DERALICT

[wildfelr]

I am new to Avanti...but am a 50 year hot rodder....I am currently watching a darelict Avanti and trying to find the owner.....It appears to be restoreable, not wrecked but in bad shape. The vin is: 12aav1230j1000251 It has a chevy motor with 4 center bolt valve covers and wire wheels, and 34k orig. miles...... I have zero, zip, nada information on this car but it could be an interesting long term project.....Any info would be helpful in making a decision to make an offer if it becomes available. please contact Bill 352-475-3190 or wildfelr@copper.net or here for everyone to enjoy.Thanks ....Bill

[billmdonn]

I am new to Avanti...but am a 50 year hot rodder....I am currently watching a darelict Avanti and trying to find the owner.....It appears to be restoreable, not wrecked but in bad shape. The vin is: 12aav1230j1000251 It has a chevy motor with 4 center bolt valve covers and wire wheels, and 34k orig. miles...... I have zero, zip, nada information on this car but it could be an interesting long term project.....Any info would be helpful in making a decision to make an offer if it becomes available. please contact Bill 352-475-3190 or wildfelr@copper.net or here for everyone to enjoy.Thanks ....Bill

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Avanti. An item you probably are not aware of that should be a concern is the torque boxes(hog trough). These are the connection between the frame and the fiberglass body. Do a google search on Avanti + torque boxes.

Edited April 29, 2009 by billmdonn

[WayneC]

I am new to Avanti...but am a 50 year hot rodder....I am currently watching a darelict Avanti and trying to find the owner.....It appears to be restoreable, not wrecked but in bad shape. The vin is: 12aav1230j1000251 It has a chevy motor with 4 center bolt valve covers and wire wheels, and 34k orig. miles...... I have zero, zip, nada information on this car but it could be an interesting long term project.....Any info would be helpful in making a decision to make an offer if it becomes available. please contact Bill 352-475-3190 or wildfelr@copper.net or here for everyone to enjoy.Thanks ....Bill

If I read the serial correctly, it is #251 built in 1988. Brings decent, not great, money in good shape.

What looks so bad about this 35k mile car? If the hog troughs (below the rocker panels) are good,

then you're probably looking at cosmetics, which can get pretty expensive if you need to replace

the upholstery, rugs, weatherseals, glass, rechrome, paint, dash wood, etc. It all adds up, certainly

more than $10k for all that, and a few grand more if it needs new hog troughs.

A nice 87 convertible with 35k miles was recently advertised for $18k (although I've certainly seen sellers

ask/expect much more, like: http://shrunklink.com/chgl ) so this one isn't going to bring all that much even after restoration.

Add up the repairs and the price the owner wants, and ask yourself if the hassle of doing a restore is worthwhile.

Now, OTOH, it's nice if you want to do a restore for the satisfaction of doing the work and returning a neat car to it's former glory.

War story:

I ran across a convertible in poor shape about 10 years ago, sitting with a plastic tarp tied over it, 4 flat tires,

rims buried in the mud, shredded top & trashed interior, cracked windshield, engine compartment chock full of pine needles,

rust & mold everywhere, etc, obviously had been there for years. Can't recall mileage or exact year. A sad sight.

The body panels looked OK, just needed repaint. I couldn't see the hog troughs because the car was flat on the ground.

The guy who owned the property (there were a dozen other cars parked/stored on his property, for fee) said he thought

the owner would sell it really cheap because it had been sitting for years and...

- he was having trouble getting the guy to pay even token storage fees, even when he threatened to have it towed away.

- the guy had told him numerous times that he was out of work and in serious money trouble, and he looked it.

- he'd inherited the car some years back, as it sat, from his dead father.

Glove compartment was full of old parking violation notices, and I found out there was a lien listed against it

he hadn't mentioned (DMV couldn't tell me how much, it was with a finance co); his dead father was still

listed as owner because the title was never transferred, nor were annual registration fees paid.

When I asked about the lien, he said he wasn't aware of it, but I'd have to pay that, too, whatever it was.

Then he demanded nearly as much as buying a nice one: $15k!!! because "somebody" told him "it's a very rare car,

worth at least $16 to $20k" ... so it was just a waste of time. I never did find out the total of the lien, parking tickets,

and past DMV fees.

Here's some info on Avanti:

http://www.theavanti.com/services_chronology.htm

http://www.studebaker-info.org/AvantiAAV.html

here's a guy who has hot-rodded his chassis to the max (but this car had a Stude chassis, not a GM chassis like the 88):

http://www.electro-dynamics.com/magazine.html

http://www.electro-dynamics.com/chassis/avantislide.html

The newest Avanti's:

http://www.avantimotors.com/