Colorado Springs Avanti Service?

[BillCA63R1]

Very shortly after a complete engine and transmission overhaul I will be driving my '63 Avanti from Southern Californai to Colorado Springs for the International Meet. Can anyone recommend a shop there with some Avanti/Studebaker experience that I could use for an oil change and "check up" prior to the drive home?

Thanks in Advance,

Bill Ruttan

Palm Springs, CA

Email: Roverbill@aol.com

[Gunslinger]

While I understand the desire, the Avanti is nothing special mechanically...old school maybe...but still pretty standard stuff. An oil change is an oil change...use quality oil with ZDDP or a container of STP or similar added with fresh oil. The oil filter is a commonly found application...used by GM in the '60s and '70s (with the exception of Chevrolet).

Have the shop manual with you to show the locations of all the grease fittings...there's a number of them and lubrication is very important on that car.

Specs are all in the shop manual as well as the owners handbook...spark plugs, point gap and dwell setting, timing specs, etc. Ignition points are the same as Mopar Hemi applications of the era.

I would say that any shop manager that looks at the car and says "Well...I don't know..."...I would go elsewhere. That hesitation means he's unsure of the capabilities of his techs. It's a car...a beautiful and somewhat exotic looking car...but nothing special mechanically to scare off a competent shop.

One other thing to keep in mind...you're going to an altitude of 6000 feet and higher. That will affect your carburetor's running...maybe very noticeably for the worse. You might look into having the carb adjusted for high altitude running before you go and have it readjusted upon your return.

[Guest dapy]

Bill,

Might I suggest a shake down cruise before you launch for the Springs...couple of hundred miles should uncover any squawks. When I had my engine and Paxton overhauled the repairer/rebuilder wanted me back in a month or 1000 miles. In 1963-64 there was SOP for a new engine break in.

[BillCA63R1]

I too had planned on some 'shake down' miles beforehand, but, as these things will, the project has slipped a month later than planned!

Bill

[plwindish]

I could have used an Avanti specific shop. After a trouble free 1100 mile trip to Colorado Springs and 4 trouble free days just driving around the meet hotel, I filled up with Shell 87 regular(not the E 85) and had coughing, sputtering and backfiring 9.5 miles after the fill up. Two flatbed tows to two different shops on 7/4 and 7/5 saw the MSD distributor cap and rotor replaced at the first shop(AAA approved and recommended). I picked up the car, driving to the hotel and back, with backfiring completely blowing apart two brand new mufflers installed before driving to Colorado Springs. The trip to the 2nd shop,same ownership, but open on Saturday, found the spark plug wires shorting out under load, along with some of the plugs shorting. A new set of wires, asbestos boots on the plug ends, and new plugs installed, the shop declares the car is running like a "scalded dog". The mechanic felt heat from the headers and the wires being encased in the metal ignition enclosure caused the wires to break down. 2 1/2 years and 12,000 miles on the wires and plugs. Mufflers will need to be addressed after transporting the car back to to Chicago sometime next week as Midas out there had no such animal as the stock number of the Midas mufflers installed in my home town near Chicago on 6/27. Today's mechanics need the onboard diagnostic systems to help them fix cars. An older mechanic at the 2nd shop could work on the SBC 400 without the aid of computer diagnostics. I'm still scratching my head and emptying my wallet over the whole thing.

[Guest dapy]

Bill,

Bad gas or a confluence of bad luck?

[BillCA63R1]

Our Avanti never made it out of the automatic transmission shop in California, so my wife and I drove a different car to Colorado Springs to take attend the meeting. It was fun to be there but would have been even better in our own Avanti! Not sure if/when we will be "in range" of another AOAI meeting to drive our car to...

Bill

[plwindish]

My issues seem to be the confluence of bad luck. The car got finished on Thursday and will be picked up this Wednesday and hopefully get back to me by the weekend.