T700R4 in a Studebaker Avanti - --Feb 2002 -- For the 700th time, there are a million details which make this swap a real bear. Trimming the inside corner of the passengers footwell is the easiest part of the swap. 1. Dave L's adapter doesn't always align perfectly. Took a couple of hours of reaming and fiddling to even get it to bolt up two hours labor, $70. 2. A new rear crossmember has to be fabricated, using the GM rear mount. If the front motor mounts aren't new, replace them while you have everything loose, another $200. 3. The stock Avanti shift linkage doesn't really work. The leverage is wrong and shift effort is much too high. Really needs to use a GM shifter, another $100. 4. You will need about $125 worth of carb to transmission throttle valve (TV cable) linkage to make it work. Don't even try to make it yourself, but go to Bow Tie Overdrive. You will need a 1/2" 4-hole carb spacer, another $35. It won't fit the stock Carter, so a new 600 AFB is another $200. 5. Bow Tie Overdrive also has an add-on lockup kit which works just fine, about another $50. 6. The driveshaft has to be shortened and rebalanced, another $100. 7. New speedo cable and driven gear and housing, another $75. 8. The new starter, another $100, I got from Dave's recommendation has the hot wire post hitting the steering linkage. Still not sure what to do there. 9. New exhaust downpipes. The stock exhaust pipes won't work, so if the system isn't new, might as well replace the whole shebang while you are in there, another $375. Having given all the problems to be overcome, I highly recommend it, as it transforms the car into a real daily driver. If you pay someone to do it right, better budget at least $1000 and $1500 is not out of sight for a quality installation. thx, jv. ---May 2002 --- 1. Fabricate new rear crossmember and transmission mount - $100 2. New Carter AFB carb, air cleaner, TV cable, custom linkage and pressure guage - $500 3. New shifter and linkage - $200 4. New exhaust downpipes - $200 5. New driveshaft - $100 6. New speedometer gears - $50 7. Adapter and starter - $450 8. Professionally modified and guaranteed 700R4 - $1250. ----------------- --------- R4370 is back on the road and better than ever. Some of you might remember I bought one of Dave Levesque's Studebaker-engine-to-GM-transmission adapter plates for $275. It is the only one of its type out there, but it is a crude thing. It took at least three hours of filing, fitting, forcing and adapting to make it mount up. Big hint - fit the adapter to the transmission before trying to make it fit to the engine. My 700R4 came from the local wrecking yard "rebuilt" with a 90-day warranty for $450. The driveshaft had to be modified, the exhaust system had to be modified, the shifter had to be modified, the TV cable and mount is still being tweeked, the lockup switch still has to be wired and I have no idea how fast I am going. The good news is the 700R4 transforms a '63 R1 from a noisy toy into a useable daily driver - it is quicker off the line, much quieter around town and especially on the highway. Details when it is completed. The GM converter seems to be tighter than the B-W, so I noticed a rougher idle. I had thoughts of going with a new Edelbrock #1406 that others had claimed to use with success, since it has the correct TV cable arm for the 700R4. When I tried to mount it, the TV cable arm at the bottom of the throttle lever hit the exhaust heat crossover on the intake manifold. Since the top of the air cleaner already hits the insulating pad on the inside of the hood, there doesn't appear to be room to add a spacer to raise the carb. How did you guys make the #1406 fit on an R1? Jack Vines July 2001 ( jackv@studentambassadors.org ) --------------- I used an old aftermarket aluminum intake manifold with my 1406 carb that I then ground to create clearance for the TV cable. Altenburg July 2001 ------------------------------ You should NOT use the standard kick-down cable hole in the Edelbrock for your 700 TV cable connection. When the throttle opens and pulls the cable, the "geometry" of the swing from that connection is incorrect. The distance from the pivot point on the throttle and the geometry of the "swing" as the cable pulls is the "critical" aspect of the TV cable attachment. You "MUST" buy the adaptor if you expect the trans to shift correctly and last any period of time. ====================== (Re 80's Avanti II with factory T700R4) The yellow unit located in the speedometer cable as it leaves the transmission does not control the cruise control (the cruise control speed sensor is attached to the drive shaft behind the transmission). The yellow unit controls the transmission torque converter. When this unit does not work the transmission will "hunt" at certain speeds and not work properly. These units are prone to failure. Even when they are working they can leak transmission oil. You can purchase a new one from Nostalgic Motors, or I heard that they are available at the Avanti Factory in Georgia from a friend who was there at the conference last summer. I fixed my new unit from leaking (yes, a new leaking unit!) by drilling out the pop rivets, throwing away the bad gasket, putting some epoxy between the two pieces, and fastening them back together with some small stainless steel screws and nuts. Tom Gipe RQB 3636 May 2002 -------