Avanti83
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Posts posted by Avanti83
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Updating logos to more represent the times is an ongoing process in many areas of life. Many corporations and organizations continue to try to represent themselves as current rather than dabble in the past to appeal to a younger group.
I haven't read the article in Turning Wheels but my guess is the inclusion of a wheel that was discontinued in the 30's is not in line with appealing to a younger demographic.
Like it or not, we old folks generally won't leave but looking more modern and current might be believed to appeal to a younger crowd.
I miss Laugh-in and Twilight Zone but that ain't bringing them back.
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Avanti shop manuals are available through most of the Studebaker and Avanti parts dealers. Studebaker International will have them for sure. A point of interest. The shop manual covers the 63/64 Avanti as there is not one for the later cars. That's fine for the car, chassis and running gear but not the engine and possibly the trans. Any Chevy manual for the year of the car will cover the engine and trans. Those are generally available at the public library or cheap from several sources.
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It's not only mileage but age and lack of lubrication. My 83 had about 90K on it when I bought it and when I took it in for an alignment the shop owner said it needed a complete rebuild. The parts are available from any number of Studebaker and Avanti parts dealers but let me suggest that you get a chassis manual and see what you are up against.
It's possible to disassemble it and see what it needs but the only parts that have a chance of being in good shape are the kingpins if lubrication was done on a routine basis. I don't have a catalog with me but parts are probably in the $900 range for a complete rebuild and probably another $500 or more in labor.
If Dan has the parts, his prices are generally in the same range as most parts suppliers. He will make good on walking a mechanic through the process but let me suggest you look around your area for a shop that does car and truck suspensions. King pin steering is not uncommon on trucks and some older cars so look for a shop that's been in business for a while.
They should be able to handle the rebuild on their own. Just be sure to ask if they have a history with these type of rebuilds and you hand them the manual.
As far as price goes, my grand daughter need a front control arm on an 06 Pontiac G6, The dealer quoted $400 for a replacement. I did it for her for much less but the front suspension and steering is kinda important to using the vehicle safely so it needs to be in good shape no matter the vehicle or age.
When you find someone that can work on it, have them give you an idea of how much rebuilding it needs but I'd be surprised if it didn't need a lot of parts replaced.
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This is the link to the Studebaker swap page. There are a couple frames there. If they don't show up just search under Avanti Frame.
http://www.studebakerswap.com/swap/showads.php
Gary is right in that it's an expensive change if you hire it out.
Join the SDC site and ask there. Bob is candbstudebakers but he only has the rear section. Sals54 has/had a frame he's been trying to sell in California. Bob is also California.
Nostalgic Motors in Wixom Mi has the parts from the old Avanti mfg organization so Dan will have them but prices are higher there than the other sources mentioned.
Bob
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Possibly that it's hard to call it a "stock or production" car if it's not available to the public.
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Just call Jim, getting the correct one shouldn't be a problem.
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To add to what Gunslinger said. There are owners manuals on ebay occasionally.
If you Google Johnstone Studebaker, you'll find a wealth of knowledge collected by Bob Johnstone over the years on Studes and Avantis. Here an 84-85 manual from that site. http://studebaker-info.org/Avanti/Espey/84-85ownersmanual.pdf
I have the owners manuals from both 74 and 83 models but can't get to them for a month or so. I would send you a copy after that time. Generally, they are not much help but can be handy at times.
For the engine etc as Bruce said just use an 80-81 camaro or similar year GM manual.
Most body and mechanical parts are available from Nostalgic Motors in Wixom, Mi or possibly from other Studebaker vendors.
Welcome
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By my memory - 8
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Just me, but if it were my problem, The first thing I would do is check all the switches for function. Dave said they are all the same so they should all test alike with a VOM for continuity. I needed to clean the contacts on mine in the 74 to get them to function correctly. New ones are available. Also be sure the wires are on the correct contacts as every switch is wired differently.
You obviously have power to the overhead panel so I'd get out the 12V probe and check back through the system to see if it goes where it should.
Bob has posted an excellent diagram. In fact, I've saved it for reference but the problem is it's for the Stude issue and I'll bet the later ones are different. Possibly with a fuse box. Hard to tell when changes were done but my 74 had a fusebox. It was corroded to crap so I replaced it and rewired the whole car but you may have one also.
After I knew the switches were good, I'd put 12V to the switch output to see what is working when you apply voltage to the correct wire. I wouldn't use the switch but just jumper the 12V source to the output wire. If you are worried about shorting something out, just go to the auto store and buy a single fuse harness and some 20 amp fuses and use that to jumper the wires.
One of the first places I would check for power is the dimmer switch to be sure it has input and is energizing both circuits when pushed.
It's just a matter of back tracking and finding the source of the problem. Not rocket science.
Lastly, before you put the overhead panel back, tape or coat every exposed metal surface to be sure it doesn't short out and also be careful to not just jam the wires back into opening.
Good luck, Bob
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If you decide to go ahead let me know, I'll add what I can. Always appreciate your expertise.
Bob
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If you do decide to go hydraulic, here's a couple of posts that show how I adapted an OEM GM hydraulic setup into the 74 with the T-56. Nothing says something similar wouldn't work with other setups including after market units. If I were to use a four speed, I'd strongly consider the hydraulic TO bearing but heed KB's advice on the best you can find. Most newer cars with manual trans, I believe, use hydraulic TO bearings so the technology is sound.
My setup is on the stiffer side of clutch actuation, very much in line with muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. More leverage would reduce effort.
If the pictures don't show and you need a look, I can email or post same.
Bob
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Bill
Missed you last year but I now have your number in my phone. I'll call you in February and come up and see you. I'll take you up on your offer of the red lenses.
Bob
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You can also clamp a pair of vise-grips to the nuts and turn the screws out by yourself if you work alone.
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Wayne
I'll be purchasing the red lenses and adding the same LED panels I used in the tail lights to the backup lights for additional brake and tail lights.
The 150 OHM resistor is added in the tail light feed line to reduce the voltage so they are not as bright as the turn/brake lights. The LED 1157 bulbs are wired the same way internally.
You can see the 150 OHM resistor in the complete assembly shot in the blue feed line in my post and the current must pass through it.
To use the lights with a standard flasher (non LED) I used a 30 OHM resister added between the brake feed line and the ground line. Think parallel wiring. I added them to all the lights on my 54K. They work fine but what a pain in the arse.
This is the LED flasher I'm using on the Avanti. It works with just one LED light so it should be fine for the car. https://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-No-Load-Electronic-Flasher-12-VOLT-2-WIRE-With-Polarity-Reversing-Adapter/152833558628?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Be sure to get the one with the ground wire. Similar ones without the ground wire didn't work in my applications.
Using the LED panel should solve the exposed wiring issue you have shown, if necessary.
As far as losing the backup lights, I'd rather have the back of the Avanti glow like an amusement park after dark.
Bob
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Wayne
Here are the adapters https://www.amazon.com/Adapters-Sockets-Covert-Wiring-Socket/dp/B007FUF32S
And the resistance is 150 ohms if they are auto brightness panels.
White should work but they may not be as bright as a total red panel. For the price these things go for I'd give it a try. The OEM Avanti lights aren't that bright to start with so it shouldn't be hard to improve on them.
I'll bet some of the panels you are looking at may be brighter than necessary. IDR what my panels were rated for in lumens but I think they were under 100. Just check on the super bright site and search based on those numbers for a start.
Good luck, Bob
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Wayne, the resister is installed on the tail light bulbs to reduce the light output. The full voltage (no resistor) is applied for turn and brake lights. The panel is wired so both tail and brake light wires are in the same spot. The full voltage for turn and brake just drives the same lights brighter.
I used red because IIRC a red lens only passes red light so any other color would not be as bright as other wave lengths of light except the red wavelengths would be filtered out.
I ordered amber 1157 LED bulbs for the front parking lights for the same reason, amber lenses.
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Interesting. When I ordered mine there were 15 and, I think, 100 deg panels. I ordered the 15 deg to maximize the light behind the tail lights as there isn't much exposed from the side of the light and the panels are pretty deep in the housing. IAC, I'm very happy with the brightness.
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I'll contribute another shot.
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37 minutes ago, studegary said:
It has been decades since I was involved in frame changes on Avantis. My memory says that we just put padded (to distribute the load & protect the surface) beams through the door/window openings and lifted the body with a hoist from the ceiling.
I agree with Gary but I'd go farther before I lifted the body. Remove everything you can to reduce weight - radiator and parts, doors, hood/trunk lid, glass front and rear, and the interior parts like the dash etc. I don't like straps through the window openings as they add a force component to the lifting area you don't get with padded beams of some type. Lastly, I'd support the front of the car by adding a strap/cable/etc from the radiator support area to the lift apparatus.
I've always built a wood stand with wheels to support the body and be able to roll it around before I lift them. That way you minimize the time the body hangs in the air and you can just roll the chassis out and get the body supported again.
Lastly, read the chassis manual to be sure you have all the body bolts out. There are a some that are well hidden if you don't have the manual.
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Thanks to a number of members in previous posts that put me on a track to construct a bright set of LED tail lights.
A couple of thoughts first. I used my old housings but needed to modify then by cutting a slot in one side to accommodate the LED panel. I did a quickie measurement initially and thought the panels would fit but they were about 1/8" to large and there was no way to file them smaller without getting into the circuits. I'll start with the finished picture as it shows the completed assembly and the parts needed to create same.
I ordered extra 1157 panels to add to my backup lights also. Total cost is under $50.
The bulbs are 1157 Red LED panels from Superbrightleds.com. They were being closed out at less than $3/bulb. Because I have rewired the entire car I wasn't interested in using the bulb base so I removed it. I used the red panels with a 15 degree light angle for the build.
An important point. When you remove the wires from the base it leaves a resistor behind in the plug. The resistor is necessary to reduce the brightness of the tail light portion. I tried to reuse the ones in the base but no joy. They turned out to be about 150 Ohm resistors so bought 20 of them off Ebay for $4. There was room for two panels in each housing so I used clear Gorilla glue to join two panels.
Cut a piece of 1/8" ABS sheet to cover the slot in the housing, grooved it to accept the panel and Gorilla glued it in.
This is the housing modified and painted white.
If you look below you can see I attached the LED panel assembly with clear silicone and a couple of screws. To exit the light assembly I added a bulb socket stripped of it's internals to hold the wires in place with silicone and also added a three wire Weather pack connector to connect directly into my new wiring harness.
Here's a Youtube video of the assembly powered up with a 12 volt battery.
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While we are on the topic of EFI for SBC's, I'd like to suggest that you use one that also manages the timing either by crank trigger or appropriate distributor. I have a Holley unit on my 83 but it's now an older unit. I'm very happy with the results. Mine uses the 90's type small cap OEM dissy.
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Thanks Lew, it was missed.
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Thanks to all the contributors in this thread. I now know what I'm going to do to put tail lights in my 74 and have ordered the parts from superbrightleds.
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I wouldn't use color as an indicator of fluid type. Take a small bottle of Dot 3 fluid and pour some into a glass. Add the fluid from the master cylinder to it. If it mixes, it's Dot 3 if you see a separate layer it's Dot 5. I know Dot 5 is purple but after some time it will lose the color in the master cylinder.
If it's 3 keep using 3, if it's five keep using 5. He's correct that it's extremely important to remove any trace of the other fluid if you convert. I run Dot 5 in all my classic cars but that's because I totally rebuild them and Dot 5 is less susceptible to moisture and corrosion than Dot 3.
The travel could be a poorly adjusted push rod to the M/C but more likely do to some leakage in the system possibly the M/c
As far as the emergency, that's an adjustment under the car to tighten it but it won't be like the BMW but it should slow the car and hold it on hills.
Just Bought a 1981 Avanti and have questions . . .
in 1965-83 Avanti
Posted · Edited by Avanti83
I don't think the pump will pump in a reverse direction if installed on an older engine. It will just be very inefficient at cooling, lower flow, as it is using the wrong side of the impeller. The reverse direction pumps were developed as the installation of the serpentine belt system turned the pump the wrong way. With the incorrect drive, either pump is just terribly inefficient at cooling.
I'd heed Gunslinger advise on the new hoses, cap and thermostat. The installation of the thermostat is quick and straight forward. SBC's were built from the mid 50's to the 90's and they all take the same thermostat. Just go to any auto store and get a Chevrolet V8 cap and thermostat for the year of your car. Best to get a 180 deg for starters. Get the gasket also.