[Avanti II parts supplement discovered...]

Gary,

Although my car is a '78, more info is probably better than less. Please send me a list. My email is rebert@bw.edu.

Thanks,

Bob

[Avanti II parts supplement discovered...]

I recently purchased a 1970 Avanti Motors Parts and Accessories price list to go along with my '70 Avanti, and when I looked through it, out fell an eight page Avanti II Parts Supplement as an addition to the Studebaker Avanti Parts Catalog.

It lists Avanti Motors part numbers for post-Studebaker Avanti parts, the vendor each was sourced from, and the vendor's part number for each. It's a 1970 listing, so it may not be much help to those who own later Avanti II's, but it should still be a help to all to some degree.

I've scanned the list as a .pdf file and anyone who wants a copy, just send me an e-mail and I'll e-mail it back as an attachment.

['78 Brake Cylinder]

I was in need of rear wheel cylinders for my '78. I found that they are Wagner F37782 (left) and F37783 (right) which were readily available for $13.99 at the FLAPS. Among the other vehicles that used these cylinders is a '78 Fairmont w/10" brakes. I thought that I would pass this along in case anyone else might need a cross reference for these cylinders.

Thanks Jim78,

I, too, will add it to my file of info for my '78.

Bob

[Heater Problems]

Thanks Ray K and all,

I had forgotten about the glycol being water soluble - that will make life easier and the carpet is an acrylic or something similar. Now, all we need is some spring weather so that I can get back at it - supposed to be near zero here in northern Ohio and we got about 10 inches of white stuff today - not good Avanti touring weather.

bobav78

[Heater Problems]

I concur with the leakage diagnosis. As far as carpet cleaning goes, antifreeze (glycol-based as well as others) is 100% soluble in water, so once the carpet is removed you can wash it with mild detergent and water, and rinse it with a garden hose. Most carpets are acrylic or polypropylene and should not shrink. If your carpet is wool or some other exotic material, you might consider dry cleaning.

[Heater Problems]

Thanks Gunslinger and ernier,

That's helpful info and I appreciate it.

bobav78

[Heater Problems]

Hi All,

There are heater problems with my 1978 Avanti II, RQB 2679. When the heater temperature control lever is pushed on and the car is warmed up, coolant starts to pour into the passenger compartment. And, I mean pour - not drip. I am suspecting either a bad heater core or water valve or hose problem. My question is this: on the 1978s, is the heating and venitlating system, heater core, etc. the same as on the 1963-64 Studebaker Avantis? That is, in looking at the 1963-64 Avanti Workshop Manual, will that be of any help as my mechanic tackles this problem? (He is pretty good at these kinds of cars and has a restoration shop - but just wondering what we are in for. It doesn't look like an easy job.) Anybody know if Myers or Nostalgic have these kinds of parts? Also, anybody have any advice on the best thing to use to get that coolant stain out of the carpet?

Any info, guidance or advice will be appreciated. Thanks much.

Bobav78

[Avanti II Radios]

My 1978 Avanti II (RQB2679 - just purchased this summer) has a Panasonic radio that looks like it might have been a replacement. My reception varies from excellent to non-existent with a great deal of fading in and out. I understand the antenna is embedded somewhere in the rear window trim - could that be the problem? I have suspitions about the whole radio unit because the cassette player no longer works, so the unit may be at the end of its life. I did remove the grill on top of the instrument panel and tried to find as many connections as possible and they all seem secure. I looked in the trunk and the speaker connections seem okay, but I really couldn't tell anything about the antenna although I think I may have found the antenna wire where it goes up into the window trim - but beyond that, couldn't see much.

If I decide to replace the radio - any suggestions on ones on the market that might fit? (I have marked down the dimensions so I know what to look for in that respect.) Also, is it a fairly easy job to replace the radio by removing the grill from the top of the instrument panel? It doesn't look like it should be too bad, or am I missing something and I should leave it to the professionals?

Thanks for any advice - this forum is a tremendous help, especially to those of us new to Avantis.

[Hood Ornaments]

At South Bend in June 2007, I bought a 1978 Avanti II with Serial no. RQB 2679. When I bought it, it had a hood ornament that had the plastic lazy "S" as found on the Studebaker Avantis. I replaced the insert with a plain black one like early Avanti IIs had. However, in seeing pictures of Avantis from the late 1970s and looking at Avanti Motors promotional material, it appears that by 1978 the hood ornament had disappeared. Does anyone out there know what year the hood ornament was last used on Avanti IIs? I am not particularly upset to have it - in fact I rather like the view of it out the windshield and over the hood, but that is a personal thing. And, I do recognize it may not be "original."

Thanks for any insights on this.

[Avanti Motors Website]

The Avanti Motors website is longer available.

www.avantimotors.com

But, the Morrow, GA website is still running!

www.avantiatlanta.com

I just checked the Avanti Motors Website (9:55 PM EDT on Sunday July 29, 2007.) It is up and running - but showing different cars than about a month ago. They are featuring a metallic gray 2007 coupe and a white 2007 convertible. Maybe it was down for maintenance??? However, does anyone know if they have produced/sold any 2007 cars? I did meet a fellow in South Bend who had bought a 2006 in May from the factory in Cancun, but he said at that point no 2007s had been built. Here is the link to the Avanti Motors web site, again.

http://www.avantimotors.com/

[Hog Trough Preservation]

Although Studebaker owners for 47 years (had one brief excursion into Avantis with a 1963 R1 in 1970-71) we now have our first real collector's Avanti. It is a 1978 Avanti II that we bought at South Bend at the meet in June. It is a driver - we will tour with it and look forward to some AOAI meets in the future.

I have a question about trying to preserve the hog troughs. Mine appear to be in pretty good shape - and I would like to keep them that way. Has anyone come up with a way to protect the inside of the hog troughs? One idea I had was to squirt some oil into the drain hole from time to time in hopes it would coat the inside and retard development of rust. Does this make sense? Anyone have any other ideas?

Thanks for any advice.

bobav78