psdenno

Fiberglass cars can be "wavy" and require a little filler in some areas to make them look as straight as panels on a metal bodied car. It's all part of the charm of owning a fiberglass car whether it's an Avanti or a Corvette.

My Avanti R2 has had a Hurst shifter for the 50 years I've owned it. I considered converting the Hurst shift lever to the Studebaker type, but stayed with the Hurst lever. Never had a shifting problem in a half century.

There's a brief discussion on the wheels on the SDC forum: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/29343-halibrands-dealer-option/page2?28618-Halibrands-Dealer-Option=&highlight=halibrand

If what you refer to as the '64 Halibrand wheel is the style currently available in reproduction, I prefer it to the "Kidney Bean" Halibrand wheels shown on the Hawk.

Glad to hear it worked out for you! I wasn't sure what the SNM could pull up when I made the suggestion. Post the VIN here and maybe someone can tell you a little more about the car.

This suggestion is a long shot, but may be worth a try. The Studebaker National Museum has factory files for Studebaker Avantis. They have, and sell, copies of IBM punch cards listing original owners of each car sold. I know they can bring up the document by VIN. They may also be able to find it by original owner's name. It might be worth calling to see what they can do.

Can you track down any old car insurance policy forms which would list the VIN or contact the insurance company that wrote the policy when your parents had the car?

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Thanks for the reply, ronmanfredi. I have the new carpet and it has no pad preinstalled, just original style salt & pepper pattern carpet to go with the new orange upholstery. I'm aware of the DynaMat type insulation and also considering felt padding like original. I'm interested in hearing experience of other owners with either type they have actually used.

Planning to start putting the interior back together with new upholstery and carpet when the weather cools a bit. We’re coming off 22 straight days of 110º or higher. Looking for recommendations on carpet underlay that works well for heat and noise reduction as well as ease of installation.

You may want to start with this link: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/1909365-avanti-owners-with-4-speed Dave Thibeault advertises in the AOAI quarterly. He used to supply the Hurst mechanism with a stock Avanti shifter to keep the stock look. I have a Hurst shifter in my '63 R2 and like it. Summit Racing is another possible source.

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to add three words to the tip...."with great difficulty". I used two small screwdrivers, one very small and usually used for working on electronics, to pry. An interesting discovery was that my Avanti's factory Line Number was written in marker on the underside of the fiberglass seat bottom which is broken and will be replaced.

Thanks! Any suggestion on removing the original pivot pins from the seats? Do the cap ends pry off or screw off?

After owning my Avanti for almost 50 years, it's time for new upholstery and I have a couple questions. I've removed the old upholstery and padding from the front seats. How do I remove the pivot bolt that that holds the seat back to the seat bottom? Is it threaded or press on? Is there a replacement bushing for the pivot bolt or an aftermarket solution that would work to take the wiggle out of the pivot?