Avanti Rescue

[SeventhSon]

Hey Norman - glad you're still checking out what's going on with the Avanti. I do eye these oil additives warily, as I want to adhere to the "do no harm" philosophy of things. I do remember hearing stuff years ago, when I was in junior high school, that STP stood for "soggy toilet paper" and such. But I figure if Studebaker recommended it then it should be OK. I hope.

[D Yaros]

I can tell you that I have used STP since the early 60's in all my cars. Never had an engine fail by doing so. As an added benefit today, the product in the blue container (was going to say can, but it hasn't come in a can in ages!) has the ZDDP content missing in current motor oils.

I believe Studebaker recommended its use because at one time it either owned outright, or had a significant financial interest in STP?

Is it "snake oil" or the the "must have" engine additive? One shall find individuals on both sides of that question.

Never heard of its use/promotion as a leak stopper. Did it work as such for you, or too early to tell?

[SeventhSon]

Dave - Studebaker did own STP, I believe. I think they probably bought it so they could get Andy Granatelli (who owned STP) on board in their engine development program. Both the blue bottle and the gray bottle contain the zinc additive ZDDP, which is another reason I use it. I believe in the stuff - I certainly don't think it does harm. They wouldn't be in business if engines were blowing up left and right, in my opinion.

I haven't noticed any real leaks from my engine, mostly smoke from the left side exhaust. Too early to tell if this "high mileage" STP formula will help that. But like I said, I don't think it will do any harm - the engine sounds great!

[D Yaros]

Andy G was not exactly a guy who was surrounded by luck. He had the first/only turbine car at Indy, The STP Special. It was outlawed by USAC, as being too powerful!

[SeventhSon]

Hehe...he always was a speed demon. It doesn't surprise me a bit that he would put a jet engine in a car and take it racing!

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Hehe...he always was a speed demon. It doesn't surprise me a bit that he would put a jet engine in a car and take it racing!

It was AWSOM!! I remember seeing pictures of it and reading about it.

Ben

[SeventhSon]

Awesome is right! Check it out:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/STP_Turbine.jpg

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Thanks, Chris.

Ben

[SeventhSon]

Well, a few days away from the old Avanti - I just had to go for a visit today and try to do some interior cleaning. I've been researching some other cleaning options, something store bought that will attack the mildew but not destroy the vinyl interior. I decided to pick up some Tilex and then follow that up with some Murphy's Oil Soap, which is supposed to clean and condition vinyl. Once I got to the storage unit I got right to it, spraying some of the worst mildew areas with Tilex. I scrubbed it some with the brush and treated it again. It works - it's just going to take several applications to get all the mildew killed. After giving the Tilex some time to work and scrubbing here and there I rinsed all the areas with clean water. Then I cleaned the areas with the Murphy's and dried everything off. The cleaning helped a lot, but it has a way to go - several more treatments will be needed. And I have to try to condition the vinyl and try to return some suppleness to it. A real task on this car, I believe.

After getting the cleaning done I decided to have some fun - fire her up! Except she had other ideas. I had a heck of a time getting the old car to start. When I first turned the key I thought I heard a pretty loud "snap" come from the ignition switch. Hmmm...loose wire? I cranked the motor. She fired, but I couldn't get any revs out of her - like she was bogging down. The motor cut off. I cranked it again - she tried to fire but just as it was the starter kicked out. I waited - cranked again. She kept trying but no cigar. The battery was beginning to tire. I retrieved the jumper box I got a couple of weeks ago and hooked it up. Cranked some more. She kept trying but it wasn't going to happen. I unhooked the booster box and put it back in the trunk of the daily driver. Hmmm, I thought. I looked around the storage unit for the starting fluid I bought almost a year ago when the old car arrived from Texas and we couldn't get it started to get it off the truck. Couldn't find the starting fluid - must have left it at home.

Well, looks like I'll have to come back to this, I thought as I started putting things away. Before I closed everything up for the day I got in and tried it again. Since it was acting like it was flooded I held the accelerator to the floor while cranking it. After 10 seconds or so she fired - ran rough for a few seconds, then smoothed out some. I got out to close the hood - the whole storage unit was filled with smoke. She started to choke up a little as I was closing the hood. "Don't you cut off, &$#*!", I said under my breath. I hopped back in and revved the motor. It evened out and began running like she usually runs. I pulled out of the unit - I noticed a black oily spot in the drip pan on the floor. That wasn't there before. Hmmm...I might as well drive her around and charge the battery at least.

I headed out - the old car ran like she's supposed to, nice and strong. Quick. I drove around my usual haunts and got that old familiar feeling - I don't want to take it back. I just want to drive for a couple of hours. I pulled up to a light. A guy in a utility truck beside me rolled down his passenger side window. "How does that thing run?" he asked.

"Nice", I grinned.

"Is it strong?"

"Hehehe...oh yeahhh. Fast!" I said.

His light was green. He nodded his head and drove off. Mighty fast, I thought to myself.

I drove the old girl around for a while longer, watching the amp gauge and hoping it would get back to the middle of the gauge instead of pointing halfway to the plus side. She ran nice, so nice that I was very reluctant to take her back to the stable. On the way back I jumped onto a major highway, running along the entrance ramp in third gear I opened it up some. She jumped down in back, the rear tires slipped a bit, then she rocketed onto the highway as I hit fourth gear. Damn, this car is fast!

I put the fast car away for now, content that whatever was making her balk at starting was temporary. Maybe she doesn't like the cold. Maybe I simply flooded the engine since I'm used to these modern fuel injected, computer operated cars we all have now. Dunno, I think it's cold balky myself - like a lot of us.

[SeventhSon]

Sunday, November 11, Happy Veterans Day and thanks to the vets whose service gave protection to our country and freedom, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will never forget them.

Another Sunday morning Avanti visit! I got there about the usual time and got things ready to go - I got in and, with a little trepidation, turned the key. My trepidation was not necessary, as she cranked 4 or 5 times and fired right up. Went to a nice idle immediately too. Soon I was on the way back home with the old Avanti, happily cruising up the road enjoying the rumble. I had decided to take the car back to the home garage to do some more interior cleaning. I realize there is only so much I can accomplish with what I have to work with, but I'll be happy to bring things back to a certain point and then leave it at that. It'll just be fun to have the car pretty much complete and original and just drive it around. It's such a cool car to drive.

I broke out my quickly burgeoning supply of various cleaning concoctions, some which seem appropriate, some not so much. I hit the gauge bezels once again with chrome cleaner, then started on the dash around the gauges with a toothbrush and some Tilex. My wife appeared soon and gave some suggestions - she went and got some baking soda and made a mixture of it and Tilex. While I cleaned the dash panel and radio face and knobs she scrubbed one section of the glove box cover. Then she said, "Leave it on until it almost dries and then rinse it off." She left me to continue cleaning. I scrubbed the console panel and the console itself, then dried everything off. Then I rinsed the spot my wife cleaned - looked pretty good! So, I took some of the baking soda mixture and scrubbed the whole glove box cover and left it to soak. Meanwhile, I coated the console with vinyl restorer and let it soak. Then I rinsed the glove box cover, dried it, then coated that with vinyl restorer. It's not working miracles, but it looks much better than it did. I'll keep hitting it a little at a time until I erase decades worth of dirt, grime and mildew from the interior. It's going to take a while - that's fine, slow and steady wins the race.

I plan on pulling a few small things off this week and bringing them home to clean them. Things like the ashtrays, coat hanger hooks, and interior light covers. Speaking of ashtrays - the front ashtray in the console contained a small slip of paper. Turned out to be a receipt for gas purchased from a "Jet Mart" in Austin, Texas in 1984. Gas was a couple of cents less than a dollar a gallon then - I was surprised it was that high, actually. Especially in Texas, land of the oil wells.

After making some progress (hard to tell in the pictures) I headed out to get some "ride time" in. Another fun drive in the Avanti - I sure enjoy the way she runs. It must be the supercharger that does it - the quick response from this engine is just a lot of fun. And I have to smile every time I hear that exhaust tone - I'm so glad I picked the "medium" tone mufflers. They sound perfect to me!

[Landman]

Chris.

All that cleaning is readily apparent to us outside observers. I think you are right that eventually you'll have a perfectly presentable car that you can just jump in and get a "fix" in within a few miles. You like the feel, the rumble, the thrust when it goes and all that. That's the idea, enjoying it.

[SeventhSon]

That's right, Pat, and enjoying it I am! All the work and expense this last year has been worth it, I believe.

Today I stopped by the storage unit to pull a few parts off the car so I could bring them home for cleaning. Lots of cleaning left to do - just gotta keep attacking it until it looks presentable, like Pat said.

I pulled all the ashtrays for cleaning, which of course exposed more stuff to clean. Decades old matches used to fire long ago smoked cigarettes, nicotine from those cigarettes seems to coat alot of surfaces, and then the living mildew, hard to kill. I'll keep hitting it, like the shampoo bottle reads, "Lather, rinse, repeat"....

[John Byrd]

Ha !!! Chris, I was told one time that "lather, rinse, repeat " was the most successful money for nothing marketing ploy ever ! Some have probably surpassed it by now, oh well. Yeah, there's some of us quietly watching your progress, and in my case remembering some of the same things when we got our Avanti. Keep at it, good work ! John

[SeventhSon]

Thanks John, for watching and the encouragement! I was wondering if anybody ever followed that "lather, rinse, repeat" instruction - I guess so if it was so successful. Oh well, gotta separate folks from their money somehow, eh?

[SeventhSon]

Well, here it is, Friday already. I had intended on cleaning the ashtrays, etc. on Tuesday evening. Then life intervened and detoured me. Then I set the schedule for Wednesday evening. Work intervened - I had to sit down at the home computer after dinner (supper for some folks) and do some computing for my paying job. I set my sights on Thursday night. I arrived home last night - "Does it feel cold in here?", I asked. I held a hand in front of the heat register - cold air blowing. Nice.

I don't care, I thought. I'm cleaning these ashtrays! So I set about to cleaning, buffing the rust off with fine steel wool. Hmmm, they cleaned up pretty nicely - except for the heavy surface rust that has taken hold over the years. I attacked that with a wire brush and then coated the rusty areas with Rust Reformer. It'll do. I was going to purchase replacements for the rear ashtrays but after cleaning the decades of crud off the originals I realize that they are perfectly fine for what I am doing. No show car - just an original driver.

Then it was time to have a look at the furnace. It's one of those deals where you have a look and fiddle around and hope you can get it working. I removed the access cover and the first thing I noticed was the blower motor vents partially covered in lint. I watched the gas jets as they tried to fire - the ignitor glowed and the gas would fire for a few seconds, then shut off. It kept doing that for a while. I shut off the main switch and did the only thing I was qualified to do. I cleaned everything with the vacuum cleaner, switched the main switch on and went and got cleaned up. After a while I held my hand up to the register. Warm air! All right - hopefully that will hold us over until I can get a professional to look at it.

[SeventhSon]

I dropped by the storage unit at lunch today and did a small bit of cleaning in the back seat by by the arm rest where the ashtray goes. Another small step forward - I took a few pictures but they didn't really turn out. After the cleaning I hopped in and took her out for a spin. I drove about ten miles total - it could've been a hundred easily if I was the irresponsible type and I played hooky from work. But I took the old car back and put it to bed, looking forward to the next time I get to hear that rumble and feel that thrill.

Have I told you, this car has ferocious acceleration? Mind boggling, really - I'm beginning to think Nimesh Solanki put some extra juice in that supercharger or something. Maybe Dave TBow jazzed up the carburetor when he worked on it. Whatever it is, I'm always left shaking my head in awe after I jump into it. Wow!

[SeventhSon]

Well, I visited the Mightyfast Avanti yesterday, carrying the ashtrays with me for re-install. I had changed the oil in my daily driver on Saturday so I dropped by Advance Auto to let them have the old oil (dunno why they'd want it) and picked up a few bulbs for the courtesy lights in the Avanti. So, I installed the ashtrays and the new bulbs. The right side ashtray won't seat all the way - I was puzzled about that and left it for now, but figured out later that there is probably something in the vacant area underneath that is in the way. Don't know what that could be, but it would be a handy place to hide something if you were looking to hide something. Also, as you can see, there is lots of cleaning to do still.

I checked the operation of the courtesy lamps - they don't. Operate, that is. Of course not. Last week, while I had the car at the home garage and I was cleaning the light on the console, I switched it on. It worked for about one second then blinked off. I figured the 50 year old element had decided to fizzle, so that's why I got the new bulbs yesterday. Go for the easy fix first. Buzzer. Nope. OK, probably a fuse - I'll check that next time. But first, a ride! I fired her up and went for gas. Then I headed out to the sparser populated areas to just have a rumble. The old car ran fine - at one point I entered a "roundabout" and as I was circling around I saw a new Camaro approach from a side road. I felt he crowded me a bit, so I had a run-up through the gears and left him way behind me. That was the only blast-off I had on the trip, and the old car didn't disappoint.

The rest of the cruise was just that, a cruise. Rumbling along behind traffic, the yellow Camaro having caught up and riding close behind. He peeked out a couple of times like he wanted to pass, but had no openings on the 2 lane road. I wasn't about to race him - me and the car are too old for that stuff. Not to mention the illegal nature of it. After a while the 2 lane became 4 lanes and the Camaro got to pass a supercharged Avanti. Woo! Hehe, it was fun having him behind me for a while though.

At a stop light I started fiddling around with the radio. I turned it on - the rear speaker crackled. No stations came through though. A few minutes later I went to make a turn - the turn signal didn't work. Neither turn signal worked. The flasher went again. I thought about the last time the flasher went bad - it seems I was fiddling with the radio then, too. Coincidence? I'll have to look at the wiring diagram and see what is on that circuit and also see where the courtesy lamps are on the circuit. I hope I can get them to work. And no more fiddling with the radio.

I headed for the storage unit, logging 75 miles or more for the day. The car ran fine, but of course as I drove I heard all kinds of little noises and such. Makes me worry about this and that, but hey, it's a 50 year old car. It's gonna have creaks and groans. I just have to keep an eye on all the fluids and bearings, etc. Just like a human being, ya gotta keep up with the maintenance.

[SeventhSon]

Looking at the wiring diagram now, and I should self correct myself (before someone else does ), for the record, the 2 overhead lights are called "dome" lights, which I knew at one time but forgot (imagine). The light in the console is called the "shift light" - nowadays would probably be referred to as a "map light". Glad I got that straightened out!

After my earlier post it occurred to me that maybe the door switches have something to do with the dome lights not working. Something else to chase around - fun!

[SeventhSon]

Hmmm...still studying the wiring diagram. There is a "courtesy" light indicated on the dash, then a "shift" light shown in the console. Maybe the shift light is on automatic transmission cars. So I guess the light under the radio is called the "courtesy" light, which would be known nowadays as a "map light". I think I'm no longer confused :confused:

[SeventhSon]

Tomorrow marks 1 year since the Avanti arrived in Virginia from Texas, sitting up high on the car carrier looking a bit sinister in all her roughness. I wish I had taken some pictures of the old car up on that truck in the dark, misty night, but I didn't realize I would be keeping a record of things. After she refused to fire and the tired truck driver had to push her down off the truck I stood there with my brother Don, wondering what I had done. The old car sat mere feet from the public roadway, where she rolled as the truck driver tried to get her to come to life. And there she sat, still looking right mean and fast even if the years had not been kind to her. We rushed about trying to get some fire, the truck driver suggested maybe some gas was needed, offering up his can. I ran over to the fuel pumps of the gas station, the parking lot of which we had unloaded the old girl onto, and got a couple of gallons. We dumped it in. It didn't help. I ran for some starting fluid. Still futile. Eventually, after gas, starting fluid, hooking up a booster box, the old girl fired. And cut off. The truck driver looked at me, almost pleadingly, take this car off my hands. "You wanna try?", he asked. I jumped in and cranked and she fired. A relationship was born. I ran the revs up to probably 3000 RPM. I wanted to get the old car away from the road, before curious eyes gathered, so I motioned for the truck driver to close the hood. I wheeled the car around and headed for the storage unit I had rented behind the gas station. When I backed in to the unit I let the engine idle a bit before shutting her down, it was then that I realized that what the fellow in Texas had told me. "It's a good motor - fast. Real fast." He was right. I shut the engine off - not to hear it run again for 5 months.

I have to say, I didn't think I would have what it was going to take in the ensuing weeks and months to give the car what it needed. The first few weeks were a bit discouraging, as the realization of what I was in for set in. If it wasn't an R2 Avanti I think I would have bailed on it early on. It was just too rough. But every time I thought about throwing in the towel I thought to myself, "It's an Avanti, and it's yours!" That kept me going. That, and help and encouragement from folks like John Feser, who hauled the car to my house so it would be there every day, reminding me that I had work to do.

The past year has been eye opening, expensive, tiring, frustrating, and totally gratifying. Even today, when I go to work on the car, or just drive it around a bit, I have to smile. It's a smile of satisfaction, knowing that a classic old piece of automotive history has been rescued. And I did it! With help from a bunch of like minded folks, from John Feser, Dave Thibeault, Greg Cone, Nimesh Solanki, Alan Himes and crew, my brothers Brian and Don, from folks who follow along here, who I would name except I'm afraid I would miss someone. If you weren't following my progress and offering encouragement and advice I know I wouldn't have made it this far. My heartfelt thanks to all of you guys, not only for your help, but for being a kindred spirit.

I posted a few pictures of some of the rough conditions present on this car when I first got it. Tomorrow, (or the next day, if I'm comatose from turkey) I'll post some more, along with some thoughts on my hopes for year 2.

All the best, and Happy Thanksgiving!

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Chris, you surely have come a long way. And learned a lot. And had FUN, FUN! I , and for sure others went through the same self doubt when our toy first arrived, some in worse shape than Mighty FAST. but , as you, we hung in there and can now say " I DID IT!"

I look forward to the next year with you and your special car.

Ben

[Landman]

Not only that, every little thing you do to it, however insignificant makes your car better and you notice them every time you look at it. Keep on plugging,my friend.

[SeventhSon]

Ben - yes, it has been a long road and FUN, FUN too! Regardless of how tough it got at times it was worth it, I feel. I too look forward to year two. And Pat, I agree, every time I make a little progress the car gets a little better. It sure is gratifying. Thanks Pat and Ben, and the other folks who follow along - I'm going to keep working on the rescue!

[Woodfiddler]

Chris - Thank you for the Thanksgiving reflection and the holiday greetings. I appreciate you taking us thru the first year with "MightyFast". All of your efforts surely show, and do you ever wonder what She's thinking when you open up the storage unit door? I know She smiles and gets excited, hoping for more attention and to be let out of the stall for a run. A true "horse-of-a-different-color!" Keep up the great work and great reporting here on the best forum on the internet!

Chuck

[SeventhSon]

Chuck, thanks for the kind words - they say "inanimate" objects don't feel anything, so maybe it is our own feelings projecting back onto us, but I swear the car loves to run and is "happy" when doing just that. Not to get too philosophical about it, as my sister ribbed me about "waxing poetic" about turning wrenches and such. But regardless, the love is there. The love of the folks who came before us and bought and drove the car, those folks no longer here, the love of the design and engineering, the love of the history of it all. And the love of bringing it back from the "grave" and making it once again into some semblance of what is once was. It is truly satisfying to be a part of that.

And so begins year two. I'm a lot further along than the first days of year one, when I lay awake at nights and wondered why I had done it. I worried if I had it in me, because so much was needed. Not only time and effort, but money - did I have it in me? I guess the results speak for themselves. I'm certainly not finished, so the mission continues. The next few months hopefully will show progress on the interior, the rear window seal and a complete mechanical checkup to see if anything is falling off, cracking, or otherwise in need of attention. The rear window and interior freshen up are the most immediate items on my mental list - and inevitably there will be those little things here and there that will butt in line and demand to be addressed. Lots of stuff like that always popping up. And hopefully next year at this time the old girl will be able to show off a new exterior color, maybe silver? (Will Mightyfast become the Silver Streak?) How about Avanti Gray? Or right back to Maroon, like it is now (just much nicer). Avanti Red is at the bottom of the list, but not totally out of the running. Since it's going to be an expensive proposition I will have lots of time to decide while I try to save up for a paint job, that's for sure.

My biggest hope for year two is that I meet with the same success as year one, both in making progress on my own and in getting help and encouragement from the "kindred spirits" I mentioned the other night. If I can be blessed with those things, old Mightyfast will be doing mighty well next year at this time.

[SeventhSon]

Well, holiday #1 is in the books, now back to the Avanti! It's been a week since I dropped in on the old beast and 8 days since I fired up the monster motor. I was half afraid it wouldn't start due to the fairly extended downtime, plus the cold snap we've been having. But my worries were misplaced, as she cranked about ten times and then rumbled to life. But I get ahead of myself. Last time I drove the car I returned to the storage unit with non-functioning turn signals. So, before the Thanksgiving break I dropped in on NAPA and ordered a Long Life flasher, as opposed to the regular flasher they have in stock. I picked the flasher up on Wednesday - too late before Thanksgiving to install it. So it had to wait til today. That's the first thing I did before I cranked the engine - oh, the second thing I did was check the oil. Half a quart down - this motor is an oil user, I don't like that. Maybe as time goes on it will subside a bit on the oil consumption - kinda doubtful. Guess I'll have to start buying it by the drum.

So, after the flasher and oil, I fired the engine and took the beast out. Pretty much just a cruise to charge the battery and get the fluids stirred up. At the first stoplight I pushed the turn signal lever down and was happy to see and hear the flasher working. The last flasher was quiet - this one sounds like a flasher is supposed to, "tick-a, tick-a, tick-a". I just rumbled around - didn't even get into it (well, once I gave her the gas a little and made sure the engine was still up to the challenge). I just drove around for less than half an hour - had to get back to work, but it sure felt good to just be out cruising. One of these days I'm gonna run off and take a real ride!

On the way back to the storage unit, on the last turn, I noticed no "tick-a, tick-a, tick-a". Don't tell me this thing is eating flashers!! I pulled around to the unit and got out, leaving the engine idling (man, that sounds good!) I took my daily driver out of the unit, then went to the Avanti and crouched under the dash. I grabbed the flasher and wiggled it back and forth. I pushed the turn signal lever up. "Tick-a, tick-a, tick-a". I smiled - ok, I know what the deal is. The socket that the flasher plugs into is corroded. At least it's something I can work with. I'll stop and get some electrical contact cleaner tomorrow and give the connectors a good cleaning. That should do it - I hope!

[SeventhSon]

A little departure from Avanti fun to share an article I saw this morning on a racetrack built in Laurel, Maryland in 1925. Having spent time in and around Laurel in past years the article piqued my interest. I found it very interesting that the track was made out of wood (!), two by fours installed on their edges. Wow, that's a lot of wood to install! The track had 45 degree banking in the turns. Yikes!

Here's the link:

Laurel Speedway in the 1920s - Baltimore Sun

And a picture from the article:

[SeventhSon]

Another lunchtime visit to the old Avanti today. Before heading over there I picked up a can of CRC QD Electronic Cleaner, and before leaving the house this morning I grabbed a couple of the tiny brushes that I'm supposed to be using on my teeth. I figured they would make excellent little cleaning utensils for the electrical connectors. I knew they would come in handy!

When I got there I pulled the flasher, sprayed some of the Electronic Cleaner on a brush, and scrub-a-dub 'ed in the flasher terminal connectors. I did this several times with both size brushes. Then I turned to the dome light switch that activates when the door is opened. Since I was right there at the driver's side I pushed that switch in. It halfway returned to its normal position, then stuck. So I sprayed some Electronic Cleaner into it. After a few applications it began to work normally.

Then I removed the screws holding the switch so I could have a look at the connectors. The results were less than acceptable - the rear of the switch is so corroded that one terminal broke free of its mooring and pulled free of the switch. Not good. So, two switches have been put on the list to purchase - the list grows...

After that I hooked up the battery and turned the ignition switch on. I checked the turn signal - tick-a, tick-a, tick-a. Good. Then, out of the blue, the under dash courtesy light flickered on. Surprise! Hmmm...wasn't expecting that. I pushed in the door switch. The light went out. I released it and the light came on. That was the last time that happened. I tried the switch again - in, out, in, out. The light stayed on. I flipped the switch on the light itself back and forth. Made no difference - the light stayed on. I reached up behind me and flipped the switch on the right side dome light - no light either way. Same with the left side. Oh well, no dome lights and a courtesy light that is extra courteous. I'll take it for now - at least there is some activity in the light department!

[SeventhSon]

Another Avanti visit today at lunch. It's getting to be a habit - I didn't drive it today, though. Yesterday I received a battery cut-off switch I bought on Amazon. I've been mulling over putting one on for several months now, ever since the original ignition switch left me stranded right outside the door of the storage unit. After that I began to get nervous about leaving the battery connected all the time while the car sat in the storage unit. So, every time I put the car away in the storage unit I would disconnect the negative battery cable. Then, every time I went to take a ride I would connect the cable back up. Not too much trouble - just an annoyance more than anything.

So, I decided to get the "Little Switch" from Flaming River and throw it on there. The only real concern was where to stash it. Not much room over on that side of the engine compartment. Today I started fooling around with where to put it. I think I found a spot for it - between the battery and the voltage regulator. I positioned it all over that side of the engine compartment and that's the only spot it will really fit. So, I did an initial hookup to see if it will work out. I think it will - I just need to angle it a little and it should be fine. I didn't really want to drill two mounting holes in the inner fender and I thought about using some exterior double sided tape but as I drove back to work I decided to make the holes and mount it right. If the next person doesn't like it he can epoxy over the little holes and smooth it over.

I hooked up the battery and switched it on. I looked at the inside courtesy light. It was on. I switched it off - the courtesy light went off. Yep, it works. Hopefully, tomorrow I will mount the switch.

[SeventhSon]

Well, here we are, November is about done for. Next thing you know the year will be done for. Time, time, what price could you command for more time? I had another lunch visit to the Mightyfast stable today - overnight I began to waver on my commitment to bolt the cut off switch to the inner fender. I'm not a big fan of drilling holes where there weren't holes intended to be. Before going to the storage unit I stopped and picked up some mounting tape - Loctite Extreme. I was going to clean up the mounting spot and stick the switch with the tape. I've used similar tape in the past for different things - it holds pretty tight.

Before I bought the tape I read the instructions. The very first instruction, "Use at 50 degrees or higher." Hmmm, it's kinda warm out there... When I got in my daily driver to go to the storage unit I pressed the "Time and Temperature" button. 48 degrees. Close enough? At the storage unit I positioned the switch this way and that, then made the command decision. I'm gonna drill! It was a bit too chilly to trust the tape to hold, besides, I wasn't confident that it would hold fast through repeated switch on, switch off, over time. So I found the best spot, marked the mounting holes, and drilled them. Not too bad - just two little holes.

Then I put the bolts through and went looking for a metal backing strip to strengthen the whole mounting. I always try to save the odd pieces of metal that are meant for other uses but aren't needed. I knew I had a couple of metal strips that came with the garage door openers I replaced a while back. I didn't need them to hang the openers because I used the old hanger system. So I grabbed one of those strips, marked a new hole spot to match up with the switch, drilled and cut, and I had my backing piece. A few turns of the ratchet later and the switch was in its new home, tight and secure. Nice job, I think. In the pictures it almost looks like the switch is in the way of the battery, but its an optical illusion.

It didn't take that long to install, but long enough to keep me from having a drive - as soon as I got the switch in it was time to head back to work. Oh well, I get to drive it next time!

[Landman]

Nice installation Chris.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks, Pat. Not bad for a half an hour during lunch, I guess!

[SeventhSon]

It's Sunday, so that means an Avanti visit! I went early this morning and finished the cut-off switch installation - actually, I just cleaned the battery terminal and hooked up the negative cable. Then I turned the switch on and it was almost time to take off! I just needed to check the fluids, then it was off to the gas station. On my way to the gas station I tried the turn signals. They blinked a few times, then stopped blinking. Arggghh! I fiddled with the flasher some at the gas station, then decided to head for home where I could take care of matters with some light and tools.

At home I pulled the new flasher I just installed and worked on the connector block. It was obvious that one of the connectors was spread a little wide and the connection wasn't good. So I tightened both connectors up, sprayed some WD40 on them and cleaned them the best I could. Then I stuck a flasher in - it fit tighter, so I had high hopes it would work OK. It did. Happy with that outcome, I moved on to some more cleaning. I took some warm, soapy water and swabbed down the back seat, then rinsed and dried it, then coated it with vinyl restorer. Turned out pretty nice. I also worked on the dash some and shined the end caps of the dash. Progress, slow and steady, I suppose.

Then it was time for a ride! Off we went, just cruising around, the engine running very nicely. Once, after running up through the gears, I was trying to think of how to describe the feeling of the car. That's when it hit me and I realized why the folks at Studebaker named the R series engines the "Jet-Thrust". Because that's what I was thinking, "Feels like I'm in a fighter jet!" In recent weeks, as I cruise along, I have noticed the steering wheel is slightly cocked to the left while driving on a straight stretch. Hmmm, alignment out already?? I've also noticed in the last few weeks, when I'm working on the car and I lean on the left fender, I hear "squeak". Push down on the left front, "squeak, squeak". Hmmm....shouldn't be doing that with a new front end under her. So, while putting the old car to bed after our ride today, I pushed up and down on the left fender. "Squeak, squeak, squeak. I started investigating. Oh look - it sure seems like that bolt on the end of the upper a-arm shaft isn't tight. I grabbed a 9/16 wrench and tried the bolt - sure enough, it was loose. Not good - they were supposed to be torqued when the alignment was done. Time to pull the wheels and check all the bolts for proper torque, starting with the a-arm shafts. She won't be moving 'til that's done.

[John Byrd]

Chris, good for you on parking it till the front end parts are checked !! We bought an extremely nice little '52 Ford truck street rod over here last year from a fellow who knew nothing at all about cars except how to drive them. He had paid a rod building shop on the mainland ( A LOT!! ) to build this truck for him, and yet in the last 4 1/2 years had driven it only a bit over 700 miles because of his size and no A C . When we got it home to start cleaning and looking around on it, I was a bit hasty and only concerned with the parts that show. One day I decided to take the wheels off one at a time to give them a good clean/polish. I pulled the right front 1st, and noticed it had a bit of "wiggle", then noticed the lug nuts came off very easily. Then I decided to check the wheel bearings, and while doing that noticed the upper A-arm bolt didn't have a cotter pin. I also noticed that it was about 1/8th inch off the arm. To shorten the story, every single nut and bolt on the entire left side was either loose, about to fall off, and in one case had fell off. There was no cotter pins anywhere on the car, but the left side underneath- -front, exhaust, back, everything was no more than hand tight !!! The right hand side was fine except for no cotter pins in the castellated nuts or anywhere else. Obviously a two man job, and a poor one at that. SO, guess what I do 1st now when checking out any purchase-new or used. Fortunately, we escaped without incident that time, and learned a valuable lesson doing it ! By the way, the truck was super nice, but I don't like those models, so I finally convinced my bride to let me sell it. She had convinced me to buy it, so fair's fair, right ? Ha !! Check it good Chris, anythings possible. John

[SeventhSon]

Good advice John - if you didn't torque it yourself, check it yourself. And if you did torque it yourself, check it anyway! (What with forgetfulness being an increasing part of my life these days)

[Roger Zimmermann]

Ah! Chassis and torque...Recheking screws and nuts is mandatory after a while if you painted the chassis elements. Usually, paint applied during a restoration is muck thicker that the light coat done at the factory; when elements are installed at the proper torque, after a while the paint is collapsing and the once correct torque is no more exact. I experienced that on all 3 cars I did, especially the lower "A" arm shafts and spindle.

[SeventhSon]

Thanks Roger - good to know that info. It will be interesting to see how tight (or not) things are in the front end. And of course I'll post the results right here!

[Bill Stoneberg]

Andy G was not exactly a guy who was surrounded by luck. He had the first/only turbine car at Indy, The STP Special. It was outlawed by USAC, as being too powerful!

My Dad did work for USAC during this time and we were at that race. Andy G came withen a lap or so of winning the race when a $ 6.00 bearing gave out. Too bad as it was a great car to watch. Didn't at all sound like the rest of the cars though.

[SeventhSon]

I bet it sounded like you were at the airport instead of the racetrack!

[D Yaros]

Makes 2 of us that were at the track that year. Me, I was a college student in Indy at the time. The athletic director at our school was also the fire chief at the track, which got us in the pits and garage, which was quite secure back in those days. Yeah, Andy had a mechanical problem with the car, and nearly before he could diagnose/fix it, the car was banned by USAC!