Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[trimacar]

Hi - no, not that car on the half and half, it was a larger sedan...I think I'll ask on a separate thread...

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, September 16th. Greg is making great progress, but he only has a few more days until he leaves on vacation to Idaho and then to Hershey. So things will slow down quite a bit on this little blog for sure.

Here is Greg's report. "First thing I did was bolt up the fan to it's hub, then the fan assembly through the pulley to the waterpump. Snugged the belt.

Got the exhaust system off the floor. I'm replacing the new manifold gaskets (since the dyno experience) and while I wait for them I managed to get the exhaust system off the floor and back on the car. Everything is loose for now.

In order to get the left side exhaust manifold in place I had to take the starter back down for clearance, then heave it back in place. One inlet manifold bolt and clamp still eluded me. I had it in my hand the other day and as Ham Dyer would say ..."The little people got it". Had a NOS clamp which was pressed into service and a new bolt from ACE Hardware (buried under the carb enclosure, can't see the improper bolt marking). This will certainly bring the original bolt and clamp out of hiding.

With the inlet manifold tightened I was able to secure the enclosure base and carburetor.

I'm probably getting enough together to call for scribbling down a hit list of things yet to do. There's still a lot just to get it to start up. No time to hurry and forget something important.

And I'll be leaving this coming Monday for a trip to Idaho to oversee how things are coming in the Peerless restoration department and see the Matheson car I'm helping with. Time is sure a scarce commodity around here.

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, but PM. Had a few hours to work on the Avanti hood.

Ugh! It was covered in an asphalt type adhesive, which was the devil to get off. Finally had to resort to kerosene and then Goof Off to get the junk all off. This took me four hours of grinding, scraping, melting, and finally scrubbing with soap and water.

Looks pretty good, but I still have about a hours work to finish it. Then I will put on a couple of coats of flat black to pretty it up. I think it will look a lot better. Here are a couple of before and after pics.

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday PM, September 17th. The Avanti hood is done. All ready to go back on the car tomorrow. We need three people to mount the hood so have to get a neighbor over for some help. Here is the before and after. Came out good. Only put on one light coat as when the car is repainted it will be taken off again and painted the body color.

Oh, the Kubota tractor blew another hydraulic line for the loader. So took off all four to have new hoses built. Get them back on Monday.

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, September 18th. Well, with the help of Alice and a couple of friends, we were able to get the hood back on the body and almost aligned correctly. But it is low in the front by at least a quarter of an inch or so. Now I know why those shims and washers were under the hood brackets. I do not want to use washers so I am going to order a body shim kit, which will allow me to insert the shims without removing the bolts. Here is a pic of the hood back on the car.

And we went to a farm party this afternoon about two miles from our little farm. We were sitting down to eat and a small, older car pulled into the pasture. Boy was I surprised. It was a 1928 Bugatti, Type 44. Darn, and I left my camera at home. Here is a pic of what it looked like from the www. This car was all a light gray including the fenders, and it had black wire wheels, a red leather interior, and wooden dash.

The owner lives about three miles from us. Who knew. He told me that he bought the car sight unseen from a dealer in Europe. When it arrived it was crated in a big box. It was complete, but was in terrible shape. It started and then froze up. He said that it was forty-six years before he heard that engine again. A very nice car. It has been redone, but not to a number 1 condition in my opinion, but it is certainly a high 2.

[trimacar]

Hey John-- that makes me wonder...there was a small shop here in Winchester, owner/operator and he was "retired," one day a couple years ago I brought in my Cord generator to have checked out. He told me that this must be the week for oddballs, he had just had to check out a Bugatti generator.....I thought he had dreamed it, but could be.....

[trimacar]

Oh, I forgot to state, John lives about 30 miles from me, so the connection is close....

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, September 22nd. Took the Avanti to Greg's on Sunday. He was hosting the Frederick, MD AACA club at the Wright Experience. Greg gave a Wright Brothers history lesson and a tour of the facilities. Three Wright replicas were in the hanger, what a sight to see. Then we all headed off to the Flying Circus for a car show. The Avanti ran great.

I have ordered shims for the hood of the Avanti, they should be in this week. We will see if we can get the hood even with the body. There is a good drop on both sides, maybe a 1/4 of an inch.

Yesterday, we spent replacing HVAC duct work under the house. Two more days to go or maybe a bit more. Why? Some critter decided to live in them for a while, pee and poop all over the place. We were blaming the cats for the smell. We found the entrance point and have sealed that up so hopefully we will not have any more problems once we are done.

Greg is in Idaho. So no report from him. Going to be a slow couple of weeks.

[Guest BobSpin]

I am new to the AACA, but have been following your thread with great interest for some time. About 5 months ago I picked up a 63 R1 that has been sitting in a garage since 1969. In the mid-80s the owner apparently decided to restore it and pulled everthing out of the engine compartment, had the car repainted, rebuilt the engine and passed away. So the car sat for more years. I bumped into it and bought it. Overall the car is in very good shape. The body is perfect, hog troughs as if they are new. Interior needs some work from sitting so long. Biggest problem is that parts were lost in the 31 years the car sat - probably most of them since the engine was pulled. Having a heck of a time finding some parts, but reading your experience helps keep me looking.

[unimogjohn]

Bob, congratulation on your find. You will have to post some pics for us to see.

My suggestion is to get yourself a parts book for the Avanti, and then you can discover what you are missing. Most, if not all parts, are still available from several vendors. And there are a few folks dealing with used parts also. I have not had any problems finding parts, or rebuilding services. The parts book is available in hardcopy or CD. Here is the CD version on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=220520011437

The forum over on Turning Wheels has been of great help too. You might want to join that group also. Studebaker Drivers Club Forum

It would be great for you to start a new thread/topic on this site of your work. We would all like to see it.

And if you would post what you are looking for, we can offer suggestions on where to get the parts.

Good luck on your restoration. The Avanti is a great car, you will really enjoy her when she is running.

Edited September 27, 2010 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[Guest BobSpin]

Thank you, I will start a post. I have the Parts Catalog and the Shop Manual. My biggest problem is that I will look for a part, such as the thermostat sending unit plate. The exploded view in the catalog doesn't include that part - example the catalog lists the sending unit as 102-33 and the gasket as 102-34 but there is no part in the description section by those part numbers. I wasn't really sure what went there, so I found a reference for a gasket and then emailed Dave T. Now I know what goes there, but it would sure be nice to have a better listing/image of the parts.

[unimogjohn]

Bob, now I understand. Isn't the search and investigation fun? You will get there. Look forward to your posts. I am sure that Greg and I will be following you every day.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday PM, October 3rd. Well hi everyone.

As you know, Greg has been gone, and I have busy driving our Avanti. We have taken her out for run almost every day. Every day she get quicker and quicker. She is a joy to drive. I have bought some shims for the hood, but they have not arrived yet. I hope to have the hood adjusted soon. Greg and I are both heading to Hershey, PA for the annual AACA show. So this just might be our last post for another week or so.

But here is Greg's report and pics.

"Have returned from the trip to Idaho and the open range. Great trip. By the way, it takes 12 tons to cold set a 3/8" steel rivet.

As I begin to catch up on old business, I did find some time today to pet the Avanti. My hit list of things to do to get the engine running is a few items shorter.

Decided on break-in oil. I had some left over Quaker State 30 HD API-SL in the trunk. So I split up a container of ZDDPlus among them by adding to each quart and shook them up. The oil filter was filled and installed then the rest went in the crankcase. I also made a tool to prime the system. I will spin it with a cordless drill.

Think I'll also use a gauge under the hood so I can monitor it while I hand throttle it during its first half hour or so of running. And I'll use a dwell/tach for measuring the rpm. This oil won't be in there long. Then I'll have to decide what to use for daily service.

I also used a borrowed mower battery to energize the rear mounted Stewart Warner fuel pump. Ran some fuel into a bucket to see what was in it. Glad to see it wasn't very dirty. Chose to use a clear inline fuel filter and new hoses. Fuel system checked tight and is ready.

Now I must decide on what to do for a 3EE battery. Lots of chatter about which brand to use, and I'm wondering whether to wait until spring to get one. Otherwise, I might look into new battery cables tomorrow.

But the time to devote to 'Ol Seabiscuit will now have to be shared with other projects. Too many projects, too little time."

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, October 5th. We have folks coming in today for our annual migration to Hershey, PA on Thursday. I will give a couple of reports from there. Hope to find some spares for the Avanti. I am still waiting on the shims for the hood.

But Greg is back and continues to press ahead. He is leaving for Hershey tomorrow/Wednesday. Here is his Monday report.

"During lunch I picked up two new cables for the battery and one for the starter.

Talked to the guy at the auto parts store about the 3EE battery. He could have had one for me by quitting time, but he didn't see the wisdom in buying one to let it sit while on the warranty clock. So this evening I borrowed the battery from the lawn mower to check out the cable installation.

I also made a quick and dirty remote start switch. With everything connected I was able to crank it over. I also found a gauge to monitor the oil pressure without looking at the instrument panel. Next will be the ignition installation.

Tomorrow I'll be watching the weather to determine what my Hershey swap meet schedule will be. Might be heading out as soon as Wednesday."

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, October 12th. We are in Asheville, NC. Still on an extended vacation with friends. Saw a great little car collection yesterday. Took lots of pics and will post a few in a day or so. Hershey was great, bought a few things, but nothing for the Avanti. Weather was perfect, and the place was packed with people. Lots of cars available for sale.

Saw Greg a couple of days ago and dropped off a battery. He is putting it to good use. Here is his report.

"Well it's been a while. Trip to the Baldwin Ranch, back in time for Hershey. Back from Hershey, now it's time to resume work.

The Studie has been almost ready to start. But wouldn't. Couldn't get fire to the spark plugs. Had spark from the coil but the plug wires wouldn't . No matter what I tried. Very frustrating because the distributor worked well when at the dyno shop. I'd just pulled it out of the block and laid it aside. (That's when I tried the Schieffer magneto.)

Worked with troubleshooting for a day or two. Tonight I mounted the distributor in the lathe as a test stand and finally found the source of the trouble. Evidently a failing new condenser. Swapped it with the old one I had replaced and good spark was had by all.

I just stuck the unit back in the car, hot wired the ignition and it lit right off.

This car has more gremilins than we've got stinkbugs.

It ran long enough for me to see 50 lbs of oil pressure on my gauge, and I pulled the life support plug. Tomorrow evening I'll add coolant and put some time on it at suitable RPM.

Hershey was great. Glad to see a lot of my friends from the contact list. Sorry I couldn't spend more time with them, and sorry I missed some altogether.

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday PM, October 13th. Just arrived home from Asheville, NC. Spent the entire day yesterday at the Biltmore estate. What a grand home.

In the meantime Greg has been busy. Here is his report.

"Old friend Bob Metz, automotive authority who began with MoPars and since has devoted himself to owning and teaching racing tactics in the Lotus marque, has finally achieved his lifelong dream of working on a Studebaker.

During his visit this afternoon we installed some hoses, clamps, and coolant. Then after the exhaust downpipes were secured, we put some time on the engine. Brought it up to temperature for a while at good RPM. Maybe tomorrow after it has cooled I will retorque head bolts, chase some water leaks and then reinstall the blower, etc.

Sure nice to hear it again."

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, October 14th.

Here is Greg's report: "With many directions in which I need to proceed, during lunch I removed the brackets and things in the way for retorquing the Stude cylinder heads. After work the torque wrench was put to use.

Then I clocked in on the Matheson engine job. Pics of stripping the paint from the cast aluminum oil pan. The pan weighs in at 23 pounds."

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, October 15th. Company is leaving today, and so our travelling and tours have come to an end. Now I can get back to work in getting ready for winter.

After last years snow storm and week long power outage we decided to buy a whole house 20KW generator. So it will be shipped next week. I am building a pad on the side of the house to place it. Will keep you posted on that little project.

Greg continues to work on his projects in earnest. Here is his report from last night.

" Found time to readjust the Studebaker valves. And being the curious type, removed the oil filter even though it only has about fifteen minutes in service. I cut the filter open to inspect the paper element for debris. It looked ok. Next I think I'll drop the oil and replace it with fresh. Suffering through that wiped cam has me scared to death.

And on the Matheson engine front..... I've begun stripping the crankcase with paint remover. This to remove paint from the outside and any accumulated grime on the inside. First application tonight, will hit it one more time before I begin surface finishing the exterior."

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, October 16th. Got the shims today to adjust the hood on the Avanti. I raised the hood by 1/4 inch, but it really did not have an effect on the overall height of the hood. I must be doing something wrong, so going to drag out the manual to see what it says.

But I did find the time to upload my Hershey, PA and Asheville, NC car pictures. They are at Picasa Web Albums - John and Alice - Hershey, PA a...

I will post a few here also.

[Guest festanley]

John,

What's the story on the Matheson? They are very interesting car and quite rare.

Alan

[unimogjohn]

Alan, I do not know too much, but here is what I know. The Matheson is being restored. The body is being done in Oregon and is about done. Greg is going over the engine. He told me that it had been rebuilt, but the owner wanted Greg to completely go through it. I will see if I can find a couple of pics of it in my files. I do not know if I have a pic of the complete car. The engine is massive, it looks like it belongs in a tank. It is one very impressive early automobile. Here is a link to some great information on the car.

Matheson Automobile Photograph Collection : Hagley Digital Archives

Here is a shot of the engine before Greg started working on it.

Edited October 18, 2010 by unimogjohn
added pics of engine (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, October 18th. Going to be another fine day. Heading out this morning to drive my 1928 Buick Town Brougham around the country side.

Greg continues to press on with his Avanti. I know he want to get it back on four wheels with brakes and an engine running. It is very cold in that old barn/hanger, and if it runs/drives he can move it to the factory building where there is some heat.

Here is his report and pics.

Nice weather weekend, so made some progress.

Avanti: Popped the rear hubs loose. Linings and drums in good shape. Even though I'd overhauled them in '05, the rear cylinders were corroded and locked up. Gave them the beadblast, rattle can and hone treatment. New rubber kits, and they're back in place. Hubs, washers, nuts and cotters. From the picture you can see that I'll do some cosmetic painting under there.

Matheson: Finished stripping the crankcase, brass fittings removed too. They'd never been out and the oil filler and breather were a bear to loosen. Once clean, the aluminum case was treated to my old trick of burnishing it with a rotary soft wire brush to bring up the lustre, then it is sealed by rubbing aluminum enamel into the pores with a rag. It takes time but I like the result.

[unimogjohn]

Alan, here are some pics of the Matheson. They were take a few months back.

[unimogjohn]

Here is a video update of Greg and his 1911 Stoddard Dayton. Greg has it stored in a private museum and goes up to check on it from time to time. I know that he is expecting that the fenders will be completed in 2011. It is not my video, but a good friend of Greg. And now you know what Greg looks like too!

And here is another interesting video that you all might enjoy. A 1927 Chrysler Beach Wagon.

Edited October 18, 2010 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Here are a couple of more links that document the barn find of the Chrysler Beach Wagon.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, October 19th. Here is Greg's report from Monday's work.

"The mileage is starting to show. Crawlling around on the floor, busting knuckles, and getting back on my feet...... it just isn't as much fun as it used to be. But the Avanti's front brake parts look as grody as ever. I'll open them up tomorrow to view the damage.

On the Matheson case.....it was inverted and then more of the same as last night."

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, October 20th. I love the Fall, just when the leaves turn color and start to drop. So I pulled the Avanti out for a drive down the country lanes around the farm. It is great to see all the leaves on the road and seeing the Avanti pushing through them. But, I have to be careful, the deer are running all over the place, and they do not look left and right before crossing the road.

Greg continues to press ahead on his quest to get his Avanti moving and driving before winter sets in. I tried to coax him to consider the Turner brake conversion for the front disks. No go. Here is his report.

"Odds and ends for the Avanti.

I bought some wiring harness loom at Hershey. This to cover the new starter cable. So I got that done, hooked up the oil pressure line to the dash, screwed on the spark plug cable brackets, and pulled the front rotors off in anticipation of the brake job.

Spent a bunch of money during lunch. Ordered the front brake parts. Enough to make you lose your lunch. My Studebaker background dates back to the old days when you could get NOS parts cheap (dirt cheap by today's standards). I know that the big guys are changing over to more modern disc brake systems, but I've decided to stick it out with the Dunlops.

VISA will need to borrow some dough to cover today's phone call. Start adding by hundreds for cylinders (they even want a hundred bucks apiece for the rears, common everyday straight through bore cast cyliders), and then start talking rotors, that's crazy.

For rotors I had a choice of foreign made assemblies, or Wagner brand, which come without the hubs and studs. I'm going with Plan B. At least I'll know that the hubs will go back on.

A few years ago I had overhauled the caliper cylinders. Rebored and sleeved. And turned the rotors so thin you could almost see through them. Stopped good though. Now I've decided that the car deserved a new set, this over a bowl of soup.

And on the Matheson front, tonight I sealed the case interior with a first coat of Glyptol enamel."

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, October 21st. A friend from Australia sent me a link to a great car restoration video made in the 60s. I was surprised that I had not seen it before now. It is in four parts, and here is a link to the first part. You can easily find the other parts on Youtube. YouTube - Bullnose Morris, old 1960's film of car restoration Part 1 of 4

Greg presses ahead on his many projects, and his report for Wednesday follows:

"I see that Unimogjohn writes that he loves the Fall, when all the colored leaves start to drop. John, look at it this way, the colorful leaves are like the flowers on the grave of my good friend Summertime.

I intended to get some things done on the Avanti tonight. My intentions started going downhill as I drove to the car through the chill damp mist of your raw Fall night. Forced myself to put the coolant reservoir back on, some carburetor return springs, tightened a radiator hose and then turned out the lights, turned on the heater as I drove away to find some supper.

As for the Matheson. Applied a second coat of Glyptol and now considering the next hurdle. I think it will be stripping the paint from the flywheel and getting it primed, maybe painted. Usually not a bad job, but this time I need an engine crane to lift the thing.

Pics: Avanti....forgot to take the camera along.

Matheson: Second coat crankcase and some flywheel details, and

Factory photo of the engine.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

That Matheson engine looks massive! Would like to see that.

I like Greggs view of fall. Very descriptive.

Ben

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, October 22nd. Here is Greg's report from last night.

"Studebaker news: Made my decision on the motor oil to use.

I had this brainstorm the other day. The failures of these flat tappet, high valve spring loaded engines is due to the EPA mandated reduction of ZDDP in today's motor oils. This to avoid damage to catalytic converters.

My idea was that recip aircraft don't use cat converters! Maybe Big Brother EPA hasn't screwed up Aeroshell oils! Phone calls to find info on the zinc content last week didn't get very far. In fact nowhere. Today I went to the local supplier to look him straight in the face. When I told him of my idea to use aviation oil in the car, he first offered me Brad Penn oils that are still old formula. A good idea for cars that won't stray far from their neighborhood, but what if I need oil when in Haystacks, Kansas? (Avantis are meant to shorten long distances).

He made a phone call and got some good information. Aeroshell in the car? Bad idea. Apparently there's no zinc in it. Supposedly the higher head temps in the mostly air cooled engines can cause the zinc to build and form a hot spot for preignition. Not good for air travel.

I was advised to use Shell Rotella T-1. Oil suitable for turbocharged diesels, among other things. It is service rated CF which is an old formula and supposed to have adequate zddp. I'm sticking with straight 30 wt like I did in the old days and it isn't synthetic.

I know a lot of you guys really have good luck with the new oils, but I've had only bad. It's all way over my head. Don't breakin with synthetic, possible ring trouble. Then after the engine is used to mineral oil, change over to synthetic? Thanks, but I'll stick to dead dinosaurs. And just in case there's been a devaluation of the Rotella zinc exchange rate, I dropped in a bottle of Zplus for this cam/lifter teething period. I've read that diesel oil may have more or harsher detergents. It never ends.

So tonight I put oil in the car. And crossed my fingers.

Matheson: I manhandled the crank assembly into the paint room to begin the stripping of the paint on the flywheel. It is taking a while for the paint remover to soften it up. Probably a couple days. Photo provided.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, October 25th. Sounds like Greg had a good weekend. Here is his report.

"Well, what can I remember about this weekend? Worked on the Avanti both days.

Saturday morning I began hooking up enough stuff to be able start the engine by the dangling ignition switch. That's a milestone. Oil pressure gauge plumbed, but that's the only dash gauge working. Tightened the exhaust downpipes, borrowed a timing light to set the timing and things sound fine.

I began to troubleshoot the temp gauge and tachometer. Didn't get very far because here at work, even though something (like a volt/ohm meter) has been kept in a cetain place (like for fifteen years), someone takes it upon themselves to put it where THEY think it should live. Without telling anyone else. Happens all the time. So I did a little with my 'teens volt/amp meter but gave up on that until I find the right gauge.

Decided it was time to connect the clutch linkage. Machined new coupling pins from grade 8 bolts to replace the originals that I've misplaced. Now the linkage is complete to just short one clevis pin for the pedal. That will be another milestone.

When the Brinks truck arrives with my brake parts, I can get that system finished maybe next week? With the clutch and brake systems working, I can move the car under it's own power. If I had a seat to sit on. Not about to try the old apple crate trick. The front seats are still in Ohio for recovering. They told me end of October. I hope that's completion date and not when they'll start . And I got word that the counterfeit R3 heads are finished. These will replace the real ones on my black '64.

And I had been putting off securing the hose coupling the fuel filler with the tank. Been holding off to see if I'd have to pull the tank to clean it of debris. Watching the clear fuel filter has shown it be clean, so today I secured the coupling hose clamps.

Just for kicks I started it again to hear it run....and guess what. The filter ran dry even though I'd put more gas in the tank. Those gremlins were just waiting for the chance to clog something.

The Matheson flywheel has been subjected to multiple coats of paint remover and hosing. Found traces of buried gray paint which may veify it's original color. It is now about ready for metal cleaning, priming and painting. I'll have to make a stand to support it so I can rotate it . Flywheel and crank weigh in at 210 lbs.

It was a good weekend. Got things done. Made a couple calls to return timing lights, stopped for ice cream, rode the bikes for +/- 5 miles, ate some good food with good company, and today I walked a passerby through the shop. A new acquaintance, he's an ex Navy fighter pilot who had just made is first landing on a grass strip in his homebuilt RV-4. Compared it to checking out in the F-18.

Saturday evening my work was interrupted by the familiar tune of a Stearman overhead. 'Ol Bill setting up to sideslip and grease it in on our grass strip. A beautiful evening with just a hint of chill in the air. He's on an FCF (functional chech flight) to test the magnetos he just changed. He points to the empty front seat and who am I to say no. No better way to witness the beauty of nature than with a geat friend and a great airplane.

So how was your weekend?"

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, October 26th. I have done nothing on my cars for several days. Have to get one out today for a drive, we are having a super fall. I also have to start thinking about winter, so will take the time to do some cleaning and detailing on the car that gets out of the garage. Will also do a lube job and an oil change.

There is a nice Avanti video on YouTube from Germany.

Greg presses ahead on his off work projects. Here is his last night report.

"Slow night for Avanti business. Anticipating the new brake parts, took some time to remove the caliper bracket attachments and the dust shields. The former blast cleaned and painted, the latter soaking in paint remover. Also prepared the gas pedal link for installation.

As for the Matheson Big Four. The stand has been made to allow working on the crank/flywheel. This will allow convienience in rotating the unit for further cleaning, priming, sanding and painting. While giving it a cursory inspection I was pleased to find timing marks buried under the modern times black enamel.

As for the late breaking news, careful examination of pictures reveals the removal of the starter ring gear. A modern modification. A nineteen hundred ought something car, especially one of this calibre, should have an electric starter like King Kong needs a trip to the vet to be neutered. It also means that GREG needs to figure out this make and break ignition.

Pictured are some of the timing marks. Notice how pretty the old style numbers for the 2-3 TDC and the valve timing marks done by some workman with a cold chisel. Gives the car personality and character.

Edited October 26, 2010 by unimogjohn
added video link (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, October 27th. The big storm that hit the midwest yesterday came through about 3 AM. Thankfully, very little wind so did not lose power, but we received 1 1/3 inches of rain in an hour or so.

But the threat of bad weather did not deter Greg. Here is his last night's report.

"Getting older but not smarter.

First thing this morning I hit the parts store. Checking on price and availability of replacement master cylinder. My last cylinder, not very old, show signs of rust pitting in the bore. I've got a kit to put in it, but wanted to see how much for a new one downtown. Young but sympthetic counter help. Cross referenced the casting number, fits a Chrysler. I can use it if I use bushings for fittings. He can have one for me by noon. OK.

Back to the store after work, he's got it. I also pick up a new stop light switch. Here's where I'm still stupid. Didn't take my dial calipers along. Back at the ranch I check the bore. Need 1 1/8" and this measures 1 1/16. So I called Rob the Chrysler King who also happens to be the NAPA guy.

So if you are using the stock system and want to interchange to the Chrysler master, it looks like Wagner # F27047 is also the CarQuest E27047, and it fits '56/58 Chrysler and /61 Dodge. So I'll try it again tomorrow morning.

As that ate up most of my allotted Avanti time, I did sneak in more paint removing of the rotor dust shields. Maybe I should have tried brake fluid instead. I did get them soft enough to glass bead them clean.

As for the Matheson, I spent the evening up close and personal cleaning the rough cast part of the flywheel. A long time ago I decided that any restoration is based on opinion and also compromise. Decisions can be based on evidence and judgement. The compromises come from factors of materials available, method of construction, cost, ability, etc.

Studying the factory engine photo, it looks to me like the flywheel had been painted, then machined. Traces of gray paint are still found in the rough cast, none on the rim or faced areas. That's how I'm going to prepare it. Tonight I scraped and scrubbed the rough parts, then gave it a first coat of epoxy primer. Not wanting to overrestore it, I'll sand and prime a couple times, but not fill it with Bondo. I want it to look as if it had been done on a good day at the Wilkes Barre, Pa. plant."

[Roger Zimmermann]

There is a nice Avanti video on YouTube from Germany.

The video is coming from Germany, but the car is in Switzerland, according to the number plates!

[unimogjohn]

Greg had a visitor to his workplace last week, and so naturally Greg gave a tour of the facility and Wright Brothers aircraft history. So in return the visitor sent some pictures of a car he is restoring in England. The car is a 1924 Willys-Knight. Here is just a little bit of what he said about the car. I found it very interesting.

"Please see the attached photographs our 1924 Willys-Knight Model 64 Sedan that is now almost completed and needed only the upholstery to finalise. The car came from the Maine estate of Admiral Richard Byrd and was known as "Wickyup" and was stored in a ruined outbuilding with a number of other cars. At some point the roof partially collapsed and crushed the front section of the WK's roof. Hope that you find these interesting."

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, October 28th. Here is the latest "brake" news from Greg.

"The saga continues.

At the parts store first thing this AM. Armed with part numbers, cross references, models and years. He says "It's a good number, 1 1/8 bore, but I'm finding two different cylinders. I'll order both." He had them by lunch time. Pulled the first one out of it's box, looked the same only different. Opened the other. No cigar either. We disassembled the first one to see if it could be made to work. I said get the calipers to check the bore. Book says 1 1/8" and it measured 1". I said give me my old one back.

This was supposed to be easy. I can order a new one from the Studebaker guys. So I've gone back to plan A. Hone the old one and stuff a kit in it.

Rule #1 : I can do anything the hard way.

In an effort to push this brake job along (my shipment of new parts evidently crashed and burned somewhere along the way), I decided to investigate this rotor swap project. I find that disassembling them wasn't bad. Press the studs out one at a time and the hub and rotor fall apart. I'm sure putting the new rotors and studs together with the old hubs will be a piece of cake. Like the master cylinder. See Rule #1.

Matheson: The primer was cured enough to scuff and recoat.

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, October 29th. Well, I at least fired up the Avanti and headed out for a drive. Hopefully today I will find the time to get a couple of paint estimates.

But Greg is getting close to have his Avanti back on her wheels. Starting to get really cold that old hanger too. Tonight we might get our first freeze. Old man winter is fast approaching. Here is Greg's Thursday report.

"Well, they almost had to give me oxygen today.

In last night's episode, I relayed how I jumped the gun and disabled the car by breaking down the front hubs. This made the car a monument to Sherwood Egbert.

This morning I came face to face with Larry the Electrician, conduit bender in hand, saying that he was to go to the storage hangar (where I'm working on the car). He's to install new lighting. Great!

The last time there was work done up there, the crew succeeded in knocking a distant 4x4 out of the rafters through the Avanti windshield.

A frantic call to the brake parts supplier who did the UPS tracking trick assured me that the parts were down our street.

The electrician was only here to recon for the job which he'll do first of the week. That gives me the weekend to get the wheels under the car.

Rotors and cylinders came after lunch. Wagner rotors MADE IN USA look great. New cylinders always look good no matter where they were made.

I blast cleaned the front hubs and bollted the rotors on. Mounted one on the spindle and checked it with a dial indicator to find .015 runout. I don't think the newly machined rotors at fault, so I'll take the hubs to see Mitch's brake lathe Saturday.

Otherwise, loosely assembled the caliper cylinders to the brackets, new brake pads and stainless crossover pipes too. All that stuff is in one place ready to install. Need to find the new rubber hoses here somewhere.

Matheson: Beginning to soak the cylinder castings to remove paint for inspection and repainting.

Signing off. Busy day tomorrow starts early and runs late.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, November 1st. The weekend was fun. I got the Avanti out, and we had a nice 120 mile run on the backroads of VA and then on the freeway with speeds up to 70 or so. I must say that she scoots pretty good, and is nice and solid at speed. No issues or problems.

The reason for the ride is that I have started getting estimates on paint work. The first place I went to has a good reputation for painting old cars and doing a good job; and is a quick 10 days. Their price $1700; and I take off all the bright work and bumpers, they will mask everything else. The second shop does high end work on customs, restored cars, etc. Their price was approximately $5000. Time to complete is 90 days or more. Right now I am not comfortable with either shop. I have one more to go to that has a good history with the Corvette community. We will see what that brings.

Greg has been busy too. Here is his report for the weekend.

"They told me so.

I took the front rotor hubs to Mitch on Saturday so that he could true the surface that receives the rotors. Afterward I assembled them using the new studs. Put them on the spindles and checked for runout. Now they are only running out .010".

Better, but not good enough. Like I was told, the rotors themselves will have to be cut to get them to run true. I hate doing it, the new rotors don't come with much extra thickness. To remain within tolerance, there won't be many trips to the brake lathe. Hope to get another forty-seven years out of them. But for now the rotors are back where they belong, wheels attached and the car is mobil again.

Took some time this afternoon to remove the outlet elbow from the fuel tank. Man was it tight. In an effort to prevent any debris left in the tank from finding it's way to the carburetor, I made and installed a finger screen. Ellbow is now back in place and replaced the hoses with new."

Edited November 1, 2010 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

The first place I went to has a good reputation for painting old cars and doing a good job; and is a quick 10 days. Their price $1700; and I take off all the bright work and bumpers, they will mask everything else. The second shop does high end work on customs, restored cars, etc. Their price was approximately $5000. Time to complete is 90 days or more.

For $ 1700 a complete new paint? Looks probably like a quick paint job to sell a car; don't look at it after 3 months!

Even $5000 is not that expensive. You should come in Switzerland to understand prices, even if the quality is not better!

[unimogjohn]

Roger, I am prepared to spend around $3 to 5K for a decent paint job. I just have not found anyone good yet that understand what fiberglass is and how to paint it.

And Greg just set me a couple of the pics of the R3 Avanti repro heads that have been on order for about a year. They will go into his next Avanti project, a black R3 Avanti.