PackardV8
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Posts posted by PackardV8
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Since your body is off the frame, consider spraying the entire underside and inside with LizardSkin Spray-on Heat and Noise Insulation, or the OZ equivalent. The Avanti is incredibly noisy and hot inside by today's standards, so anything done to keep heat and noise out is a worthwhile investment.
jack vines
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On 12/20/2020 at 8:13 AM, mfg said:
This is an old post I just happened to notice.....Just adding my two cents that there was an overdrive unit which bolted to the back of the Avanti Powershift. (or any other Borg Warner cast iron case 'model 8' three speed automatic transmission)
I believe it was called the 'Cone Overdrive' (an aftermarket unit) and it apparently worked quite well...I have no idea how many were sold, and probably would not work in an Avanti, as it was a bit bulky and would no doubt clash with the frame 'X' member!
Close, so old stogy instead of new cigar. The OD was the Hone-O-Drive.
But yes, because of the X-member, there is no overdrive which can be added to the rear of the B-W tranny.
FWIW, if one changes the rear axle ratio to a 3.07 and gets used to shifting the B-W through all three gears, it works OK.
Jack Vines
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The block serial number should be from a '63 Lark.
The chrome parts were available from SASCO as leftovers from R-series and Avanti production.
The cylinder head castings were 1957 low compression heads, but who knows was was on production shipped to OZ in '63?
The crankshaft should be the long snout, but again, dealing with export and bitsa, who knows?
jack vines
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Congrats on solving two problems in one go.
Now, it's time to do the same to the front firewall. It's Swiss-cheese full of holes originally plugged with rubber grommets and bellows. Sixty years later, most of those flimsy barriers are "perished" as you would say. A day spent removing the carpet, re-sealing the firewall and then layering it with Dynamat will make for a great reduction in heat, noise and fumes.
jack vines
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Do not believe most internet parts searches. The Summit/Jegs/Rock Auto, et al, pay that cheap whore Google to put their listing at the top, regardless of whether they have ever stocked that part. Then, when you click on it, the closest random collection of junk pops up.
(Do I feel strongly about this? Yes, as they waste hours of my time when I know exactly what I'm trying to buy, but they hijack my search.}
jack vines
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59 minutes ago, mfg said:
I have a cast iron Stude V8 dual quad manifold in my pile of parts....Interestingly, it was custom made by a good welder using a ? twin four barrel cast top brazed onto a 'hogged out' Avanti 'R type manifold.....Twin AFB's are mounted on it ....I've never tried it in operation.
That's a new one on me and one I'd never have considered attempting. Close-up photo?
jack vines
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On 11/2/2020 at 6:07 PM, Footer said:
we must have had different eyesight back then. Mike
It's not just appearance. Seat engineering has improved as much as every other area. The OEM seats in my '63 were ahead-of-their-time buckets, but way out of date forty years later. I installed a pair of heated leather six-way-power seats from a Japanese luxury car and they transformed the feel of the car.
Through the inner ear, we feel the motion of the car. Changing where the inner ear is positioned within the car changes how we perceive the ride and handling. The OEM buckets are bolt upright and close to the steering wheel. The replacement seats allow moving rearward, reclining slightly and downward; feels like a different car.
jack vines
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On 7/5/2020 at 11:52 PM, 64Avanti said:
Can you post a picture showing the "Casting Number." Those heads have to be modified R2s. The intake manifold clearly doesn't have R3 size ports. We never had any finished R3 heads. When we purchased the parts from Paxton the heads were long gone.
QuoteHeads with casting number 1555479 are R3 or R4 heads.
http://www.studebaker-info.org/R3parts/r3headsa.jpg
That hand-stamped number doesn't appear to be a casting number, which by definition is part of the molding process. Only the person who did it can confirm, but since Studebaker never stamped anything "STU-V", insn't it likely as part of their rebuild of the engine, STU-V ground off the OEM casting number, modified the head and stamped their own identifier?
jack vines
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Agree, buy the best car cosmetically and mechanically you can find. Look for a A II without a sunroof. The aftermarket sunroofs were a disaster; they leaked, delaminated and are expensive plague to get out.
The SBC is the least expensive part of a good car. We can build a strong, durable 383" or 400" for cheap.
The 4-speed overdrive automatic is a real plus also.
jack vines
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For me, exterior and interior color is not normally the deciding factor when considering a used car, but some age better than others.
Recently I looked at a nice Avanti II in overall excellent condition. However, I just couldn't get past the interior. It was done in a Victorian bordello button-tuft red velour. That color, design and material would just hurt my eyes every time I opened the door.
I mentioned to the seller that wouldn't have been my first choice; reminds me of '60s Buicks. The seller smiled and said, "That's the only reason I have the car. My wife loved the interior and said I could buy it."
jack vines
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Worst case situation, all driveline shops have wedge shims available to set the pinion angle equal to the transmission output shaft angle.
jack vines
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For true, it's akin to being strafed by a Stuka.
I've converted a couple to the big two-speed electric fan from the Dodge Viper.
Also did one using the flexible blade stainless steel fan driven full-time without the clutch.
jack vines
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2 hours ago, studegary said:
Bob Bourke put knock off Borrani wire wheels on his custom 1954 Starliner. When we redid the car, we priced getting the wheels rechromed. That caused us to paint the wheels with aluminum paint (IIRC), that is still on the wheels, on the car at the SNM.
The chrome on the Daytons on the '63 were rusty. I had them sandblasted and powdercoated gold to match the paint on the car. Since the car was customized by George Barris, King of the Kustomizers, now the gold wheels actually are more period-correct Kalifornia Kustom than the original chrome.
jack vines
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The interesting thing is both Dayton and Borrani were available as true knock-offs.
The original owner added Daytons to my '63 custom and I have a set of five Borrani from an '80. They're both heavier than the hubs of hell. It seems the Borrani had better chrome than the Dayton, but maybe better maintenance and storage as well.
jack vines
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24 minutes ago, 63avantigold said:
Wanting to remove dealer installed AC from my R2 and install the correct Supercharger which will bring it back to stock. Does anyone have a complete unit for sale?
You are wise to buy a complete setup. Buying it a piece at a time can take forever and cost 2X-3X as much.
The carburetor and intake are R2 specific. Do you still have yours?
jack vines
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South Bend urban legend has it there were twenty-five R3s built by Paxton and shipped to Production. Paxton was hard at work on building the next twenty-five when Studebaker called it off. Paxton managed to gather up most of the left-over engines and R3 parts and ship them back to CA. They were then sold over the counter.
Only slightly OT, but there's some evidence a Seattle guy with Stude connections grabbed a truckload of complete R2 engines at scrap prices and shipped them to Puget Sound. Most were installed in boats, where they died a quick death. The R2s in boats ran strong, but were not durable at long full power full load running, as is common in boats.
jack vines
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This car and its value left with her husband's passing. Rather than putting you and us on the hook for guessing a value of a car which which none of us have first hand driving evaluations, suggest she have it cleaned, up ask an Avanti expert to write the description, ending with "running when parked six years ago", list it on Bring-a-Trailer or eBay, take whatever the market offers. Sometimes it will go to OZ or Europe for more than it would bring from the CASOs here in the states.
jack vines
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Another likely possibility, since this engine was rebuilt by Stu-V, is that an original car blew its engine, had it replaced by something else, maybe from Paxton or Stu-V and the reusable parts were swept up into this build by Stu-V.
jack vines
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On 6/16/2020 at 6:04 AM, 64studeavanti said:
Just curious where the factory R3 came from. Does any one know if there is a list of factory R3 engines?
There were nine Avanti delivered with R3 engines and there is a list of those.
For many years after Studebaker closed, Paxton Products sold R3 engines built from leftover parts. Then Stu-V bought the leftover leftovers from Paxton and sold partial R3s. IIRC, by that time, the R3 heads and connecting rods were NLA, so modified R2 components were substituted. It appears yours is one of those.
FWIW, none of the OEM R3s or few of the Paxton R3s were built with roller camshafts. That yours has it is unusual.
We have a member of this group who holds the personal opinion that since Paxton was once owned by Studebaker, any engines they built should be considered "original". Since the some of the parts Stu-V used were made by Studebaker and once owned by Paxton, wonder if he's going to include yours in his personal list of "original R3s?"
jack vines
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Also, one could do as some others have done and build a twin supercharged R4.
jack vines
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21 hours ago, Rags63 said:
I have inherited a 63 avanti r2 that my grandfather purchased new. From paper work that I have found i believe the motor is a r3 with r2 heads machine to r3 spec.
What I am trying to figure out is what carb set up to use on the r4 intake manifold. I have 3 carbs but don't know what is what all are avanti carbs with different numbers 3507s 3725s 3810s
Any help is much appreciated
The carburetors are simple. 1964 304" R4 3810S(F), 3811S(R) CARTER AFB CK474
The heads and intake you haven't given us enough information. It's really difficult to do "r2 heads machine to r3 spec." Yes, R3 valves can be installed into R2 heads. No, R2 intake ports are not easily enlarged to match an R4 manifold. Yes, there have been single and dual port "R4" repop manifolds made to mate with standard port heads. Knowing exactly what you have would help those offering advice.
jack vines
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On 5/24/2020 at 7:07 AM, mfg said:
The last non-power steering equipped Studebaker Avanti I drove surprised me in that the manual steering felt very 'light'!....Granted, there were more steering turns 'lock-to-lock' due to the more favorable (slower) steering ratio...but frankly, unless you're looking for a faster ratio (turning) ability, I'd re-consider adding the complication of power steering to your Stude Avanti...(Just a thought!
)
Agree. It all depends on the tire/wheel combination and the condition of the front suspension. If all is in like-new original condition, they steer easily. After sixty years of wear and someone installing wider wheels and radial tires, it can be a pig to steer.
jack vines
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An R2 without a supercharger will be slightly slower than an R1 on a cool day and slightly faster than an R1 on a hot day.
jack vines
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It is possible to modify the Powershift setup, but it's easier just to get one of the millions of floor shift units from a GM in a U-Pik yard. No mods necessary.
jack vines
Saginaw manual box in Avanti
in 1963-64 Avanti
Posted
Yes, the Saginaw is a better steering box by most every measure.
jack vines