Avanti Ride Height

[Laemmle]

Page e-mailed to you...very easy to understand!

[wagone]

Laemmie,

E-mailed or faxed? I e-mailed you a fax number yesterday. Please clarify. Thanks.

wagone

[Laemmle]

I attempted to e-mail the page to you.....it bounced back to me as undeliverable. Please provide a correct e-mail address.

[sbca96]

For a car that seems to have an impressive following, it sure is not
easy to find a picture of. I wonder if I have even seen it. I wonder
how driveable it is at the "lowered" height, if I drop mine much more
then I will have trouble with speed bumps. I guess if you tuck up the
exhaust well enough (I have a few clamps hanging on my crappy example
on the car now) you can just drag the frame over bumps slowly.....

Anyone have a link, or contact info? I would like to drop my Avanti
about .5 to 1 inch all around, but Eaton Spring can not provide me a
"stock" height starting point to measure from, which I could detirmine
where it will end up. Since the car has had 40+ years to sag, I could
get "lowering" springs that will sit right where it is now![B)]

Tom

quote:Originally posted by grobb284

Malcom Berry did nail the Avanti with the lowered ride height.
The wheels and tire sizes he selected help with that look.

[wagone]

Laemmie,
My apologies, I did have an incorrect e-mail address in my profile. I've just now changed it. Please try again. And thanks for the patience.

wagone and the Old R2 Avanti

[wagone]

Tom,

I too am concerned about getting new springs hoping to set the ride height correctly and finding out after all that work that the "new" height is the same as the "old." My Avanti sits in the front at 16 1/2 inches from the bottom of the bumper center piece to the ground. Laemmie has stated that in his "spec" sheet it shows 18 1/2 inches. If I raise mine two inches it looks awfully high in front. A one inch raise at the front bumper to 17 1/2 inches is the highest and still have it look decent. If I jack it up that one inch then the height to the wheel well opening increases about 3/16 to a 1/4 inch and then is just about the 27 11/16 inch which, I believe, you said yours was. But I wouldn't want to install new springs (ok, my king pins could stand a rework) and have it be the same height to ground it is now! QUANDRY; but Laemmie's sheet may shed some light.

wagone and the Old R2 Avanti

[PackardV8]

FWIW, measuring to the center section of an Avanti front bumper is not good science for comparing ride height. Those who have worked on the bumpers know there is so much slack in the mounting bolt holes and the whole bumper assembly is like a piece of spaghetti as far as rigidity. It could move up or down an inch or two depending on where it was tightened.

Tires make a huge difference in frame height measurements. Comparing the OEM tires with the larger 15" radials, not to mention the huge 17, 18 and 19" which some are using, makes true comparisons difficult.

thnx, jv



PackardV8

[sbca96]

Agreed, I think that the places a mesurement should be made, is frame
and wheel openings. This is needed to compare the spacers between the
frame and body .. which MIGHT be different between Avantis. I believe
I added the diameter of my aftermarket wheels AND a distance from the
center of the wheel to the ground - which IS the real number to be a
concern here. Keep in mind that even though a 75 series tire on a 15
inch rim, and a 45 series tire on a 17 inch rim could have different
overall diameters, they COULD have the same distance from the center
to ground due to the marshmellow-like sidewall flex the 75 series tire
has. The center to ground is the measurement that counts here.

Tom

quote:Originally posted by wagone
If I jack it up that one inch then the height to the wheel well opening increases about 3/16 to a 1/4 inch and then is just about the 27 11/16 inch which, I believe, you said yours was.

quote:Originally posted by PackardV8

FWIW, measuring to the center section of an Avanti front bumper is not good science for comparing ride height ...... Tires make a huge difference in frame height measurements. Comparing the OEM tires with the larger 15" radials, not to mention the huge 17, 18 and 19" which some are using, makes true comparisons difficult.

[wagone]

True, true, true PackardV8. We're trying to reduce the myriad of differences which could (will) affect this. Somewhere there has to be a standard or reference point.....admittedly subjective. But ya gotta start somewhere.

wagone and the Old R2 Avanti

[Dick Steinkamp]

It's just me, but I'd be putting it where it looks the best, not where it was originally (if it can even be determined where it was originally). All stock Studes seem to be nose high which (IMHO) is a pretty awkward stance. I remember seeing pictures of cars being photographed for Studebaker ads with the opposite side from the camera jacked up to lower the side nearest the camera. Even Studebaker didn't like how their cars sat stock [:0].

[sbca96]

I have been pretty happy with this height :



Tom

[wagone]

Tom,
That's not the BEST picture to judge how the wheels fit their openings, but it does look about right (allowing for the photograph, the shadows and the angle of the shot). And what did you use: one or two inch lowering blocks in rear?[?][?][?][?]
wagone and the R2 Avanti

[sbca96]

True .. this one seems to show the rake the best :



I have to use 2 inch lowering blocks, BUT that was with Wagon springs.
The original Avanti springs were completely blown out with a reverse
arc, & fan-ed out leafs. They were shot. It kinda dragged its butt.
I am not happy using the blocks, unless I can eventually use the holes
I had put in them to mount a traction bar I am playing around with in
my head. I had two holes bored through the steel block from front to
rear to mount "something" to. Adding lowering blocks will increase a
leaf springs ability to wrap up adding to wheel hop.[V]

Tom

[Laemmle]

Please send me via pm the e-mail..I need to send you the attachment from my e-mail

quote:Originally posted by wagone

Laemmie,
My apologies, I did have an incorrect e-mail address in my profile. I've just now changed it. Please try again. And thanks for the patience.

wagone and the Old R2 Avanti