SeventhSon

Marathon! Part 3: Next, I was able to proceed with the intake installation. I cleaned it up some, cleaned the port openings and put her on! I torqued the bolts to 30 lbs., however, I had a mild hitch - one of the mounting brackets started to "fold" under the pressure. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a replacement.

Marathon! Part 2: Next I stuck the ignition shielding on the engine, just temporarily. Ever since I have had the car the stainless steel shielding has been in the car on the floor - I just wanted to see what it looks like on the engine. Pretty wild - Studebaker must have had some pretty hip engineers to think up some of the stuff they did. I imagine the stuffy technical engineers coming up with all the mechanical details ("We have to have a fuel line pressure relief on the supercharged model."), while the designers, coming back from their 3 martini lunch would say, "Man, lets cover the spark plugs and wires with stainless steel covers!" Whatever the case, it is a cool detail, I think. I hope I can get them all back on with a good fit. Another little detail popped up next, as I prepared to re-install the intake manifold I realized that I was sent the wrong intake manifold gasket. According to the shop manual the supercharged model has a small hole opening in the middle port on the gasket, instead of the full port hole. I noticed that when I removed the manifold a few months back. Now I had 2 gaskets, both with all full ports. I checked the pile of old gaskets that came with the car. Score! There was a nice, correct gasket, which meant I could proceed. Next I threw the two new oil caps on - looking good!

Marathon! Part 1: I took the day off from work today to put the big push on to get the Avanti mobile. I have decided to go ahead and proceed with the rescue as opposed to putting the car in storage for a while (was there ever any question?). I'll just have to try to keep the costs down and treat it (the cost) like a car payment, which is what it will be, an Avanti payment. I started out installing the new plugs in the head I just got back on the car. Another little task marked off the list. From there I moved on to the valve cover for the head just installed. Looks pretty nice! After that I replaced the rotor and distributor cap. The old cap was toasty, like most everything on the car, and after removal I noticed a couple of cracks in it. I was going to replace the twin set of points but after inspecting them I decided they were OK. I did clean up the lobes on the shaft and dabbed a little vaseline on them. Then I moved on to the plug wires - that's where things slowed down a bit. I was having trouble determining where wire #1 was. I finally decided it was the spot just on the right side of the distributor cap clip and went from there, using the schematic in the shop manual as a guide. Hope I got 'em right!

Thanks Dale - I'm pushing hard now, should see more progress in the coming days!

Well, finally I feel like I'm going in the right direction. Last night I re-installed the head. I figured I had enough time to get the head back on, I ended up working until the time I usually hit the sack for the night. But, it's back on and torqued down. First, I sprayed the gasket with Permatex Copper gasket sealer spray, waited a bit, then proceeded with the install. Everything seemed to go back together well, so I'm optimistic for a good result. I guess I'll have to adjust the valves, and also re-torque the head after I run the engine some. Tonight I moved forward (Avanti!) with the exhaust manifold install. Things went well, I was a bit nervous about the bolt hole that was re-tapped and the stud that I installed. But, happy to say, they held fast, especially the stud - that thing feels tight! Let's hope it all stays together. I also installed the breather tube and dipstick tube. Things are going in the right direction.

This thing of dropping the stuff in the back is something new for us, not sure if they got a new driver or what. Now I check front and back - I don't know what I'll do when they start dropping the stuff from the airplane onto the roof, though.

Last night I inspected the new wheels I just got. Very nice - just what I was looking for, a stock rim slightly wider than the original rims so they can take a wider radial tire than the narrow stock tire size. The rims had stickers on them that read, "You mount 'em, you own 'em" and "You paint 'em, you own 'em". The manufacturer advised to check the fit and clearance, so that's what I did. Everything seems to fit well. I'm glad to have them, and glad to see they are made in America. Always make me proud to see that.

Last night, since I had not yet picked up the head gasket sealer, I decided to begin the re-install of the control arms. It's getting down to crunch time - I have planned all along to move the Avanti out of the home garage and into a storage type situation. Of course, I wanted to have the car running when I did that so I could go to the storage place with my daily driver, pick up the Avanti and bring it home to work on, then return it to the storage place. Well, I don't think I'm going to meet the deadline, so now I have to decide if I just want to put the Avanti in storage for a while and maybe bring it back home this fall. Or, take it to a good shop and let them get it over the hump, get the mechanical work finished and fine tuned, get the car running, inspected, etc. I would prefer that, it will just cost more money, probably a fair amount more. So, I have a decision to make - borrow the money to get the car running and have a fair paint job put on it or store it for a while. I have 10 days or so to make the decision. So, I need to get the wheels back under this car and get her mobile, whether under her own power or push power. I began the install of the control arms on the left side last night. I'll continue tonight and get back to the head re-install in the next couple of days, since I picked up some gasket sealer today. I had a surprise this morning, last week I ordered an exhaust pipe cutter (the work never ends) from Amazon, and I kept looking out front for the package. I knew it was supposed to come last Friday. I kept looking for the package, but never saw anything. When I was getting ready to wrap up for the evening I opened the garage door to go to my truck to get the spare tire I got that day. There, behind the AC unit, was my package! UPS had never left anything in the back before - usually they drop it on the front stoop and hit the doorbell and take off. Makes me nervous because I don't usually check the back since I come in the front. Well, I was expecting another package, a can of Kroil. So, this morning, as I was backing out to go to work at 6:15 AM, I decided to run around the back to see if my can of Kroil had been left out back. Guess what I found? My wheels! 4 boxes with brand new wheels, left on the back driveway apron overnight. Thank God they weren't stolen! I'm sure my face turned white as a sheet when I saw the boxes sitting there in the dark. Jeez!

On Sunday night, since I couldn't proceed with the head re-install, I decided to see if I could get the trunk latch re-installed and working. Try to salvage the weekend and log some progress. The latch mechanism went back in with little trouble and the release cable even behaved and hooked up properly. The new handle I bought for the release cable in the passenger compartment, however, was not cooperating. It's a new handle, I'm not sure where it's made, but the set screw fits poorly and would not hold the handle on. Also, the inside of the handle, where the release cable shaft slides in, was not finished properly, with metal burrs and such interfering with the fit. I was able to clean that up, but the set screw problem was not to be corrected. So now I am experimenting with a novel way of attaching the handle: JB Weld! We'll see how that does. I took a couple of pictures of the old spare tire. That might be an interesting thing to keep around, or sell to a restaurant to hang on their wall, since they like all that old stuff hanging off the walls. They even claim the tire was "Gum-Dipped". Funny, I wonder if they really dipped them in gum?

Thanks Roger - I did contact Best Gasket and I am happy to note that they replied promptly and indicated that the side with the part # faces up. They also recommend a spray-on sealer like Permatex Copper (which I read on their website yesterday, they didn't mention which side up on the website however). I also heard from Nimesh Solanki indicating which side went up after looking at 2 pictures I sent him. Thanks to both Best Gasket and Nimesh. I don't expect a supplier to be the manufacturer as well, but I do expect a supplier to inspect what they sell and reject items that are of inferior quality. It's called treating your customer with respect and not taking them for granted. Just sayin'....

The gasket pictured above, in the first 2 pictures, is a special kevlar composite gasket made by Best Gasket Co. They make gaskets for vintage cars and sell only through specialized vendors such as Studebaker International and Dave Tbow. Dave Tbow tells me that they are great gaskets, but cannot tell me for certain which side faces up. I'm kind of disappointed in Studebaker International because the last 2 items I got from them seemed to other peoples' cast-offs. For example, this gasket arrives on a piece of plywood (which is fine, no bending) with no packaging, no wrapping, no instructions for installation (this side goes up, spray with Permatex Copper Gasket Sealer, etc.) Nothing! Nada! Zip! So, like the first disappointing item SI sent me, this is going back. The gasket in the second 2 pictures is the gasket I found in the car, a gasket comprised of two sheets of metal with a fiber type center (maybe asbestos). It definitely will lower the compression ratio on that side of the engine. I don't want that. The gasket that came off the motor is the original, correct, thin metal one. I thought that was what I would get from SI, but no. So, when I send the gasket back to SI I am going to NAPA and getting their head gasket set for $72, which includes both gaskets, all the water manifold gaskets, valve seals, etc. (I don't really need all that stuff, but I'll keep it around). But first I am going to look at it and see 1. if the gasket is correct metal, and 2. if there is "This Side Up' stamped on it, which is the way they used to do things in this country, before the children took over. Of course, none of this is going to happen until this fall, because I'm putting the car in storage until then and going out and enjoying my life. I'm tired of fighting the battles and spending the money with the victories coming few and far between, and only then with me clawing them out of the jaws of defeat. Whew! I feel better already!

Thanks Roger - I have heard the same about no sealer. I'm glad of that - still checking on which side goes up though.

The first two pictures show the new head gasket. Which side goes up? The old gasket and the gasket that was in the back seat of the car when I got it helpfully indicate "This Side Up". Pictures 3 & 4 are of the old (new) gasket that was in the back seat. Apparently the previous owner was going to do some engine work and purchased a bunch of gaskets which he never used. The old new gasket even has a price of $5.95 on it - wish I would see prices like that today. I would use that gasket but it is damaged, bent on the end (picture 4) and rust starting on the flip side. I'm happy with the new gasket, I just have to find out which side is up. Anybody know? The last few pictures show the exhaust manifold fit - looks to be some room for expansion and contraction.

Bleach - good question on that exhaust manifold. There is a little play around the holes - I'll have to check the fit on the holes I adjusted. An Avanti guy told me those manifolds will warp, go figure. Lots of little tricks on these cars. On the head gasket, I'm thinking it's going on "dry", but I'm going to check into a little more. Thanks for the info.

It matches the old gasket as far as all the openings and stuff, and it came from Studebaker International. It's just a different material. I will ask Nimesh, he'll know for sure.

Well, finally got back to the computer. I sort of overslept this morning, which set the pace for the whole day. One step behind. But I recovered and was able to get some things accomplished. Last night I took a good look at the head. Whew, those rusted bolts sure took a toll - like everything in life it would be good to know then what I know now. If I knew then what I know now I would have drilled 2 small holes at a diagonal above each rusted bolt stud, intersecting the bolt. I would have the dripped or sprayed Kroil into each hole repeatedly for a week. Then I would have tried the extraction. Oh well, it's done now and hopefully I am on the other side of it. After examining the damage I proceeded with the plan the machinist had laid out - screw the stud in tight, making sure not to enter the head bolt channel (no worry there, the stud wouldn't go that far). Then I filled the damaged area around the stud with JB Weld (how did I live without that stuff before?). Then I put it to bed. Tonight I filed the excess JB Weld down flat across the exhaust port, then began the process of fitting the exhaust manifold. Because the stud was basically beside the old bolt location I had to file the exhaust manifold holes on that right end. A little from the top hole, a little from the bottom hole. I kept filing and checking until the manifold fit, with all bolts installed. Halfway there. Now I have to re-install the head and move forward. Speaking of re-installing the head, in the Avanti manual they say to apply "Perfect Seal" gasket sealer. I'm sure they don't make that anymore, however, I never used any type of sealer on a head gasket. Anybody out there use a sealer on a head gasket? I received the new gasket on Friday from Studebaker International - it's not metal like the old one, sort of cardboard like. I'll have to research more before I proceed. The last pictures are the block cleaned up for head install and the new spare tire I got on Friday.

Hmmm, I wonder if anyone out there would want it. The wheel is way rusty, but the tire looks to be an original bias ply Firestone. The tread looks like it maybe has not seen the pavement. I'll take a closer look this weekend. Tonight I started working on the head - I'll post some pictures in the morning. For now, time to rest.

Thank you John - the help you have provided along the way is immeasurable. I will order that book today. Who knew someone may want the spare tire? I will keep it around in case anybody wants it. Enjoy your trip John and Alice!

Hmmm...the things you find out. I need to get a copy of that book! Where did you get that, by the way? Well, I try to do something every day on the Avanti. If time is limited I try to pick one of the thousand things that need to be done that may take a little time. Of course, it usually takes a longer amount of time. I didn't have a lot of time tonight so I decided to work on the trunk latch that was all frozen stuck with rust and crud. I removed the trunk latch a couple of weeks ago when I pulled the new release cable in through the passenger compartment. It was bad, frozen stuck and basically petrified. So, I attacked it with wire brushes and Liquid Wrench. Scraped, brushed, and sprayed. Worked the release mechanism. Sprayed more, worked the mechanism more, Slowly it thawed out from its long rusty freeze. Now it works smoothly! Hooray! I also looked over the wheels on the car in order to pick one for the spare. I thought the one in the trunk might work, but upon closer inspection I found it to be the least desirable option. Rust had attacked it mercilessly - it will find a new home at the scrap yard. The wheels on the rear of the car are rust bombed also. So, it falls to one of the front wheels, I picked one and put it in the truck to take to the tire shop tomorrow for a new tire. I'll just get the cheapest radial 205/75/15 they have - just for use as a spare. The rest of the wheels are heading to the scrap yard once I get four new wheels made for radials. Note the old bias ply tire on the original spare. Probably the tire that came with the car.

With John's helpful picture I was able to continue the install last night of the brake booster unit. After that I proceeded with installing the master cylinder. I got a new brake light switch last week, which I installed too. The lead wires for the stop light switch are in need of help (imagine) - I'll have to address that. The wires are half broken off, probably going to have to snip them off and install new connectors so we have a nice connection.

Thanks John - that's exactly what I was looking for! That's the way I have mine, I left the nuts loose until I found out how it went. Now I can just tighten them down and not have to switch the plate around.

I made the trip to Falls Church yesterday at lunch for the second day in a row. I went to the machine shop to see how things went with the exhaust bolt extraction. The bolts were out - they gave a good fight but lost in the end. However, the head suffered some collateral damage and "adjustments" will have to be made in the mounting of the exhaust manifold. The machinist recommends using a stud at the point where the most drilling took place - I may have to adjust the manifold bolt hole some to get a fit. I will also fill in the gaping maw where all the damage was incurred - probably with ThermoSteel or Permatex Hi-Temp epoxy. The machinist was talking about keeping it and the new manifold and making everything pretty - I saw dollars with wings flying out of my wallet, so I said I would take it from here. Plus, if I have to make the trip for a third time I will check myself into an insane asylum. I was already in it for too much and the bolts were out - that's what I needed. I will post some pictures in the next couple of days when I prepare the head for re-install. Last night I installed the re-plated valve cover on the left side. It's about as good a re-chrome job as could be expected on such a rusty piece. It's fine for a driver - probably get some points deducted in the Concours though. I also started installing the re-built power booster but held off because there is a plate that fits on the back of the unit and I'm not sure which way that goes (it has a little cutout on one side, does that go up or down?) I want to find out before I go ahead with the install.

Man, you aren't kidding about an onslaught! Jeez - I've never worked on a car with so many frozen bolts! I've spent a fair amount of money just on extraction tools and such. Didn't really expect that...thanks for the encouragement, it's good to have the support of other Avanti people, especially when they're your own brother!

Thanks big bro' - I hope you don't get disappointed in me if I throw this head right back on. I think the engine is a real "mail hauler" already, from what I heard and what the guys in Texas told me. I think they were being truthful when they told me the car will fly. I hope to find out soon - hehehe....I'm not gonna do anything stupid, but I would like to see how she runs. I took the head to the machine shop today and asked about getting the 2 broken off bolts out. The guy asked me, "Have we had any help?", meaning, did I mess it up first? Haha - I guess they get that a lot. He kind of dissuaded me from grinding the valves - he said on the old motors the lead in the gas from old days actually protects the valve seats, and if you grind that off you start getting deterioration on the seats. Made sense to me. Maybe he didn't want to mess with it. Anyway, I couldn't get a firm price or finish date from him, so I said thanks and left. Twenty minutes later I was at another machine shop dropping the head off - just get the bolts out and fix up this torn up spot. The machinist said he would do what he could, "It wouldn't be pretty, though." OK - I can deal with ugly, as long as it works. He called me a few hours later and said to bring the exhaust manifold by (I ASKED him if I should leave it with him). He says he got everything fixed up - might have to adjust the manifold bolt hole though. Arrrrggggghhh, a brand new manifold! He said it was better than a brand new head. I couldn't argue with him. I'll know more tomorrow - it was too late when he called for me to make the trip to his shop. Tonight I installed the left side down pipe - it's so nice to have new studs and nuts and gaskets and pipes. New is the way to go! Last picture shows the divot I put in the head bolt.

Thanks Roger - I think I'll replace the head gasket with a like kind thin one. Keep it the same as the other side. I'll look around for bolts - I used to have access to lots of those, but they're gone now. Ah well, makes it interesting....