Avanti Rescue

[SeventhSon]

Well, after a week of work and other necessities I was able to get to the storage unit today. I took a few hours off for family visitations, then I snuck by the storage unit. It sure was good to see the old Avanti again - even better to hear her rumble to life. Out we went for a spin, all too short, but a fun ride nonetheless. I have been thinking about what to do next on the interior, the dome lights were sort of next on the agenda but then I remembered that I never drive the car when it is dark. So what's the hurry on the dome lights? I decided the steering wheel would be next. But I needed to get a drive in first - and that's what I did today. After a 20 minute spin around here and there I returned to the unit and commenced to removing the steering wheel. Things came off pretty well - nothing broke or wrung off, so it was a success! I put the steering wheel in the trunk of the daily driver and buttoned the shop up - time to head back to the money making shop.

Looking at the steering wheel, I'll have to do a deep cleaning of the crusty old thing, then glue those chrome rings fast so I can work without them flopping all around and getting in the way. Plus, I want to get them back in position so I can fill in the gaps in the wheel with epoxy. Looks like it's time to read the book on steering wheel restoration that came with the kit, then get to cleaning the thing. I hope I can do a fair job on the wheel - I'll just read the book and take it slow and methodical. Fingers crossed...

I've been looking around for a tire to use as a spare - seems they don't really make tires that narrow anymore. Almost like the front tires on a rail dragster - like skates or something. I have to confess that when I got the tire I have for a spare now I was mostly concerned with the diameter of the tire, not the width. I was busy working on other things and wasn't thinking about the fact that the tire was too wide for the tire cover in the trunk to lay flat. The trunk was way off in the future - well, as they say, the future is now. Time to find a narrow tire. I measured the width of the ancient spare that came out of the car and it is 7 inches wide. Whew! Gonna be tough to find a radial that size, I believe. But, something will work out. Always does.....

Quick update on the Mr. Ed show - I jumped ahead to watch the Studebaker commercials on disc 4 of Season 2. Disappointing - the quality was really poor. Almost unwatchable really, but it was kind of neat to see how the old commercials were (what I could make out of them).

[John Byrd]

Chris, this may sound awful, but I would check with Coker's and The Tire Rack for 15 inch Volkswagen tires in a dimension that will fit the well. Perhaps if that works, the people that don't follow your thread will never know, ha !! There was also another company, Diamond, Diamondback, or something like that that may still be around.

[SeventhSon]

Haha - thanks, John. I'll check into it - I didn't know VW used a 15 inch diameter. If so, it looks like it's gonna be a VW tire for the Avanti! Just a spare to get me home if I have a flat

Well, tonight I started cleaning up the old steering wheel. Boy, was that grimy! First I removed the horn bar, then gathered up some old toothbrushes, shoe brushes, potato brushes - anything I had laying around. I sprayed some Tilex on the handholds of the wheel - the textured grips of the wheel. The grimy grips, if you will. After trying a few brushes I settled on a stiff shoe brush I bought years ago at the urging of a shoe salesman and after that never used on a shoe. Never used it on anything as a matter of fact - but tonight it came in handy. The stiff bristles worked with the Tilex and really cleaned the textured grips well. After scrubbing the grips for a while I grabbed an old dish scrubber that has a sponge on one side and green scrubber on the other. I soaked it with Tilex and, using the green scrubber part, I worked on the smooth portions of the wheel. Lastly, I took an old toothbrush and worked the areas of the four chrome rings, three of which are loose and flopping around. I cleaned the gaps in and around where the rings seat. That will be where I glue the rings fast back in their original spots so I can fill in the gaps in the wheel with epoxy.

After all the deep scrubbing was done I headed to the bath. Not for me - for the wheel. Following the instructions in the Steering Wheel Restoration book I used some dishwashing detergent to wash the wheel off. I filled the bathtub partially with warm water and Dawn, made lots of suds, and went to town on the wheel. Rinsed it off, dried it off, and by gosh, it looks pretty good! Still needs repair work, but I must say, a good cleaning does wonders for a thing!

[SeventhSon]

Easter Sunday, 2013 - I hope it was a peaceful and enjoyable one for everyone. It was light duty day for me, being Easter and all. I picked up some Krazy Glue on an outing to the store, then tonight I puttered around with the steering wheel. First , I checked out the steering wheel restoration booklet I got with the kit I bought and read up on what's in my future. Took 10 minutes. Then I took my "Dremel" tool (actually, a Sears Craftsman, Dremel-like tool) and attached a little wire wheel to the flexible drive extension of the unit. I used the wire wheel to scuff off the rust that was on the inner ring of the steering wheel, at the spots where the gaps exposed the inner ring. That worked well, a couple of angles I couldn't reach with the wire wheel were finished off with a little sandpaper.

After cleaning off the rust I employed the Krazy Glue to fix the chrome rings to their eventual spots - I want the rings to be secure and not flopping about as I'm trying to work the epoxy filler into the gaps. So, I made a couple of more steps in the steering wheel fix-up - hopefully this week I will be mixing up the epoxy and filling the gaps. I'll take it nice and easy - try not to mess anything up.

[SeventhSon]

A few more baby steps tonight on the steering wheel - a few more steps toward the finish of this task and then on to the next task. Tonight I grabbed an old towel and put the wheel up on the dining room table for some light surgery. Taking an X-Acto knife I gently trimmed out the cracks that are where the spokes meet the hub of the wheel. The steering wheel restoration booklet says to cut out cracks into a "V". So, hopefully I did it right - they basically look like "V"'s to me. After that I put some masking tape near the areas that are getting epoxy filler. I think it's about ready for the filler - I need some lacquer thinner to use when smoothing the still soft epoxy during filling of the gaps. That's what the book says - "dip a finger in lacquer thinner and smooth the epoxy before it sets". So I'll pick some of that up tomorrow and maybe try the epoxy tomorrow night.

I checked into a spare tire today - geez, who knew it would be so hard to find a tall, narrow radial? The VW tire is narrow (like 6.5 inches or so) but the diameter is much smaller than the original tire. I guess I could use it like one of those modern day "donut" tires that all the new cars have (when they don't just have a can of Fix-A-Flat). Or, Coker Tire has the original tire for this car, 6.70 - 15, but bias ply and $169. Tire guy tells me it won't hurt to drive for a short distance with a bias ply with radials on the rest of the wheels. I think I would rather go with the smaller diameter VW tire. I'll probably go with the cheaper setup - I'll get a VW tire and have the original rim sandblasted and paint it myself. It'll spend most of the time in the trunk anyhow.

[Landman]

Glad to see you are using epoxy. I made the mistake of using body filler on mine. That doesn't flex and the cracks wil reappear. Nice work. It's tedious, but you are getting nice results.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks Pat, I hope things continue smoothly. This car being a manual steering model, I can attest to the great tensions put on the wheel when the car is stopped and I'm trying to maneuver into or out of the storage unit or parking spot. In fact, I'm working on my arms with a dumbbell just to gain the extra strength needed for moving this car around

[SeventhSon]

Last night the steering wheel saga continued. After work and a quick bite I jumped into the epoxy scene, gathering together the various bits and pieces I figured I would need for the task. Some fast food utensils, masking tape, small screwdrivers and a penknife. I opened up the 2 cans of epoxy mixture - I was surprised at how thick the substances were. Like Silly Putty or something. After putting a gob of each substance on a CD "jewel case" lid (never could figure out why they're called "jewel cases") I began the mixing with the handle end of a fast food fork. The epoxy was so stiff that I soon figured the fork would break, so I grabbed an old pencil and continued the mixing.

After I figured I had mixed enough I applied some of the goop to the small cracks where the hub meets the spokes. Pretty soon I realized that it's almost impossible to smooth this stuff as you apply it - it's just too sticky. That's all right, I just made sure I pushed the epoxy into the cracks and got good coverage. Then I left it "ragged" for the time being. Next, I filled the big gaps in the wheel itself, again making sure that I got the substance down into the cracks and filling up the gaps. I smoothed the fills as much as I could with the small screwdriver I was using to fill with. But like I said, try to smooth too much and the goo sticks to the "smoother" and messes things up. So I left those fills "ragged" for a bit.

In the steering wheel restoration booklet they instruct to dip a finger in lacquer thinner and smooth the fills. I read somewhere else (I believe the Eastwood website) to dip a finger in water and smooth out the fills. Since I neglected to get lacquer thinner I got some water, dipped my finger in it and tried it. Worked great - the "ragged" fills smoothed out nicely using my finger and water. After smoothing all the fills I called it a night. Before I went to bed I checked the large blob of leftover epoxy I had - it was still workable, hadn't hardened yet. That gave me some worries, because I thought I may not have mixed the stuff properly. This morning, before leaving for work, I checked things out. Firmer, but still "dentable". I checked at lunchtime and the epoxy had hardened substantially - worries over. The instruction say to let it cure for "several days". So that's what I'll do - in the meantime I'll check into a spare tire setup for the trunk and look at paint for the steering wheel.

[SeventhSon]

Waiting for the epoxy to fully cure on the steering wheel for a few days, so I busied myself with other things. Like looking for a suitable paint to paint the wheel with - I found a paint that intrigues me, Krylon Fusion, for plastic especially. Hmmm, I thought, I'll check it out. However, as is usually the case when I am searching for that "special" thing, the color I want is not to be found anywhere. So I picked up the next closest color I could find and brought it home with me tonight. And lo and behold, there on the foyer floor was the case of Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil I ordered just yesterday from Amazon. Wow, that was quick! Got 12 quarts delivered to my door for less than 5 bucks a quart. Free shipping with Amazon Prime. I'll take that deal!

After having something to eat I decided to try out the new paint on the leftover blob of epoxy that I let dry. It's nice and solid now - feels just like it should, not like marble, not even like a hard plastic, but like a very firm vinyl, with a little "give" to it. I can see what Pat meant when he mentioned that it needed to flex so it wouldn't crack. So, I shook the can of paint, took the blob outside, and sprayed some paint on it. I dunno, the paint sure seems thin and watery to me. I'm used to paint having a thicker consistency and coverage. I don't think I'm going to be using this paint - I'll have a look at the blob in the morning and decide if I like it. Doesn't really matter - I can't get the color I need anyway. I can get the color (almond) that I want, but I have to buy a package of 6 cans. Since I'm not going into the painting business I think I will pass on that.

On the spare tire front, I checked out some VW tires like Mr. Byrd suggested - they sure are narrow enough, but the diameter is a good couple of inches smaller than the tires I have on the car. The tire man tells me that the only problem with that is if I have a flat on the rear, with a limited slip diff, that I will mess up the gears in the rear end. So, if I had a flat on the rear I would have to move a front tire to the rear and put the spare on the front. Hmmm, too much work, sounds like. We found a bias ply tire in the exact size that came originally on the Avanti, but expensive and, well, bias ply. I mentioned to the tire man that I always understood that to be "dangerous", running a bias ply with radials. He, and the counter guys, chuckled. "Well, you're not taking it racing, you're just getting it home, or to my tire shop", he said.

True. I think I'm going to get an original size Firestone bias ply, sandblast the old rim and paint it Studebaker White, and throw it in the trunk. It'll be a throwback to the old days, when the Rocket was a youngster.

[SeventhSon]

Today I rummaged through my old Avanti wheels I have stashed outside where I work, stuck behind a big storage box. I was looking for one that would be suitable for sanding and painting and using for the new spare tire I'm getting. I have three old wheels behind the box, mostly because I haven't had the time to take them to the scrap yard. I looked them over - they are all pathetic. I picked the least worst of the litter and took it to the tire shop. I showed them the tire I wanted and had them order it - a new bias ply Firestone in 670-15 size. Original tire for the Avanti - the only tire available that will fit in the spare tire well in the trunk. Other than a small diameter VW tire. After I told the folks what tire I wanted I asked them to remove the old petrified tire from the rim I had so I could clean it up and paint it. So it would be ready when the new tire arrived. In a few minutes they had the old tire off and the train rolled off the tracks. Mr. Rust Monster had invaded the inside of the rim and basically made it unusable. Time for Plan B.

I headed to the storage unit and had a look at the old original spare. The one that still has the original Firestone bias ply on it. Petrified, of course. I had a look at the rim - the worst rim I have, it turns out. Seems all those years of the tire well in the trunk being a mini swimming pool took its toll on the spare tire rim. Horrible rust. Time for Plan C.

I pulled the tire I am now using for a spare out of the trunk and had a look at the wheel. Looks pretty good - I guess that's why I used it to begin with. I took it to the tire shop and they took the new tire off that I purchased a year ago and that has never seen pavement. They brought the rim out - third time was the charm. The wheel looks good - definitely something I can clean up and paint. So, I'm halfway there, or a thirdway anyhow.

Tonight I started sanding the filled in spots on the steering wheel, however I had dropped my camera on the pavement earlier today and the flash no longer works. Ah well, I've gotten a few thousand pictures out of it - time for a replacement, I guess. So, no pictures came out of the steering wheel. I'll be veering off the steering wheel to work on the spare tire rim for a few days, prepping and painting it.

[SeventhSon]

A quick post - tonight I took a power drill and wire wheel to the old Avanti rim I'm going to use for the spare. I'm sure glad I have one rim out of five that turned out to be acceptable for use. Just needs the surface rust knocked off of it and a good primer coating or two. That's what I did tonight - round and round, up and down I went with the wire wheel. Then I took some sandpaper to the smooth parts and washed the whole rim with soapy water. I'll let it dry overnight and have a look at it tomorrow. Probably have to hit it with more sandpaper tomorrow.

Last night I worked on the steering wheel and I think (I know) I overdid it some with the sanding and filing. Took a little more off than I should have - not paying attention, I guess. So, first thing this morning, I mixed up a small amount of epoxy and added it to the spots on the steering wheel that I had filled before. Just a thin spread. Then, while moving the wheel around on the towel that I had covering the work area, I sat the wheel down on one of the just-filled areas. @#$%!&**!!. I had a look at the spot - hmmm, Eureka! I was wondering how I might replicate the texturing on the hand grips. Well, turns out terry cloth works pretty good for that. So, after I finished filling and smoothing the areas, I took the towel and dabbed the spots with it - works pretty good! Not sure if I'll be able to save the texture as the process moves along, but we'll see....

Sorry about the lack of pictures - I'm using a borrowed camera and not up to speed on it yet. I just got a few pics of the wheel as I was cleaning it up.

[SeventhSon]

I had to head into the office this morning to take care of a couple of things, so I took the opportunity to throw some white primer on the old wheel. I set up shop in a corner of the parking lot and sprayed the wheel. It was probably a little on the cool side but things were warming up (could it be that Spring is here?). The paint seemed to take its place on the wheel and didn't bubble up or anything. Pretty soon the wheel was in the trunk of the daily driver and we were back home. I expect I'll spray the topcoat tomorrow, same place I sprayed today. Hope it turns out well.

Then tonight I decided to make a little progress on the steering wheel. I'm starting to have withdrawals from driving the old Avanti - gotta get that steering wheel back on and the old girl back on the road! Tonight I worked on removing the masking tape I had next to each gap fill - the tape came off with little trouble and I didn't mess with the filled areas too much. Don't want to invite trouble. I hope to start the preparation for painting the steering wheel tomorrow - to be followed by paint! Must make progress, must drive Avanti.....

[SeventhSon]

Here comes Spring! Looks like we're going straight from winter to summer - oh well, it was a nice day for painting, so I threw a topcoat on the rim that is going to hold the new spare tire. Now, a couple of days worth of drying and the tire should be here and ready to go on the wheel. Another step forward - I'll be able to start on the trunk refresh after I get the steering wheel back together. Speaking of, I made a little more progress on that tonight, sanding the wheel to scuff it up. Then I wiped it down with the wheel prep solution I got from Eastwood, basically toulene, petrol distillates, and a few other harmful chemicals. Hmmm...I better check the garage and see if the steering wheel has melted. After wiping the wheel down with the chemical bath I sprayed it with adhesion promoter, so the paint will stick better. Or so they say - we'll see. I sure hope the paint sticks to the steering wheel, so I can take a drive! I saw a '63 Vette rumble by us the other day - I must say I was envious. Soon enough, soon enough, the Avanti will be rumbling to life again and taking to the roads.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Looking good, Chris, looking good!!

Ben

[SeventhSon]

Thanks, Ben - glad to see you're still following what's going on with the Avanti. This morning I arrived at work a little early and immediately brought the steering wheel inside with me. I sat at my desk before anybody showed up to ask me what I thought I was doing, and taped up the wheel with masking tape. The big areas were not bad, but masking those little chrome rings was a headache waiting to happen. After I had everything masked off I put the wheel aside and got to work - my real job that pays money. After a couple of hours of that tedium I snuck outside and sprayed a little white primer on the gap filled spots. Just so the dark epoxy didn't show through. I went back to my real work, then a little later I headed back outside. I decided to just go ahead and spray the dang wheel - time to get the car back on the road. It's been a week and a half - I don't like to let it go that long between drives.

While outside I first sprayed more of the adhesion helper stuff - same stuff I sprayed last night, but then I read on the instruction sheet that came from Eastwood (the one they hid in the packing receipt) that you're supposed to spray the paint within 30 minutes of spraying the adhesion helper. Whoops! Most people reading this are probably thinking, "Jeez, bonehead, how come you didn't read the instructions on the can?!" Well, because they don't put the instructions on the can in normal English like the old days, but rather with a series of little pictures that are supposed to show who knows what. Really, can't ya just say, "Sand the wheel with 400 grit paper".? "Clean the wheel." "Spray the adhesion helper - 1 coat." "Spray another coat." Instead we get little cartoons. Sheesh! Anyway, I figured I would clean the wheel and spray the stuff on it. Which is what I did last night. Then I quite by accident discovered the "real" instruction sheet that says I have to paint within 30 minutes. No biggie, I thought, I'll just spray more adhesion helper on the wheel, then paint it within 30 minutes. Which is what I did - I snuck back outside and sprayed everything all over. I hope it sticks. Ha. The pictures are sorta washed out - bright sunshine out today, plus I'm using a borrowed camera. Right, blame it on the camera....

Tonight, just before I left work, I received a call from the tire folks - my new spare tire is in! Woohoo! I'll get that tomorrow - that'll be one more step toward the trunk refresh. I love progress....

[Landman]

Chris, do you work at a vampire control company?

[SeventhSon]

Haha - Pat, I'm a Land Surveyor. But I'll be ready if any vampires come after me!

[SeventhSon]

Well, I got after it again this morning at my desk, having arrived early to my post. I removed the masking tape and inspected the results - fair, I suppose. I'm happy with it - not a show car that this steering wheel is going in, but a fun driver. For that it looks pretty darn good - I accomplished my main goal, and that was filling in the gaps and getting the chrome rings tight so they don't grab my hands while I'm wheeling that car around. I'm glad John Byrd suggested I have a go at the wheel - I never thought I could do that type of work, but it turned out. Beats paying $700 to the Shrock Brothers for a showpiece - thanks John!

After removing the masking tape I installed the horn contact plate and horn bar - ready to go. I set the wheel aside and got to work. About 10 o'clock, while making my morning coffee run, I dropped the painted rim by the tire shop - said I'd be back at noon. I went back at noon - had to wait while they balanced the wheel. Pretty soon I was on my way with my new spare in the trunk. I grabbed some lunch and headed to the storage unit, where I put the new setup in the trunk. Looks pretty nice in its spot - just like original. Plus, my new tire cover that I'm going to make will fit now. Making progress - the name of the game.

The party soon ended though - I stuck the steering wheel on the steering column, just for a place to keep it til I can finish the job. I tightened the center nut down, then opened the hood and went to turn the battery shutoff key on so I could check the horn function. Horn works - trouble is, it won't stop working. #@!$&%@! I must have installed the contact plate incorrectly - arggh. Oh well, I know what I will be doing tomorrow at lunch!

[John Byrd]

Alright !! See there ? Just a bit of patience and fiddlin' and you have two "new" items with the steering and rolling wheels ! Congrats.... Oh, I'm jealous of your round, white knob, 3 pedals, and hair dryer connected to the carb, ours was an automatic and unblown. Still loved it, but always wished for the R-2 bits and 4-speed.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks John - I'm glad you put the idea in my head that I could do it! The first two Avantis I tried to buy were R2 with automatic transmission. Those deals didn't pan out - then along comes my humble girl with a 4 speed! I'm glad the first 2 deals didn't work - it's a real thrill to drive an R2 with 4 speed!

[unimogjohn]

Chris, looks great. You did a fine job on that wheel. What's next? The console looks to need a dab or two of paint. Keep on nibbling away.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks John - I guess I'll fool around with the dome lights some, do some more interior cleaning (yep, it still needs some), apply some paint like you mentioned. Some other stuff that is on the horizon - the trunk refresh (soon), painting the wheels and installing new lug nuts (right after the trunk), then I believe I'll spend some time underneath the beast (you don't even want to see that list). How about you - when is your Avanti going to start prowling the roads again?

[SeventhSon]

I went by the storage unit at lunch today and pulled the steering wheel off the car - luckily I didn't do the entire install before testing the horn. See, I have learned something over the last 45 years or so. If you can test something before completing the installation go ahead and do it - that way, if you've done something dumb you can hopefully fix it quicker. So, I realized I did something dumb, so I backtracked and pulled the wheel. I took it home so I could work on it tonight. When I pulled the steering wheel I actually took some pictures of the horn contact plate so I would have a reference to look back on. However, those pictures were on the home computer and I was installing the horn bar at work. Turns out I had the horn contact plate in backwards. Doh!

Tonight, I corrected the situation - removed the horn setup and turned it the right way. I had retrieved the pictures I took and there it was, plain as day - the correct way. Minor setback, tomorrow I hope to install the steering wheel and fire the baby up. Take her for a spin. Of course, it's supposed to rain tomorrow - hmmm, the drive might have to wait.

[SeventhSon]

Today, at lunchtime, I headed to the storage shed. My quiet place - my place of relaxation. Funny how we need these places, garage, storage shed, tree house, to get away from all the cacophony of life and spend some time with that which relaxes us. At least that's how I feel about things! So today, upon arrival at the storage unit, I proceeded with the steering wheel install. Things went well, pretty straightforward install. After installing the center cap retainer I turned on the battery switch and tried the horn. Hmmm...it stuck a couple of times, but after a little fidgeting with the horn bar it settled down and worked fine. Pretty soon, after finishing the install and checking the oil, she was ready to rumble! I hopped in and cranked it over - she fired soon enough and we were in business! Out we went, I had a nice 25 mile ride, and as I have said before, it was just great. Lot of fun, car running fine. Can't wait to do it again! And it feels great to steer the car with a smooth, clean and shiny wheel!

Of course, as I rode around, my eyes kept focusing on the screw-ups on the steering wheel. The gaps I filled in are not pleasing to me - I was shooting for maintaining the textured surface of the hand grips. But at the expense of being able to see the fills - I have resolved to sand the spots some and re-paint those areas. With the wheel on the column - it'll hold it steady for me.

Tonight I stopped at Home Depot on the way home to pick up a couple of things for the future work on the dome lights (see future postings). Disregarding my recent vow (last night) to leave well enough alone, I decided it would be a good time to pick up a piece of plywood to make a spare tire cover for the trunk refresh coming up. I found a 4'x4' piece and bought it - however, upon dragging the plywood across the parking lot (I park far away, so my daily driver doesn't get dings) I found out it wouldn't fit in my car (I could have sworn it would fit). I returned to the store (this time employing a cart to carry the plywood) to get a foot sliced off the piece. I only need 30 inches or thereabouts so I can spare a foot off one side. The Home Depot employee who was so helpful before had turned ugly, and in a move that would make Houdini proud, disappeared without a trace. After promising to "be right back". Ah well, after wasted time piled up, I surrendered and returned the piece for a refund. I guess there's always Lowe's.

[SeventhSon]

Well, I made a second attempt to purchase plywood to make a spare tire cover - this time successful. I went to a different store and found an employee who actually believed in doing his job. I had him slice 1 foot off a 4'x 4' piece of plywood. Then I had him slice another foot off the perpendicular side to the first cut, so I ended up with a 3' x 3' piece of plywood. Easy to fit in the car, easy to work with. I took it home and found the center of the piece, more or less, then drove a brad in at that point. My first attempt at a circle went awry, so ignore the outer ring in the pictures. The second time I found a piece of cord, tied it to the brad, then tied the pencil to the other end at approximately 15 1/8". I made my circle, then checked the diameter of it. 30 1/4". Of course, I'll take more measurements to verify everything before I cut - "measure twice, cut once", as they say.

Earlier today I dipped my toe in the water of trying to hunt down some hardware to go on the spare tire cover. A latch and some sort of hold down piece - I haven't even consulted the Avanti parts book yet to see what I'm looking for. I'm not holding out much hope to find anything - most likely end up with a carpeted cover to cover the spare tire and provide a flat floor for the trunk.

[SeventhSon]

Light duty today - I cut out the circle I marked yesterday. First, I pulled the new carpet cover out of the box and had a look at it. I measured its diameter across the carpet with trimming. 29 3/4" - the diameter of the opening as I measured it is 30 1/4". I cut out the circle of plywood at 30 1/4" - a little room for sanding the edges, etc. After looking at the carpet piece it appears that the edge of the tire cover closest to the passenger compartment is a straight cut across the circle. I will need to take measurements for that cut in the next day or so. I had a look in the Avanti parts book - it shows the same straight across cut. I'll head to the storage unit and see how the plywood fits and measure for the cut. Also, I will have to cut out the opening for the latch, which will most likely be a finger hole for this unit, since a latch will be hard to come by. I will have to mark the latch opening using the carpet as a template - that's what the opening is going to have to match, so that's what I'll use!

Also, while I had the carpet set out of the box I started looking at how the pieces might fit together. I think I figured out half of them - now I'm getting excited to get the trunk vacuumed out and scrubbed clean, so I can install the carpet. More progress!

[SeventhSon]

After a night off I resumed the small steps on the spare tire cover. I didn't have much time to spend on it so I marked the center line through the circle and struck a line perpendicular to that at 28 inches. That's the cut off line - the piece that fits along the fuel tank side of the trunk. At least I hope it fits - I hope to make it by the storage unit tomorrow and see if it indeed fits. After marking the cut off line I did just that, cut it off with the jig saw. Then I tried the carpet covering to see how it fits - not too bad. If the piece fits in its spot in the trunk I will proceed with marking the notch the goes on the opposite edge to the cut off line - the latch notch. Or finger hole if I can't find a suitable latch.

In the pictures it almost looks like the cut is skewed. Optical illusion. I hope.

Stay tuned to see if the piece fits - fingers crossed....

[SeventhSon]

Another visit to the storage unit today, this time to see how the tire cover fit in the trunk. Not too bad - the piece actually fits under a little lip on the forward side of the opening by the fuel tank compartment. I slid the plywood under that lip and had a look to check the fit. Not bad - not too snug and lays flat. That's all I can ask for. I marked a pencil line onto the plywood along the lip edge to see if each side of the cutoff line fits square. Not really, but I haven't sanded the edges smooth all around - I'll do that tomorrow at lunchtime. I won't try to make a piano out of it - just smooth the edges and prep it for the cover. Once the cover is attached to the piece I can move on to cleaning that trunk out. As you can see there are remnants of the Texas mud wasp nests against the fuel compartment panel, as well as a couple of other places. Soon enough everything will get a stiff brushing, a thorough vacuuming, and scrub, scrub, scrub. Then it'll be time for the new carpet! Hooray!

I've also started contemplating how I will get the dome light switches to engage with the door edge. I'm not sure why they don't, the new switches look like the stick out as far as the old switches. So what gives? Have the doors moved back? Was the car cut in half and not glued back together correctly? Ah, who knows - I just have to figure out the best solution. Add a little plate to the door edge opposite the switch? Insert a spacer behind the switch? (I believe that was Richard's idea, probably the best solution) Or use the little gray bumper piece I found while at Home Depot the other day? I happened to see the little bumpers (they go on door stops) and I thought, "Hey, I could glue that onto the switch!" Hmmm....maybe not.

[SeventhSon]

Yesterday at lunchtime I took a sander to the edges of the plywood. I wanted to smooth things up before proceeding, and flatten up the cutoff line. Things smoothed up and flattened up nicely, which meant I could move on to cutting the latch opening out. I slipped the cover on to the piece and pulled it this way and that, stretching it taut and straightening it until I felt it was fitting correctly. Then I traced the cut out in the carpet cover for my latch opening. I grabbed the jig saw and soon enough had an opening. Another step closer to getting this tire cover done so I can move on to the cleaning and carpeting of the trunk.

Today I took the plywood piece by the storage unit and double checked the fit. Fits as good as its gonna. I think I may have to shave a little off the thickness of the board where it slips under the lip at the forward edge of the tire well. I think with the vinyl edging of the carpet covering on the plywood, I might find a pretty snug fit under that lip. Won't hurt to reduce the thickness of the plywood at that spot so things fit easy. I guess I'm about ready to put the carpet covering on the plywood, then clean the trunk really well. But first, I'm getting a hankering to take a drive in the old car. Can't forget my priorities.

[SeventhSon]

Nice Spring day it was today - we went for a trip to see all the trees and flowers and grass coming alive with color. When we got home I retreated to the garage to work on the spare tire cover - I grabbed the belt sander and took some material off each side of the plywood where it fits under the lip at the forward edge by the fuel tank enclosure. The sanding reduced the thickness of the wood so when I put the carpet and vinyl cover on the plywood it will still fit under the lip. That's the thought process, anyhow - hope it works that way. After reducing the thickness of the board I commenced attaching the cover - pull tight, staple, repeat. All around the unit. I had thought about gluing the cover to the plywood also, but voted against it - I believe once the cover is pulled tight and stapled it will stay in place OK. The pictures show the piece coming together, the one pic shows the edge covered in vinyl that slips under the lip. I hope it will, anyway. Tomorrow I will check the fit once again. Before I take her out for a drive - hopefully a long drive.

[Landman]

Chris I still think you should come here in the blizzard and work on my upholstery.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks for believing in me Pat, but I would be afraid to get closer than 10 feet to your beautiful car for fear I would mess something up! I would be a nervous wreck :eek:

Beauty and the Beast: Excellent day today - I got an early start and headed for the storage unit. First I stopped at a local big box store and picked up a can of Sea Foam, knowing I had a pretty long trip ahead of me. At least, the longest trip since I've had the old Avanti back on the road. After grabbing a sandwich and coffee I made it to the storage unit and began preparing for the trip. First I checked the fit of the spare tire cover that I had put the carpet cover on last night. It fits! Another small step forward. Since I accomplished that I felt a reward was in order. Road trip! Sort of.

I topped up the oil, added half the can of Sea Foam to the fuel tank, loaded the tool bag and power booster unit in the back seat. Turn on the battery cut off switch and hopped in and began to crank her over. And crank her over, and crank her over. C'mon baby. Finally, she fired, filling the storage unit with blue smoke. Wow - didn't expect that. She must have wanted to stay in bed or something. Once she fired she was ready to go - the motor fell to a nice idle after the first few seconds of clearing her throat. I pulled out of the unit followed by billows of smoke - geez. I headed to the gas station and got about 6 gallons of gas - should be enough for the round trip. Finally, I could hit the road.

Last night I contacted friend John Feser, who has the Avanti Refresh thread on this site under the handle "unimogjohn" and asked him if he was going to be around this morning. Since it's been almost a year and a half since he carted my old girl to my townhouse garage and got me started on the rescue and he's yet to see how far she has come. John replied that he and Alice would be at the monthly fire department community breakfast in Orlean, Virginia. Hmmm, sounds good - hotcakes always have a welcome spot in front of me and in my stomach. So, I was headed that way at 9:30 this morning. As I made my way there I began to wonder a couple of things, 1. Did he say New Orleans? and 2. Can you get there from here? Woo - that little hamlet is out in the middle of nowhere, I would have to say. Since I was unfamiliar with the back roads that connect all the old farming communities in the bucolic countryside of Virginia I decided to follow the big roads indicated on my GPS (more commonly called a MAP). Finally I made the destination, but did not see John's Avanti in the parking lot - dag gummit! I missed them! I pulled in the gravel lot and into an open space and in a couple of seconds I saw John's face in my rearview mirror. Ah, good, they're still here, but where is the Avanti? In the back lot, safe from errant car doors and such. Don't blame him a bit - that paint job is worth protecting!

I was a bit late for hotcakes, they were still serving, but I was more interested in visiting. So that's what we did. Very nice visit - got some pictures of the two old Avantis together and John and Alice got to see the car they toted 75 miles or so and helped push into my garage. And I got to see their Avanti, out for the first time in 2013 - looking good! If only mine will look that way some day. Some day.

After our visit I headed back toward home, taking a few back roads and taking the old girl to church on the way. How did she run? Like a champ all the way - never missed a beat. I love it!

[Landman]

I bet you the folks in that village don't see a pair of Avantis in their parking lot every day.

[SeventhSon]

Pat, they probably thought they were being invaded - all we needed was Greg to show up and they would have been wondering.

Well, a few days blew by with no Avanti fun. It's all about work and trying to keep ahead of the regular life stuff for me - leaves little time for the old Avanti sometimes. I did resolve to make the lunchtime trip to the storage unit to begin the trunk cleanup. First, I stopped and picked up a little shop vac at the giant box store. I've been wanting one for awhile and they had the smaller unit that I wanted. Now, would it run off of my power booster unit? No, it turns out. Fail, as they say nowadays. Oh well, I tried. I guess I'll have to fire the old car up and take it to the gas station and vacuum the trunk out.

I made do with a little whisk broom and whatever that thing is called that you sweep up the dirt into. I got most of the big stuff out, now I can vacuum the rest. As soon as I get a few free moments. While I was in the trunk I had a look at whether my new scissor jack would fit in the tire well where the original jack used to be (probably turned to rust dust years ago). The new jack fits there, but I don't think the spare tire rim will fit over it - it has enough height but doesn't quite make the width. I will try the jack turned this way and that - if no success I will trim off the edges of the jack base so the tire rim fits over it. I'll make it work...

The other day Mr. Feser was showing me how his door edge has a little block of wood attached that matches up with the dome light switch on the door pillar. I found that interesting - was that original? I was wondering in an earlier post why the door doesn't engage the switch - I have concluded that it was probably a design or manufacturing flaw with the fiberglass body. Studebaker didn't have a lot of experience with building fiberglass cars, plus the rushed process with the Avanti probably caused more than a few little glitches like that. Just speculation on my part, of course. Anyway, while I was at the storage unit today cleaning the trunk out I had a look at the driver's door to see if there was any evidence of a piece of wood or other type of block mounted opposite the switch. Nope - smooth as a tile wall with no evidence of anything having been mounted there. Well, soon there will be something mounted there - I have decided that is the way I will go. I just have to decide what to glue there.

[SeventhSon]

Sunday night, here again in a flash. No Avanti fun this weekend as we embarked on a road trip of sorts to engage in a little surveying and a visit with family in the splendid countryside of central Virginia. Things went well with the surveying, the visiting was even better, then it was off to Richmond for the night on Saturday so we could visit the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens earlier today and see what was new there. But not before brother Don (my new surveying apprentice) asked me at lunch yesterday if I was aware that there was a Nascar race in Richmond last night. @#$%&*!! I exclaimed. I usually think about such things beforehand and check the dates, but since I am advancing in age I don't seem to be as "in tune" as I once was. For example, in my last post I referred to "that thing you sweep dirt into" or something to that effect. Don informs me that is commonly known as a dust pan. I knew that - just testing to see if anyone was paying attention. Anyway, I reacted in surprise to the news that a major race was in town because, as someone who used to regularly attend Nascar races, I know how, ahem, congested things can get. Hotels fill up, roads get clogged - it ain't pretty. But, since we committed to it we headed into the maelstrom.

Since it was a night race we were lucky, we were able to slip into town and check into our hotel with minimal problems. We were able to even grab a meal at a local restaurant with little trouble. And when the race fans piled back into the hotel at a little after midnight we briefly woke up as they made their way to their rooms. This morning was a tad more problematic, at the "free" cattle call hotel breakfast ("Served 6 to 10 AM, No Jostling"). The line for the waffle maker was 5 deep at one point! But we got through it and headed off to the Gardens, where the flowers were mostly in bloom and the birds were singing their approval.

Now we're home, where I pulled the trunk carpet out of the box and did a rough mock-up of how the carpet will fit together around the spare tire cover. I also am starting to search for a lug wrench that matches or sort of matches the original one that fit in the indented area just to the left of the spare tire well in the picture. The one that came with the car was missing, of course. Possibly rusted away several years ago, because as we know, "rust never sleeps".

Edited April 29, 2013 by SeventhSon (see edit history)

[r1lark]

Chris,

When I first saw the picture of the carpet above, I thought "Wait a minute, Chris already put the carpet in the car!" Then I realized all those pieces are just for the trunk!! Never having worked on an Avanti, I am amazed at how many pieces of carpet there are in one of those.......as opposed to a '50s sedan or Lark (basically 2 pieces).

Making good progess Chris, keep the reports coming.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks for the nice words of encouragement Paul - it's nice to see that you are still checking out what I'm doing. Regarding your comment about the carpeting - exactly what I was thinking when I was putting the carpet in the car! Now I get to put a whole bunch of it in the trunk too!

[SeventhSon]

While visiting with brothers Don and Brian & wife Patty on Saturday and marking a property line for Brian (that's how Don got pressed into service as survey rodman) I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they enjoy my thread here. I wasn't sure if anybody was paying much attention, let alone liked it, so I was happy to hear that they like my writing. The ultimate compliment to a writer, I guess.

So, now with a big head, I decided to see if I could share the attached story with whomever might be interested in reading it. It's about a car, written over ten years ago (as best I can recall) and not really edited. I just wanted to see if I could write a story that was fast paced and exciting. So I wrote it fast and left it alone. I hope you find it entertaining.

The Suitcase.pdf

[SeventhSon]

Well, yesterday I skipped the storage unit at lunch because of the rain, because I was tired, because, because...really, the rain was the reason. Today I had penciled in a space in my mind to visit at lunchtime, with the plan being to fire the old rocket up and take her to the gas station vacuum cleaner for a thorough trunk vacuuming. But, since the weather has turned decidedly England-like, I changed the plans. Backing up a little, since I couldn't get to the storage unit yesterday I resolved to at least get something done. So I searched Amazon for a 12 volt power supply that I could use to "table check" the operation of the courtesy and dome lamps that I am going to take apart and try to get to working properly again. The courtesy light works, but the little slider switch won't do anything - no on, no off, no nothing. And the dome lights won't work at all. I have a feeling that the switches are corroded (no!) from sitting for a hundred years. Hopefully the little power supply will provide the juice for me to test things as I work on the lights. If not, no big deal - I bought it used for 18 bucks and change, delivered. Hoo!

Moving forward to today, since the heavy drizzle wouldn't stop and I try to avoid driving the old Avanti on wet pavement (at least until I can get the frame covered in some paint) I decided to drop in The Home Depot and search for some wood strips that I could cut down and glue to the door edges to use as striker plates for the dome light switches. I found a couple of scrap pieces, one being 1/4" thick and the other probably 3/8" thick. I also grabbed a can Maroon paint that I can paint over the striker plates and make them look like they halfway belong where they are going. Tonight I cut a couple of pieces off the 1/4" thick wood strip - I think that will be thick enough to engage the switch. If not, I've got backup in the 3/8' thick strip. Ha!

Also, earlier today, I searched for a lug wrench to fit in the trunk in the little indent made for it. I didn't have to search far - I found it at Summit Racing, with the 3/4" socket cup on one end and the flat spade surface on the other end. I sure hope it fits in that indent in the trunk - once again, no biggie if not - I got it for less than 13 bucks delivered! Yay!

I sure hope it's not raining tomorrow.....

[r1lark]

Thanks for the nice words of encouragement Paul - it's nice to see that you are still checking out what I'm doing. Regarding your comment about the carpeting - exactly what I was thinking when I was putting the carpet in the car! Now I get to put a whole bunch of it in the trunk too!

Don't worry Chris, I check in on the 'Restoration Projects' threads pretty much every day. But a lot of times it's on my Blackberry during meetings so I don't post any responses. Interestingly, I'm only checking the other sections on the AACA forum once every week or less........but I've got to know what you, Landman, unimogjohn, Flop, and others are doing each day!