[1971 Steering Column]

I guess one thing I would do is try to determine who made your old column. I don't know about 71 models, but I believe a lot of Avantis of that period used GM or AMC columns. Conclusively identifying the manufacturer would allow you to search for an identical unit if that's what you wanted to do. If you can't find any identifying marks or recognize GM-style connectors, a walk through a junk yard that still has cars of that vintage might he helpful.

And of course, hot rod suppliers provide a variety of services and parts that can be used to adapt almost any modern column to an older car.

[Avanti history article]

Where can we obtain it ??

Thanks,

Sandy

They can be ordered by phone or on line from AQ. According to the subscription info in the latest issue, individual issues are available for $25.95 plus shipping. They often have sales of back issues, but not of their most recent issues.

http://www.autoquarterly.com/

812-948-2886

The issue in question is Vol 49, number 1.

[Avanti history article]

The First Quarter 2009 issue of Automobile Quarterly has a nice 15-page article by Patrick Foster on the history of the Avanti, all the way through 2008.

[What the Shop Manual Won't Tell You.]

I have used it for my 74, and sometimes found it useful. One weakness I have found is that sometimes the specific year of the Avanti II repair/procedure is not identified. Many of us know that Avanti Motors changed vendors for some assemblies from time to time, and that can make repairs more challenging. In particular, no two cars seem to be wired exactly the same way, so wiring diagrams would really be a big help. The Gundry book shows quite a few wiring diagrams without any indication about which year they describe.

[Interlock Relay]

To add to Gunslinger's response:

1974 was the one year of the Federally mandated seat-belt interlock, which as he said, was rescinded the following year. Just putting a briefcase or a bag of groceries on the passenger seat without connecting the seat belt would set off a buzzer and/or disable the ignition switch. Almost everyone who bought a 1974-model car disabled the system during their first week of ownership. The easiest way of doing that was to disconnect a single-wire connector under the passenger seat. If that has already been done on your car, then you don't have to worry about the rest of the system.