My 1965 Avanti II VIN 0021 4 Spd, A/C

[Dagoneit]

I recently acquired a 1965 Built Avanti II which is COMPLETELY  original and has been stored and undriven for about 30 years.  The VIN plate on the door jamb shows Serial No RQA 002I ( Alpha I ).  It's a 327/250HP (Code TI227R),  4 Speed Manual Car with Factory A/C, PW, Tilt Wheel and Posi Traction. Only 46K One OWNER miles.  I have the Original  1967 Title. It will be offered for sale soon on Ebay once I do some needed cleaning and lubrication.  Thanks in advance for any constructive help. I can be reached at 443.370.6212 should anyone have a serious interest in this car before it goes on Ebay. -DG

Edited December 1, 2018 by Dagoneit
Additional info added.

[Gunslinger]

Studebaker used an "I" for "1".  Avanti Motors simply following the routine.  

[mfg]

Sounds like an INTERESTING Avanti ll!

[studegary]

I believe that RQA 0021 is a 1965 model.  It was probably first registered/titled in the 1967 model year.  As stated, Studebaker used an upper case I for a 1 (one).  Avanti just followed this system for S/Ns.  It has to be one of the first Avanti IIs with a four speed.  The "build sheet" (production order) was not in the car, but is available.  Welcome to the AOAI Forum and Avanti ownership!  What part of the country (assuming that you are in the USA) are you in?  

EDIT: In case the above does not now make sense to you -  This thread originally had 1967 as the model year.  After my post, it was changed to 1965.

Edited December 1, 2018 by studegary

[Dagoneit]

 I am in Maryland near BWI AIRPORT in Baltimore.  I acquired the car a few months ago from the Estate of the Original Owner. Car had been stored for about 3 decades in a dry, heated attached garage. Interior (except carpet) looks almost new. Everything is OEM Original especially the 327/300 Corvette motor and T10 four speed with Hurst Shifter. I have over 40 years experience in Corvette restoration and motorcycle fabrication. Before I become too attached to the car I will put it for sale on ebay with an unrealistic Buy It Now price just to stimulate the offers. I will be offering it in one of many ways: Asis, with the engine running, as a unrestored "Driver"  or as a Semi-Restored car. Buyer can buy the car and choose me to do some or all of the work. If the bids don't get high enough, I will get it running and just drive it at local Hot Rod meets. I can be reached at 443.370.6212 Dale G.

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Dagoneit
Misspelling

[Avanti83]

Welcome aboard.

As the owner of one of the last 4-speed Avanti's in this body style 1974 (RQB2123) I'm looking forward to your posts and how the Avanti progresses. Mine is currently a much modified 383 SBC powered six speed because the ones from the 70's just don't hold much value when they are in below average condition as mine was when I purchased it.

With your's being an early version and in better condition although it does need some repair from the picture my interest is piqued.

Great cars at shows with a decent amount of parts availability to bring them back. 

Avanti, Bob

Edited November 29, 2018 by Avanti83

[mfg]

By the way, I believe that Avanti Motors called the fabric material (& color) on your seats and door panels "VIKING CITREON" ( I owned an Avanti with ALL fabric seats like that!)

[Dagoneit]

Thanks much for your info. Glad to hear that they used the same materials in more than one car. 

[silverstude]

Does it have a Body Tag near the passenger side hood latch with the number RQ-4397?  thx

 

[Dagoneit]

It does. How did you know that and what does it mean ?

[NHcamper]

Is that tag a Studebaker tag? Is this a car that was bought by Avanti motors and retrofitted to be a ll, but started out as a Studebaker before they pulled the plug?

[Dagoneit]

From what I hear, and of course info is not guaranteed, having the tag shown above on the right front inside the hood above the wheel well, IT WAS  a Studebaker refitted as one of the first Avanti IIs to become built especially with the 4 Speed, A/C, PW, PB, Tilt Wheel and Posi Traction. The person who contacted me before you somehow knew that number. He has yet to respond back to me. Ahh, the mystery continues.....

[Dagoneit]

Found the Engine Code onthe Right Front Block tab: TI227R. Can anyone decipher this for me plz ?

[studegary]

I am far from expert on Chevrolet engines, but I believe that it is the following; T is the engine plant, Tonawanda, NY; the next four is the date of manufacture, Dec. 27; the suffix R is replacement or crate engine.  

[silverstude]

(AFAIK) The body tag only means it was a Studebaker built body.  There were a few bodies left over when Studebaker quit the manufacturing process and they were packaged  with the deal Newman & Altman made with the Corporation.   After that, N&A built their own bodies and got better at it than Studebaker ever was....

[studegary]

48 minutes ago, silverstude said:

(AFAIK) The body tag only means it was a Studebaker built body.  There were a few bodies left over when Studebaker quit the manufacturing process and they were packaged  with the deal Newman & Altman made with the Corporation.   After that, N&A built their own bodies and got better at it than Studebaker ever was....

This is true, but to be fair, the body build went from factory production of thousands per year to a shop hand building a couple of hundred per year.

[Gunslinger]

That's a Molded Fiberglass built body.  Studebaker built bodies started at RQ 5000.  Molded Fiberglass had something like 150 or more Avanti bodies left over with the cancellation of the contract by Studebaker.  They were more than happy to work with Avanti Motors in supplying them with bodies.  Avanti Motors eventually just purchased the body panels from MFG and assembled the bodies themselves.  

Being such an early Avanti II if one looks inside the front fender wells you should ba able to see the seams where the filler pieces are installed.  

[Dagoneit]

Thanks Everyone for your input. I will have the car on Ebay before Christmas with No Reserve. I will also have a short walk around video to include the undercarriage on Youtube. You can just search for "1965 Avanti in Baltimore" to find it. Thanks again. 

[Jim78]

11 hours ago, Gunslinger said:

Being such an early Avanti II if one looks inside the front fender wells you should ba able to see the seams where the filler pieces are installed.  

I don't know when the change from "filler panel"  fenders to the later modified arch fenders was made, but my '78 has a filler panel on the right fender, but not on the left. 

[Gunslinger]

My '70 had a filler panel on one side but not the other when I first bought it as well.  From the paperwork that came with the car and some poor repairs done underneath I figured it was due to damage done over the years and replacement parts.

At what point a new fender without the need for a filler piece began being used I don't know but it would certainly have to have been after the leftover Studebaker Avanti bodies received from MFG were used up as they were complete bodies.  I would surmise Nate Altman would have had the new fender design being worked on as the original bodies were still being used up to transition into MFG supplying individual body panels rather than completed bodies.

Edited December 2, 2018 by Gunslinger

[Gunslinger]

Body number tags were discontinued beginning with RQB1516.  That could possibly coincide with Avanti Motors assembling the Avanti bodies themselves with individual parts supplied by MFG.  It's also possible that's when the supply of leftover  Studebaker Avanti bodies ran out.  If so, that means there were many more than the 150 or so leftover bodies I had read were leftover with the cancellation of the Studebaker contract.  I guess just another of the many urban myths about the Avanti...it seems that many things that were always taken as fact simply aren't.  We'll probably never know all the facts without some documentation being discovered that was previously unaccounted for.

[studegary]

20 minutes ago, Gunslinger said:

Body number tags were discontinued beginning with RQB1516.  That could possibly coincide with Avanti Motors assembling the Avanti bodies themselves with individual parts supplied by MFG.  It's also possible that's when the supply of leftover  Studebaker Avanti bodies ran out.  If so, that means there were many more than the 150 or so leftover bodies I had read were leftover with the cancellation of the Studebaker contract.  I guess just another of the many urban myths about the Avanti...it seems that many things that were always taken as fact simply aren't.  We'll probably never know all the facts without some documentation being discovered that was previously unaccounted for.

That would be 437 into Avanti II production that had body tags, by my numbers and calculations.  Some may have thought that meant 1515 into production on Avanti IIs (I know that is not what you said.).  I believe that N&A had bodies built by MFG for a period after the preassembled bodies were used up in order to get themselves in a position to build the complete body.  

[Dagoneit]

Thanks much.

[studegary]

Perhaps the moderator could move this thread to proper section now that the OP has changed the year of his Avanti from 1967 to 1965.   

EDIT:  I now notice that there is no proper section.  Why are not 1965 Avantis included in the choices?.  I guess that this is sort of balanced by including 2000 when no 2000 model Avantis were built.

Edited December 2, 2018 by studegary

[Gunslinger]

4 hours ago, studegary said:

That would be 437 into Avanti II production that had body tags, by my numbers and calculations.  Some may have thought that meant 1515 into production on Avanti IIs (I know that is not what you said.).  I believe that N&A had bodies built by MFG for a period after the preassembled bodies were used up in order to get themselves in a position to build the complete body.  

I thought that could be the case as well...Avanti Motors would need a certain period to tool up and get practiced in assembling bodies.  They may have already had the Studebaker tooling and fixtures to do so as the sale of everything Avanti presumably would have included such items.  Payroll costs for having in-house people to assemble bodies must have been cheaper than paying MFG to do so plus transporting completed bodies to South Bend.  Some of Avanti Motors's employees may well have been making Avanti bodies for Studebaker before the shutdown.  Stocking fiberglass panels would take up less storage area than completed bodies and probably be far less susceptible to damage.

RQA cars ran from RQA0001 to somewhere over the RQA0400 range or so...and RQB cars started at RQB1500 though there are some discrepancies...serial numbers skipped and not used and numbers outside the accepted ranges so it's difficult to know exactly how many were built if you go strictly by serial numbers.

Edited December 2, 2018 by Gunslinger