New Member and Possible New Avanti 2 Owner and hog trough questions

[Gunslinger]

The original jack was the scissors type with a folding handle that fit in the space molded into the tank floor to the left of the spare tire well. A bottle jack wouldn't be right. I'm not sure where you could safely use a bottle jack on an Avanti...the ones I've seen are too tall to fit under the frame.

You can get original scissors jacks from Nostalgic Motors plus they often show up on eBay was well. My '70 came without a jack, and not being a purist, I went to Walmart and bought a GM Goodwrench scissors jack that looks nearly identical and is functionally identical for about $15.00. It's never been needed but it will do the job if needed.

[boogieman]

Thanks Gunslinger. Just as I thought, the bottle jack I have is short enough to fit under the car but subsequently

has a very short lift capacity, and a very short handle, so not very usable.

I have an old scissor jack on hand. Into the Avanti it goes.

Saw an original Avanti jack on ebay. Sold for $192.50.

I have found a 14" x 5" steel wheel to use as a spare. All I need now is a 24" to 25" tall skinny tire

so it will fit in the tire well. 14" tires are getting hard to find.

[plwindish]

The wheels are 15" so you might want to rethink the 14" wheel you have for a spare.

[boogieman]

I have the 14's. 15's around here are hard to come by. The 14's clear the brakes and all it has to do is

keep the car off the ground until I can get repairs taken care of.

And fit into the tire well.

[yogi47]

Hey boogieman,Yes I did get the Avanti and its runs great.No it did not come with a jack but I think I`ll do what gunslinger did and pick up a scissor jack at Walmart.Should be good enough.I finally joined the AOAI and waiting for my membership card.After driving the Avanti,I give it high marks as a nice handling vehicle.Really fun to drive and gets a lot of looks!Very comfortable to drive and has excellent performance.I`m going to take it out today and cruise for a while. JB

[Gunslinger]

Since spare tires are rarely used and then only in an emergency, I picked up an emergency spare tire from (I believe), a Jeep with the same bolt circle. I found it on eBay, still new in its wrapper and cost me less than $30 including shipping. This was several years ago so current prices might be different.

The tire takes up far less space in the tire well and gives plenty of room for other items as needed such as the jack. Most tires other than an original 15"x5" rim and 6.70x15 tires don't fit in the well and the spare tire cover won't latch properly so this solution works for me. If you're a purist this isn't going to work for you but I find it better than buying another Magnum 500 and 70-series tire and not be able to latch the cover down flush with the trunk floor..

[boogieman]

My point exactly Gunslinger. I want the spare to fit in the well with the lid latched.

I have a space-saver spare but the diameter is way to short for my usage.

Looking for something in the 24" to 25" diameter range.

I found that jack I referred to. It is a stand-up type, similar to a bottle type, but operates with a collapsible crank handle.

Should work in a pinch.

Great news YOGI. Mine is in the shop getting issues addressed so I can get it on the road this spring.

And yes, driving these cars invokes "the fishbowl effect" where every other car on the road gawks and stares

at what they are seeing. We can't be shy about it but must be aware of what others are doing for safety's sake.

I love it by-the-way.

[boogieman]

Post a picture if you can. We're all anxious to see your ride.

While you're at it, try to document everything you can about your car and improvements.

At least the next owner won't have to research everything possibly needed and you will know exactly what you have.

Things like parts numbers, purchase locations, dates of purchase, costs, copies of receipts, warranty info, etc.

I keep all mine in a 3 ring binder in plastic sleeves for easy reference. And in chronological order.

Guess I'm an organizational freak. Comes from my 47 years as a contractor.