RBQ 2434 Rebuild of ‘Make It’

[Gill]

I purchased 2434 in September 2008 w/ 90,527 miles from the son of the 2nd owner.  Personalized it slightly, engine clean & dress up, LED running lights, Saturn chin spoiler, new radio & speakers, power drivers door lock, iPad navigation stand, 16” Mustang wheels & other things... She won a 3rd place Bear Trophy at Gettysburg summer of 2011 & then I spun a bearing that Christmas Eve.  I have been nursing dreams of getting her back on the road over the past 10 years & 3 moves.  

Gettysburg 2011….

Last year my CEO told to ‘Make It the way I wanted or move it….’   Soooo…. last summer the engine came out… a Jasper 350 was massaged by Heard Precision Machine LLC into 383 & a requested 400 bhp…. In December engine dyno tuning at Morgan International 460.9 bhp w/ 472.1 ftlbs were realized….  When pulling the engine my mentor suggested that I move her to his compound & do a frame off… w/ great horsepower comes great stress…. especially w/ 98,799 miles on a 46 year old car….  Soooo the preamble establishes my need for help, suggestions, comments & recommendations on what I should be doing & what pitfalls I need to dig myself out of….

pictures of today….

I anticipate separating the body & frame in the next 2 weeks…. I’m still not sure what I’m putting the body on…. not even sure what it weights….  We’ll be using a 4 arm lift, windshield & rear window are removed… I believe I need to remove the doors but have seen pictures with the body lifted w/ the doors still attached….  Thoughts???

The body & frame are scheduled to be media blasted on July 8th & then the reassembly begins…. I know that I need a new trans…  a 4L65E from Bowtie Overdrives is on the wish list but…. I also know that the Dana 44 needs to be overhauled & updated to ‘posi-traction’… 

Soooo…. I’ll try to keep anyone interested updated on my progress & will definitely be listing questions…

Gill Lott

 

[Desert Driver]

Now that's a project! Keep the photos and commentary coming. And by all means, do not tell the CEO you've put a 460hp engine in that car. 

[pantera928]

Love it!

[wildfelr]

WOW that sure looks great...... and a big job ahead .... I and RQB3263 are fighting a cruise control issue  today ....may just disable it ... thoes 16 inch mustang wheels sure look good perfect proportion ..... keep up the great work and stay in touch....see pic RQB3263.... BILL in fl

[wildfelr]

RQB3263 ....81/305/700r4.... Bill in Fl ....  how about a good pic of your Saturn spoiler?...... I am working to obtain a fiberglass  (as pictured) from a gentleman who I believe has the mold or the finished part ....its a challenge no luck so far .... these are on two Florida Avanti ... I want one and will keep working on procuring one ... Keep in touch 386-466-6434 cell thanks

[Avanti83]

I'll share some suggestions based on what I did to my 74 when I added the 383/T56  and completely went through everything.

- Move battery to trunk

- Remove cowcatcher bumper - this entails keeping the rear of the bumper mount which is also the body and radiator mount

- Repair (reglass) the cowcatcher holes cut in the body and repair the grill with 1/8" stainless rod

- Add aftermarket heat/ac

- Replace radiator with aluminum unit or recore yours.

- Replace existing wiring with a complete 21 fuse setup

- Replace seats with more modern (comfortable) units

- Repair all the extraneous holes under the hood

- Rebuild the entire suspension system front and rear. I used Delrin in the A-arms and polyurethane in the sway bars.

- Replace rear end gearing to a better ratio if necessary when you add the Posi.

I can go on but these are starters for your consideration.

Here's my engine compartment.

 

[silverstude]

Take lots of pictures for the return trip

 

[Avanti83]

I'll add one more thought - pull the motor mounts off the frame and look for cracks. The SBC put a lot of stress in that area as I found when I pulled mine.

The reason some failed is Avanti Motors left the washers of the bolts

 

[Gill]

17 hours ago, Desert Driver said:

Now that's a project! Keep the photos and commentary coming. And by all means, do not tell the CEO you've put a 460hp engine in that car. 

CEO could tell that something was up with the look on my face….

[Gill]

Here’s pictures of the spoiler.   It bolted to the radiator frame w/o any problems…

[Gill]

Avanti83 - great suggestions….  & nice car!!!

the battery is already in the trunk, triple flow aluminum radiator w/ separate trans cooler & electric fan fit are on hand…. 
suspension rebuild in being negotiated as are Turner brakes, or at least his brackets… id like some multi piston calipers….  
As I gutted the interior I realized that the wiring harness needs replacement….  SuperfastMatt on uTube suggests that I can do it w/o a purchased harness…. While I see that he can, I don’t have the same skill set….  his electric steering & brake boost systems are already nipping at my wallet….
the 4 cooling holes on the fenders are going to have an LED strip behind them to light up the engine compartment… the front nerf bar will go, rear bumper will stay, front is negotiable… 

Of corse all brake & fuel lines will be replaced, fuel tank too as I’ll be using a Holley Sniper on the engine…. finding a suitable replacement has been a journey…

again thanks for the suggestions…

[Avanti83]

This is like the wiring harness I used. It's from Speedway motors and I can't buy the wire and parts for the cost of $200 or so.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/22-Circuit-Universal-Automotive-Aftermarket-Wiring-Harness-Kit,229874.html

BTW, your radiator and fan setup looks very much like the Cyclone setup in my 74. You're building a nice ride.

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Avanti83

[wildfelr]

Good morning

RQB3263..... THANKS FOR THE SPOILER PICS ....I used wire harness kit from Dolfin here in N florida ..a\on 5 other hot rods and they are idiot proof and always perfect and cheaper than Speedway/painless....all GM color coded and marked every 6 inches...

[Gill]

June Update:

the body & frame have been separated….   FYI - the parking brake cable is strong enough to lift the front end if not disconnected….
Stainless hog troughs have been ordered….  the blast man comes in two weeks so removal of fuel & brake lines, wiring & climate control systems continues…. I only hope I remember how everything goes back together…

i assume that the aluminum panel on the frame that the drill is sitting on is a shield for the cat converter…. I guess as she had true dual exhaust & no cats when I got it…

it’s obvious that all rubber needs replacement…. any good sources???    sway bar seems small….
dare I ask if wishbones, tubular or regular are available anywhere…. I once consider replacing the entire front suspension & steering but there is some discussion about keeping the Studebaker design…

& finally there is some time to enjoy occasion….

[tanda62]

Your build looks great!  I got almost all the rubber I need from Studebaker International, front and rear suspension bumpers, A arm bushings, rear spring bushings and such.  The body to frame pieces I have not been able to locate but will probably just get this (https://www.steelerubber.com/body-to-frame-webbing-20-1599-48) and cut to size. I also got larger sway bars from Studebaker International.  When installing the rear I had to bend the frame attachments for the stabilizer supports to fit correctly - see my post here - https://aoai.org/forums/topic/42740-bare-frame/

If you want to go a little off the beaten path there is this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/263096998485?hash=item3d41cd9a55:g:xhcAAMXQVERS1wza

Since you said you have considered replacing the front suspension.

Have you decided what electric steering unit you are going to use?  I am also going electric but haven't bought a unit yet.

Hope this helps,

Tom

Edited June 23, 2022 by tanda62

[pantera928]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:29 AM, wildfelr said:

RQB3263 ....81/305/700r4.... Bill in Fl ....  how about a good pic of your Saturn spoiler?...... I am working to obtain a fiberglass  (as pictured) from a gentleman who I believe has the mold or the finished part ....its a challenge no luck so far .... these are on two Florida Avanti ... I want one and will keep working on procuring one ... Keep in touch 386-466-6434 cell thanks

 

 

What Saturn used these spoilers? Do they help with anything? Amazing that they look like they fit so nicely

[Gill]

Thank you for your response & links!!!  I’ve already forwarded the chassis link to the CEO & my kids as birthday gift suggestion..  

Your project looks great & I hope you don’t mind imitation…
 

[wildfelr]

BILL RQB3263.... AWESOME BIG PROJECT...The silver/gray color is beautiful I hope you retain it it is   perfect....with the body off this is about your only opportunity to install a modern front suspension.... these opportunities are rare and you will love your Avanti even more....great keep the pics coming ... BILL

[pantera928]

5 hours ago, wildfelr said:

BILL RQB3263.... AWESOME BIG PROJECT...The silver/gray color is beautiful I hope you retain it it is   perfect....with the body off this is about your only opportunity to install a modern front suspension.... these opportunities are rare and you will love your Avanti even more....great keep the pics coming ... BILL

Bill

Define what you mean by a "modern front suspension" please

[wildfelr]

One of several aftermarket systems available for other vehicles could probably be adapted into Avanti....Mustang II  comes to mind...however...the complete front susp from Ford Crown Vic has been used by hot rodders for a long time and they bolt in to the CV ...a friend here in N Florida used it in the retro truck.... you can call SKIP WALKER 352-372-8697 for details but please keep in mind he is a very busy guy...in fact im on his waiting list for work on RQB3263   next week i hope....that is the route i would take if i was down to the bare frame and 25 yrs younger.....you all keep up the good work

[wildfelr]

well I just looked at Tanda62 ebay post..........wow and I have visited to this shop.... awesome equipment and very clean .... and 30 miles from my home.... being a long time hot rodder/fabricator/builder I dont believe you could build that chassis to that level for anywhere close to  that price ....It looks like all the Avanti 50s/60s vintage problems have been solved..... its just one big check instead of many many small ones and no labor ( or in my case injuries).....BILL RQB3263

[wildfelr]

RQB3263/81/305 ..... Well in my Sunday afternoon boredom I looked thru Ebay and this is what I found... it might be the solution to what we been discussing

keep in touch .....BILL in Fl

[pantera928]

On 6/23/2022 at 6:46 PM, pantera928 said:

What Saturn used these spoilers? Do they help with anything? Amazing that they look like they fit so nicely

No one can answer these questions?

[Avanti83]

7 minutes ago, pantera928 said:

No one can answer these questions?

Google's pretty good at that so I'm told. https://studebaker-info.org/Tech/Cooling/SOBradiator/sdc42115sobrad.html

Edited June 27, 2022 by Avanti83

[pantera928]

26 minutes ago, Avanti83 said:

Google's pretty good at that so I'm told. https://studebaker-info.org/Tech/Cooling/SOBradiator/sdc42115sobrad.html

Well, it is for some things. Thanks.

But that link still doesn't tell me if it was truly beneficial. Also, I have seen others in pictures that look like a lot better fit.

I would like to know what year cars those came on so I can search the next time i am in a junk yard