1964 Studebaker Avanti

Coupe

289 4bl carb

Manual - 4 speed

R5602

Clear

Gasoline

The original owner and his son did a frame off restoration of this vehicle in the mid 90's. Prior to completion the father passed and the son continued the project until an accident resulting in him becoming a paraplegic. Not being able to ever drive again, he had the restoration completed and put the car in storage. I purchased the car from the son in 2008. Here is his description of the car: This car was fully restored with the body supported in a wooden frame and the chassis lowered and rolled out before disassembly. The engine was fully rebuilt from the distributor bearing, points, wires and plugs down to a new slightly “destroked” crank with all new crank and rod bearings, piston rings, etc. The Carter carb was replaced with a brand new one. The stock alternator always caused problems and was replaced with an 80’s AC Delco unit which has proved more reliable than the troubled stock unit. The chassis and suspension was fully disassembled and each part media blasted and inspected for rust or damage before receiving a bare steel corrosion protection treatment. The spare tire support was rusted out, and this is very common on these Avanti’s, despite it being garage kept. So a jig was fixed to the frame in order to properly locate and weld in a new spare tire support. This spare tire support was necessary in order to support the spare tire beneath the fiberglass body. The frame and every chassis component was again corrosion treated before priming and final painting with glossy, black Dupont Imron, a superior corrosion resistant paint used in factories with caustic materials. The rolling chassis was reassembled with a rebuilt rear axle with new bearings and seals throughout. The chassis rebuild continued with brand new bearings and rubber bushings throughout. The front suspension was fully rebuilt with new King-pin and fittings. The front disk brakes were rebuilt using brass sleeves for corrosion and wear resistance. As a child I remember, many, many trips to the Double A, M, C, O because of the troubled automatic transmission. I knew I wanted to rebuild this car to include a four speed transmission. A donor lark convertible, rusted from top-to-bottom, was the source of the four-speed and necessary assemblies. All pieces were refinished in the manner described above. The fiberglass under-body was then steam cleaned from front to back and roughed up before applying a dull black undercoat, and while it’s clear the fiberglass body won’t rust, this reduced road noise and panel vibration. The engine bay was sanded meticulously, and painted with the intended near factory color. I chose a burgundy metallic that was as close as we could get to the original color. With the engine, trans., rear axle, and front end all painted and reassembled the stainless steel exhaust was carefully fitted to avoid any chassis vibration or noise other than the engine note. The chassis was now fitted with brand new rubber body bushings and gently rolled under the body and jacked up into place for securement of the body. The assembled chassis with that glossy black paint was just beautiful and I sort of hated to see it all covered up with the body where it couldn’t be seen. Only a very close inspection would reveal all this careful work. I had to find a good shop skilled with fiberglass for a good paint job. There is some orange peel here and there that still could be wet sanded for that ultra smooth, deep glossy finish. All the chrome was sent out for a refinish and new rubber bumper pads were fitted to the bumpers. The interior was fitted with a factory original carpet, while there was some minor stitching repair of the seat backs. A new head-liner was also installed, though I feel it needs tweaking. My father bought the car brand new in Arlington, VA and we still have the original title and the car has always been garage kept and remains a beauty. I feel the changes made have increased reliability of the car and made it more fun to drive with the manual transmission. In June 2017, I had Witmer's Automotive in Ephrata, Pa, a well known Studebaker Servicing Automotive Repair, replace front and rear springs and shock absorbers which greatly improved the handling of the car. They also replaced the rear pinion seal on the differential. The tachometer is not currently working and it appears to need a new sending unit which Witmer's did not have at the time of their service which also included lubrication and oil and filter change. I have not made any attempts to get the A/C functional, the blower motor works and it may need nothing more than to update the coolant. The car has power steering, power brakes, power windows ( the passenger window does not work from the drivers switch but functions from the passenger switch). I have the distributor and ignition wire hardware and stainless covers, it's simply easier to tune the engine with them off. The car can be inspected at my location with prior arrangements. I have enjoyed the Avanti for 9 years and its time for her to find another loving home.