Brakes: rockauto brakes

[swvalcon]

Does anyone who owns a 68-83 Avanti 2 have any idea why rockauto shows a front caliper for the 68-83 Avanti 2 that looks different then what SI shows for 63-83? They use the same rotor and all the same front end parts . Why couldn't this caliper also work on a 63-64?

[64studeavanti]

likely a mistake on rockauto site. I have 78 Avanti and the front brakes are the same as on 63,64. The rear brakes are different.

[PackardV8]

First, RockAuto is not a real place. They just scrape every supplier catalog/website, homogenize them without any human quality control. RockAuto does not warehouse parts. Instead, they connect you to suppliers via their website, and the car parts you buy are shipped directly to you from the supplier's warehouse. RockAuto never actually touches the parts they sell, nor has any idea if the illustrations match the part number.

jack vines

[Dwight FitzSimons]

Sorta like eBay is trying to become.

[Skip Lackie]

To add to Jack's excellent response: Many of the mistakes in the Rock Auto catalog are due to mistakes in the supplier catalogs. Most of us remember when a typical FLAPS had huge racks full of paper catalogs on the counter. About 25 years ago, the suppliers paid a bunch of geeks to digitize the data in those books so they could stop publishing/updating them and then fire all the people that construct them. Unfortunately, the geeks consolidated a bunch of listings that should not have been -- like showing all 60-64 Stude Champ brake parts are the same, when they are not. I guess they were reluctant to show blank places or NLAs for newer parts when older ones were still available. Another example is the Avanti II rear brake cylinders -- which physically interchange perfectly with those of contemporary Jeeps -- except that the internal bores are different sizes.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Sometimes they just put up a picture of something similiar 'cause they don't have the right one and don't want to go to the trouble of posting the correct one. Have not had too much trouble with getting the wrong part but it did happen once and returning it was not difficult. But the shipping is wicked so ,when possible, I'll try to get stuff closer to home. Most stock boys are probably marginally literate and wouldn't know an Avanti from a Gremlin.

[StudeRich]

Typical situation with Wrong Parts, when Not buying from a Studebaker Vendor.

[52 Ragtop]

Avanti 2's used the same caliper and rotor as the 63-64 Studebaker Avanti. They either went to the GM caliper in 84 or 85, I'm thinking 85. But somewhere in the mid 80's They went to the GM Metric caliper 2 WD. Those calipers will NOT fit the original Studebaker Rotor. Until I recently changed, I was using the GM Metric caliper but a 4 WD version. I have now gone to the Chrysler T&C Van caliper.

Jim