Holy Grail Studebaker Barn Find | Will It Start 1963 Supercharged Avanti R2 | RESTORED

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Join in with the Restored Crew as they attempt to revive some life back into this forgotten gem. After missing out on a deal years prior, the guys get an itch for a rare 1963 Avanti Studebaker that they can't pass up. After getting this ol' girl back to the shop, the team fights against obstacles to see what it will take to see this 289 Supercharged Engine back alive again. Being that this was the world's fastest production car of its time, will this classic jewel crank after 20 years, or will the Restored Crew walk away with a loss?
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[@goldcountryruss7035]

While working at "Lee's Auto Parts & Speed Shop" on Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica, myself & a guy named Lenny built all the prototype custom exhaust systems for the fleet of Studebakers destined to go to Bonneville. These parts (later duplicated by Studebaker) were ordered by Andy Granatelli & Paxton Products also from Santa Monica. I even snuck a test drive of the fastest record setting twin supercharged Avanti up Ocean Park Blvd. All I remember of that drive is the tall gear ratio, skinny tires, & lots of tire smoke. A few years later Andy Granatelli would bring us a small Mercedes bus to do an engine conversion on. They had removed the original small diesel engine and I installed a Ford 260 or 289 V-8 & 4-speed in it for him. This was destined to be the pit bus for the STP turbine Indy car. Fun stuff! Andy offered me a job with the STP race team at this point, but I had my Viet Nam era draft notice so had to decline. Great memories that still bring "what if" regrets too.

[@chrislindgard9948]

My Daddy was a Studi Man! The Avanti was his dream car. I almost cried when she fired up! Thank you!

[@cressmerrill7280]

My high school math teacher had a Chevy Nomad and wanted an Avanti, I called him about 8 years ago and asked him if he ever got his Avanti. He said wait, went down to his garage and started one up!!! He told me he had 2 of them. Unfortunately he passed away not long after I spoke with him, he was in the California Avanti club and realized his dream.

[@user-lp8sx4cz1b]

7:19 que diseños adorables hizo estudebaquer cuanta nostalgia nos dejó en el corazón

[@user-lp8sx4cz1b]

❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😂😂❤

[@randbodily3058]

1964 Avanti has been my pie in the sky, if money were no object, car my whole life. Can’t wait to see more, I’m learning a lot!

[@neil6212]

The OEM battery was a Willard HDD3EE. Still pretty commonly available. I actually owned two Avantis in the 1960s-early 70s. One was an R2 and one was an R1. The dash panels all came from the factory with a fawn color, and chrome trim. The carpet kit has a large number of sections. You could buy the car with a 3 speed Warner T-86 or a T-10 four speed. To convert it to stick, parts from a 1961-64 Studebaker Lark are a direct bolt in. Engine is internally balanced. Clutch is a 10.5 inch Borg and Beck. Hurst offers a perfect fit 4 speed shifter. I used one when I converted my R-2 from automatic to stick. Most common rear axle was a Dana 44 with a 3.31 ratio. I went to a 3.73 for better acceleration. Cam is a flat tappet with solid lifters, and is gear driven, so be aware of distributor rotation. Dual points were standard. Rocker arm ratio is 1 to 1.75. Those stainless steel covers for the plug wires are to help reduce radio interference, as the body provides no shielding. Original spark plugs were Champion H14-Y.

[@jamesw1659]

I, too, own an Avanti, a "round headlight" '64 R1 with a/c. You're spot-on except for the part about the fawn dash covers...correct for early cars, but the transition cars and later '64s had pads coordinated with the interior color. Mine is black, and all the padded parts and upholstery are black, too, and I know they are factory-original. I've got the factory T-10D four speed, with a 3.73 limited-slip rear end.

[@jamessignorelli852]

I have a question , DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT STUDABAKER ? LOL

[@JW...-oj5iw]

@@jamessignorelli852 ... Yes. It's spelled Studebaker.

[@3RTracing]

@@jamesw1659 I had one of the very last R2's with a black interior, inclusive of the dash. My Avanti also had a tilt wheel, power windows and wood grain in special places. ALL of these trim variants were the very last Avanti options . I think my build number was 5495 or there abouts. The cam was not just a flat tappet, the high performance profile was developed by the Granatelli brothers for the Jet Thrust R series engines that were offered in the Avantis' and super hawks and super larks. The disc brake system is the same of that used by the Jaguar XKE types and some Rolls Royces. .

[@jamesw1659]

@@3RTracing that would, indeed be a late car, probably December build (I’m too lazy to look it up). I have a transition car, built in August, using a leftover round-headlight ‘63 body shell with ‘64 trim. Mine has the late interior pieces, with the wood grain trim and wheel, but I have the thinner-back bucket seats, not the thick ones introduced very late in the run. Mine is an R1 with factory a/c; it used the same cam profile, indeed, the same short block as your R2, but with higher-compression heads. Very cool that you have the tilt wheel; I know it was a ‘64 option, but I’ve never actually seen one…pretty rare. You’re also right about the disk brakes. They were made by Girling and Dunlop, originally for Jaguar. People bitch about them, but in correct trim, they are quite good compared to drums. I converted mine to dual master cylinder for safety.

[@5610winston]

It was the most beautiful object ever shaped by human hands when I first saw one in 1963 and nothing has ever surpassed it. Let's have a moment of remembrance of Raymond Loewy's Avanti design team: Studebaker engineers Bob Andrews and John Ebstein, and fiberglass fabrication expert Tom Kellogg. Loewy rented a house in Palm Springs early in 1961and almost sequestered the team until the project was complete. It was done in less than sixty days. Somehow they judged it didn't look quite right, so the last touch after the shape was finalized was to add about 3/4 inch of rake to the stance by shimming up the rear springs. It went into production that way. Also, let's remember Sherwood Egbert, President of Studebaker-Packard, who saw the potential of the automotive operations while the board of directors was ready to pull the plug. Egbert brought in designer Brooks Stevens ("The Seer Who Made Milwaukee Famous) to freshen up the Lark and Hawk models. Half the shoestring design development budget went into an attractive facelift of the steel body models, and the rest went into the Avanti. It would be unfair to call the efforts a failure, but Egbert's worsening health (stomach cancer) caused his forced retirement and the bean-counters were determined to close the South Bend Studebaker Main Plant. There were plans to build an entire line of sedans and wagons on Avanti design themes, and Brooks Stevens built some glorious prototypes as proposals for more conventional Lark and Wagonaire models, even a proposal for a Riviera-class coupe called The Scepter. I recently heard that the Studebaker foundry in South Bend had cast a prototype block for an all-new V8 of 340 cubic inches shortly before the December 1963 shutdown but it never was readied for assembly. So sad.

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

One of the first American designed and built production cars without a conventional grille. The whole front end is so well integrated and executed. A beautiful body, interior, chassis and drivetrain.

[@opera93]

Thanks….. for comments, etc. I am old WARSAW born, Studebaker meant a lot to Us, etc… Interestingly, a Classmates One year , older brother had a Super Lark( *blue, *floor Shift ,63??)….. actually mayhave firgotten some details of his Studebaker, though sounded strong & moved quick….. !! Oddly, one of my Cousins in South Bend “ traded in a Hawk, for 1957 Ford ***Thunderbird (!! I just then barely noticing vehicles!!🧐😂)……

[@kennethbloom3584]

Phoenix has a restaurant called Avanti and they had an Avanti sitting out front for years. Always loved the look.

[@williamwoolcock]

Long ago I worked with a group of people at the old Allis Chalmers plant outside Pittsburgh. I snuck into a huge factory room and found about 30 Avanti's covered in plastic. This was in about 1972.

[@dubdaze68]

I thought that the Allis-Chalmers plant was on the Northside?

[@356rah]

Rare find. Original wheel covers and Paxton super charger and relative unmolested interior you are one lucky person.

[@danhertel165]

I was born and raised in South Bend a few miles from the Studebaker factory, both my dad and grandfather worked there. I took a tour of the Avanti factory back in the 70's when it was no longer Studebaker.

[@leopilliod3038]

I had lark with R2 engine .The carberator is a special pressure type do not try to use regular one.Also the fuel pump is special .You must have a vaccum line hooked to top of fuel pump to keep the fuel from backing up under boost.There should be threaded hole on top of fuel pump for vaccum line.IF it is a real r2 engine top left side of will be stamped JTS and ser #

[@howardkoster4026]

GLAD you have this top notch STUDE in your shop!!! I remember the '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk also being supercharged..They were ahead of their time!!

[@coyboybc]

The Golden Hawk is my dream car

[@howardkoster4026]

@@coyboybc I have one, but it's a Diecast car. The only kind I can afford.

[@neil6212]

The fuel pump has an added port ABOVE the diaphragm, which connects to the small nipple on the blower output, to increase fuel pressure in proportion to the blower output. The electric pump addition probably accounts for the really rich mixture. The carb is a specially sealed Carter AFB. Edelbrock now owns the AFB line, and can probably source any parts you need. The factory pump IS rebuildable, and fastened together with real screws!

[@iracordem]

does the special seal improve the efficiency of the supe?

[@neil6212]

@@iracordem Yes. It increases fuel supply, as blower output (boost)would be in excess of the normal fuel pressure. I have seen boost pressure of ~11 pounds, with the optional smaller pulley. Mine was 63R1098, being the 98th one built.

[@duncanfrere2656]

My father owned a Studebaker Avanti, 1963 white with red leather interior, normally aspirated. It was a beautiful car with a great engine note!

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

The best ever Studebaker!! AVANTI !!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to think they started out making horse drawn carriages. Sweet engine and supercharger!! Well done on getting her running again!!!

[@dawnnorris600]

You have a ballast resistor on the coil and your starter solenoid has a resistor bypass on it. Thats why you were hearing spark jumping when you were cranking it over.

[@alanstant9356]

There's nothing better then to hear those old cars start back up after a long time of sitting.

[@5610winston]

Nothing else sounds like a Studebaker V8. It's almost an aggressive sound, almost a lope like a hoy cam, even on the most basic engines and when perfectly tuned. My overdrive '51 Commander got mid-20s highway miles per gallon on the highway in the early eighties.

[@richardatkinson500]

My father owned the only originally imported 56 Studebaker Golden Hawk in the UK when I was a kid; around 1963, he sold the car at auction (regretted that for rest of his life), but went to look at an Avanti in the London Showroom and later in life spoke enthusiastically about the car's layout and drive. He was tempted, but instead opted for a white Pontiac LeMans with a red interior; I remember that car well, a Friday lemon if ever there was. The 'ol man got so fed up with it, he returned it to the dealership after a few months (dealership couldn't get transmission to work properly) and ordered up a brand new Plymouth Fury instead. My brother was expected, so it had to be a 4-door instead of a 2-door; remember that car as well! Here's hoping you'll enjoy ownership of the Avanti; the Avanti Owners Club is a mindful of information as is also SDC, Studebaker Drivers Club, with over 12K members. Looking forward to your next installment. Richard

[@jonsmith6982]

So Dennis Collins had his one for sale on his site for 14k i thought that was cheap for such a rare car ,that one he had was in pretty good shape for it,s age & a manual as well ,i noticed it,s gone from his site so must have sold fast .

[@jbrobe01]

Awesome video! I am the proud owner of a 63 R2 myself. Great little cars! Hard to believe these are 60 years old when you look and drive them!

[@user-bm1jh3lg6y]

Ιικιιιίιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ιιί κι εγώ θα ιικιιιίιιι ι ιικιιιίιιι ιιί κι κι ιικιιιίιιι ιιιιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ικιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ικιιι ιικιιιίιιι ιιιιιι ιιιιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι και οι οι ιι ι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ι ιι θα ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι και κι κι και κ ιι οικισμός ιιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι κίκι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι κκ κι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι ιιί ι κίκι ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι Κικίλιας κοινό κικ κκι ι κ ιι ιι ιιιιιικ οι ιικιιιίιιι και κ ι ί κι

[@bifaith100]

love the old studebakers.. avanti was way ahead of its time... i got a couple of those 289s in the back..in my dads 60s larks..rusting away at the moment.. he used to go thru the paper and pick up larks when he found a deal..miss that guy.

[@garyalford9394]

From South Bend, remember when our cops had the stude Larks with the big V-8 in them !

[@robertqueberg4612]

I graduated from high school in 1966, with another guy whose family drove nothing but Studebakers. Bruce drove a ‘58 Golden Hawk that had a 289 with a disconnected supercharger. This video has brought back good memories of good cars and 35 cent high test.Thanks guys. I will come back to see what you’re up to.

[@iracordem]

your new car can emulate human behavior now, but they won’t ever again make anything near as classy or roadworthy as a stude fn baker…😪

[@5610winston]

Actually, adjusted for inflation, that 35-cent high test isn't that far off today. I filled up my Frontier yesterday at $2.729 at Sam's Club in Meridian, MS, and premium was about $3.50 (I wasn't really paying attention to the premium price, may have been lower?)

[@moodiblues2]

A friend’s father had one of these beauties. These cars, in my opinion were the trend setters for the shape of cars. After these cars, the Mustang, Riviera, and Camaro came out with the same general shape. A short rear deck, curving down into a long sweeping hood. They were so ahead of their time that they still look fresh today. After Studebaker went out of business, a Canadian company produced them for a couple of years. I only wish I could have a fully restored version for my modest car collection.

[@patrickfuchs1821]

Thanks guys! @ 1970, my dad and uncle went to Longview to buy a '63 Avanti that was in a wrecking yard. Someone had tried to drive through a telephone pole and all the fiberglass (including the hood) were inside the car. It had electric windows, and because of recent rain, there was three inches of water in the floorboard - they almost went back to Central Texas without it. Dad always wanted one, so they loaded it up and headed back. The only replacement fiberglass at that time were from the company making new Avanti's, so they had to put a "square headlight" front panel on it. It was driven off and on until 1977 and has been parked ever since - other family members own it and do not seem too interested in doing anything with it. Studebaker was still using a tapered rear axle in 1963, so you will need the proper puller to get those rear hubs/drums off. Great job and glad to see another one being put back on the road.

[@peterveltman9468]

Qqqq

[@docmirror8009]

Myer Studebaker parts are the go-to source for original cars. I get no money for endorsing them but I get a lot of parts there. You are also missing the script on the front fenders that reads "Supercharged". Look at some pics online and you will see where they sit. The fiberglass bodies do not crack. They were way overbuilt, and they were cured properly when made so they are quite robust. The window surrounds are stainless steel not chrome. Don't use steel wool on the brightwork unless you are certain it's chrome and not stainless steel. The bushings in the anti-roll bar were wrong recipe and they always are perished. Get new poly bushing for the front and rear anti-roll bars will make the car handle much better with modern tires.

[@AdamosDad]

Back in the 70's a friend of mine Bob Struckman, drove one as an everyday driver. He owned dozens of Studebakers, and Packard's. He had a few that were in magazines. My brother told me a while back that Bob had gone to that dealership in the sky.

[@davidmcnair1455]

I doubt that there is a single car dealership in heaven.

[@AdamosDad]

@@davidmcnair1455 Your absolutely right, I'm a Christian and felt I was wrong by saying it that way, but Bob was big in cars, and I knew him Before Christ and was not sure where he was to be honest, so that was being kind I suppose.

[@danielventura8073]

I'm old enough to remember when a friend of our neighbors in Massachusetts had one of these, back in 1965 when I was just 4 years old. Even back then I thought it was a really cool car. We would see these around as late as 1971. I believe he also had a 2 door Lark.

[@lukejaffe2533]

Don’t forget to change the fluid in the supercharger. It takes type f atf fluid. As for the front brakes. We run a turner disc brake conversion on ours. Uses mustang rotors and s10 calipers. Another thing I’d replace is the oil line that runs under the dash to the mechanical oil pressure gauge they are prone to cracking and spraying oil under the dash

[@5610winston]

If I remember correctly, the Borg Warner PowerShift automatic transmission also takes Type F atf.

[@madmanmechanic8847]

Most of your old cars have a circuit called stepped up voltage that is wired on the starter solenoid when you engage the starter the solennoid sends 12 volts to your coil for initial start . When the engine starts and you release the ignition then you go to the ignition on circuit and the engine stays running. It is very important you check the ignition on circuit for voltage as it is regulated either through a ballast resistor or a in some cases a resistor wire . The voltage should be around 8.5 to 9 volts if you run 12 volts continuously to the coil you will fry the points .

[@jameswinburn6843]

When I was a young married man and money poor I found a 57 Studebaker Golden Hawk that was only 800 dollars. It was fifteen years old but only had 68K miles and no rust. I couldn't get the $800 without great hardship so I missed the opportunity. Like you, I've always wanted to find one like it. I'm still looking and with prices over 60K now, it's just not going to happen. Congrats on finding yours.

[@BFVgnr]

There was one of these in Shreveport back in the late 80s. Walked past it every time I went to school. Had silver paint and the round head lights, so now I know it was a 63.

[@grayhounddaddy62leake83]

Wow, that's unbelievable finding a 63 Avanti that's in pretty good shape for it's age! Can''t wait to see it when you get it all buttoned up and polished!!!

[@earli3693]

The performance of those cars was like the gorilla in a discussion. Supercharger, dual points ignition and flow through exhaust, few people on the streets knew what they were or what they could do. 170 mph is still respectful today. And it had the manners of an everyday driver. Congratulations to you sir and welcome to the club... 1971 Javelin SST.

[@darrellwhite302]

My Dad had a '63 R1, non-supercharged 289, when it was new. Gold exterior and tan interior. I have many pics of it. He really liked that car and he always regretted selling it. I believe he had it for about 15 years.

[@danawilkes6174]

They come with a built in roll cage. When he took the photo of the interior. You can see it clearly. Way ahead of its time.

[@kentwalker1496]

I remember seeing one of these cars in junior high school. I rode the bus each day and looked forward to seeing the car during the bus route. Very cool car! Congratulations!

[@martinharris5017]

One of my all-time favorite muscle cars! Thanks for the upload. These cars were ahead of their time style-wise and still look great today!

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Avanti and Corvette both stock off showroom floor, hood unopened, I suspect Corvette would be much faster top speed...

[@martinharris5017]

@@BuzzLOLOL The Studebaker Avanti top-of-the-line supercharged version, "factory stock, hood unopened" had the fastest maximum speed of any production car at that time, way faster than the Corvette. The fastest of the 1960s era Corvettes were the limited edition Z28 big block versions that Chevrolet had to make available in order to qualify for racing, but even then, the main focus was on acceleration and not top speed, and they were "specials" that Chevrolet discouraged the general public from buying. Then, to unleash the cars performance potential, you had to make extensive modifications, which was the whole point of such cars. Anyone, however, could walk into a Studebaker dealer and purchase a supercharged Avanti, factory stock, take it to Bonneville and verify the cars performance for themselves. It wasn't until the late 1960s that Italian manufacturers such as Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini produced supercars that would either match or come close to the Avanti's top speed.

[@edwatts9890]

@@martinharris5017: L-88 and ZL-1 were the ultimate Corvette big-block (427 in³) offerings in the 1960's. Z-28's main feature was a 302 in³ small-block, and it was a Camaro-only option package.

[@mrbig4514]

WTF! You call that a muscle car?? get your eyes checked dude

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@martinharris5017 - The '63 Corvette small block 327" had 360 HP... and stock rear end ratios options for top speed... what did the stock Avanti have?

[@geraldingram9351]

Thank you for sharing your time with us all on the Studebaker, fantastic, God bless you,Gerald from Feilding, New Zealand.

[@herrunsinn774]

I just stumbled upon this video (or KZbin stumbled upon it for me). The thumbnail of the Avati caught my eye. The video itself is entertaining on its own, but what really caught my attention were the comments. I don't think I've ever seen so many comments from such knowledgeable and dedicated fans of a car brand and model as this one. So many people kindly shared their knowledge and their enthusiasm. It's great to see such great comments and a total lack of cynicism that plague so many KZbin videos. I salute all of you. My one humble experience with an Avante was back in 1973 or '74 when a buddy of mine bought one. I'm sorry I don't recall the exact year of the car. I know it was non-supercharged but that's about it. Anyway, I was kind of a car guy back then (my attention turned to guitar later), so when the engine in the Avante went south, my buddy and I found a replacement from (I think) a Lark in a salvage yard (for a great price). It took us about 2 days to swap the blown engine for the good one. We took our time and were not in a rush. I remember being impressed with how straight forward working on the Stude actually was. There wasn't anything tricky about it. In my opinion, the cars were very well made and working on one was a breeze. Anyway, thanks again for all the useful (and civil) comments on this Avante project. 🍻✊

[@richardchisholm2073]

A little Avanti trivia. Roger Ward, won the 1962 Indi 500 and was presented with an Avanti for winning. Studebaker claimed he was the first Avanti owner. His was the supercharged model like yours.

[@terrydavis2586]

The battery looks just like the one in a 1954 Buick Special I had. And the chrome covers around the distributor reminds me of the set up on a 1969 Corvette LT1 I also had. But you gotta love the Studebaker company for bringing different designs and features into their vehicles making them different, if not unique, from the other US car manufacturers.

[@charlesyoung7436]

That also looks like the battery from my mother's 1961 Corvair 900 Monza.

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Nice car!!! One of the first things that would make this car really reliable, is to get a Pertronix points eliminator kit along with a 3ohm Pertronix 'Flamethrower' ignition coil... The ignition would look stock, as the OEM distributor can still be used, and the car's ignition would run with reliability. The electric pump might be putting out more pressure than what the carburetor was designed for. If so, a pressure regulator might be a necessary step, to get that fuel system to work properly again...

[@HankNinja]

Hearing that supercharger whine on first start was really something. Pretty machine.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

Reminded me of The Batmobile, just a little.

[@1978JonBullock]

She is a real beautiful old gal. You had a great score finding such a great Studebaker in really good condition.

[@greatpix]

I heard this 2nd hand 40 years ago from a member of the Studebaker Club in California so take of it what you will. He said that there were some Studebakers that had R3 engines, and there was an enthusiast member who was working on upping the specs and making an R4, complete with badge. He also told me stories of guys with R2 Avanti's going around challenging other sports car owners and making out like bandits, until word got around.

[@richardhill4862]

These old Studebaker's had some cool features and styling. I do like the Super Hawk's body style better, but the Avanti is no joke. They sure dressed up there engines bays and inside the cab more than other car manufactures of this time period. Very nice find and good job!

[@mikeferraro8917]

Happy that you found one of your dream cars. My uncle owned a 63 super charged standard shift Avanti it was silver and he found out through some research it was on an episode of the “Mr. Ed “ tv show!

[@opera93]

Thanks, Team, an oddly interesting START to a classic Car build! I do appreciates the complete, thouroughness (sic?), and Some History,& background. Us Car Fans were so excited with Studebaker in the 60’s with Avanti, Super Lark,etc..(( I,am WOLF LAKE HS 65 GRAD:, NOBLE County, IN)… PS ESP Thanks to Photographer , especially, After RAT INCIDENT!!!!!!!ps: I kind of envy working on an AVANTI…

[@donsrestorations]

I really think this Avanti would be a good candidate for a proper restoration. Being that it is very rare and reasonably good shape to begin with, a good going through would be worth it.

[@garyalford9394]

You bet it would !!!

[@5610winston]

Only thing I would change would be a proper dual-circuit brake system. A four-wheel disc ABS would be ideal. Drum brake Studebakers model years '63-'66 had dual circuit brakes, but the disc brake cars had single circuits.

[@steveperyer4850]

A beautiful vintage sports car, and was the Corvette of Studebaker. A real car that anyone would be proud to own, and it seems to run well. 😊😊

[@jamesw1659]

I own one. Interestingly, in light of your comment, the body shells were initially made for Studebaker by Molded Fiberglas Products (MFG) in Ashtabula, Ohio, the same company that made them for Chevrolet at that time. The early work was such a mess that Stude ended up bringing it in-house, although it wasn't MFG's fault...the development schedule was just crazy-aggressive, and there wasn't sufficient time to debug anything very well. Conspiracy-minded folks like to say that GM pressured them to drag their feet, but I don't honestly believe GM gave a second of consideration to Studebaker.

[@oldmanhuppiedos]

What a beautiful vlog, just calm without shouting. I enjoy the technical treatises. Still something from my youth, the now classic cars. The Avanti Studebaker is worth a lot of money in the Netherlands, as much as 70K$.

[@wcasby0204]

Never surprises me that you guys can get motors running. You’re a blessed man of God. Love you guys.

[@brycechessum4684]

That is way better than what you usually drag home, nice car and it runs fine.

[@mikebeaty5396]

This is a killer find. I'm really proud for y'all. I was a bit concerned you didn't check the oil level or condition of the oil in the blower prior to startup. Seems it all worked out well in the end. One of our neighbors had a 63-blown 4-spd Avanti when I was a kid. I've always been a big fan of the Hawks and the Avanti. Good luck going forward with it.

[@RESTORED-HOPE]

We actually did check the oil in the blower, we just didn’t show it on the video. Thanks for watching

[@vernonostendorf419]

Between what you found and a 69 AMX are my all time favorites for old car lover's..... God bless you.. :)

[@tacey01]

I was age nine when these Avanti cars were introduced. Think that my young eyes were dazzled?? Good video!

[@donthornton7897]

wow, I've always been a Studebaker fan, back from the 50s, i drove one one night up in the panhandle, because i was the designated driver that night. I was only 15-16, or so. i was having way more fun driving than they were drinking.

[@abrdds]

You shoulda marked the wires before removing them... wow... Avanti is a great car, especially with a stick and wire rims

[@michaelg6686]

That's a nice find. that car doesn't go out of style.

[@Hotrod1965]

That is a beautiful automobile, great survivor! So glad you're brining it back to life.

[@after5auto133]

Those cars are so cool. I know where a couple of them are in a sports car salvage yard

[@johnperun232]

There was a couple of the Avanti in my neighborhood, backing the day and they were very impressive Have a Great Day 👍Thanx for Sharing God Bless America 🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸

[@Sleeperdude]

Really cool car I always liked them

[@junkyyarddawg]

I too was fascinated by the gen 1 Avanti in my early teens. In my opinion, a person can't call themselves a car guy if the Avanti is not one of the cars on their car bucket list. 😆

[@bobwilson758]

I admire how respectful this young man is with people ! Not something to overlook - Good !

[@robertatha5295]

That car is awesome, love watching y’all save these time capsules, God bless your family

[@thomaswermager1819]

Now that is one classic find! And, it’s in pretty decent shape. Really looking forward to seeing the next chapter on this one! Thank you all for a fantastic video!

[@user-oo2dc7mk1l]

nice very nice , my shop teacher had a 1964 Avanti , I had a Offshore Performance Boat Co. Our Co. name was Avanti power boats we sold out in 2006 we built boats for Pvt use and the Gov .

[@ronjones1077]

I did a complete body restoration on a 63 R2 4 speed many years ago. It is still up here in Alaska.

[@michaelschuenemann3505]

Avanti sparked back to Life - wow - really Good Job - but never seen a Fuel Tank behind the Back Seat - that is really Unusual indeed but easy to work on ! Can't wait until Part 2 - we love to see it driving again on the Streets ! Cheers from Australia - Job well done and like they say in Australia GOOD ONE SON !!!!

[@DWilliams-ce8nb]

I was in high school in '63. This is the car we all talked about (170-plus at Bonneville), but never saw in person. According to ''Bob's Studebaker Resource Website'', 2418 of the 1963 Avanti's were built.

[@ajaxa9]

I was the lucky owner of number 12. I attended the East Coast showing for the unveiling for our local Studebaker dealer And they gave out order forms; I ordered immediately. candy apple red with a black interior four-speed R1 I was one of the very first customer orders And the factory rep Visited every weekend to make sure all was okay.

[@spaceghost8995]

My Dad worked at Studebaker in South Bend, IN. His first car was a 1950 Champion and it cost $999 with an employee discount. Car long gone but I still have the original license plate from it!

[@jacquejecker4435]

I also have admired the Avanti since I was a child. My dad had a Studebaker Champion, don't remember the year.

[@wolfgangricky]

Yeah Buddy, that is definitly one to be proud of. Be nice to see it brought back to original color. Ty for taking us along

[@stancataline7385]

If your using what most people call a ford solenoid and It has two small posts that are both used, one of them will be an ignition bypass that sends 12 volts straight to the coil without going through the key. That was done for ease in starting. So when you jump solenoid it will energize the coil. If you had fuel and plugs it would attempt to start until you release the jumper.

[@jerrygalli539]

I got a 63 r2. I just sit and look at it. Beautiful

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

The company who did the fiberglass on these was the same company who built the corvettes

[@5610winston]

Early examples were built by the same company, but the assembly personnel in South Bend found so many bodies were not built to spec that management decided to build the bodies in-house rather than have to straighten out the botched jobs.

[@4Truth4All]

OMG... Great stuff! I first saw one of these when I was 16 and did not know what was sitting in the driveway. A friend brought one by, he was a collector. Wow, just wow.

[@philnichols5611]

My Dad was a sales manager for the Studebaker dealer in Lubbock, Texas for a few years in the early 1940's. We went from Lubbock to Rapid City, SD in 1949 where he was a sales manager for the Lincoln / Mercury dealer there. He told me that Studebaker, a company that he said used to make covered wagons, was "ahead of it's time".

[@whoaaanelly65]

Always liked the Avanti since I saw one at a Ford dealer in 1978 as a teenager delivering parts for a parts house. Cool seeing this one. And, by the way, you can look at the direction points are oriented to determine rotation. It'll always be from the direction of the point arm pivot.

[@KevinJames-yg9eu]

Studebaker distributors rotate counterclockwise, which would seem to be the opposite of that claim. This vintage of Studebaker uses a Prestolite distributor from Chrysler. Chrysler distributors rotate clockwise, and they use the same points as the Studebaker. Earlier Studebakers use a Delco distributor, which has the same internals as a Chevrolet distributor, which also rotates clockwise. You can most easily tell the direction of rotation by looking at the vacuum advance mechanism. The vacuum diaphragm pulls the breaker plate in the direction opposite of rotation. You can also look at the centrifugal advance mechanism. It will advance the rotor in the same direction that it rotates.

[@doubledeckerbus-foundation]

Tip from a retired firefighter: Breathing exhaust gases deeply. That is a real life shortener (Don't try this at home folks) Beyond that nice video nice car ;-)

[@friguy4444]

IMHO. This is the most interesting car so far on the channel. What a great find especially in the condition it's in. Thank you for the great content!

[@dwaynecope1914]

I worked for a lady in Santa Monica who had one of these cars . Her father and another man kind of saved their town for a while by keeping the company going for a while longer after it was not built by Studibaker anymore. Another car that was saved for a while was the Grahm Hollywood after Cord sold their old stampings to some guys who wanted to make a more affordable Cord type car.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

These were made into the 1980s, long after Studebaker stopped producing cars. Do you know what the difference is, mechanically etc, between the original '62s and 63s?

[@jamesw1659]

@@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL The Studes were only '63s and '64s. The cars were built in a continuous series, with evolutionary changes regularly through the run that are documented in the factory parts manual (although there are some errors). There were significant body shell differences after s/n 4892, during the summer of 1963; the vent window latches changed, the battery went from the 3EEE industrial-type to a more conventional style, but the biggest change is the switch from round headlight bezels to squarish-ones. Technically, the later cars could be ordered with round lamps, but I'm not aware that any were made that way. There are also 54 cars that are legally '64s but were built with left-over '63 shells in the same summer timeframe, with a mix of '63 and '64 interior parts...I own one of these transition cars.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

@@jamesw1659 The most advanced looking car of its day, or the most French looking car of its day. I can't decide which. The interior look really modern for that time period. These must be very expensive.

[@jamesw1659]

@@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL Surprisingly, not...they have risen in value a good bit recently, but were never close to, say, 2-seat Thunderbirds. They are difficult and expensive to restore well, as they have many parts unique to this model, the parent company itself has been gone for 60 years, and they weren't that big to begin with. Spares are just about gone for these, certainly NOS trim and specialty stuff. Even the component suppliers are gone...the electricals in these are from Prestolite, and they themselves have been gone for decades. Also, it's difficult to know what is correct for a given serial number, because there were running changes going on all the time, but the documentation of these in the parts book isn't always right. Studebaker was dying when these cars hit the market, and their desperation shows up in little ways throughout the cars and the manuals. The upside is, if you're not worried about a total cosmetic restoration, the mechanicals are still generally available. People bitch about the Girling disk brakes (a Jaguar clone), but they were quite good in their day. They handle fairly well, considering the chassis is from a Lark convertible, and descends from the early '50s. While upgraded, the bones are still absolutely stone-age. But they are fun to drive, and never fail to get attention anywhere you go in one.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

@@jamesw1659 Thanks for the information! Those are really nice looking cars.

[@jeffwilliams8990]

My father had a silver 64. As a kid I remember riding around in it during the early 80s. Everyone thought is was a European car. It got lots of comments and looks Anywhere he went.

[@wesleypulkka7447]

TRR, you all really lucked out on this one! When that thing fired it settled down to rock steady running as if it ran for the last time yesterday, not 20 years ago. Wow guys what a will it run? With that Marvel oil in there you would think the garage would have buried you guys in smoke! My dad drove a string of Packards back in the day and that motor sure reminds me of his '55 Clipper Constellation that was a really fast car! Great episode. keep 'em comin'.

[@mrpopps6322]

For me, I always thought the Studebaker's were really classy for the time

[@lawsonclark2466]

The engine were modified from stock by Andy Granitelli in CA. I believe they had special heads and cams etc. They mfg R1s, R2s and very few R3s. They are the absolutely the sweetest sounding engines with the stock Avanti exhaust. The radical cam makes its sound. Lots of info on internet. They had straight stock round exhaust extentions.

[@rogerhowell6230]

I remember as a teen the excitement when the Avanti debuted. I believe I was able to see one in person. This summer I saw a barn-find Avanti in city traffic here in central California. It had several colors of paint on the body . Couldn't get a picture, haven't seen or heard of it since.

[@jjryansea]

A neighbor owned one, not supercharged. But still cool to see it driven around the neighborhood. Eager to see yours get driven. Congrats on finding a runner

[@TheAtstube]

Great, glad Kristine has a brake job to do. Orkin was good in taking care of Mice in our house. Don't forget to open the door a little to let some smoke out.

[@lelandlewis7207]

I have always loved the Avanti. The first one I saw was in a wrecking yard just outside of Toronto. Unfortunately, I was young and didn't realize what it was.

[@ramonclements9879]

This looks like one of the cleanest projects to date! I hope it doesn't have any hidden surprises to knock it off track. It is great to have ya'll back up and running, too!

[@flynnstone3580]

I've bought many used cars that have been sitting, and always turn the engine over, and for this price I'd do a compression test before I made an offer to tell if there's anything broken internally.

[@johnellick7778]

That was cool hearing that old motor roar back to life. Another great video guys !

[@mjac8373]

My dream car when I was a kid. Graduated highschool in '67. My girlfriend's dad had a 1963 Studebaker Hawk a/4 speed tranny. We had some fun dates tooling around in that baby...

[@packhwk58]

The solenoid powers the ignition with 12 volts when cranking, and you may have cracking where the door hinge is internally in the door. Also when you change the front brakes out you will have to change out the rims to clear the calipers which will change the load on the front wheel bearings. way better to put new original style calipers on the front and go with dot 5 fluid (silicon based). I have had these cars since I was about 16 and currently have two of them, one a four speed non supercharged and the other an automatic R2 package car.. Please hit me up with any questions.

[@almurray292]

just an interesting point, the Avanti body was the forerunner of the Jensen Healy interceptor , a beautiful design for sure.

[@richardphelan8414]

This is the nicest car you drug home in a year or so ,Take your time with this one ,it's a rare piece ,I believe the Stude Lark also could be had with a Paxton supercharger and the 289 engine probably the same engine that's in the Avanti ,Check the trans

[@johnbarnett2804]

Looks like a fun project. I miss working on the stuff from the Duel Points era.

[@patrickrooney5130]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this car finished guy's. So keep up the good work . and thanks for sharing.

[@Ford363Stroker]

Just bought a 63 R2. Love that you are doing this with your father!

[@nemoyuno1627]

Dual points, like in old Ford flat-heads, was to increase the coil dwell time for a stronger spark.

[@jamesw1659]

It also allows you to tweak the exact timing of both the start and end of the dwell independently.