1963 Studebaker Avanti

Studebaker 1963 Description

If you are here looking at Avanti listings it is likely that you are at some stage of the affection that develops for these cars. You probably already recognize the Avanti as the most beautifully designed American automobile. They call is the American Ferrari. But. no matter the current condition these cars are all projects to one extent or another. No one ever perceived. mush less anticipated. that these cars would be around and drivable some 50 years after being built. It is somewhat ironic that the designers and builders choose fiberglass because that was the quickest way to get the Avanti to market and now that quick market solution is a major reason that these cars survive. The bodies do not rust. There are two common problem areas. though. hog troughs and the rear frame cross member. both of which are in good shape on this New Mexico car. Other than that there just is not any of the rust and rot common to some other cars. even other fiberglass cars. There exists amazing resources and support out there. Parts are readily available. The Studebaker guys willingly share their vast knowledge about these cars. And the Avanti owners are always anxious to share source and technique information. There are enough Avanti people and suppliers available so that questions of every type are readily answered. The reserve has been lowered substantially. Unfortunately. while I truly appreciate this car. I have run out of time. In terms of the “project” aspect there are some things that need to be done. The front seats need to be reupholstered (the passenger seat is black while the remainder of the interior is turquoise). I think that the carpet might be the original salt and pepper but the floor carpet needs replacing (the door panel carpet is OK). I would get some of the dashboard stuff working. radio. tach. clock. windshield wiper switch. All of these cars leak oil. including this one. It’s more of an aggravation than that an unreasonable quantity leaks. I would at some point replace the rear end seals and I would replace the oil pan gasket which I think might be the source of a leak. On the other hand some of the difficult and expensive things have been done. Although there are three minor garage nicks the three year old paint is quite nice. Frequently you will hear of Avanti paint jobs blistering/bubbling. I think that comes from the use of liquids. water and or chemicals. in the paint stripping process. The liquid wicks into the fiberglass. the paint seals the fiberglass. and the liquid tries expand in heat and bubbles out through the paint. This car was stripped by hand. No chemicals. No water. No blistering. No bubbling. Price the cost of an honestly hand stripped paint job before bidding. These fuel systems were designed long before someone came up with the idea of mixing ethanol (the alcohol) with gasoline. The ethanol sets free the accumulations in the fuel tank and lines. It virtually melts the components in the carburetors. There are a number of fixes out there. from home do it your self coatings to China made stainless steel replica tanks. On this car the entire fuel system has been dealt with. The tank was removed. sandblasted inside and out. and sealed on the inside and painted on the outside by ReNu. This preserved the integrity of the original tank rather than taking a chance with a China built replica. ReNu gave the tank a serial number and a lifetime warranty. The fuel lines were replaced. The fuel pump is new. The carburetor was professionally rebuilt and restored by Dave Thibeault. The tires are new. The universals have been replaced. Rear shocks have been replaced. The engine fan and air cleaner have been powder coated. Power steering has been rebuilt and all four power steering hoses are new. Three year old glasspack mufflers. New battery. Bumpers have been rechromed. The vertical rear bumpers are new stainless steel. The car shows 53. 00 on the speedometer. I have no idea how accurate this is but I have not seen anything to make me doubt this as the mileage. I realize how difficult it is to buy a car online. having done so myself in the past. Obviously this is not like buying a 2013 Honda Accord where every single aspect of the car is perfect. My reserve here is below half of what I have into this car (and I have placed zero value on the time involved. ) That is a market problem that can not be mitigated and I accept the loss. The only reason that I am selling is that a storage problem has become un-resolvable. I have no need or disposition to misrepresent anything here. I would not want to have a buyer’s expectations not match the car. So please send me a message with questions or requests for additional photos.