Power windoe switch

[J Boyle]

In the post-restoratuion shakedown of my 63, I'm having some problems with the drivers side powerer window.

Sometime it works...sometimes it doesn't

No rhyme or reason.

Our guess is the switch is faulty.

Good assumption?

If so, I've found that S-I does not stock two button switch...

Any other sources?

Is it simply two single switches in the same housing, or a differet unit altogether?

The visable parts (the chome piece and the switches themselves) are fine, is there a wway just to replace the hidden parts?

[Gunslinger]

Myer's Studebaker carries new switches. The plastic button part is a different color but you can easily swap the fawn colored part from your existing switch to the new one.

Ford Thunderbirds of the late '50s and earl '60s use an identical switch but the button is chromed. If you can find one of them you can swap out that. I haven't looked but the T-bird switches may be available as reproductions. It's just as easy to get one from Jon Myers and support one of our vendors.

BTW - it's two individual switches in a dual bezel...no difference between them and the single switch in the passenger door.

Edited September 3, 2011 by Gunslinger

[J Boyle]

BTW - it's two individual switches in a dual bezel...no difference between them and the single switch in the passenger door.

Thanks!

So I can just buy one side?

Do you agree that's it's probably the switch and not (another) ground issue?

and as long as you're here..I might as well ask another question.

The underdash light does not come on when the dors are opened.

It does come on manually (press it towards the driver). But even then, you have to fiddle with the switch and put it slightly towards the firewall to get it to stay on.

Bad switch again or ground?

If it's a switch, does anyone make them? Again, none in the S-I catalog.

Sorry about the typo..I know it's WINDOW...not windoe..."

[Gunslinger]

All three power window switches are the same...it's just that two are installed in a dual bezel one in a single bezel. They can each be replaced individually though the left door you have to remove the dual assembly but the switches are installed separately within it. Just buy one switch if that's all you need.

On the under dash light...check and see if the interior lights above the rear side windows do or don't work when the door is open. If they work normally, you have a problem with the under dash light or the wiring to it. I suspect you find an identical problem with the lights over the side windows...in that case, you have a bad door jamb switch or its wiring.

The door jamb switch works opposite switches in most cars. In a metal bodied car the door jamb switch is self grounding. In an Avanti it's obviously not...it has a separate ground wire. If that wire has lost ground you'll have your problem.

I think your door jamb switch is likely your problem.

The light's manual switch may be worn as well and if you want to replace it (it's the same light assembly as over the flip-out windows), you see them regularly for sale on Ebay. The normal vendors probably have them as well.

[J Boyle]

On the under dash light...check and see if the interior lights above the rear side windows do or don't work when the door is open.

I didn't know they were supposed to. I thought they were just manual reading lights.

They do not come on when either door is open.

One comes on manually if I press the switch down, the other comes on with the switch in the up position.

[plwindish]

I had my '64 way back in '66-'69 and I remember the rear courtesy lights coming on when opening the doors. My '76 only has the map reading light come on when opening the doors, leaving it pretty dark inside when opening the doors at night. The rear courtesy lights on the '76 only come on when you push the switch on the individual light. Since '69 was just a mere 42 years ago, am I remembering that right on the '63 & '64 courtesy lights?

Also, Gunslinger, how did the repairs to the door go?

[Gunslinger]

Also, Gunslinger, how did the repairs to the door go?

The body work is done...the new door fits better than the old one did. What was found out when finding the brake problem was that the brake booster wasn't working. Whether that had anything to do with the brakes failing I don't know, but I believe that's more coincidental. The car is at the speed shop that did the engine install a few years ago. They're converting it to a more modern brake booster and master cylinder. While they're at it I'm having an electric fan installed. Hopefully the car will be home by the end of the week.

In for a penny, in for a pound....or ton of money.

[plwindish]

Boy do I know that saying! The purchase price of my '76 in January was dwarfed by the engine teardown & rebuild, trans swap,radiator repair,gas tank cleaning & sealing, new braided fuel line, new gauges, new exhaust system, AC repair with new condensor & drier, XM radio, speakers, tires and weatherstripping. 2011 has been a very expensive year, but I do have much more reliable ride that has gone 3500 miles since July without issues. Next year's short list (as of now) will probably include a Turner brake system front and rear.

Let me know how the electric fan set up works. The 400 ran fine on Sunday when I took a 350 mile trip, never getting up to 180(temps in '70's), but in 95 degree heat on Friday, the temp idling around town was getting close to 210. Hot weather and heavy traffic are tough on it.

[Gunslinger]

Boy do I know that saying! The purchase price of my '76 in January was dwarfed by the engine teardown & rebuild, trans swap,radiator repair,gas tank cleaning & sealing, new braided fuel line, new gauges, new exhaust system, AC repair with new condensor & drier, XM radio, speakers, tires and weatherstripping. 2011 has been a very expensive year, but I do have much more reliable ride that has gone 3500 miles since July without issues. Next year's short list (as of now) will probably include a Turner brake system front and rear.

Let me know how the electric fan set up works. The 400 ran fine on Sunday when I took a 350 mile trip, never getting up to 180(temps in '70's), but in 95 degree heat on Friday, the temp idling around town was getting close to 210. Hot weather and heavy traffic are tough on it.

I hope the electric fans make a real difference. The Saturn air deflector under the front end made a difference at highway speeds but in traffic it will see the north side of 220 degrees up to near 240 once. If the most it would get was 210 I wouldn't worry...that's not bad at all.

Believe me...we don't dump money into our Avanti's because we think we'll ever see a profit on the car...simply not gonna happen outside of rare circumstances. We do it for the love of the car. I understand the need for donor cars, but it's still sad to see another Avant lost.

[63 Avanti R2]

I hope the electric fans make a real difference. The Saturn air deflector under the front end made a difference at highway speeds but in traffic it will see the north side of 220 degrees up to near 240 once. If the most it would get was 210 I wouldn't worry...that's not bad at all.

Believe me...we don't dump money into our Avanti's because we think we'll ever see a profit on the car...simply not gonna happen outside of rare circumstances. We do it for the love of the car. I understand the need for donor cars, but it's still sad to see another Avant lost.

On my 83 305, I installed a Billet grille which pushes air up into the radiator along with an air deflector on the lower pan. I run about 180-190.

[Gunslinger]

Another idea (I haven't done it...yet)...is to install rubber seals around the radiator and support frame. That will keep air going into the radiator core rather than around it where it does no good. Big block Corvettes really need the radiator seals to keep from overheating...I would think the Avanti isn't too much different in that regard.

[plwindish]

I'll make a note about the rubber to enhance the air flow through the radiator. I'm surprised to hear that your 350 could get that warm. I'm concerned about the temp of mine because of the 400 motor not having full water passages between the cylinders, and the entire 400 line having cooling issues in GM cars. I wonder if the Avanti II's have any better history of keeping cool than the '63's & '64's. The added strip to raise the height of the front end in mine has about 6 "bird house" holes in the strips that could help to move hot air out from under the hood, something the originals don't have.

[J Boyle]

About power windows...

Nostalgic says they can rebuild them for "only" $60 each. Use the old housing and white plastic switches with new internals.

Not THAT bad....

Of course, now its working fine.

But I REALLY don't want to assume they always will, lest I get stuck somewhere with the window down...or get stuck on a hot day with the window up.

[Gunslinger]

About power windows...get stuck on a hot day with the window up.

Been there done that! When driving to the 1980 SDC/AOAI International meet in Gettysburg, it was 95+ degrees and humid. The temperature gauge in the '63 Avanti I owned at the time kept creeping further across the scale so I turned the a/c off. When trying to lower the power windows they didn't move! I felt like I was suffocating in the car, but fortunately I wasn't far from the meet when that occurred.

It turned out the circuit breaker for the windows was affected by the excessive underhood heat and malfunctioned. When the engine cooled the windows worked normally. It didn't take long for me to replace the breaker and relocate it under the dash...away from the engine heat. I later saw where Studebaker had put out a service bulletin to do exactly that for the same reason. My car had never received that upgrade.