How far would Nate Altman go to make a customer happy

[sweetolbob]

When I purchased the 74 Avanti last summer from the original owners son, I was told it had a 350 SBC. As you know the 74's came with a 400 so I asked the original owners son "What happened to the original 400 SBC".

He said he wasn't sure but he knew it had a 400 originally, so I just assumed it went south mechanically and his Dad had replaced it with the 350.

A while back, his father (original owner) contacted me after I emailed the son a few pictures of the repairs I'd made. He said he was glad it would be saved and not parted out. I sent him more pictures and some thoughts about what it would be when I finished it and asked what happened to the 400. After that, I didn't hear anything for months until today.

The father emailed me that he had purchased the Avanti new in South Bend and told Nate Altman he didn't want a 400 SBC "truck" engine. Nate told him that due to emission regulations he had to buy the 400 but if he was not happy with it after the first inspection he would replace it with a 350.

The owner wasn't happy with the 400 and a 350 was installed in it's place.

How many car manufactures would have gone that far in the 70's to make a customer happy??

Bob

[Chris_Dresbach]

Nate Altman was a Studebaker man, and like Studebaker, willing to go the extra mile to please a customer.
"Always give more than you promise"

[Gunslinger]

How many auto maker CEO's can you go to personally to order your car? Nate was a one of a kind. I've never heard or read anything but positive things about him.

[Rerun]

The down side to this policy was that it resulted in some really hideous combinations of colors and fabrics specified by the buyers.

[Gunslinger]

The down side to this policy was that it resulted in some really hideous combinations of colors and fabrics specified by the buyers.

No argument there! According to the build sheet my '70 was one of them...a dark cinnamon exterior, mahogany upholstery, walnut dash and console inlays and steering wheel, and orange shag carpeting. My wife said that the '70s wasn't called the decade of no taste without reason. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...but sometimes a lot of eye bleach is needed regardless of what has been seen can't be unseen. It does make me wonder whether at least some of the poor market values of Avantis might be due to people (who actually remember Avantis) associating such hideous color and fabric combinations from that era with revulsion.

My car is much changed now and much more pleasant to the eye.

[studegary]

I don't see how a SBC 400 can be considered a "truck" engine. A BBC 400 "could" be considered a truck engine since that is what it is based on. To me, a SBC 400 is just a bigger version of the 265/283 as the 350 is.
I don't pretend to know as much about Chevrolets as I do Studebakers, so someone can tell me if I am all wet on this.

[8E45E]

The down side to this policy was that it resulted in some really hideous combinations of colors and fabrics specified by the buyers.

Yep, I mentioned some with a couple of links in this thread: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...r-see.../page2

Craig

[Gunslinger]

I don't see how a SBC 400 can be considered a "truck" engine. A BBC 400 "could" be considered a truck engine since that is what it is based on. To me, a SBC 400 is just a bigger version of the 265/283 as the 350 is.
I don't pretend to know as much about Chevrolets as I do Studebakers, so someone can tell me if I am all wet on this.

I've always thought of the SBC 400 as more of a station wagon engine than anything else, though I know many engine builders have made some real torque monsters out of them...but we're discussing factory engines here, not specialty aftermarket creations. I always understood that Avanti Motors went to the 400 more due to emissions reasons and to recover some lost torque than anything else. They could have used a Corvette L48 or L82, but costs may have made the choice for them. In the end it comes down to costs and the least expensive way to meet the requirements and still keep MSRP reasonable.

[Skip Lackie]

John Poulos took me on my first trip to South Bend around 1977, and among the many things we did was drop in unannounced at the Avanti Motors building. The lady that apparently was in charge of PR immediately dropped everything and took us on a two-hour tour of the plant, including a chance to inspect the 3-door prototypes that were stored on the second floor. They're now in the museum. We were introduced to everyone from the lady that made the wiring harnesses (on a 4x8' pece of plywood studded with nails with the wire routing marked on it) to the guys who welded up the frame mounts and bolted the springs and rear axle to the frame. She mentioned that if I ordered a car, I would be invited to come to SB and help to build my own car. Unfortunately, Nate Altman wasn't there that day, but we did meet Geoff Newman.

My 74 Avanti II still has the original 400 engine with a 4-bbl, which according to the serial number, had been destined for installation in a Malibu with automatic. My car has a 4-speed. It also has a reasonably attractive elk-colored seats, but the carpet is, indeed, a goldish brown shag. It's in such good shape that I can't bear to replace it, even though I have a replacement black carpet set still in the box. The irony is that I have always disliked shag carpet, even in the 1970s. It was/is one of my few demonstrations of good taste.

[studegary]

Avanti only used the 400 engine for five years. The first year was 1972. I owned a 1972 Impala two door with the SBC400. This was a car of about the same weight and size. I thought that it was a good engine. It did need a timing chain and spockets at about 100K miles (it was still running, but not like it should be).

[SN-60]

I agree Nate Altman would really work with a customer. The 'A' series Avanti II I owned, (RQAO298), was ordered with a 'high back' bucket seat for the driver, and a Studebaker Avanti based 'low back' bucket seat for the passenger.
I didn't like this look, and replaced these seats with Recaros. The Avanti is long gone, but I still have these oddball seats stored away.

[junior]

I don't see how a SBC 400 can be considered a "truck" engine. A BBC 400 "could" be considered a truck engine since that is what it is based on. To me, a SBC 400 is just a bigger version of the 265/283 as the 350 is.
I don't pretend to know as much about Chevrolets as I do Studebakers, so someone can tell me if I am all wet on this.

400 'truck' engines were really 402 BBC engines, but not real TRUCK engines like the 427 TRUCK engine which looked a lot like a 427 BBC engine but had taller deck to crankshaft centerline dimensions....confusing yes, but that's the way I remember it...but I'm sure a real bowtie expert will chime in, as I was just a kid when said engines were installed. Junior.

[SN-60]

I believe more than one mid '70's Avanti II had broken (torn) front crossmembers resulting from the torque of that small block 400.

[plwindish]

The name "torque monsters" was fitting for the SBC 400's. My 76 has a 400 that was originally rated @175 hp. When it was rebuilt last year, a new hydraulic roller cam, pistons, headwork, headers, new aluminum intake and a 650 cfm 4 barrel brought the dyno up to 360 hp and 460 pds torque. The torque to hp rating salso made this engine good for station wagons and trucks. The major issue with the motor was the "siameezed" water jacket passages in the block and heads, giving the the motor a tendency to run hot, making the Avanti's with the 400 like some of the 63's and 64's that ran hot.