dwatkins@woh.rr.com
Feb 2008
I'm currently struggling with "not so" Dependable Auto Shippers getting the car to leave
 their terminal in California.  I'd expect to be able to give you the info in about three 
or so more weeks.  

The guy I bought the car from is rather "eclectic" to use a word, so I won't list his name. 
 He bought the car from the original owner's estate (they were old friends) when the
 original owner was murdered (and I never wanted to know more about that story).  The
 car was in for a full repaint at the time, so this guy paid for having the repaint
 done then had his mechanic re-seal the car.  There are fewer that 22K original miles 
on the car and it has sat for the past 35 years.  Since the re-sealing it's been driven
 fewer than 10 miles.  My plan is to make it a "light" driver, going to shows and taking
 the grand kids to get ice cream in.  I'm a firm believer in not owning anything that
 doesn't pull it's own weight.

Dave



May 2008

   Here's what I have.

   My Avanti is a 1963, VIN is 63R3137.  It was originally Sea Mist Green but has been 
repainted to Avanti Turquoise.  The interior is Avanti Turquoise and Fawn.  The car was 
(according to a decal in the glove box and on the back window) a founding member of AOAI 
in 1966 (any history of that would be appreciated).  I can trace the ownership back about
 10 years from receipts in the glove box.  As far as I can tell, the car has always been 
in southern CA.  It does have a California black and gold tag on it, and I have Ohio 1963 
tags freshly powder coated and ready to be installed, but first.......

   The car has been recently painted, but their job wasn't spectacular. I'm cleaning up
 paint.  The wiring is a shambles, primarily on the ground wires and voltage regulator 
wires, so I'm re-wiring.  I've found a bundle of wires that goes nowhere under the dash 
(2 red, 2 yellow, a blue and a black) that also don't show up on the wiring diagram, so 
until I can track them down I'm not going anywhere.  The car had a bad fuel pump when I 
got it that leaked gas into the oil pan, but that's been fixed and the oil has been changed 
without any apparent damage.

   The engine has been stripped of chrome (as has the body) and from what I'm seeing on the
 inside, the 21,384 miles showing on the odometer are real. Either that or someone did a 
rebuild on the engine at 100K (or 200K or 300K) miles in a heck of an effort to fool people.
  And they also would have had to change out the brake and gas pedals and a bunch of other
 "stuff".  That considered, unless I am proven wrong by provenance, I'm calling it what
 California and Ohio did, a 21,000 mile car.  The chrome is due back from "Bumper Boyz"
 on Saturday, so I'll have more to report later.

   Studebaker International has been wonderful on supplying parts as has Fairborn Studebaker. 
 I still need to get with Phil and get a set of intake manifold gaskets and a valley
 cover gasket.....  Note to self.

   The car has a set of Torq Thrust wheels on it that look pretty good, and since the color 
isn't original and the radio isn't original (and I can't bear the thought of Sea Mist Green 
exterior and Turquoise interior), I guess I'll keep the wheels on the car and live with the 
fact that it will never be original.

   Better pictures to come once I get this thing finished (more finished) and out on the 
road.  And I have to remove the glasspacks that were on it and replace them with the 
original quiet exhaust.  How do you guys stand to ride in these with an automatic at 
65 MPH?