Richard

What’s a car show unless you can dissect the car! Here are some pictures of mine showing stages of how it evolved. I bought my 4-door from Jim Baize in San Diego in IIRC 2001. I drove it for years while only maintaining it. When the original 305 started showing signs of wear, I decided to build a 383 SBC for it. On the dyno, it showed a 405hp and about 440 Ft Lbs of torque. As you could imagine, with that increase in HP bad things started happening - transmission needed rebuilt (which I did to Buick Grand National specs and same torque coverter and a HD crossover member). Then the rear end weakened, so I installed a Eaton locker and had special HD axles made and a HD aluminum driveline. One thing lead to another…HD Impala SS control arms up front with 5/8” ball joints, Global West rear Suspension with a hand fabricated lower control arm; Hotchkis Impala SS Springs front & rear with Hotchkis front & rear sway arms; Corvette Z06 brake kit, removed the hand emergency brake and installed a hydraulic push button E-brake; all new front wiring along either F.A.S.T. Ezi-2.0 self learning ECU; 4” cold air intake. Removed the stock seat belts and fabricated upper & lower plates for new seat belts, rebuilt the power seat controls and used 6 specially dyed and tanned cow skins to recover new front seats (with much better bolsters), door skins, console; 4 layers of sound deadening inside and underneath, padding, new blue carpet; built a special woofer box under the rear package tray; installed the battery in the trunk, all new JBL speakers and two amps, new head unit with bluetooth, custom fabricated steering wheel (from a Cadillac CTS-V with matching wood grain and blue leather with an “Avanti” logo sewn in (and on the seats); removed the rear RV and hooked up the speakers in the rear console; ceramic coated inside & outside headers; custom dual exhaust with “x” crossover and mufflers hooked up the accelerator (past 1/2 throttle, a bypass is opened for direct exhaust). Oh yeah, had the car sanded; wheel flares similar to the original clay model of Lowey”s design fabricated; painted with House of Kolors “Celestial White” with Blue Pearlesence and Crushed Glass in the clearcoat. I installed Lorenza 20 inch 5-spoke wheels with the spokes painted in Celestial While with the Blue Pearlesence. I guess when you get started trying to make the car you want, one can get carried away and spend way more than the car will ever be worth. I remember taking the OEM car to the autocross track and embarrassing myself on the course. I literally slid from one side to the other and tried to keep the rear end from coming around. It was pathetic; but with the modifications, I found the car is now setup better for the Drifting Course than Autocross (although I did run it through the Autocross!). The car currently has 200,000 miles. I feel like I’ve touched every part on this car a time or two. Cheers, Rich

Hi, John, saw that sale. The black one was Serial #1019. The only storage in the 4-door is the center and rear consoles. Good luck with and hope you enjoy your new toy. Richard #1078

That particular engine and transmission may have been stock. Did you receive any paperwork that might tell you the history of the engine or transmission (like rebuilds)? Others, more knowledgeable than I can advise, but I don’t remember the 400 turbo tranny being used in an Avanti. It had a substantially bigger housing than the 350 turbo and could withstand a lot of power. It is a good stout transmission. It was usually used in trucks, and found a following in drag racing cars. Please tell us more about the car - are the cosmetics good? Brakes, suspension, electrical? Does it still have a carb setup? The 73 has been known to be a very well built car and as mentioned, has the Studebaker frame and King Pin steering setup. You’ll want an old school mechanic for any repairs. Maybe you can post a few pictures? Hope you enjoy it.

I used a 350ci truck motor from 1989; had it fully machine and built (with a stroker kit) into a 388ci using Edelbrocks Tuned Port Injection intake (that I reworked) and a 93mm BBK Throttle Body controlled by F.A.S.T. EZI-2.0 self- learning CPU.

If so, please chime in with the last two digits of your VIN and location. I have #78 (for 25 years) and am now located in central Texas. I have customized my car somewhat and touched probably every part possible. If you have a question about the 4-door, chances are good that I could help. Also, if anyone is interested in ICF building, we just completed ours and an ICF pool. Enjoy talking about that subject too. Richard Morris Copperas Cove, Texas