chrome bumper/stick shift

[BillyBob]

New AOAI Avanti-less member -- looking to change the Avanti-less part. Have preference for chrome-bumper standard shift car - what are pros/cons on various years? Hope to be at next month's meet in South Bend.

[ernier]

I don't think you will be faced with many choices...the 63's and 64's are only subtly different and fairly rare in the manaual versions. There will be plenty of opinions on the Avanti II but I think you will find the manual cars are limited to the early years. Good news is that the early II's are considered high quality car but I doubt you will have too many to choose from in stick shift variety.

Ernie R2 R5388

[Gunslinger]

I agree...I think the manual transmission early Avanti II's are a pretty rare commodity. Hurst didn't make their shifter for an Avanti until about '69, so earlier cars that had sticks used the standard T10 shifter that would have come on a Stude.

You can always install a 4-speed in an original automatic car, or a newer 5- or 6-speed which would make for a sweet driving car. I think the hard part would be finding the appropriate parts such as the brake and clutch pedals, linkages, etc. There's not too many of them lying about not already in use. Once you have the parts the swap wouldn't be difficult.

Avanti Motors eventually dropped the manual transmission option due to lack of sales and the expense of meeting emissions standards for sales figures in the single digit percentages. It was a basic business and economic decision.

If you can find a manual equipped Avanti II that's for sale, go for it if it's priced fairly...but don't equate rarity with necessarily having more value. That's been a discussion of its own. My opinion is there are far more Stude Avanti's with 4-speeds than Avanti II's. The Stude version is the more sporting version...the Avanti II was built and promoted more as a performance boulevard cruiser for those who wanted something different and willing to pay for it.

[SBCA96]

I have a rare Avanti 3 spd manual. Even though its so rare, I cant stand

driving it, and it will become a 6 spd T56 car (God willing). I went through

the put-in-a-700R4-phase already .. since I had everything for the swap.

Tom