Uh-Oh!! A tempting Cheap Avanti ll

[bige]

For starters here's the Craigslist ad...

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/ctd/1440719283.html

I've been speaking to this gentleman and have seen some good descriptive pictures.

Good news...

350 CID with a rebuilt TH 400, working R134 A/C, NO sunroof, interior needs carpet but seats, headliner, dash and door panels are very nice vinyl.

Tires look good and the car is unmolested right down to intact "cow-catcher" and fog lamps.


Bad news...

Needs bumpers to be re-chromed, body is not damaged but paint is trash and needs to be stripped. No chance for a 'lark-shine' application on this car.

The under-body supports are not rusted through but look like they may be soft in a couple of spots. This can only be confirmed in person because the visible rust may be surface only but I have my doubts. The only frame rust that I can see of any concern is the lower plate behind the left side wheel arch. The wheels arches look solid.

I believe the seller is open to offers. He's the second owner and is adamant that the 58,000 miles is original. I believe this is a drive while restore Avanti. The hog troughs could probably be treated from inside and reinforced from the outside and might not ever have to be replaced. The lower frame plate is very accessible and looks like a fairly easy remove and replace by any welding shop.

ErnieR


Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

[Johnnywiffer]

Just a reminder. You know what JP says about "cheap Avantis".

John

[JDP]

quote:Originally posted by Johnnywiffer

Just a reminder. You know what JP says about "cheap Avantis".

John

You can not tell the condition of the hog troughs or frame from pictures. I've seen troughs that looked intact, that I could peel back the metal by hand. They rust from the inside until they are paper thin. BTW,I passed on a local Md Avanti II in similar shape for $3500. NJ is the heart of the rust belt too.

JDP/Maryland

[PackardV8]

quote:They rust from the inside

They rust, period. With any older Avanti, I'd go so far as to say assume the torque boxes need to be replaced. Exceptions might be if the Avanti is documented to have spent its life in inland SoCal, AZ, NV or NM, or the owner can document they've been replaced recently. Otherwise, budget for replacement.

thnx, jack vines

PackardV8

[bige]

Totally agree...the pictures I saw were intriguing enough that it would be worth a trip for an interested party. There is NO profit to be made with this car for sure but with a little negotiation it might be the right car for someone who wanted to do the sweat equity and drive an Avanti at the same time.

The pictures are on snapfish 90 in all. I can send a link if anyone is interested.

Here are a few...




















You can not tell the condition of the hog troughs or frame from pictures. I've seen troughs that looked intact, that I could peel back the metal by hand. They rust from the inside until they are paper thin. BTW,I passed on a local Md Avanti II in similar shape for $3500. NJ is the heart of the rust belt too.

JDP/Maryland

[/quote]


Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

[JDP]

quote:Originally posted by bige

Totally agree...the pictures I saw were intriguing enough that it would be worth a trip for an interested party. There is NO profit to be made with this car for sure but with a little negotiation it might be the right car for someone who wanted to do the sweat equity and drive an Avanti at the same time.

The pictures are on snapfish 90 in all. I can send a link if anyone is interested.

Here are a few...





You can not tell the condition of the hog troughs or frame from pictures. I've seen troughs that looked intact, that I could peel back the metal by hand. They rust from the inside until they are paper thin. BTW,I passed on a local Md Avanti II in similar shape for $3500. NJ is the heart of the rust belt too.

JDP/Maryland

Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.
[/quote]


Those troughs appear gone one the edges where they meet the body, and the rear, bottom frame rail needs replacing.

JDP/Maryland

[geojerry]

That wooden steering wheel is exactly what I'm looking for my 78 Avanti II. Is that a Nardi or Grant model?

Anyone know where I can aquire one and what adapter kit is needed. My steering column is Chrysler.

Thx,
Jerry

[bige]

Those troughs appear gone one the edges where they meet the body, and the rear, bottom frame rail needs replacing.

JDP/Maryland

[/quote]


When I saw those areas I cancelled my appointment to see the car.

I emailed the pictures back to the owner and explained why what looks like surface rust is probably the rust inside coming out. The rear frame rail didn't bother me so much but that combined with the other stuff the car needs made me pass on even looking at it.

However, the current owner has conceded that the structure has issues so I'm sure his price expectations are lowered.

Again, I thought there might be someone who has always wanted an Avanti out there with some skills. You could spend the equivalent of a hog trough replacement refurbishing the interior and after recovering my own seats and installing every piece of vinyl and the headliner in my car I don't know which job I'd rather do.

Hell, I think the frame is decent except for that one spot which looks like any easy fix and it needs to painted anyway so do the hog troughs along with the body work and paint. I bet if the hog troughs were treated from the inside the way I did mine that they would last while the next owner saved up for the paint job.

I can't help it 30+ years selling cars doesn't go away after a few months of early retirement




Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

[sweetolbob]

Ernie

You have mentioned treating the hog troughs from the inside.

I'm curious how that is done as I've not heard of it before.


Bob

,

[bige]

My hog troughs looked great from the outside but when I stripped out the interior I decided to get brave and took a 3" hole saw and cut 3 holes in the fiberglass above the troughs from the top.

I was disturbed to find a layer of heavy rust inside of both supports and part of the area where the roll bar connects rusted away on the left side. I scraped the loose stuff off as best I could and vacuumed the debris out. Then I poured Eastwood's Corroless paint in, It's their version of POR 15 ( of which I am also a big fan). I jacked the car up front and then rear and then side to side to coat as much as possible and then I used cheap foam brushes stuck in the end of some 3/8 gas hose to slather it around even more. After the paint dried, I sprayed in Eastwood rustproofing until it dripped out from the drain holes.

I can't emphasize strongly enough that from the outside the hog troughs looked and felt as solid as new.

The area to cut the hole in is below the sill plates a couple of inches from the edge of the rocker panel. It's pretty easy to determine where to cut. I don't think you would have to remove the front seats but it would make it easier to get the carpet to stay out of the way. Cut the rear hole as far back as possible so you can get good access to the area where the roll bar comes in. The section behind the roll bar can't easily be accessed from the top. I sprayed rustproofing in through the drain hole in the bottom of the trough. The rustproofing tool I have has tips that spray like a lawn sprinkler without the rotation so you can stick it up in a hole and spray the sides. By the way the Eastwood rustproofing gun is relatively cheap and doesn't need a big compressor. It's worth the investment for the job I described and if you have any metal cars it's a bargain.



I did this back in 2001 and I check the inside of the hog troughs every year by moving the carpet away enough to acces the holes. They are covered with duct tape under the insulation so I just peel the tape away and shine a light in there.

Deterioration has stopped and everything is still solid.

quote:Originally posted by sweetolbob

Ernie

You have mentioned treating the hog troughs from the inside.

I'm curious how that is done as I've not heard of it before.


Bob

,

Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

[sweetolbob]

Thanks Ernie

My Christmas present this year is a new set of carpets. My hog troughs look good but I like your approach because you never know what you'll find in a 26 year old Avanti.

I'll duplicate it when I replace the carpets.

Thanks again

Bob

,

[JDP]

quote:Originally posted by bige

My hog troughs looked great from the outside but when I stripped out the interior I decided to get brave and took a 3" hole saw and cut 3 holes in the fiberglass above the troughs from the top.

I was disturbed to find a layer of heavy rust inside of both supports and part of the area where the roll bar connects rusted away on the left side. I scraped the loose stuff off as best I could and vacuumed the debris out. Then I poured Eastwood's Corroless paint in, It's their version of POR 15 ( of which I am also a big fan). I jacked the car up front and then rear and then side to side to coat as much as possible and then I used cheap foam brushes stuck in the end of some 3/8 gas hose to slather it around even more. After the paint dried, I sprayed in Eastwood rustproofing until it dripped out from the drain holes.

I can't emphasize strongly enough that from the outside the hog troughs looked and felt as solid as new.

The area to cut the hole in is below the sill plates a couple of inches from the edge of the rocker panel. It's pretty easy to determine where to cut. I don't think you would have to remove the front seats but it would make it easier to get the carpet to stay out of the way. Cut the rear hole as far back as possible so you can get good access to the area where the roll bar comes in. The section behind the roll bar can't easily be accessed from the top. I sprayed rustproofing in through the drain hole in the bottom of the trough. The rustproofing tool I have has tips that spray like a lawn sprinkler without the rotation so you can stick it up in a hole and spray the sides. By the way the Eastwood rustproofing gun is relatively cheap and doesn't need a big compressor. It's worth the investment for the job I described and if you have any metal cars it's a bargain.



I did this back in 2001 and I check the inside of the hog troughs every year by moving the carpet away enough to acces the holes. They are covered with duct tape under the insulation so I just peel the tape away and shine a light in there.

Deterioration has stopped and everything is still solid.

quote:Originally posted by sweetolbob

Ernie

You have mentioned treating the hog troughs from the inside.

I'm curious how that is done as I've not heard of it before.


Bob

,

Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

You can do much the same by pouring used oil into the cowl vents with the front of the car in the air with the rear drain plugged. Put it on the ground and take some corners and drain, repeat annually.

JDP/Maryland

[bige]

"You can do much the same by pouring used oil into the cowl vents with the front of the car in the air with the rear drain plugged. Put it on the ground and take some corners and drain, repeat annually. puI"

JDP/Maryland

You can tell a new Avanti owner that he needs to change his hog trough oil once a year or 5,000 miles whichever comes first with a straight face!


Best so far 15.065 @ 91.84 MPH Island Dragway Great Meadows NJ Summer 2009.

[bams50]

Yep, too bad about that frame; it's the telltale BAD sign here in the Northeast. I pointed this out a couple months back on an otherwise pretty GT and one member got mad because I did so- he didn't know about this problem and thought I was a bad boy for knowing it or something. But I will always make sure to sound that alarm whenever I can- at best it's a nasty repair. It also brings into question the rest of the car and what may be hiding under a shiny repaint (or in this case under the fiberglas body).

Robert (Bob) Andrews- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys)
Parish, central NY 13131

GOD BLESS AMERICA

[Avanti82]

Bige,

Thanks for posting the detailed information on treating the Hog Troughs. If the Avanti were an aircraft this would be an AD note.

Ours is a 82 model that looks pretty solid as it spent its life garaged in Indianna and has 31,000 miles on it. However I plan to get started on your procedure this week. It kind of reminds me of putting Tube Seal in the thin walled steel tubing of the 1941 Piper I restored after we finished the welding repairs. We inspected for rusted out tubing using an ice pick. The thin walled aircraft tubing rusted out and failed from the inside. The rust would progress undetected by visual inspection. You could probably use the old "Ice Pick" method for inspecting the Hog troughs as well. If the metal is thin the pick will penetrate or dent with only moderate pressure.

Thnak again for sharing,

Steve