Avanti83
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Posts posted by Avanti83
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While my 83 bumper is drilled for the Hella lights, a close look shows a bumper bolt almost above the location of the drilled hole. It wouldn't be difficult to make an "L" bracket that was drilled to accept the bumper bolt and another hole to hold the light. You may need to slot the hole for the bumper bolt as the bumper is close enough to the body that the nut may not come fully off. There would be plenty of room to slip the bracket in with the nut loosened, though.
BTW, want a screaming deal on a set of Hella lights off the 83?
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5 hours ago, DAPY said:
Who would buy a used car from a Cowboy?
I would, Bruce's 70 Avanti was a spectacular example while his 02 is another outstanding example of the marque and I'm a Lions and Patriots fan.
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Here's how I did one in my 74 Avanti.
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1 hour ago, DAPY said:
I am familiar with BaT. Their "sponsorship" does get higher prices. They require extensive pictures and they write the copy based on what the seller tells them. recorded information, and their knowledge of the market and prices. They also charge quite a bit for this service. Most BaT listings have a reserve. About 20% don't make the reserve and don't sell even after BaT tooling.
But if you do it yourself as you would need to on Ebay the cost on bat $99. Ebay wants $125. I don't any problem with Ebay, I buy and sell all the time but after seeing what Ron's Avanti brought recently and a couple before it, I'm impressed.
Nothing wrong with listing on Ebay to see if it reaches close a reserve and, if not, try it on bat.
Here's a listing of the last several weeks of Avanti's listed on Ebay. Not many sold but you can pick through the listings to see where the bidding went.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=avanti&_sacat=6001&rt=nc&LH_Complete=1
Good luck
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The site that seems to be yielding high prices currently is Bring a Trailer. I believe you can set a reserve. Just looks at past Avanti auctions on the site to get an idea of prices.
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Here's one source http://avantiparts.biz/carpet-floor-mats-avanti-1963-to-1985/
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As usual, GS above is right about the place to look for OEM stuff. If you don't care about total originality, the usual suspects like Ididit, Flaming River and others make a variety of tilt columns that can be made to work. They even offer some of them with electric power steering if someone wants to upgrade. Not cheap but neither would an OEM one be inexpensive.
Because you have a rag joint, it should be pretty straight forward to adapt the newer units. The later Avanti's also offered tilt. My 74 has an AMC unit but they are not all that easy to locate either but you now have some options.
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As a last thought, most Avanti's, Early II's and even later are not known for the comfort of the front seats. Later cars added a Recaro option that went a long way to adding comfort to the seats but newer seats from other vehicles have been substituted by several of us old farts to increase comfort as we drive them.
I changed the interior color of my 74 for two reasons: The S--- Brindle tan and brown interior interior in mine was not to my liking and it was stained with a combination of cigarette smoke and other events over it's life. The color change to Dayton Yellow also wasn't complimented by the original color.
Secondly the seats were uncomfortable so I planned an upgrade. I left the original non-Recaro ones in my 83 as they were decently comfortable with the optional recline feature and the leather was first class.
I went to G6 seats in the 74 and they are a major improvement. The reason I stayed with the original vinyl in the 74 was it is a very heavy high quality material that had remained in good shape over it's life. I did replace the plywood and vinyl on the rear shelf and vinyl on c-panels, roll bar cover and on the top of the drivers door card as that was quite worn. I found a pattern that was much like the original but the black didn't match so I spray dyed it.
Results - The front seats don't match well but eventually because they are leather, I'll dye them to match or have them recovered.
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7 hours ago, scottgriggs said:
Thank you, gentlemen. Good information.
Avanti83, did you apply the dye to the carpet on the lower portion of the door panel as well as on the vinyl to achieve the color change?
Scott Griggs
No, I added new black from the carpet kit I bought. I believe you can color the carpet with the dye if you rake it into the carpet as you spray. I'd rather replace the carpet if possible. I had the door and interior panels out of the vehicle and in individual pieces when I sprayed them.
Gary's question is a valid one on longevity on wear surfaces. The vinyl dye is really a coating and doesn't penetrate the vinyl to any extent, whereas leather dyes penetrate and offer, I would argue, more resistance to wear. I've used vinyl dyes/coatings in the past on vinyl with good results but have never done front seats.
I've used Leatherique's dyes on my 83 Avanti's leather front seats and it works fine. But they are an excellent quality leather.
Lastly, practice on another piece before you commit to spraying your dash. The spray will take some practice. I found you need light coats and mid-range temp in the 70 range seemed to work best. You can wipe the dye off but there will be traces in the low spots. So once you start you are committed.
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Two options as long as we are discussing vinyl. Leather can be done with dyes from www.leatherique.com and work very well.
As above you can dye it. I used SEM spray dye that's available in spray cans at most auto paint store. There's a knack to using it but if you don't like the first try, you can wipe it off with solvent and do it over. I did the rear seats and door cards on my 74 to change the color and they came out well as you can see in the picture. I used a combination of glossy and satin to get the effect I wanted.
The other option is to have the dash recovered as I don't believe repo dash pads are currently available. I modified an 89 dash for the 74 and a local upholsterer covered it in my choice of automotive vinyl. Cost was $300. No reason the earlier ones couldn't be done.
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Gary, I'm familiar with Gunslinger's location - I've been sending paypal his way and he's been sending Avanti stuff here . I guess that's why I mentioned the location.
The reason I did all the research on tire and wheel specs was to avoid needing to swap a tire and then put on the spare. The temporary fits front or rear and the matching OD will let me use it on the rear with the posi.
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I want to carry a spare in my 74 but it wears 225X55R17 on eight inch wide mustang wheels. They fit in the well but stick up way to much so I spent a fair amount of time looking at temporary spares that will fit in the well and also let me use the spare on the rear axle which has posi.
Bottom line - I found that 02-12 Ford Escapes used a rim with a 5X4 1/2" (114.3 mm) lug pattern and a 4 1/4" back spacing. With a 135X90R17 tire it calculates out to a very similiar tire OD mounted so I looked on Ebay and found one in Fredrick, Maryland. $85 delivered to my door.
Pulled the front wheel and stood the spare and the car tire next to each other and with a level they are dead level. Installed on the front the spare fits like the others. Looks like crap but it'll get me down the road if necessary. It sets in the well with at least an inch of clearance.FWIW - It does have the Turner Disc Brake conversion on the front.
Yes I do have a AAA card, Yes I have a smartphone but I'm old and carrying a spare is in my DNA.
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I can't find any shots of the upper mount when the 74 was in bare glass but here's a couple of shots today as I'm replacing the drivers side belt.
I measured from the floor to all three mounting points. I used the point on the floor closest to the side wall as the floor dips significantly as it moves outward.
Lowest mount is for the end of the belt opposite the retractor - 2 1/4"
The second point mounts the retractor - 9 1/2" The belt passes between the armrest and the side of the car.
The top mount is 30 3/4" off the floor.
All bolts/nuts are 7/16" NF
The third shot is the car stripped and you can see the passenger side retractor and belt mount. It's hard to get a good shot of the drivers side but hopefully these are good enough for what you need. I'd get more if you need them.
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9 minutes ago, Dayla said:
Hello, i am looking to replace the front seat belts on our 1983 avanti with a red interior. They no longer retract well. I found some for $90 each for a 73-87 chevy truck, wondering if anyone else has replaced them and used those or is there a a better option?
The belts in your car use a bolt to hold the retractor and a pin to locate it. When I did mine in the 83 I just went to a website like this one and ordered the style and lock I wanted.
https://www.seatbeltsplus.com/category/3-Point-Retractable-Seat-Belts.html
If the pin was not in the right spot, I just modified the mount to fit. As far as the truck belts, I have no idea if they'll fit but I do know you'll want to order ones with about a 130+ inch belt length and the buckle length to match your existing one. Do not consider using the existing buckle with the new belt, replace the complete assembly.
I'm familiar with this currently as I just removed one from my 74 and ordered one from Summit Racing to replace it.
Replacement is pretty obvious but be sure to remove the rear seat bottom and find all the screws that hold in the arm rest which needs to be removed to replace the belts.
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Looks like a nice car but get it up in the air and look at it hard. You don't see many originals with undercoated mufflers. That looks recent. Not downgrading the car just be very careful when someone claims original on a 50+ yo vehicle.
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7 hours ago, VWandSTUDEBAKER said:
Well I guess no one knows or wont say.
Just remove the seat and you will see that the front mounts need to be extended as GS says. IT will be self evident when it's out. I'm 6'3" and a set of Pontiac G6 seats with custom mounts work fine. I need to be careful not to hit my head on entry but they are very comfortable when inside.
I'm not sure what year you have but unless they are Recaro's they are wanting for comfort.
In progress
Installed
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As above, the 305 has all the "wrong stuff" for a performance engine, small valves, low cubic inches, two bolt mains. Get a crate engine or an LS pulled from a performance car to upgrade performance. You are starting with 165 HP give or take. If lucky, 7-8 PSI will give you about a 50% increase all the way to possibly 250 if the engine can do that. I'd spend my money on the new engine. But get a set of noisy cam gears, they will sound like a blower.
If you are looking for a quick, cheap upgrade - get a decent set of rearend gears and posi. It won't help a lot but it'll feel better.
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I would say you sussed it out at too much compression. Here's the 655's without much road time on my 74 and they compress.
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Of course it can be installed. All it takes is a torch and glass resin - But why, particularly if he decides on a five speed, which he should. I have no experience with that part of a Lark but because a four speed was available most of the parts should fit with some body and linkage modifications.
A five speed would be a much better choice and then he could use a hydraulic slave cylinder or throw out bearing which most of them are set up for.
As far as a flimsy setup there's little difference between an Avanti's and GM setup's of the era. My T56 setup with the hanging pedals (original) and hydraulics seem pretty rock solid to me.
Talk him into one with over drive and use hydraulics, much better solution than Z-bared 4-speed linkages. If there's more flex than he wants, add a brace or two to cure that issue and he won't need to worry about hot air blowing up his left leg.
JMO-Bob
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1983 standard seats with the reclining ($100/seat) and leather($1200) option.
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4 hours ago, Avanti Jim said:
Thanks for your quick reply, Avanti83. I have read quite a bit on Bob Johnstone's website. I am impressed by this vast resource. While I'm a fan of many Studebakers, I only own the1980 Avant II. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a section applies to the parts on my car. I also don't know if parts on my car are original or not. I've already run into replacing an old incorrect part with an identical new incorrect part (aargh).
Thanks for the parts vendors link. I hadn't come across it yet. I understand that Dan at Nostalgic may still sell a reproduction of the white plastic windshield washer reservoir for my car. That would be nice.
Remember these are essentially limited production cars built on a restricted budget that had to meet certain regulations and criteria. They just used what they could get to work and moved on. Documentation was not a strong suit. They were also custom built as they would do about anything to sell a vehicle so what's stock and not stock can be hard to unravel.
I use a lot of resources as I work on both of mine but questions on the forums are the best sources I've found. While Bob's site a mixture of Studes and Avanti's his search capability uses Google to search his site and will get pretty specific if a couple key words are used.
Bob
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28 minutes ago, Avanti Jim said:
I just bought a 1980 Avanti II here in Fort Worth, TX and I'm new to this forum.
1. Is there a place on this website to search archived topics?
2. Is there a place where OEM parts are listed by specific year for Avantis?
3. Is Nostalgic Motors still in business? If so, how do I get in touch with them?
4. Has anyone considered creating a YouTube channel for information and repairs specific to the Avanti?
1 - Not here, but go to Bob Johnstone's website and you'll find a lot of info. http://www.studebaker-info.org/ Just click on tech help and search to you hearts content
2 - Not really, but there a ton of parts that fit all. There are a number of vendors that can handle parts questions and applications. https://www.studebakervendors.com/
3 - Nostalgic is still in business in Wixom Mi. Dan Booth, but he only does business by phone. Google nostalgic will get you the phone # or see vendors above
4 - nope.
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45 minutes ago, Gunslinger said:
I don't believe such an animal exists. I've never seen anything official published beyond the Studebaker Avanti shop and parts manuals. Everything since we're on our own on. For the engine a shop manual for that year 305 is about the best you can do.
Yup! And be sure you get the appropriate 83 GM manual as this vehicle was "blessed" with the computer controlled variable jet carb that is controlled by the ECM under the passenger's side of the dash. I'd probably start with Camaro/Corvette/Monte Carlo. A thought is to visit your local library. They may still have Mitchell's or other manuals but as they age they throw/sell them away. That would let you see if the manual pertains to your carb/dissy and then they are cheap off Ebay.
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Just a thought but it might have suffered block damage in it's past, usually not a good thing for the internals, but someone might have put it back together with the "right stuff", why not note the casting numbers on the heads and also determine the stroke before we conclude it'd just an older, smaller engine. It an awful nice car with a lot of money spent on it to assume the engine was just thrown in from an older vehicle.
Front wheel bearing
in 1965-83 Avanti
Posted
If you have air tools, use a carbide bit to cut most of the way through the bearing and then cold chisel the bearing off. Starting with the cold chisel is a lot of work. If no carbide bit, at least use a high speed wheel to notch the race.