Cad/Avanti!

[mfg]

The Granatellis did a great job once installing a 429 CI Cadillac V8 into a Studebaker Avanti.....but that Avanti had one major problem after the install,...and that problem was the breakage of rear axle shafts from all the extra engine torque........True?

[arkus]

false, i think it was overheating

[mfg]

false, i think it was overheating

You're 'Right on the Money' arkus!.....Apparently, overheating was chronic with this car.

[Gunslinger]

Let's see...a 429 cubic inch high compression engine replaces a 289 cubic inch engine in a vehicle already cooling challenged...plus stand the radiator vertical for clearance rather than inclined to more efficiently receive what cooling air it already gets...plus the engine torque and horsepower that requires greater cooling capacity...it seems that should have been thought about before it was done.

Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done. The car still exists and was sold within the last year I believe. It may not be practical, but it is a neat part of Avanti history with its Granatelli connection. Then again...I don't think we can say Avanti ownership is all that practical to begin with. We own and drive them because it's rolling art.

[plwindish]

The car was sold from the collection of the Chicagoland AOAI President to, I believe the buyer was from Ohio. I'm also certain the car is undergoing a restoration. It truly was a barn find last March or April when members of the Chicagoland chapter helped get 9 or 10 Avantis out of the shed they had been stored in for several years. The Granatelli car had a couple of inches of dirt and assorted animal excrement over it, sitting on flat tires. The paint was peeling off big time around the cowl area. I'm glad that its being restored.

[StudeNorm]

I believe the barn-find video is on youtube. It may not actually be of the Cad-vanti, though.