Vehicle Description 1964 Studebaker Avanti R-1 Air Conditioned. 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 much 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, 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 epoxy 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 ball joints 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 carefully 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 then 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 slight orange peel here and there that still could be wet sanded again for that ultra smooth, deep glossy finish. All the chrome was sent out for a refinish and new rubber bumper pads were fitted. 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. This is a beautiful car and gets many looks where-ever we might travel. I think there has been fewer than 6000 miles since the restoration. Mostly local car-shows but Dad has taken it to two Studebaker Driver’s Club International meets, Dearborn, MI, and Southbend, IN where the car was built. At the Southbend meet we were awarded 2nd place of 92 Avanti’s shown. We’re often marked down a few points because of the tires, valve stem caps, change to the AC-Delco alternator, the change to manual shifting, and the electric radiator fan. 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. I'd really rather not sell it, but a spinal cord injury and associated bills require it.