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The Burke Avanti Project
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sbca96
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Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Posts: 1674
Location: Santa Barbara, Ca

PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is it true they only have rear brakes on Bonneville cars? Looks like a nice
gathering, wish I could have joined you. I was hoping to make it up there
with my dad, he is feeling better, but not 100%. I unloaded some crap
out of the Avanti, but its probably too short of notice to cruise up there in
the afternoon tomorrow (Sunday) huh? He leaves Weds, we tried to get
his flight changed, but the website says they will charge him a whole one
way ticket to move the return trip back two weeks. Lame.

Tom
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64Avanti
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Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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Location: San Jose California

PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some people only have rear brakes and some have 4 wheel brakes.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:57 am    Post subject: Brakes Reply with quote

Tom,
Sorry to hear about your dad not being able to stay longer. Maybe he can get to Bonneville to see it run. If you can make it up here in the evening I can get the key to the shop. We can see the car in the evening if that works for you. Just give me a call.

The Burke Avanti only has rear brakes. Drum brakes to boot. I talked to Steve Burke, he drove the car over 250 and he says the brakes were no problem even at El Mirage with the shorter course and less shut down area. So I guess if it's good enough for 250, it's good enough for 200.

David,
I though about adding front brakes and discs out back until I talked to Steve Burke. I guess the chute does a great job at those speeds. Did you convert your car to straight axle like Dave Bloomberg or do you still have the front disc brakes? I talked to a guy yesterday and he says they modify the calipers to retract the pads after application to prevent pad to rotor contact at speed. Less drag.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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Dave Bloomberg
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005
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Location: Canyon Country, CA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pesonally I agree with Steve Burke, there's really no need for front brakes, I know a lot of racers at Bonneville who have disconnected the front brakes for safety reasons. On most cars if not modified, the front brakes do more work in stopping the car than the rear brakes, thus spinning you out of control when using them on the salt. I race with only the Ford 9" drum brakes and no front brakes, I use the 14ft dia chute to stop the car and then when down to 50 mph use the rear brakes. Mostly I only use the brakes when in the pits or when towed to the race course. So I think you can save some money and time by not installing front brakes and keeping the Ford 9" drum brakes, instead of disc brakes will save money too. Just my suggetion, I know others may feel different on this subject.
Take care, Dave
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Original owner of 1963 Avanti, race my Avanti at Bonneville, Muroc Dry lake & El Mirage, presently hold world records for D/CPS at Bonneville, Muroc & El Mirage race courses.
In 2006 became member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.
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64Avanti
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 6:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I still have the original suspension and brakes.

Of course the parachute is the way to stop. On my car or Dave Bloombergs car the rear has a significant amount of rear lift. This needs to be countered by either a wing or weight. In production class you can't use a wing unless the car came with one. At high speed, arround 200 mph, you need a significant amount of weight perhaps 400 to 600 lbs. so that you don't lose traction and spin. If you only have front brakes and apply them at 200 mph you will transfer weight to the front and unload the rear which could result in a spin if you get sideways at all. If you only have rear brakes you will still transfer some weight to the front but you also risk looking up the rears which is likely to result in a spin. If you have 4 wheel brakes you can still spin because of the above factors. If you run a wing and have weight in the car then the story could be different.

Bottom line is use the chute. If the chute fails then don't touch the brakes until you get below about 160 mph which will occur very quickly.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 1:31 am    Post subject: Funny Video Reply with quote

So my wife sees me come home and then carry something big and red up the stairs. Then she hears the water come on and shut off. Come on and shut off. Finally after six or eight times, curiosity got the best of her and she came upstairs, walks into the bathroom and starts laughing. Then she asks me what I'm doing. I tell her and she says "wait a minute". She comes back with the camera and tells me to proceed and tell her again what it is I'm doing. So she shoots a video of me testing the water tank from the trunk of the Burke Avanti. I was filling it with water to measure the volume to record the total weight that is added by putting the tank in the trunk. So try not to laugh too hard while you watch the video. As if you've never done something car related in the house before.
[img][/img]

Silver Hawk Dan
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Studebaker Jake
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Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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Location: Seattle-ish, Washington

PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 3:03 am    Post subject: Re: Funny Video Reply with quote

SilverHawkDan wrote:
As if you've never done something car related in the house before.
Silver Hawk Dan


I hear you. Cookie trays and muffin tins dont take too well to carb cleaner and carburetor gunk. Oh well, at least the carb is rebuilt.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:23 am    Post subject: Your not even close Reply with quote

Jake,
your not even close to being bad. My Dad's friend John Stratton once had his wife come home late from work and found him in bed. With a woman? That would have been better in her eyes. No he had the carb off of his Stude all apart and laying on newspaper on the bed spread as he was rebuilding it in bed. Needless to say that marriage went downhill from there.

Well another good day working on the Avanti. Got the front suspension lubed with the grease gun as best I could. Removed the rear brakes and brake lines so that I can get new parts and make the brakes work by next week. Checked the axles and found good news. They are 28 splines which means that there are a ton of parts available and at reasonable compared to 31 splined axles prices. Eddie has a spun aluminum fuel tank he wants to sell. So I took it out to the car and set it under the rear deck where I wanted to mount a tank. It fits like it was made for the car. The body mold for the upper shock mount is the perfect shape to hold the tank it place. The inlet is on the end unlike the new ones that are mostly centered. That will allow me to use the original Avanti fuel tank inlet. The outlet fitting lines up perfectly with an existing hole in the body. Too Cool! I will need to upgrade the outlet 3/4 pipe and put a 90 degree fitting on the inlet and add a vent but that's easy and will give me some tig time. So we struck a deal. I removed the wood and bracket set up for the water tank and sure enough there is cement in the spare tire well. It even has a ring installed so it could be lifted out if needed. Cool.

So then I wanted to see what shape the paint was in. So I fired up my MBX Blaster tool and cleaned up some of the marks on the paint. Then I removed all the pinstripe residue from the color stripes. Then I wiped down the drivers door with our Kent Speedy 500 and it looks great. I plan to leave the chips and scratches and other imperfections in the paint until after El Mirage. I think it will look like the perfect survivor race car when we get done with it. Did some calculations on the interior. Will need to make some mods but nothing serious. I switched to the rust removing wire wheel on the Blaster and tried it out on the frame. It works great. So once the car is on the rotissery the frame can be cleaned and inspected and repaired. So it goes well. Here's some pictures from today. Please note that the last picture is of the sunvisors and rocker switches that are still in the car. It will take pictures of the other interior parts next time. Is this car COOL or what. I feel like it's 1969 all over again when I work on it.






Hope to learn more about the car this weekend.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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Tom Osborne
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Joined: 30 Oct 2005
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Location: Port Alberni British Columbia Canada

PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ya Dan, And you just might be a redneck!! Welcome to the others. I like the Idea of loading weight into the tank, However the center of gravity is more than I would prefer. I think that mounting the diff more solid and adding weight where the mufflers used to be might just give the car the steady down force and traction it needs,, .Lower is better. Also the action of the rear suspension unloads the car creating the usual chopping or on off traction as it try's to compensate. Tire shake can be really bad some years. Its better to have only around 2-3" of travel. Adjustable preload Limiter straps are a good investment. If you spin out at 185 MPH the rear of car will not grab air so violently because it is now limited in unload travel. (up) When you visit some video clips of some serious crashes at Bonneville, you might get the point how serious this is. Some cars take to the air while going sideways, others when in the 180 degree position. You can see this problem more abundant in Nascar , Salt is a bit more forgiving as you may never crash into something or over the fence. But its a hard hit just the same. When Dave Bloomberg's Avanti lost the motor in 06' Dave seen the need to help another Avanti team out (Chevy Powered) That car spun out a few times, Both crews swapped out Daves ballast onto the other Avanti , It was mounted low in the trunk, I think the weight was close to 500 pounds, and it made Jims Avanti settle down and pull hard and much safer. It was a real swet out, but kept a team running, And it also kept Daves crew with a strong sense of accomplishment, Many lessons were learned. I rather like the idea of mounting exrta weight to the frame on ready rods, you can add or subtract easily. The SCTA rulings are getting cars safer year after year, And even though this happens, there are racers that come along and cancel out rulings in a blink with better innovations. It appears that you have a good handle on things, I greatly enjoy your project, Keep up the nice work , Thanks Tom O.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:49 pm    Post subject: Sorry about that. Reply with quote

Hey guys I thought that after I posted the pictures it would be safe to put them in an album on Photobucket. After I did that it changed the address and this site lost the link since it had changed. So lesson learned. Don't change make changes after you've posted. Set up the album first and then post. So once again here are some pics from yesterday.
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]

Enjoy
Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:07 am    Post subject: We will have BRAKES!! Reply with quote

Hey everyone. I received a check in the mail from someone who wanted to be a part of the Bucket List Dream. Ironically it was almost the exact amount that was needed to pay for the parts for fixing the brakes on the car. Pretty cool! So I have a big box of parts that will replace everything but the backing plates which are in good shape. New shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware, adjusters, rubber brake hose and steel lines. So maybe by next week we will have brakes. This should make it easier to move the car around and safer to load on and off the trailer. Might even use them once or twice in Utah. So I will post pictures inlcuding the high tech paint for the backing plates when the work is in progress.

I also made a cardboard model of the ice water aftercooler box so that I could see how it fits and make adjustments. I made it bigger than needed so that I could scale it down to fit the area available under the hood. Pictures to follow.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:07 am    Post subject: This is going to be a busy week! Reply with quote

Yesterday I met with the friend of mine who is going to do the lettering on the car for El Mirage. He is going to do part vinyl and part paint. He took the measurements and would like to have the car delivered to his place this Friday. That means the body has to be prepped where the lettering will go at least. And I will need to finish the brakes so the car can be put on the ground and loaded on the trailer.

Lots of decisions regarding the engine. The block will need to be set up for dry sump and the engine builder doesn't feel it will be ready before late Summer. So I am pursuing Plan B. I am looking for a back up engine or maybe an engine for El Mirage and another for Bonneville. Talking to a lot of people right now.

For the record I talked to Ted Harbit and he has already torn down the Chicken Hawk engine and is getting it ready for the Stude Tomato. So that is off the table. I think he was disappointed he didn't know about this project before he got started. But he was very helpful and wished me the best of success. Great guy to talk to and very knowledgeable.

So as soon as I have a plan in place I will share it here. Look for pictures this week of the brake and body work. You will see some of the latest in fiberglass repair products used to repair the front fender. So stay tuned.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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HNCadet
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Joined: 24 May 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan,

Looking forward to see the fiberglass repair. Got my wife's Avanti back from the shop and the firewall is filled with holes that aren't used anymore, also I'll need to fill-in the shifter hole in the console as we are now using a floppy-paddle shifter, not to mention repairing the holes in the floorboards where all the seats and seatbelt mounts once were............I've got a lot of patching to do!


Last edited by HNCadet on Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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stewed
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here ya go Dan:


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HNCadet
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Holy Cow Stewed! Where did you find that? The cars still Gold!, so it had to be 64 or 65.........think Bill went to his fav. color purple when they dropped in the 427 Ford side oiler. That was 66 or 67 I recall reading somewhere. It was '66!

THANK YOU!

Looking closely at the picture, the red pickup behind the car looks to be a '65 ElCamino? look at the roofline and the gray car behind it appears to be a '65 or '66 Chevy Impala, not a Cadillac man so I'm not sure the year there.

Hey Dan TORCO has moved to Rancho Cucamonga, CA. on Milliken Ave. Wonder if they'd be interested in supplying the Oils and greases and repro'ing that sign for the doors again? (909) 980-1495.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:54 am    Post subject: Nice picture Reply with quote

Stewed and HNCadet,
Wow nice picture. Yes the Gold paint would seem to indicate before 1966 when the Ford was installed. Steve Burke will be able to give us more info on this picture when we finally meet with him. I was working on the car today and I was looking at the interior with my builder discussing the transmission tunnel fab. I noticed that the right side floor boards are Gold. When you chip off the tan paint on the floor pan the Gold is there. I plan to remove as much of the tan as possible so the Gold shows through. It took me three hours to clean and sand the backing plates. I plan to prime and paint them on Wednesday since tomorrow it's supposed to rain all day. The paint flows real nice at 65 to 70 degrees. Looks just like powdercoating. Heavy duty rust protection too.

I will contact Torco and see what I can do. So far I have been very successful at getting people involved. Keep watching for the plastic repair. I need to do the left front fender before the lettering is applied as it will go right over the crack that is at the apex of the fender. The product I will be using is the best there is out there right now. I will talk to you about using it on your wife's car after you see the results on the Burke car.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:13 am    Post subject: Interesting! Reply with quote

OK Today I was calling on my customers and mentioning the need of an engine at least El Mirage. One of my customers told me he thought he knew of a guy who had an engine that would work. So he will get back to me. Another customer told me to go see a guy named Ray in Lompoc who had Bonneville experience and they thought he had an engine. Well I talked to Ray and he has lot's of Bonneville experience. He also has an engine. 541 Cubic inches of twin turbo'd Chevy making about 2000 horsepower. Yikes! I though he was kidding me until he opened a cabinet that was full of pistons and rods and clutch discs and camshafts and other parts for the engine. He showed me a picture of the car at the track and it is an old Don Prudomme funny car body and chassis. He is thinking about my proposal of lending me the engine. He did tell me he would sell me the engine with the clutch, bellhousing, and a three speed Lenco transmission and all the spare parts. Just needs to be freshened up. I figure I could use about 70% of the available horsepower and go about 250 to 275MPH. Amazingly he only wants $15,000 for everything including boxes and boxes of spare parts. Not a bad price considering what you get for it. So another option and another day. Time will tell what I end up with but it's sure fun chasing down these leads.

Hope to put the brakes on the car on Thursday and buff the paint for the lettering. Got all the product I need for the fiberglass repairs today so maybe that can happen too. I promise pictures. That's it for now.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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Dave Bloomberg
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, Dan that is cheap HP especially considering I have about $30K in my Studebaker engine at 800hp, keep us informed on this idea, sure sounds good to me, take care, Dave
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Original owner of 1963 Avanti, race my Avanti at Bonneville, Muroc Dry lake & El Mirage, presently hold world records for D/CPS at Bonneville, Muroc & El Mirage race courses.
In 2006 became member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:28 am    Post subject: What about tuning? Reply with quote

Dave,
I agree about the HP per dollar spent. But now that I have had a moment to think about it one nagging question keeps coming up. What about tuning such a high strung engine? With fuel injection and two turbos the tuning would seem to be a task. Ray told me that the ignition is a hand built unit by the owner of MSD. The engine was set up to monitor everything (24 channels of info) and had O2 and pyrometers for each cylinder. So you would have a lot of input to reveiw but could it be tuned for Bonneville use? I would guess that even if you missed the tune on the conservative side and didn't make 2000HP it wouldn't make that much difference since I peg the Avanti's top end figure at 275MPH. After that I am not sure the car is set up to go faster, safely. I might be wrong but that's my estimation. So if you stay on the soft side with timing and keep it rich to protect the pistons and valves and make 1500HP is that bad? So let the debate begin.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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Dave Bloomberg
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes Dan I agree you tune the engine on the rich side (loss of HP) but stay safe for the engine to survive a 5 mile course at WOT. To ensure you tune is OK I would suggest you go on a chassis dyno, then with pyrometers and wide band O2 sensor tune engine, then when you go to Bonneville which is elevation of 4400ft above sea level, you fuel/air mixture will be a little richer than at the location of the chassis dyno, thus even safer for engine. As far as running the car to 275mph, I think thats a huge jump, I would suggest not going over 250mph as a goal. Even to go that fast you will have to add ballast and a rear spoiler/wing like Jim Lange did to his car for better traction. This is alowed (wing/spoiler) in the AA/CBGALT racing class. I'm sure you will have to use 118 octane racing leaded gas for that setup, that's what I use too, about $14 a gallon.
Take care, Dave
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Original owner of 1963 Avanti, race my Avanti at Bonneville, Muroc Dry lake & El Mirage, presently hold world records for D/CPS at Bonneville, Muroc & El Mirage race courses.
In 2006 became member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.
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64Avanti
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan,

To go go 250 will take about 1300 hp and to go 275 will take about 1700 hp.

You would most likely need to have something in the order of 1000 lbs + of ballast over the rear plus a spoiler. any spoiler will increase drag. Also since it is behind the rear axle the downforce created by the spoiler will tend to unload the front. So you should consider a front splitter. If you only go about 200 to 220 mph you should be ok with just a rear spoiler and ballast.
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Tom Osborne
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And Salt conditions can change things daily.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:31 am    Post subject: Thank you! Reply with quote

Thank you everyone for all the great advice and input. That's why I post things here. I figure no better place to turn for wise counsel than to guys who have been there and done that. I am sending a letter to the guy with the 2000HP engine to thank him for spending time with me and to keep the idea of helping with the project fresh in his mind.

I finished the best I could the brakes for the Avanti today. I will need to to some detail work and get the right parts to make it the way it should be. I didn't paint the brake drums because in cleaning them I notcied that they were painted silver. I didn't have any silver paint so I will paint them when I go through the rear differential. I'm trying to make this a resto project so will attempt to stay with original colors ect. Will pick up new oil seals in the morning and install them before I put the backing plates back on the car. Here are some pics of the project. First I cleaned the backing plates to remove surface rust and grime.
[img][/img]
Then I primed the plates.
[img][/img]
Then a tac coat was applied.
[img][/img]
Then the first coat.
[img][/img]
Then the second and heaviest coat to seal and protect.
[img][/img]
I was using paint that my company makes. I normally would have used a self etch primer but I was out of it. So I used a dust/tack coat of High Build primer. The paint is like no other paint I have ever used out of a can. It is a high solids industrial paint that contains half the fillers and other junk that rattle can paints usually have in them. This stuff looks like powdercoat when applied to clean metal and it holds up real good. The secret to stopping rust is to deny it of air. Air contains moisture and combined it lets rust grow. Most paints are too thin to seal out air especially primers. Not so with this stuff. It's even UV resistant. So after the paint dried it was time to assemble the brakes.
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
So tomorrow the Avanti will have brakes. I plan to paint the wheel cylinders when I do the differential inspection. Also the lower spring was the wrong one so I will need to get the right one to eliminate the self adjuster bar and make them manual adjusting. But it will work for now. Wish I had more time to make them nicer but they will do for now. Look for pics tomorrow of the install.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:44 am    Post subject: We have brakes! Reply with quote

Today I was able to make the brakes work on the Avanti. The parts store gave me the wrong oil seals which will require taking things back apart again to install them but at least I now know that the brake system is in working order with no leaks. The master cylinder does not leak down and appears to work great. Sorry I was so invloved and my wife was working on the paint restoration that we forgot to take pictures. I will take pictures of the fine job my wife did in making the paint look great. I will also take pictures when I install the seals.

The car will go next Tuesday to Santa Maria, forty miles South, to have the lettering applied. After the lettering is done the media blitz will start. I hope to have things launched by the end of the month and hopefully people will respond and join the team. I am going to post a ""needs" list here to see if anyone has the things that are needed to make the car ready for Bonneville. Look for it next week. That's it for now.

Dan
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s2dbaker
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Joined: 21 Feb 2006
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Location: Chico, Ca.

PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Dan-

Did you get a look at the poster board that Allan's friend did for him for his '56 showing at the GNRS show??

I bet if you commissioned him to design a retro looking "Burke Avanti Returns to the Salt" T-shirt they'd sell like hot cakes and help raise a few $$$ for the project.

Maybe you could have Bondo Billy over on the SDC forum help with the screen printing???

Just a thought...I mean, who doesn't like a T-Shirts...especially ones with a fast Stude theme?? Very Happy
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Studebaker Projects Include:
1954 Commander w/ R1 and T5
1963 Avanti w/ LT1 and 4L60E

Other Toys:
1966 BSA Lightning
1972 BMW R75/5 Toaster Tank
1987 Chris Craft Stinger 222
2001 BMW 325i Sport

https://community.webshots.com/user/s2dbaker
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SilverHawkDan
R3/R4 Member


Joined: 06 Jan 2007
Posts: 258

PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:31 am    Post subject: T-Shirts Reply with quote

s2dbaker,

Great idea. I will look into it. We have people lining up to sign the underside of the hood and trunk for a gift for the project. We have list of people willing to plunk down some change for a chance to have their picture taken sitting in the World Famous Avanti. Are you aware of the fact that the British Broadcasting Company sent a crew over here to Bonneville to do a feature stroy on the car? A photographer friend is going to shoot some publicity shoots that we will give away autographed for a gift. So why not T-Shirts. I think after El Mirage we can come up with a photo at speed that would make a nice shirt too. So I will contact Bondo Billy and Allen and see if something can be worked out. Road trip tomorrow to pick up the mock up pieces. Progress, I love it.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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Joined: 06 Jan 2007
Posts: 258

PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:09 am    Post subject: Got it! Reply with quote

My buddy Richard and I traveled up to Carmichael today. We were able to meet Gordon Tarbell and his wife Lynn. We picked up a block, long snout crank, heads, valve covers, front cover, oil pan, water housing, starter, distributor and intake manifold. We will be using them to make the mounts and plumb the engine to the car. Hopefully I will also get over and make the headers soon too. So progress was made. One step at a time.

After we loaded the parts we went over the automobile museum in Sacramento. They had just taken down the Studebaker display but the car I wanted to see was still there. Avanti R1007 is on display and if you make it into the area it is worth the $8 to see it. It is the most original R3 known to exist according to the display. Thay have pictures of Andy Granatelli and Paula Murphy taken at Bonneville. Also some records of the car and it's history. Had a great time with the docents. They were very interested in the Burke Avanti story. Showed them the binder with all the info I have gathered and the photos. I think they would like to display the car in the museum sometime. Here are the photos I took. Sorry about the quality. I don't know how to adjust the flash for indoors shots. I'll figure that out before next time. Kathy and I will be taking the borrowed parts back and will spend the day at the museum. More photos then if it's still there.
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The license stickers are 1963 and 1964. The mileage is 18,000. Sorry about the frame plate picture. I will make sure my wife get's a clear one. It reads R1007 but you'll have to trust me on that one.

Let me say that meeting Gordon and his wife is more icing on the cake. Everyone from Racing Studebakers that I have met are wonderful people who are so eager to help me with this project. All of you are restoring my faith in mankind one day at a time. Thank you.

Silver Hawk Dan
P.S. I was asked to share the Burke Avanti and Bucket List Dream story on the SDC site. So look for it soon.[/img]
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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Alan
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Location: L.A.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan, That is John Hora's car, right?
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:12 pm    Post subject: Yes, Reply with quote

Alan,
You are correct. I guess John lent it to the Sacramento museum while he is working on a different home for it. It was brought to the regional SDC meeting and then rolled into the museum. It's been there since May.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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SilverHawkDan
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:11 am    Post subject: More Accomplished Reply with quote

Well despite the weather I was able to get some things done between rain showers. I was able to measure the mock up pieces to see what size bolts I will need to assemble it next week. Here is a picture of the parts that were lent to me by Gordon.
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I was also able to store the transmission and crankshaft in a safe place.
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That's right safely stored in my upstairs office. I make my wife crazy sometimes. I also had time to make the motor mounts for the Avanti to Studebaker Mid Engine conversion.
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Someone said I should have used maple instead of a douglas fir two by four but too late now. Here they are after the mounting stud was installed.
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Should work fine for the mock up since they are built to the dimensions of the poly and metal ones that will be here next week. I also got a chance to clean the nasty oil pan I borrowed.
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So if all goes well and the weather cooperates we will install the engine and trans in the car on Monday. Also hope to install the new axle seals. And if he shows up, the car will recieve a nice set of custom lettering to get the message out for upcoming events. That's all for now. More next week.

Dan
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Grew up Studebaker. Family had a maximum of fourteen at one time. Drag raced successfully in Southern California. Wanting to re-live the days. Going to be flying down the salt in the Burke Avanti in 2010. 200 MHP? maybe.
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