe8282fc2e8c.jpeg

    Desert Taupe.jpeg

    Mercedes Desert Taupe.jpeg

    1521133053_1990MercedesDesertTaupe.jpeg.39f9733a23cd4f6759fbfe8282fc2e8c.jpeg

  15. The book "Avanti" by Thomas Bonsall says that all Avanti II's had the Avanti II emblems until Blake bought Avanti Motors and started building cars in1983 and dropped the "II".

    I owned '66, '69, and '71 Avanti's and all had "Avanti" emblems on front and rear, with several missing the "II" emblems (but mounting holes remained.
     

  16. I've owned older Corvettes and Avanti's and I believe the wiper arms are the same type of design. The wiper arm slides onto a splined post/shaft and has a spring "tang" that keeps the arm firmly attached to the post.

    My recollection (haven't done it in some time) is that the easiest way to remove & reposition the wiper arm is to use an inexpensive special tool shown below; ensure the arms are parked, fit the tool in place, note the arm position, carefully squeeze the tool handle and the wiper arm together with one hand to release the spring "tang" lock, keep the hand pressure on the tool and the arm and carefully jiggle/pull/guide the arm straight up & off the pivot shaft with fingers of your free hand, then rotate the arm to the park position you desire, and slide/re-seat the arm back down onto the splined pivot shaft.

    ...the technique is shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKvbtxGiI_w

    You can also use a flat blade screwdriver, but you will find it difficult to keep the screwdriver properly positioned beneath the edge of the slip-on wiper arm while simultaneously pulling the wiper arm straight up off the pivot (and there's danger that you may unintentionally mar the paint or damage the arm if things slip... protecting that area of the body with something like fender protectors is good insurance no matter what technique you use, and a patch of electrical tape atop the wiper arm at the post to protect it from scratches).

    The tool is available from AutoZone and probably most other local auto parts stores (worth the price, and works well if used carefully, despite the single bad review at Autozone), or buy it from Amazon for a buck or two less (search on "Corvette wiper arm removal tool"), or ask your gearhead friends if they have one you can borrow.

    1654058291_Dormanwiperremovaltool.thumb.jpeg.c55abb70d88920264989ecaf391934cc.jpeg

×
×
  • Create New...