1969 Valve Covers and Air Cleaner

[Sean Mulholland]

I was gigged at International for my valve covers and air cleaner. When I purchased the car in 1984 it had plain chrome valve covers and a chrome 1968/69 Corvette air cleaner. During restoration I replaced them in kind. It is a 1969 (RQA304) and has a 327. Can anyone tell me for sure what is correct?

[Gunslinger]

It should have stamped steel valve covers painted engine color with an "Avanti 327" decal that's available through most of the vendors. I have early Avanti II literature showing the engines equipped with R1 air cleaners, and I also have sales literature for the RQB models with photos showing the Corvette style air cleaner installed. At what point the factory made the switch in air cleaners I have a guess.

Not that it matters now, but you may have a point with the air cleaner...it's arguable. It would take someone with really specific knowledge of when the change was made to either support you or the judge. My guess is when Avanti Motors stopped installing the Carter AFB carburetor and went to the Rochester Quadrajet that came on the GM engines...that was model year 1968 for GM and the Corvette. The AFB and Quadrajet had different air horn diameters and that could have forced a change in air cleaners. Since Avanti Motors used crate engines and depending on how often they ordered them and how long it took to use up inventory, it could well have been '69 before making the change. I base that supposition on my '70 RQB1574...it came with the Corvette 350, but still used the alternator with an external voltage regulator even though the Corvette itself went to an internally regulated alternator beginning in the '69 model year.

Does your '69 have the original carburetor? If it is equipped with an AFB, it could well have the wrong style air cleaner. If you have a Quadrajet, then the Corvette style air cleaner would be correct in my opinion. If you have a Holley or other non-original carburetor, there's no way to say with certainty what was original equipment.

The gig on the valve covers is correct...yours are incorrect since they're not original style. I'd go with whatever made me happy with the car and not worry about points in a show...just for that reason my car was in the modified division instead of the Avanti division. If nothing else you could always change to correct valve covers and air cleaner for a judged show.

[WayneC]

Unfortunately my memory fails me, but I seem to recall that my '69 (gone some 20 years now) had plain stamped steel chromed valve covers (the type with a crease depression in the middle coming from each end and a raised rectangle in the center for a horsepower sticker, see below) and a Corvette chromed-cover air cleaner (sandwich-style, with a round black-painted base and chrome cover sandwiching an open-sided filter about 3 inches tall). Unfortunately, I can't swear to that, I can't find any pics, and I've had multiple Avanti's since that one, at least one of which (a '71) that I purposely changed to the older chrome Corvette air cleaner (it had a painted air cleaner and stamped steel painted valve covers).

Here's the style air cleaner I think my '69 had: http://tinyurl.com/56le5q

This is the style valve cover I think it had: http://tinyurl.com/6ysdys

There are factory Avanti II brochures in Thomas Bonsall's "Avanti" book that show the chrome air cleaner (pages 93 and 105), and there is a photo on page 88 that shows the chrome valve covers linked above, but with a different air cleaner with a six-legged star pattern on its top (I know my '69 did NOT have THAT air cleaner)

What did the judges tell you it SHOULD have?

[Gunslinger]

It just goes to show there was not much standardization in the early years of Avanti II production. I've seen engine color painted valve covers and now chrome plated valve covers. It may simply be what came on the engines Avanti Motors purchased. If GM changed the specs on crate engines that's simply what Avanti bought.

My '70 came with the finned aluminum valve covers found on optional Corvette engines...not the base engine which is what Avanti installed. It's generally called the LT-1 valve cover but it came on the optional higher horsepower engines above the base 350/300hp. While that valve cover came on many 350's, I don't believe it came on any 327 engines cars. Avanti Motors could well have bought 350/350hp crate engines if the price was right or base 300hp engines weren't available. There was no horsepower emblems on the cars to note any differences.

I still tend to believe the switch to the chrome Corvette air cleaner coincided with the change to the Quadrajet carburetor. The different size air horn neck from the AFB would have made a change necessary. The only other reason I can believe prompted the change would be if Avanti used up the supply of R1 air cleaners.

Until someone with truly definitive information presents himself, all this looks to be very arguable to any judge. I think more than a few things depended on who the assembly line worker was and how he did things compared to someone else on the car they assembled.

[Sean Mulholland]

It just goes to show there was not much standardization in the early years of Avanti II production. I've seen engine color painted valve covers and now chrome plated valve covers. It may simply be what came on the engines Avanti Motors purchased. If GM changed the specs on crate engines that's simply what Avanti bought.

My '70 came with the finned aluminum valve covers found on optional Corvette engines...not the base engine which is what Avanti installed. It's generally called the LT-1 valve cover but it came on the optional higher horsepower engines above the base 350/300hp. While that valve cover came on many 350's, I don't believe it came on any 327 engines cars. Avanti Motors could well have bought 350/350hp crate engines if the price was right or base 300hp engines weren't available. There was no horsepower emblems on the cars to note any differences.

I still tend to believe the switch to the chrome Corvette air cleaner coincided with the change to the Quadrajet carburetor. The different size air horn neck from the AFB would have made a change necessary. The only other reason I can believe prompted the change would be if Avanti used up the supply of R1 air cleaners.

Until someone with truly definitive information presents himself, all this looks to be very arguable to any judge. I think more than a few things depended on who the assembly line worker was and how he did things compared to someone else on the car they assembled.

[Sean Mulholland]

Thanks Wayne and Gunslinger. I think I have pretty definitive information now. My wife has done a tremendous amount of sleuthing and has purchased some sales brochures for the early Avanti II on-line.

The first one has a penned in year of 1968 and shows the Studebaker R1 air cleaner and chrome valve covers with raised center section and the Avanti II decal as you both suggested. The second one came with a 1969 sell sheet from Sutton Motor Imports of West Los Angeles in an envelope post-marked November 6, 1968. This brochure shows the Corvette chrome air cleaner and the same previously mentioned chrome valve covers. I think you are correct, Gunslinger, the air cleaner was probably changed with the switch to the quadrajet 4-barrel, which came on my Avanti II when I bought it.

I appreciate your help on this, guys.

Sean