New Owner , 1972 AVANTI RQB 1879

[bruiser]

Well , Hi guys , very new to all this . My AVANTI arrived in Sydney AUSTRALIA

from Los Angeles a month ago . The '72 seems to be in OK driving condition

but like most used cars , does need some work before I can approach our

version of the DMV and get it out on the road proper . Have driven it on a local

'shakedown' run to see if its got its act together and so far so good . Not real

sure on whether it is running a 350/400 setup or 400/400 setup ! Engine No.

is "0423 CKL" whatever the heck that means . Its not the original engine and

may be a 1973 GM ? Brakes , steering and suspension are quite OK but what

do I know . I think the rear end could use new shocks or resetting of the leaf

springs as the front is at the right height but the back looks lower than it should.

What should I be looking at when troubleshooting this car . I know to

carefully examine the hog troughs . I want to drain all fluids and renew with

good stuff plus give it a good greasing . I want to use the car once every couple

of weeks as a weekend fun ride under 50 miles each time , no racing , just a

cruiser . The car has air conditioning and no sunroof so thats gotta be good .!

It runs on Magnum 500's with new radial narrow whitewalls . I want to keep the

car for a long time so want to set off on the right foot . Thanks . " BRUISER "

[Gunslinger]

Welcome, Bruiser!

CKL is a '73 350 145hp engine for either a full-size Chevrolet (Impala, Bel Air, Biscayne) or a mid-size (Chevelle, El Camino or Monte Carlo). It's originally intended to be mated to a TH400 transmission. The "0423" may be a date code but I'm not sure of that...just a guess.

The first and best thing you can do is get copies of both the Avanti Shop and Parts Manuals. They're really for Studebakers but outside of the engine and transmission, the information is still correct. They're available as reprints from vendors like Studebaker International. Look for original manuals on Ebay...either is fine. A manual for the small block Chevy engine will help you on that.

You said the brakes are OK...that's fine but pay particular attention to the hoses and their condition. If they look like they might be original, replace them. Same goes for the calipers and rear wheel cylinders. Any hint of a leak or drying out of the seals...rebuild them. Absolutely nothing is as important as the brakes. If the car doesn't stop when you want, it doesn't matter what else is right or wrong with the car.

Items like shocks are available from several vendors if necessary. If your car sits level, your leaf springs may well be OK. I've seen many Avanti's where the leaf springs look flat rather than arched and are ok, though considering their age, they could be suffering from fatigue. A good spring shop, if you have one, can re-arch them. It's also not uncommon at all for Avanti front coil springs to compress and sag with age.

Avanti's, with their Studebaker suspension, is pretty maintenance intensive. Lots of grease fittings that should be serviced quite regularly.

I would make sure of the brakes, do as you said and drain and replace all the fluids...including replacing radiator hoses, pressure testing the cooling system and radiator cap and flush the system, replace engine drive belts and maybe even tune the engine or at least check it to make sure dwell and timing are set properly, condition of the plug wires, etc. Before changing the oil, you may want to run a can of engine flush through it to get the crud out of the oil galleries and valve train. Running a can of Sea Foam (if you have access to it) through the induction system will clean the valves and combustion chambers, though it will smoke up your neighborhood while doing so and pretty much require a change of spark plugs after. This is all pretty much basic stuff though it can add up a bit, but that's better than a breakdown when you least want it and then it can cost even more.

Once all that's done, drive it and enjoy it. Anything that needs attention after that you can do at your leisure.

[bruiser]

Thanks 'Gunslinger' fo a well rounded reply to my list of queries .

Nice to get pointed in the right direction , right from the start !

Your emphasis on the brakes is right near the top of my list , as

it is good to go , but even better to know that you are going to

stop . I'll be getting the car up on a hoist next weekend , so I

will be having a real good look to see what is going on under-

neath . Is the brake system similar to a disc/drum Studebaker

dual setup ?

Well prior to getting this car , I already had the glove-

box manual and accessories booklet , an original Avanti parts

book , a 59-64 Studebaker Workshop manual . Is there also a

separate Avanti Workshop manual that I need to get hold of ?

With the Chevrolet motor , it is running a Rochester

Quadrajet . Should I stick with this setup for the time being or

would I be in a better position if I changed to another carby ?

What is the optimal brand/ref. number of the spark plugs I can

be using in this engine . ? Thanks for any help ! 'BRUISER'

[Gunslinger]

There is a separate Avanti shop manual and it's worth its weight in gold. The bad thing about any factory manual is that they're based upon using factory tools to do the work and most people don't have those specialized tools, so you do the best you can with standard shop tools, but an Avanti is generally pretty friendly to standard tools out side of some more heavy servicing might require. The real problem with an Avanti is tight confines. You need to be small, have three hands and double or even triple-jointed to do some things.

BTW - a great addition to a set of shop manuals is "Things the Shop Manual Never Told You" by Stan Gundry. It helps with a number of things.

I'm not sure what you mean regarding the Studebaker disc/drum dual setup...Studebaker (to the best of my knowledge) didn't have a dual master cylinder in their disc brake setups, but did for their drum/drum setup in later cars. My understanding is they're not compatible as far as any design or parts interchanges.

That GM Quadrajet is one of the best carburetors ever made for the street. The downside is they've been out of production for quite some time and it's difficult to find someone who really understands them when it comes to rebuilding one or getting the best out of one. If it's running well...great...I wouldn't touch it. If, for some reason you would want to replace it, there are options. A lot depends on what you want out of the car to pick the best carb or even a carb/intake manifold setup.

As far as spark plugs, just buy what's the correct application to a '73 350. No need to get exotic spark plugs...just equivalent to original equipment. I have no particular favorites myself, though many do.

[bruiser]

'Gunslinger' , to the rescue of a novice Avanti owner , thanks for your information .!!!

It may sound unusual to a real lot of people but I have up to now , never owned a

'Chev' V8 . Oh yes I have had 'McKinnon' in a '65 Studebaker but everyone knows

that McKinnonbaker 283's are much better motors than plain old Chevrolet 283's !!!

The Rochester Quadrajet seems to be quite OK at this stage so I'll leave

it there and optimise its tuning . Just thought with the spark plugs , you could give

me a few hints on what most people have found works best - that is all , no big deal .

You did of course remind me of what I had forgotten about the brake set

ups on late model Studebakers , sorry about the error , slipped either my mind or

digit . Looks like I better get myself an Avanti Workshop Manual . I'm looking

forward to getting the bugs out of this car and having a bit of fun along the way ,

even if I do end up needing that third , small , hand from somewhere . BRUISER

[WayneC]

http://www.studebaker-info.org/avdb/avantirqb/72QB1879/72QB1879.html

Welcome to the brotherhood.

The Avanti II is raised in the front end from where the original Stude Avanti's sat, by using shims at the forward body mounts and filling in the front wheel arches, so it does not have the "rake" of a Stude. Shocks have nothing to do with the way the car sits (unless you use air shocks with on-board compressors, but that's a whole 'nuther story), the rear springs should be at least arched up a little, or level, but not negatively arched (ends not lower than the center).

Standard spark plug would probably be an AC R44T with .035" gap, or an AC 41-821 platinum, same gap.

It appears your car may have an older style points distributor, hard to tell from the photos, so if you are considering upgrades, a later Chevy HEI distributor ('73 onward?) and 8mm wires would be a plus for reliability, although Chevy V8's in general are very reliable. Easy bolt-in replacement, it only requires replacing the pink resistor wire that currently goes to the coil (from the ignition switch) with a normal wire straight to the distributor cap, and then finding the correct snap-in connectors (for that wire and the tachometer wire) to use with the HEI distributor cap. Spark plug wires are the hardest part, as they require newer brackets. If the current setup is running fine, there's no hurry to make this conversion.

Edited February 8, 2011 by WayneC

[Gunslinger]

Bruiser...

From the photos it looks like you have a pretty solid car. I can't tell if it's the camera perspective, but it does look like the rear end squats a bit much...or the front end sits too high. The car should sit level and that's something you have to determine since you have the car.

Avanti Motors started using the GM transistorized ignition system beginning with the "RQB" series in 1970, and the distributor looks the same externally. There should be a box on the right front inner quarter panel if the system is still original to the car, plus no points and condenser inside the distributor cap. In 1975 GM went to the HEI distributor and Avanti Motors would have followed. From the photos you have the earlier distributor...whether points or transistorized.

If your engine still has the transistorized ignition installed, you're good to go. If it's been replaced with a points unit, I'd still keep it...it's a good, very reliable and easy to maintain system. You can, if you like, install a points conversion kit, but essentially all you'll gain is not having to replace points and set timing every 10k miles or so...it really won't run any better.

As far as spark plugs...I know many people love NGK brand. That's what's in my '70 Avanti as the shop that installed the crate engine installed them. They say it's the only brand they'll install. I'll take their word for it, but over the years I've used Champions, AC, Prestolite brands and saw absolutely no difference in performance. I did once try SplitFire plugs in a car and within a short time two had cracked ceramics. Besides they didn't perform any different they were more expensive and didn't last...so I learned my lesson on that. That's why I said just use any spark plug brand equivalent to original equipment in a stock engine. If you have a favorite go with it. AC are original to the car and there's no reason to doubt they're still good for it.

[Paul K.]

Nice Avanti. I noticed it on Ebay a couple of months ago. Regarding Spark plugs, I also prefer NGKs or AC in that order for my GM engines.

[Ernie]

My Chevy sources tell me that the engine number CKL is:

"CKL is a '73 350 - 2bbl in front of a TH350 from either a Chevelle/Monte Carlo or Impala"

Ernie N.

[Paul K.]

Makes you wonder how many SBC 400s were unknowingly swapped out with 350s when is was rebuild time. I have owned three Avanti IIs that had the 400s and they are a nice torquey power plant.

[bruiser]

Thanks a lot to all of you who have offered opinions about my Avanti.

Yes , I feel its overall presentation is good but all the little things need

to be dealt with . It IS a 350/T400 setup just running a standard points

distributor . Sometimes simple is best so I'll go with that for the time

being . Thanks for the sparkplug information , good to get that sorted.

Once I can get the car to pass its RTA (to you DMV) registration process ,

I can do a few low stress miles and check out what's right or not good .

This weekend I'll have it on a hoist at my local "service"station , all

Saturday afternoon , so I'll change fluids and give it a greaze and have

a real good long look underneath to see what may be within tolerance

or what needs attention . BRUISER .

[BobS]

Bruiser

Nice Avanti, it should make a great driver.

When it is up on the hoist, look very carefully at the Rubber front suspension bushings where the A-arms are connected to the frame. Also look carefully at the rear spring and control arm rubber bushings for the same reason. My 83 has similar mileage to your's and they were toast. If you need them, unless you have a local source, Studebaker International in South Bend has a reasonably priced rebuild kit that has all the components to rebuild the front suspension.

Also getting grease into all the fittings can be a chore. If the previous owner was diligent, then it might not be a problem. If you can't grease a zerk remove it and see if it will pass grease. A lot of time is spent trying to get grease to what folks assume is a difficult fitting when the zerk is just faulty.

Happy motoring

Bob

Edited February 10, 2011 by BobS

[bruiser]

Thanks BobS ,

Having owned a few Studebakers over many years , I am

used to the fun of making sure that I have got grease into all the fittings .

If I'm working on 'auto-pilot' I go back and double check to make sure .

Will also be having a good look at all suspension points and rubbers to

make sure that they are still in roadworthy condition .

Thanks for the tip about 'Studebaker International' , as I'm

sure I'll be placing an order with them next week .

I'll also be checking the brakes out fully and may get the

local mechanic to help me do a front end alignment .

But initially , I'll mostly be looking , hope there is no rust

or chassis cracks and that things like the exhaust system are intact .

The hand brake is not working so I'll have to check it out.

Should be an interesting weekend , such are the perils of making a

long distance purchase . Hey , but it has all been good !

BRUISER

[MikeValent]

From the books that I have, it appears that the "standard" plug was the AC R43T. I've been using the R43TS projected nose plug in my small-block powered boats over the years and in my 83 Avanti. The projected nose design is supposedly somewhat less prone to detonation, otherwise exactly the same heat range and performance.

[63 Avanti R2]

Nice Car, love the color! It may be to late in reference to parts ordered. I have been getting my parts from either Bob Ziff from Avanti Parts & Restoration (215)428-9500 in PA or Phil Harris from Fairborn Studebaker (937)878-1576 in OH.

They are always cheaper than Stude International.

Steve

[bruiser]

Thanks STEVE ,

The tip is appreciated , will be a long term parts buyer

into the future I guess as I attempt to maintain and improve my cars.

For anyone wondering , I have had to put off getting

my Avanti , 'up in the air' at my local garage as the mechanic there

needed both hoists last weekend , so I'll be doing the 'service' next

weekend . BRUISER

Edited February 24, 2011 by bruiser