SBCA96
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Posts posted by SBCA96
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The same basic rules apply to Studebakers as any other brand, I would first
find out WHY its burning oil. Usually there are two main causes of oil burning
one is valve seals (can be done on the car) and two is rings (rebuild time).
You can help to figure out which by paying attention to WHEN you see smoke
out the tail pipes. If you see smoke whenever you accelerate, and during
idle, and you have low compression 125 psi or less, then its probably rings.
If you see smoke when you have left the car sit after driving it, & when you
fire it back up (say sitting for 30 mins to 2 hours), and notice smoke out the
tail pipes when you let off on the gas and reapply on the freeway, then it is
valve seals. These are NOT definate, but are simple rules of thumb. The oil
leak you notice from the rear seal COULD be coming from above at the oil
pressure rubber line, or could be from an oil pan that has loosened over the
years. Sometimes retorqueing the pan bolts according to the shop manual
will solve (or seriously reduce) an oil leak. Studebakers are going to leak
pretty much regardless, so if you can fix it without pulling everything apart
thats a better plan. Also make sure that the oil is not leaking from the FRONT
seal and running back down the engine to leak off the rear of the pan.
I wouldnt go rebuilding it until you know whats wrong, is the oil pressure
good? How does it run other then fouling plugs?
Tom
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The rear window popping out was an early production problem, and it was
supposedly ONLY when the windows were down at speeds over 100 mph.
An easy solution is to leave the windows up when going over 100 mph.
http://www.theavanti.com/AmazingFacts.html
It's a fact: The Avanti drag coefficient was estimated in the high 0.30's when most stock American cars were in the 0.50's
http://www.theavanti.com/Racing.html
Tom
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You mean the amazing turbo Buick Regal Grand National V6? I think that the
"wow" factor is pretty high with seeing one of those under the hood, and they
certainly make a lot of power, but the cost vs the final result makes the swap
not worth the investment. For the money, an LS1 making 335-350 hp could
be put in. The aluminum block and heads will make up for the lack of a turbo,
and drop the front end weight of the Avanti. I wouldnt waste the time to put a
run of the mill non-turbo 3.8 V6 in. If you really wanted pucker-factor fun, an
LS2, LS6 or LS7 (500 hp?) could be used. All of the LSx family would be easier
to install then the MOD 4.6 Ford. Considering the performance of the CTS-V,
the GTO, the Camaro/Firebird and the new Corvette, it would make for some
tire smokin rear axle blowin fun!
Tom
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Are you asking a question? There are better engines out there that will fit a lot
easier. The LS1 or LS2 comes to mind. Even an LT1 would be a better choice.
The Ford 4.6 was a dog in the mid 90's, and didnt "wake up" until the early 00's.
Its a large engine, quite massive, and has a weak lower end, & up til a redesign
to the heads in the early 00's, was prone to spark plugs flying out of the heads.
Unless you plan on spending premium money for a Cobra engine, I would stick
to the better GM engines that are an easy bolt in. Or in the Studebaker Avanti,
keep the Studebaker engine.
Tom
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Finally a new post!!! There ARE others out there! Sometimes I feel like I am
all alone on this forum, searching for signs of life.....
Sounds like you have a plan, thats good. I dont know whats available, but it
seems like your options would be quite vast compared to the Studebaker
chassised Avantis. I agree, why rebuild it when you can so easily upgrade!!
You know ... the Monza inspired axle in my 1993 Camaro Z28 is a limited slip
and with 230,000 miles - still works! Thats quite impressive when you consider
that the fluid has been changed ONCE in those miles (at 39,000), and its got
the high torque of that LT1 infront of it, my lead foot, & the overall agreement
that the 4th gen Camaro axles are junk.
Tom
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Dave "Avanti Kid" Bloomberg sent me some pictures of his Bonneville
Avanti hauler and a few shots from Speedweek which I thought I would
share. I love the 4 Avantis together.
Here is the workhorse to get the Avanti to Bonneville :
Here is the salt rocket inside the trailer :
The four Avantis and Dave's email text edited for clarity :
No problem showing the four Avantis on the Studebaker WEB site. This is the first time that 4 Avantis actually raced at Bonneville. They were from left to right : Dan Wathen's Avanti II (Ford engine), Jim Davis' Avanti II (Chevy engine), Jim Lange's Avanti (Studebaker engine), and my Avanti (Studebaker engine). At the meet Lew Schucart from Avanti Owners magazine took some great pictures of the four Avantis together and will do a future article on them. - Dave
Picture of Jim Davis' Avanti II with the 408 CI Chevy engine :
Tom
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Chuck,
Any idea how much a set will cost? Also, can they be made to resist wheel hop?
I have read that the fiberglass springs already resist it, but can more be done? I
am interested, though how will they determine ride height? How to adjust?
Does David Livesay have that info? He seems to have all that stuff.
Tom
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Looks very nice, clean installation. I personally love the single serpentine belt
over the multiple belts. The downside is if it breaks, you lose everything. That
is the NICE thing about the LT1 engine, the water pump is driven off a gear out
the timing cover, so if you break the serpentine belt, you only lose powersteering
alt and your A/C - but you can still get where your going - as long as the battery
holds out!
Tom
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That Avanti I listed info for, is a chrome bumpered Avanti. So it would look just
like a Studebaker one, and N&A had the company until 1983 when the plastic
bumpers came onto the scene. See below :
1965 – 1982 Avanti Motor Corporation – Avanti II
1965 Avanti Motors press release issued Monday August 2, '65
1965 45 new Avanti II's are produced as 66 models
1968 100 cars built for Avanti II's third model year
1973 10th anniversary generates national publicity
1976 Nate Altman dies leaving his brother Arnold in charge of the company
1982 Stephen Blake purchases Avanti Motors on October 1, '82
1982 – 1985 Avanti Motor Corporation – Stephen Blake
1983 Contoured, body-colored bumpers replace chrome ones
1983 Limited Edition 20th Anniversary car introduced
1984 Limited Edition Touring Coupe introduced
1984 First prototype convertibles produced
1985 Blake files bankruptcy in October
Not sure of a listing of VINs, I would guess you have to contact Avanti Motors in
Mexico and find out.
Tom
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Chuck,
Are these the fiberglass spings? I have been considering new springs, currently
my Avanti has a set of Lark station wagon springs. To use them I need some
2 inch lowering blocks made!! I contacted eaton springs, and they can make
any height/rate you want, but I couldnt get a reference dimension to know what
spring I wanted to get - stock? 1 inch drop? 2 inch drop?
Tom
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My tach started freaking out recently too, I suspect a ground problem. You
might check to make sure that it has a good ground. Its also possible that
our tachs are just getting to their replacement time. The faces on both my
speedo and the tach are showing age, I think I will eventually get new S&W
gauges to replace them. Unfortunately, when I did that on my Hawk, the
gauge housing was a slightly smaller diameter on the new S&W gauge from
the old S&W gauge. It still fit "ok" but wasnt tight in the dash hole.
Tom
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"Move, Bounce, Shake"
The making of video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SATaX1UreQs
The Ferrari died, so they brought in the Avanti to fill in. That makes
sense to me. The director called the Avanti "hot". Hmmmm. I like
the Avanti convertibles, but those rims just dont "work". I find it
kinda funny how he drives the Ferrari to "chill" with the Avanti.
Tom
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Modifications : I decided to go through with the tapping of the plug
hole and creation of a filler screw, I started with a brass 5/16 pan
head screw 1/2 inch long :
Turns out the pin is .250 diameter and the minor diameter of a 5/16
tap is .257, since its aluminum - you dont have to enlarge it. I ran
the tap down approx. .250 inch :
Here is the screw, turned the head down to .380 diameter, removed all
but the first .250 of thread, shortened to leave some pin movement :
Cleaned up the seat with the dremel and a file :
Comparison between new theaded plug and original soft plug :
Comparison to the stumpy plug supplied with the S.I. kit :
Proper installation of the stem seal :
Tom
I could just be like a Chiltons manual, and say "installation is the
reverse of removal" - but how often is that REALLY true??
Here is the correct way the valve goes together. I had to look at my
OWN picture above to make sure I had done it right!
The mushroom shaped deal gets pounded in until its flush with the top
of the hole (or bottom), you CAN go too far - so dont!
I used Loctite in the hole, just a little bit. You dont need much :
Wipe off the excess :
Hammer it in. I used a wood block, that way I didnt harm my table, or
have to remove the fittings I just redid :
Make sure you put this gasket on correctly. If you do it right, you
can blow through the assembly, if you put it on 180 degrees, then you
will "seal" the input, and no gas will get through. Thats bad.
I used a VERY light film of permatex on both sides of the gasket, I am
paraniod about fuel leaks. After looking at the way the diaphram goes
together, I realized that I COULDNT use permatex there. If you cant
use it both spots, its pointless to use it at all. If I had to do it
over, I wouldnt have used the permatex on the fuel bowl :
Then tighten the screws, I read that one thing to do to insure that it
doesnt leak after, you take the parts and use sandpaper or emery paper
and place it on a glass surface, then run the part back & forth until
you get a smooth uniform shiny part. I didnt want to do that since it
has a nice rough texture to the sealing surface, which seemed like it
would seal better then a smooth surface. Food for thought.
You can see what oozed out - even though I used a little bit!
Here is the stem seal installed on the old higher pressure spring :
Fits into the housing :
This picture is deceiving, I first thought it would go together better
if I did it this way, but the instructions say to put the arm on first.
They are right, if you push the top of the shaft through the housing
and then stick the "fork" end under the "head" of the shaft, it will
hold it all together while you put the screws in. Nice.
"Head" on the shaft :
"Fork" under the head :
Pin into the hole, through the arm :
This is what concerned me about the "short" push plug. Though I didnt
measure it, it LOOKED like the short plug might allow the pin to move
over far enough to leave one side of the arm with no support and riding
in that necked down area in the center of the pin. Thats why I liked
the old longer nose pin better, and made my screw to match it :
Arm installed, pin in, screw set, holding diaphram :
Putting the screws in .. do NOT tighten them as you install them! Just
leave them loose for now.
Here is the FUN part. Page 5 in the "Avanti Workshop Manual" in the
Studebaker shop manual, clearly states on step 7 :
Align the indentification file marks and install the
valve body-to-pump body attaching screws loosely.
Hold the cam lever in its maximum stroke position,
then tighten the attaching screws securely.
Oh Yah right! I need at LEAST two more hands to do that. I tried a
few different things, and none worked. My vice doesnt open wide enough
and tightening the assembly in an 8 inch C-clamp didnt work either. It
would pop right out. I figured out that if I marked the arm, and did
a few adjustments for fit, I could push the pump INTO the C-clamp with
the result being the arm at full stroke. Takes a few trys, I was able
to tighten the screws pretty well, then it popped out, I finished it
out of the clamp, but I think it was tight enough it didnt move back :
Time to put that spring back on the arm. I put the end into the arm
first, and pryed it onto the bump in the housing :
All done .. ready to go back on the car :
Tom
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Once the pin is out, the arm comes off :
Down inside the housing :
Remove the screws from the bottom :
Crack it open :
Was happy to find the diaphram cracked (needs replacement) :
Assembly slides out :
Apart :
New diaphram to old diaphram :
New spring / old spring :
Looks like the distance from the surface of the plug hole, to the pin
is about .350. Thats plenty to tap for a screw. Then I can remove
some of the threads from the screw to clear past where I dont tap, &
make it as long as the original plug tip was.
Inside the upper housing :
Decided I wanted the higher fuel pressure of the original spring :
Disassembled :
Old spring / new spring :
Remove fuel bowl screws :
Crack it apart :
Cut off the end of a nail, the head side might work easier :
Clamp in your vice grips :
Center over the valves :
Gently tap them out - doesnt take much :
Old valve assembly :
Tom
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Thanks Lew! It is sure getting attention, and also from the younger crowd. I am getting
it over to In & Out Burger as much as possible (didnt make it this time because of the
fuel pump issue). The "kids" showing up from the local high school had some nice things
to say about it. I was chatting to one kid that wasnt there last week, and one kid who was
there came up and asked, "where is the Studebaker??" The kid I was talking to said," A
Studebaker?? Hahahaha!" Then the other kid jumped right in and said, "No!! This was
REALLY cool!!" Not much else makes you smile. The kid defending my Avanti drives a
new Mustang GT, the other kid said. "Oh, I know what they look like". Kinda a funny
thing to say, since Studebaker made quite a LOT of cars! I bet he was thinking Fozzie
the Bears car. Will try to get it there next friday. Also last time I drove it, I heard some
"expert" tell his wife, "Thats the car that you couldnt tell which way it was going!". Yah,
ok pal .. if you cant tell which way an Avanti is going - stay off the road!
So, Lew .. which issue am I gonna get "cover"? hehe
Tom
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I am confused by your questions :
1 . I believe that Studebaker pretty much used Bendix parts, but you will not be
able to find them at your local parts house. The offset is different then anything
that would be close. They are available from some Studebaker vendors. I have
a complete rear assembly (minus the hubs) for an Avanti (from switching to the
rear disc setup I made). The drums are within spec, one has a couple turns on
it left, the other might squeeze one more out.
2. I am not sure what "nut" you mean on the brake line to backing plate. The
brake line screws directly into the wheel cylinder, and doesnt touch the backing
plate at all. Perhaps you mean the flare fitting on the line? If thats the case you
can just use flare tubing from your local Napa, they come in different lengths and
you can screw into the "T" block on the drivers side of the axle. Make sure you
inspect the rubber hose coming down from the frame, mine was worn through to
just about bursting - from rubbing on "something".
3. Is the bleeder "missing" or is it broken off?? If it was missing you would have
no rear brakes, if its broken off then it will have to be extracted (not an easy task
with years of rust). The set of brakes I mentioned above have backing plates
and wheel cylinders (need rebuild) and working bleeders. The bleeder you can
get from most parts houses, once you remove whats left of the old one.
Hope that helps.
Tom
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Here is the disassembly proceedure for the R1 fuel pump, I will add
text where it will be helpful, but the pictures should be sufficent.
The stock Studebaker fuel pump is similar, so most of this will apply
to that unit as well. If you have dialup, this might be a little bit
for you, hit the red X or the "Stop" button on your browser. If you
want to see a certain picture, right click it, and hit "show". I am
using a rebuild kit from Studebaker International, with a different
stem seal that is included in the "Cellar" kit :
Here is the pump, off the car, and cleaned :
Closeup of the plug holding the pivot pin in :
Put in a vice (carefully) pinched on the "nose", and the plug hit with
a center punch a few times to make a ridge. The material is pretty
soft, I found that a screwdriver would "grind" it away :
I used a flat blade screwdriver and tapped around the edge, creating a
bump to pry against :
Again with the flat blade, I chiseled (by hand) material away to gain
better access to the plug, and get it out from under the "stake" :
Plug popped out. The plug has a MUCH longer tip on it, the one in the
kit is very stubby, and will allow the pin to move back & forth more.
I think I will tap the hole and modify a screw to plug the hole :
Pin comes out with a little cleaning of the hole :
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No, its from "Craigslist" posting, not an auction site. I am not a big fan of
Ebay. Its listed by the owner as built on a Camaro frame, which is wrong.
It has square heads INSIDE the square headlights also.
Tom
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If you have your heart set, I found one that needs less work then what you describe,
its an 1982 Avanti, here is a link to the post I made on the SDC site. Its in Southern
California, and is currently listed as non-op. The owner has NO idea what he has,
but the price is right.
http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/sdc_f...p?TOPIC_ID=5864
The pictures are dead, so the post on Craigslist might be dead, but the phone number
is there, so you can call and see if its sold or not. I might be able to dig up the three
pictures in an old email if the car is still available and the owner cant send them.
Let me know.
Tom
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You gotta get in there closer with the camera! Cant see anything.
Tom
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I am new here, almost have the Ford 4.6 DOHC engine and 4r70w trans in the Avanti, plus waiting for 12" front discs and rear disc adapter plates. With new 17" wheels on the way....
Read the below threads, and send an Email to me sbca96@aol.com if interested in my 13" brakes.
Avanti Forum original 11" GT brakes post :
http://www.aoai.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=345
Avanti Forum followup (after rear installed) :
http://www.aoai.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=387
Avanti Forum GT brakes to 13" Cobra brakes :
http://www.aoai.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=478
Tom
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Paxton on an LT1 has been done in the 4th Gen F-body (Camaro/Firebird) which
has less hood clearance then the Avanti. They get around this by mounting the
Paxton UNDER, which may or may not clear the Stude frame. As with any swap
there will be issues to sort out. That 327 Corvette motor will get you enough $$
to buy an LT1. The LT1 would be a simplier swap then an LS1, though the LS1
being all aluminum shaves weight off the front of an Avanti - which is a good thing.
There is a guy on the Racing Studebakers forum (and I believe he is on here as
well) that will be doing an LS1 into an Avanti II. If you decided to go that route,
you two could share costs on some of the fab work, as with most things, making
one is expensive, making two is cheaper for both .. and so on.
If you wanted to get REALLY nuts, you could drop in a 500 hp 7.0 LS7 crate motor,
shave the weight, AND not need a supercharger. Considering what the cost of an
LT1, and then a Paxton would be .. the LS2 or LS7 starts to make sense.
Tom
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Yes, N&A used Corvette motors in the Avanti II, the 327 would have been used in 1968.
The Studebaker engine was no longer available due to the closure of Studebaker in 1964,
Canadian Studebaker engineered the installation of a GM based engine into the Larks in
1965 to stay afloat, so N&A used their mounts to install the Corvette engine. Its quite a
peppy car, my dad has a 1969 Avanti II. The only "downside" is that the "rake" that was
so loved on the Studebaker Avanti was "leveled off" on the Avanti II. This raised the
front of the Avanti II about 1.5 - 2 inches. THey added a filler into the front fender to
make up the difference. The change was made with more spacers between the body &
the frame - to clear the taller GM engine. You could install an LS1 or LT1 engine which
has a much lower intake, and drop the body back down - cut the fenders.
Tom
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I have scraped a Dana axle down and repainted it, never saw any silver. I dont
see any reason you would want it silver, since its going to get dirty, and the light
color will show all the grime. I would paint it a flat or semi-flat black.
Tom
6 speed gearbox conversion
in 1963-64 Avanti
Posted
I hope that both of you will SHARE what you have done with the rest of us
when you get further along, or possibly document the process as you go
to help others avoid mistakes along the way. This forum really should be
used more then it is, that Yahoo group should be closed and its members
moved over here. This IS the club forum.
Tom