Avanti Air Conditioner User Manual download pdf (Page 1)

Avanti:ProjectAutomaticOverdrive

ByBillHenderson,AOAIPennsylvaniaMember,[email protected]

I hadn’t owned my Avanti very long,

when on an early summer morning

drive on the Interstate to a club event

my wife commented, “It doesn’t seem

happy.”Icouldhardlyarguewithher.In

fact, I was thinking the same thing. It

was

ahotday.Keepingupwithtrafficat

75 MPH the car ran smoothly but the

engine was screaming like an over‐

revved sewing machine. The

tachometer read 3300 RPM, and I kept

wishing I  had another gear to shift to.

Further, by the time we had reached

our destination more

 than an hou r

later, we were both drenched with

sweat, as the footwells and console

were radiating heat worthy of a

smelting oven. The chrome shifter was

so hot that it couldn’t be tou ched

without risking blisters. Even the air

coming in the floor vents offered no

reliefasit

wasscaldinghot,passingasit

didthroughtheoven–likecowlandpast

the firewall before reaching our feet. “That car

needs air conditioning,” said my wife with some

annoyanceaswejoinedtheparty,ourbackssoaked

with perspiration.I frowned. Installing air

conditioningonanR2isahighly

customproposition,

and I knew deep down that no auto air conditioner

would be able to overcome that inferno.I realized

the answer had to start with addressing the source 

of that heat.Further, just hearing that screaming

engine was  an assault to my ears;3.73 rear gears

couldn’thave

helped,andthe 10MPGI goton that

tripwassurelyanadditionalresult.

The pace on the road was surely slower in North

Carolinawherethiscarwassoldnewin1963.There

were few Interstates and more country roads, and

likely this bright red Automatic Power‐Shift

equipped

 Avanti wasn’t used to commute great

distances in heavy traffic.But even at slower

speeds, long trips in the southern climate would

have been downright uncomfortable, though

frankly,weexpectedlessofourcars backthen.  The

combination of summer driving, today’s faster

highway speeds, the high rear gears, the

ancient

transmission and the fiberglass floor and firewall

mademerealizethatIneededtoaddresstheissueif

I was going to enjoy this car for years to come.

Besidesinsulatingthefloorandfirewall,Ineededto

reducetheenginespeedontheroad.

It was time to consider

 a modern automatic

overdrivetransmissionswap.

TheIssueofOriginality

This isn’t the first time I have considered doing a

transmissionswap.Some years ago Iconverted my

trustyV8HotRod1966MustangfromamanualFord

fourspeedtoa5‐speedTremecoverdrive, andIcan

attest that it has  made a world of difference in my

enjoyment

ofthatcar.Whenonthehighway,Ismile

as I occasionally shift it from fifth back down into

fourth just to hear it howl, reminding myself of the

wise choice I made.But I had never attempted to

swap automatic transmissions on a car before, and

the thought of

trying to make any modifications to

1 2 3 4 5 6 ... 11 12

Summary of Contents

Page 1 - TheIssueofOriginality

Avanti:ProjectAutomaticOverdriveByBillHenderson,AOAIPennsylvaniaMember,[email protected] hadn’t owned my Avanti very long,when

Page 2 - TransmissionChoices

200̊ Fahrenheit to 160  ̊, and the difference intemperature between the top and bottom hoses iseasily noticeable to the touch.

Page 3 - Removingtheold

part’sintegralspring to stretchopen, andthereforenotprovidefullopeningatfullthrottle.ConsiderusingDynamat(oritsEastwoodequivalent

Page 4 - StepbyStep

switchiton,andcausethetransmissiontooverheat.Thatideawasunappealingtome.One comment is that using this accessory makes itadvis

Page 5

an all‐Studebaker powertrain was a bit intimidatingtome.While I wouldn’t likely change the engine in myAvantitobrandX(andIkn

Page 6

the floor or re‐bending exhaust pipes was a majorfactor for me.I don’t plan to thrash the car at thedrag strip; however the

Page 7

giantdustpanwithadowelonthebottom,designedtofitintotheholeinthejackpad.Hereareafewtipsthatwouldapplytothisproject,regar

Page 8

Hint: if  you are careful removing the cooling linesfromtheoldtransmission,theycanbereusedonthenewtransmissionif yousimply cut

Page 9

Step 4: Permanently mount the adapter plate onengine using the centering ring supplied by Myers.Torqueallboltstospec.Removecente

Page 10

it up tight. If there is misalignment, the torqueconvertercanbeeasilycrushedanddamagedinthisway.(Thispage,bottomphoto)Step 9:

Page 11

Step13:Afterinstallingthenewdriveshaft,testforits clearance by jacking up the rear of the car andallowing the rear axle to h

Page 12 - PartsList

temperatures above 200degreescandestroythefriction surfaces inside thetransmission. Bowtie providestheir transmissions with athreade