1963 Studebaker Avanti 4-Speed, Air

1963 Studebaker Avanti R1, 4-speed with Air conditioning. Serial number R4829, making it one of the 30 "transition" cars produced in July, 1963. The car left the factory painted gold with black vinyl interior and woodgrain console and dash. The Production Order from The Studebaker National Museum shows the car has its original engine (serial # R3276) and body (#RQ3763)
Body.I've owned the car about 10 years. When I bought it, some previous owner had started the process to change the paint to white, but most of it was in primer. The previous owner told me that the car had had some collision damage to the left front headlight area and had sat in a corner of a body shop for about 15 years. The damage was very skillfully repaired and I had to look closely up underneath the left front fender to find any evidence of repair. I finished the repaint. As can be seen in the photos, anyone would be hard pressed to find any trace of gold paint anywhere. The body is very straight with excellent door gaps and hood and trunk lid alignment. The paint is actually a whiter white than Studebaker used. I think it looks great. All new weatherstripping was installed after paint. All glass is very good.. No pesky electric windows here. Door glass cranks up and down as it should. Headlight covers are original glass
Engine.The original engine runs strong and sounds good. Mileage showing is 85700. I doubt that the engine has been rebuilt. The engine does have an oil leak from the rear main seal (common to Studebakers), and a leak from the front of the engine. If the engine had been rebuilt, those issues probably would have been addressed. The engine compartment has not been detailed. I decided years ago that I was not going to do a body-off restoration. Neither firewall nor inner fenders got painted when the body was painted. All the stainless ignition shielding is in place.
Transmission.I love 4-speeds. I had the shifter rebuilt, but these are notorious for being sloppy. The transmission works well, but still no speed shifting into 2nd.
Rear end is standard 3.73 ratio with twin traction.
Power steering works well with no leaks.
InteriorThe interior is excellent. JDP leather seats. Note the dash pad in the photos. When I bought the car, the interior was trashed and the original dash pad was not salvageable. (That's one of the reasons I didn't feel too bad about the change from black to fawn) At the time, new dash pads were not being reproduced. The guy who does interiors for me said that he could make one. The pleats you see in the photos are sewn, not molded. The arch above the instruments and the area around the radio have a beautiful sewn edge also. Its not original, but it looks great. All new carpet, all new panels. Original headliner. The upholstery guy uses sheet aluminum as backing for all the panels rather than the original pressed board. It improves the outer appearance that you see and will never warp or absorb moisture. The aluminum is a marked upgrade. There is a small stain in the carpet in the passenger side footwell. There was a leak of coolant from a heater hose and because I'm not in the car every day I didn't find it for a while. It should show up in the photos.
Chrome / stainlessAll exterior chrome has beenreplated and all stainless has been polished and buffed. The only thing that I am not completely happy with is the passenger side of the rear bumper wraparound. The plater polished through it and then welded in a patch. You have to look very closely to see it, but it's there.
Frame.The frame is excellent. Hog troughs are excellent. If you buy it and come here to pick it up, we'll put it up on the lift and you can inspect. If it is not to your satisfaction, we'll cancel the deal and part friends. I'm that confident in the condition of the hog troughs. (For those of you not familiar with Studebakers, the hog troughs are sheet metal boxes installed under the sills of the body to stiffen the structure and not allow the fiberglass body to flex too much. The hog troughs are notorious for rusting and while they are replaceable, it is relatively expensive and time consuming to do. It's always best to find a car with good hog troughs) The tubular rear cross member does have a rust hole. I poked at it too hard with a screwdriver. I have a new stainless steel cross member that goes with the car. I planned to install the new one when I installed a stainless exhaust system, but I never did the exhaust. The new owner can install the cross member down the line somewhere.
ExhaustThe current exhaust system is in good shape. The Production Order says the car was shipped with "silent mufflers". If this is silent, I really like to listen to regular mufflers. What a rumble this car has!
InstrumentsAll the instruments work except the clock and vacuum gauge. The tachometer is sluggish, but probably only needs a cleaning of the mechanism. The dead spider in the tach face is free. (Been there since before my ownership)
ElectricalBrake lights, turn signals, and interior lights all work. Headlights work on low beam only. Because neither works on high beam, I suspect a bad dimmer switch or loose wire. Horn has quit working. There is something loose inside the steering column. At one point in the rotation of the steering wheel, the horn does sound. It is disconcerting. I'll try to get this fixed.
CoolingI have not driven it enough at high speed in really hot weather to evaluate. Does fine otherwise. I've never had it in a parade or other slow-moving action. The system does just fine in normal driving. The original overflow tank goes with it if you want it for authenticity.
Tires / wheelsThe radial tires shown were on the car when I bought it. I have probably not put 500 miles on the car in the 10 years I've owned it. The tires look good, but I do not know how old they are. The tires have been protected from UV while the car has basically been in storage. The spare wheel is there, but no spare tire.
BrakesThe brakes work fine. It is still equipped with the single port master cylinder. Upgrading to a dual-port master cylinder was on my to-do list, but didn't happen
A/CEverything seems to work. When turned on, the compressor engages and the fan blows what seems to be cold air, but it's been years since I charged it. I turn it on every now and then to keep things moving.
FAQ Q: Isn't that a Ford 289? A: No
Q: Does it leak? A: It's an Avanti. Of course it leaks. It leaks engine oil out and rainwater in.
Q: Weren't Avantis made in Canada? A: No
Q: How fast will it go? A: I don't know. The windshield wipers started fluttering at about 115 on the speedometer and I backed off it.
Shop manual, parts manual (both original, printed 1963) are included. Production order from the Studebaker NationalMuseum and a Richard Quinn window price sticker included.
Look, Bob. Battery hold downs.
I think I've described the car accurately and hope I haven't scared you off by being nit-picky, but it is, after all, a 55-year-old used car. It is located about 10 miles east of Shreveport, Louisiana, and inspection prior to bid or purchase is welcomed and encouraged. That being said, if you or your agent don't come to look at it prior to the auction close, it is sold as is, where is, with no warranty expressed or implied (except for the hog troughs). Even those are not guaranteed if you buy it sight unseen, because I have no control over what might happen to it if a shipper comes to pick it up. I'll run this on eBay through at least one weekend, so there is opportunity to inspect it for those of you still working for a living.
Call Tom at 318-949-9744 with questions. Be prepared to leave a message as my wife and I tend to let calls from numbers not familiar to us go to voice mail. There are just too many telemarketers and pollsters out there. I will call you back.
Scammers ---Give it up. I've heard it all
Thanks for looking and reading through all this. This is really an overall nice car and worth what I think is a reasonable reserve. $1000 deposit required through PayPal within 48 hours of auction close. Cash at pick up or wire transfer of funds before pick up (funds confirmed by my bank) preferred. Neither title nor Avanti will be released until I am satisfied with funds. If you win the bid and show up here with a trailer and a check, you will leave with an empty trailer until the check clears. (clear?)
Buyer responsible for all costs and arrangement of shipping. I can certainly help load. I will not get involved with any arrangement of export shipping.