Mel
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Posts posted by Mel
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My '66 has the Studebaker linkage from the pedal to the top of the engine. The linkage to the carburetor is bent to pass under the air cleaner. (See photo.) Does anyone have a setup that is more direct with less slop and play?
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In Stan Gundry's book "What The Shop Manual Won't Tell You" he has a write up on your question on pages 32-33. Basically, he suggests getting a set of red lenses to replace the clear lenses for the backup bulbs. (Apparently red lenses were used in place of the clear lenses for the 84-85 years.) You then parallel wire bulb sockets, which accommodate the 1157 bulbs, and place the bulb sockets in the backup light housing. He suggests a 7.5 amp fuse in the stoplight circuit. He then suggests attaching some halogen lights on either side of the license plate and wiring these in to the backup light circuit.
If you primary worry is safety, what I did on mine was (silicon) glue 1/2" and 1" square mirrors, available at craft stores, inside the housings, on top, bottom, sides and back. The metal foil disintegrates but the mirrors make it quite bright. I did this on both the back and front housings. (The 1/2" mirrors fit perfectly on the backs of the front bulb housings.) Also, I have an after-market center mounted brake light in the back window.
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This is a follow up to the 'Electrical Plug Location' posting a few weeks back. I was trying to locate the connector plug which feeds the dome lights and trunk light; this plug is located above the steering column not far from the firewall. On the Avantis using the Studebaker wiring harness, you can use a toggle switch, a 12 volt relay and a bit of wire, to have the dome lights turn on/off automatically with the door opening/closing or turned on manually if, for example, the doors are closed. Further, if you wanted to keep the door(s) open for an extended period, the toggle switch can be set to center off and no power will be fed to the lights. I'm in the process of writing this up for the AOAI magazine which will have more detail and some photographs but the wiring diagram is attached here. I'm very pleased with the result.
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The plug is located directly above the steering column. The above is basically correct but the grounding of the relay is by #37G which feeds into the plug. I spliced into #36 on the 'downstream' side of the plug and into #37G on the upstream side of the plug. (#37G is grounded through the door switches and feeds into the plug but not out.) Both #36 and #37G can be spliced into with not much more effort than many other things under the dash.
The switch, as noted above, is a double throw switch with AUTO-OFF-ON positions. This allows the feed to the dome lights to be controlled by the door opening/closing, turned off completely, or turned on manually. The switches at the dome lights must be ON and can be left on permanently. For judging, the switch can be placed in the manual position and the domes switched turned on/off as required and the courtesy lamp will operate normally.
I know the above is not complete as the feed to the hot side of the relay also feeds the center contact of the relay and the downside of #36 feeds the 'engaged' terminal of the relay. I tried describing this above and it made no sense when I read it back. I'll write this up for the AOAI magazine. I'm really pleased with the way it works.
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I originally posted this on the '65-'83 section below. On the Studebaker and early II Avanti's, there is an (eight conductor) electrical plug which is drawn just below the 'Courtesy Lamp' which feeds the dome lamps, trunk lamp, gas tank sender unit, etc. Does anyone know where this plug is located? Thanks!
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Thanks, Wayne. I emailed Bill, who kindly answered, but he did not remember any specifics of where the plug is. Briefly, what I'm looking at is having a relay coil fed by #36 (hot) on the 'down' side of the plug with the ground fed by #37K or #47G from the courtesy lamp. This relay will control the feed onward for #36 which, with the dome switches on, will cause the dome lights to come on whenever the door is opened or the courtesy lamp is manually turned on with the courtesy light switch. (The only other feed from #36 on the down side of the plug is the trunk lamp.) If I carry it through, I'll update here. Thanks, again.
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On the wiring diagram for the Studebaker and early II Avantis, an (eight conductor) electrical plug is depicted which feeds the dome lights, trunk light, tail lights, gas tank sender unit and license plate light. This plug has connections for wire #'s 37G, 29, 47F, etc., and is drawn just beneath the 'Courtesy Lamp' drawing. Does anyone know where this plug is located? Thanks!
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If your car was up on blocks for 27 years, your tires may be more than 27 years old and, as per above, I definitely would not drive on them. Not sure about Europe, or at least your location, but in the U.S. anyway, you can tell the age of a tire by a code on the sidewall. On the outside of the sidewall which normally is installed toward the car (i.e., if you crawl under the car, you can see the code) you'll see a block with four numbers. These numbers indicate the week and year of manufacture. 2798 - 27th week of 1998; 0417 - 4th week of 2017, etc.
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My '66 has the 3.07 and with the original B/W taching about 3150 at 70mph, the engine roar was mind numbing. (I was an audiologist; maybe I have better hearing than Rudy.) I now have the 700R4 and I could not be happier. Much less noise, less wear on the engine and better gas mileage. First gear is a bit low but that transmission was built for a much heavier car. Shifting from first is at a bit high rpm but, again, that gearing would handle a much heavier car. Adjustment may tweak some of that out but I've not tried yet. Other than that, it works great and I'm very happy I made the investment.
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Check with Al Basile who lives in your area. He is on the BoD of AOAI; you can get his contact info there.
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The service manual has a write-up on how to remove the dash. If you have access to the earlier AOAI magazines, available on CD-ROM, Issue #82 has a write-up on page 38 regarding how to get it down in "15 minutes." Seems too good to be true but apparently he could do it.
Be sure to label everything. If you take it down, you can use the opportunity to: check the defroster hoses and replace if needed as they may be dry-rotted, check and pressure test the heater core, change the instrument lights as they are a pure pain to change with everything in place, change the radio if you need, etc. Good luck.
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It will require a bit more work but I'd recommend putting in a fuel shut off valve. I put in a 12 volt solenoid controlled valve which is wired from the ignition switch and is mounted underneath the car on the panel running down from the tank shelf. (You could mount it under the hood before the fuel pump if you wanted and this would probably be easier. I ran the wiring when I had the interior partially out.) This shuts off the gas from the tank whenever the ignition is off. The tank sits high in these cars and even a sticking float valve can lead to disaster. I wrote up the procedure and parts I used in AOAI magazine, issue 170, page 47. The article is also on Bob Johnstone's website. (From the opening page, select 'Tech Help' on the left side, scroll down to 'Avanti + Avanti II, then down just a bit to a circuit diagram.) Hope this helps.
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While you have the seat and seat back out, you can line that area with sound absorbing material -- J.C. Whitney, among others, sells it. The fiberglass does not dampen sound and the sound dampening material really helps with the noise level.
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Not sure why you wouldn't want to add relays. I wrote an article in the AOAI magazine, Issue 170, pg. 47, regarding, among other things, relays for the headlamps. Mine are hidden up under the dash, below the fuse block, and take a lot of the load off the overhead switches. The only 'original' wiring I had to disturb was to cut the two wires leading FROM the dimmer switch and attach the two cut ends of each of these wires to the relays. (The two 'solid' color wires lead from the dimmer switch, the wire with the tracer leads from the overhead switch to the dimmer switch. The article details how I did it and has a picture of the result.)
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Per the wiring diagram, the fuse for the trunk lamp is the same as for the front courtesy lamp and the two back seat dome lamps -- i.e., if those, or any one of them, is working that fuse is good and you should be getting power to the mercury switch. Further, make sure your ground return from the trunk lamp is good. With the fiberglass bodies, ground returns can be a problem.
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It's been years since I installed mine but, as I recall, the 'arm' indeed points toward the passenger side of the car. I believe there are only five screws holding it in place and, if so, there is only one orientation wherein the arm would swing freely and not hit the sides of the tank. And, I seem to recall there may be different spaces between the screw holes and, again, if so, there is only one way the unit could go. Hope this helps.
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What year is your car and what engine do you have in it? Right off the bat, I'm thinking your 'plumbing', or at least part of it, may have been part of a heat riser set up for choke operation.
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Hi Marc,
Rather than edit the previous post, I'll just add another.
The article regarding the headlight relays, kick panel vent doors, headlight reminder circuit, etc., is in issue 170, page 47. (I'll suggest checking the vent doors as my factory doors had basically disintegrated and they leaked tons of air.)
The article regarding the 'Ford' type solenoid set up is in issue 174, page 7. Very easy to install.
The article regarding the exhaust leak is in issue 175, page 35.
If you decide to take the dash down, the service manual has the procedure laid out. There is an article in issue 82, page 38, which the guy says is easier than the procedure as laid out in the manual. Might be easier; I found it after I'd done the job.
You can get back issues of all the magazines on disc; some good info. They're pdf's but, again, some good info. If you can get a copy of the '2018/2019 Membership Roster' from AOAI, that publication has not only the roster of all members (by state, by serial #, and owner alphabetic listing), it also has an index of all the articles written in all AOAI magazines.
Keep us posted and be sure to post any questions. This is a great community and folks are great about providing answers, experience and moral support.
Good luck,
Mel
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As above, welcome. These cars are, indeed, a joy. I have a '66 (0108) and, as you, had fried wiring when I got it -- from your description, the same wires. Like you, the instant I discovered it, the battery was immediately disconnected. Mine came with the one wire set up; the regulator is mounted under the dash below the fuse block -- I retained that setup. I had insulation melted and hanging under the dash and under the hood. Not knowing how it looked inside the bundle, I decided to replace those wires and they had melted insulation all inside the bundle. The Reader's Digest version is that I took down the dash and ran new wiring through the bundle. I took this opportunity to do several things with the dash out: change the defroster hoses (rotted and full of holes) and the hoses running from the cowling to the transmission tunnel (same), put in relays to control the lights, make new ventilation 'doors' (about as much air leaking as being blocked), etc. If you decide to take your dash down, be sure to label everything. It is not an easy task but it is certainly do-able. Just do some thinking and reading about what you might want to do and do it all at once. I wrote an article in one of the AOAI magazines which has several things listed regarding what I did. I'm not at home right now but will find out in a couple of days what issue it's in and edit this post to include that info.
As per above, I'd strongly suggest the Turner brake system, at least for the front. I'd suggest putting in a fuel shutoff solenoid; the procedure, and why to do it, is addressed in the article. I'd also suggest a Ford type starter solenoid set up. These SBC motors apparently had solenoid problems in that, often when hot, you hear a clicking but the starter does not engage; the 'Ford' set up cures that. Summit racing sells that setup as a kit, or at least they did a couple of years ago, for $20.00 which is probably cheaper than you can buy the individual parts (solenoid, heavy jumper wire, jumper clip, ...). I submitted another article regarding this; I'll find that issue number also. I wrote another article regarding exhaust odor; I'll find that one also. Succinctly, mine had a hole in the heat riser which, apparently originally, had a tube which led to the choke to conduct heat from the exhaust to control the choke. Plugging that hole quieted down the noise and removed almost all the exhaust odor when riding down the road.
I had a 700R4 GM transmission put in mine; they originally had the Borg Warner 3 speed which is, of course, one to one in high gear. The GM transmission has a torque converter lockup and an overdrive. Mine has the 3.07 differential and the GM lowered the rpm's at 70mph from about 3100 to 2200, or so. Saves the engine, better gas mileage, and you can talk with someone riding with you. The cars are certainly light enough and the engine strong enough to handle the overdrive.
I'll edit this post in a couple of days to point out the articles.
Again, welcome.
Mel
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When I got my '66, it had no rake at all. A quick look revealed the rear leaf springs had sagged quite a bit. A new set of springs from Eaton raised it back up. When I ordered them, the guy at Eaton asked if I wanted 'heavy duty' springs, at no extra charge. Basically, they just added one more leaf. It actually raised the rake up to what I felt was too high; I then put on a set of 1 1/2" lowering blocks which brought the back end down. To do it again, I'd probably not get the 'heavy duty' springs.
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The manual should tell you what weight engine oil to use, but be sure to use oil with zinc in it -- e.g., Valvoline VR1 -- or, add a bottle of the ZDDP when you change oil ; these flat tappet cammed engines like zinc and modern oils do not have zinc it it. O'Reilly's sells the VR1, or did, but the last time I bought some they had to order it. Check back at this forum often as there is always something new to learn about these 'older' cars. Good luck! These cars are a joy!
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Yes, had I done the work myself, it probably would not have cost as much, but:
1. Myers has done several of these and knows what's involved,
2. I'm 68 years old,
3. The rent's paid and the kid's out of college and gainfully employed.
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I took the car to Myer's in Ohio; Michael has done several of these. The total for everything -- transmission and rebuild, kits, adapter plate at the end, lines, drive shaft modification, labor, fluid, -- was about $2600. And, he gave me $100 for the Borg-Warner. I've been very pleased with it.
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Regarding your comment about overdrive, I had a 700R4 transmission put in mine which lowered my RPM at 70mph from about 3100 to 2150, or so. This lets you hear your passenger and think as you ride down the freeway; saving the engine and better gas mileage are plusses. I have the 3.07 gear and it handles the OD fine; I'm sure your lower 3.54 gear would have no trouble.
Carburetor linkage
in 1965-83 Avanti
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Thanks, Brad, for the tip. I've seen that before but had forgotten about it.
1inxs: I had a (second) spring setup similar to yours which I felt wasn't doing much besides making the pedal pressure required greater. The air cleaner is what came with the car when I bought it 12+ years ago. Its bottom edge is below the level of the carburetor; hence, the need for the bent linkage. Perhaps I should try to find a different air cleaner which will accomodate the PCV system.
Thanks, guys.