new 63 R2 ownee with questions

[tsterkel]

new 63 R2 ownee with Questions.

I am finally the happy ownee for a 63 R2. I just finished driving it from Seattle to North Texas tonight, 2200 miles. It took the first 1000 miles using Chevron Techron Supreme and 3 bottles of "concentrated" cleaner to get it run well. (It also took that long for Wally-world to get the tire balance right.) I have many questions, I am drive a 5 speed turbo VW, and see many differences. To start:

Here is the cruising guage readings.

Vacuum 10 PSI

Oil pressure 50P

Amps ~1

Temp ~215.

very different than my VW. If I had these on the VW, I would have stopped at the first VW dealer.

Question is:

1. are these ok?

2. if not, what is ok and optimal?

3. if not, what needs to checked/fixed?

thanks!

terry

[SBCA96]

new 63 R2 ownee with Questions.

Here is the cruising guage readings. 

Vacuum 10 PSI

Oil pressure 50P

Amps ~1

Temp ~215.

very different than my VW.  If I had these on the VW, I would have stopped at the first VW dealer.

Question is:

1. are these ok?

2. if not, what is ok and optimal?

3. if not, what needs to checked/fixed?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The oil pressure looks about right, the vacuum I never paid attention too, the temp

is "OK" but getting high. I would suggest checking the coolant level and color. If

its brown, then get a back flush done. Could also be a worn out viscus fan. Amps

are not important really, check the voltage with a volt meter, should be about 13.6

to 14.6 volts. I would rather see the temp around 180.

Tom

[Guest DRN]

The previous owner of my R2 had an auxilary fan installed on the front of the radiator which can be turned on with a toggle switch under the dash. It forces air toward the radiator. My car hovers around 180-185 normally, but will climb quickly to over 200 on a summer day when stuck in traffic. Turning on the aux. fan will keep the temperature below 200 until I can get the car out in the open, where it will cool on its own.

Might be something to consider.

Oil pressure on my car varies with RPM, but seems to stay between 40 and 45 psi.

AMPs vary depending on how long the car has been running or what is turned on. When the needle swayed like a metronome, I found that the alternator needed service.

Hope you enjoy your Avanti as much as I enjoy mine. I've had mine for 3 years and find it fun and empowering to drive and tinker with (it is a much simpler machine than a new car and I can actually do some of the maintenance myself) Despite its age, it turns as many heads and gets as many compliments as the Lotus I sold to buy it!

[dadavanti]

As far as the coolant temp, I recently rebuilt an R1 engine that had previously had a cooling problem. One thing to make sure from the outset is that the water pump is a genuine Avanti water pump. A water pump for a Studebaker V-8 won't do. Some people will replace the pump on an Avanti with the standard Studebaker V-8 pump, without realizing that there is a difference. I found that out because the R1 I worked on had that issue. The Avanti pump has four metal ribs (pointing out from the center, splitting the circular pump at 90 degree sections--if that makes any sense) on it, whereas a standard Studebaker V-8 pump does not have the ribs. Make sure you have the proper thermostat and that it works. Also, if you shut the car off and the fan blade continues to spin more than a few rotations, it is time to change the viscous fan clutch. I put a new vicous fan clutch on and now the Avanti will idle all day and not go about 200 degrees. You can get a new viscous fan clutch for about $65 and changing it probably takes about thirty minutes or so. I hope that helps.