Topics

1

Restoration / 1967 Power Top Hydraulic Line Routing

« on: July 26, 2022, 10:40:44 PM »

Six years ago I had a shop replace the power top cylinders because they said they were leaking. Unfortunately they used the two piece cylinders that apparently leak, which my right one is now doing. The left one may also be leaking, but I have not taken that side apart to get at it yet.

The question I have now is the routing of the power top hydraulic lines. As you can see from the pictures I have attached the top line goes over the body frame to the top port on the cylinder. The line is wrapped in a hose that is wrapped in back electrical tape for protection of the hose where it goes over the body. This location does not seem factory production to me, although it has been this way since I bought the car in 1978 with 62,000 miles. Is this actually factory production like this, is it a recall repair to make sure there are no leaks, or did someone do this after the fact? The hoses do not seem modified.

Does anyone have a diagram or pictures of how these hoses are routed in factory production?

I'm going to replace the cylinders and service the pump and if I need new hoses I'll order those at the same time.

2

General Discussion / 7 mm Spark Plug Wire Crimping

« on: November 29, 2020, 08:12:10 PM »

I bought a Pertronix 7mm silicone black spark plug set from Summit for my 67 that looks and works very good but some of the wires are too long. I need to cut them shorter and crimp new ends on the distributor cap end. I can source the terminals locally but would like to know what tool or tools members here are using to cut and crimp the ends on these spark plug wires. 8 mm stuff is easy to find but 7mm seems to be tough to find.

3

General Discussion / Powerglide Installation Question

« on: September 26, 2020, 10:15:02 PM »

I am working on a 1967 Norwood convertible, L30 Powerglide, built 11B on November 11, 1966. The car is very original and has been in the family since 1978 when purchased with 62,000 miles. It now has 74,000 miles on it and has not been driven much since 1984.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s the car partially came apart for some bodywork and the engine and transmission were rebuilt by local shops. In the late 1990s the engine and transmission went back into the car and it was run a few times.

A couple of years ago I took the engine and transmission out again to fix bad oil leaks in the engine after driving it briefly. What I noticed when I disconnected the torque converter from the flexplate was that the flexplate was under tension against the torque converter and when the three bolts were out there was a 5/64 to 3/32 gap between the flexplate and the torque converter at all the converter pads. The base of the torque converter crankshaft pilot hub was completely up against the crankshaft and the converter would slide back the desired 1/8” +/- so that it was not bottoming out in the transmission pump gears. All seemed good except for the gap.

When the engine and transmission were rebuilt in the 1990s the only thing that was not original during the replacement was the torque converter as the transmission shop that did the rebuild suggested a replacement for a rebuilt transmission. This seemed like a good idea and I went along with it. Unfortunately I gave up my original torque converter for core credit. I would not give up my original parts again.

Unfortunately the torque converter shop that supplied the rebuilt converter in the 1990s is not longer in business although from my research they had a good reputation. So, I took the converter to a local converter shop and had them look at it. They advised that it looked like all the other Powerglide cores they had and didn’t see anything unusual about it and it was good to go. I then looked around for Powerglide converter specs and finally found some and measured what I could. All seems correct.

Further research online and with a couple of mechanics leads me to my quandary. The “B&M Torque Converter Installation Instructions for General Motors TH-350, TH-400, & Powerglide” states under Step 15:

“If your flexplate is new or in good condition the converter may not contact the flexplate before if bottoms out in the crankshaft. A 1/16 – 1/8” gap is normal. When the flexplate to converter bolts are tightened the flexplate will bow backwards slightly and hold the torque converter against the crankshaft.”

This makes sense to me because all the parts are original except the torque converter and it appears to be the correct part based on my discussions with the converter shop, the specs I found and the pictures I have seen online of Powerglide torque converters.

The mechanics say no way I should shim the gap so the flexplate is not under tension. This appears to be an accepted practice in racecars with modified torque converters but for a stock application with stock parts?

After all of this my question is: who is right? B&M’s explanation seems to make sense but so do the mechanics that say it should not be under tension.

Any help here is greatly appreciated as I’m getting ready to put this back together and don’t want to damage anything or have to take it apart again. If anyone would like more information or pictures let me know and I’ll do my best to get them for you.

It seem like I am not the only one who has had this problem. Here is a previous post from 2012 with virtually the same problem. There is some discussion about this but no resolution.

http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=9988.msg73767#msg73767

4

Restoration / Original vs Reproduction Bumper Differences

« on: April 16, 2017, 03:04:46 PM »

Can anyone tell me how to tell quickly the differences between an original or a reproduction front and rear bumpers for a 1967? I'm going to look at what are supposed to be original bumpers and I'd like to know if they are what the seller says they are.

5

Restoration / 1967 Camaro Inside Windshield Pillar Trim Seals

« on: November 11, 2016, 08:25:04 PM »

I'm struggling with how to attach the inner windshield pillar trim seals on my 1967 Camaro convertible. It has been awhile since I took this section of the car apart and I can't remember how the seals are installed. I believe I took pictures of this but 25 years later I can't find them. My recollection is they go on the pinchweld but after working to install them I'm not so sure. I've attached a few pictures of my inner trim and seals.

Pic1 - 1213 Seal on pinch weld
Pic2 - 1216 Trim and seals. Top seal is for a coupe, bottom seal is from my convertible
Pic3 - 1217 Inside of trim showing lip on pinchweld side
Pic4 - 1219 Inside of trim with seal installed on lip

How is this seal installed? Does it go on the pinchweld or on the trim as shown?

6

Originality / 1967 Ignition Coil

« on: October 22, 2016, 11:20:06 PM »

I'm having some trouble determining what is the correct coil for my 11B NOR 1967 Convertible. The car was assembled on Nov 11, 1966, and has a Tonawanda L30 327/275 with an 039 coil. I've owned this car since 1978 and the coil and correct bracket look completely original. Car seems to run fine with this coil.

I can not find any data on the 039 coil in the usual places such as parts books, Delco literature and internet searches. Does any one know what is the correct coil for this car and engine or have any information on an 039 coil?

The AIM states:

1115204 until 8-26-66
1115242 until 11-8-66
1115267 after

Parts books list:
1115202 early (1.8 ohm resistance wire)
1115238 late (1.3 ohm resistance wire)

Sometime in 1967 the resistance wire was changed to 1.35 ohms from 1.8. The AIM states in UPC12-A9 that the engine harness was changed on 10-7-66. Does anyone know is this was the date of the change in ohm resistance of the coil wire?

1968 AIM states:
1115293 for 1.3 ohm resistance wire

This seems consistent with experience with original engines. I have one of these 293 coils off an extremely original 1968 L30 327/275 Nova I parted out years ago.


Any help or comments on original coils are greatly appreciated.

7

Originality / 1967 Master Cyl to Distribution Block Lines

« on: July 01, 2016, 08:39:16 PM »

I have a 1967 NOR 11B convertible born on Nov 11th with C60 AC and J50 power brakes. The brake lines from the master cylinder to the distribution block are as shown in the photo. The line to the valve on the frame comes out the back of the distribution block not the side as shown in the Assembly Manual on page J50A2. The power brake booster was added many years ago. Originally the car had manual drum brakes. The lines from the master cylinder to the distribution block are the original lines. Note UPC5A2 shows the lines differently. I'm having some restoration work done on the car and the tech advised that the brake lines should be replaced as they are now 50 years old. I agreed. When the lines came they were not the same as the originals. They were like the Assembly Manual J50A2and UPC5A2. Interestingly the Assembly Manual on page C60A9 shows the line to the rear coming out the rear and there is note stating that this line was changed on Sep 20, 1966.

Anyone have a system with the line to the rear coming out the back of the distribution block or can comment on differences?

8

Restoration / 1967 Front drum brake hoses

« on: May 29, 2016, 06:15:51 PM »

I have a 1967 Convertible 11B NOR build that I'm trying to find new front brake hoses for. In the attached photos the bottom hose is the original. The top hose is a Raybestos hose I purchased from my local auto parts store. I also went and looked at the hose sold by NAPA and it is the same except for the Made in China label and the Sunsong writing on the hose. Oh well. Both are too short although the books do say the hose is 12.5" long which the original is from flat to flat. The other issue is the recess on the Raybestos type hose at the bottom of the thread where the thread meets the block used to tighten the hose to the wheel cylinder. The specified copper sealing washer flops around and will not likely seal properly. I obtained a larger washer that would possibly work but it does not look good and does not give me a good feeling.

I contacted my local restoration parts supplier and they contacted Classic Industries about this as they are a big dealer of their parts. Classic does not list a Raybestos brake hose in their catalogue for 1967 and 1968 drum brakes and suggested using the other brand they sell. Since we are limited to four attachments per post I'll post the photo I received from Classic of the end of their hose in my next post. It does not have the recess at the bottom of the thread but is not correct in shape and is gold not silver as factory.

I'd prefer not to reuse the original hose as it is 50 years old. Looks and feels good, but I'm concerned about safety. Anyone have any comments on brake hoses in general and any suggestions for a source to get a good functional correct looking hose?

9

Restoration / 1967 rear brake drums

« on: May 27, 2016, 01:34:01 AM »

I have a 1967 Convertible 11B NOR build with casting 3841177 rear drums that I believe are original to the car. Amazingly one of the drums has only been turned 0.020 while the other has been turned 0.080. I'd like to get another brake drum to replace the 0.080 turned one. A friend has a couple of brake drums supposedly off a 1969 Camaro with casting 3993560. Are these the same? I haven't looked at them myself but in pictures I've found it looks like the 3993560 is the same but has the max dia cast as 9.590. The 3841177 do not have a max dia cast in them. Anybody have any comments about the difference in these brake drums or brake drums in general and how this difference in size (0.020 vs 0.080) might affect braking?

10

Restoration / Pistons for a 1967 327/275

« on: April 01, 2016, 01:20:20 AM »

I'm working on my 1967 Camaro with a 327/275. Currently i have the engine out while working on the rest of the car and decided to take a look at it and reseal some leaks. The engine was rebuilt by a local machine shop back in 1994 and has only run sporadically over the years. I found a number of problems with the engine but the big one is the pistons. They are Badger rebuilder pistons that have a full circular dish with no quench. Bad news. I asked for a lower compression at the time of rebuild so that it would not ping as this was an issue when driving in the past. The machine shop sold me these pistons because they were available and inexpensive with the rebuild and stated they were 8.5 to 9.0 to 1. I was not concerned about inexpensive as I wanted it done right. One of the valves didn't seal when changing the valve seals so I took the head off and found the Badger pistons. Checked the deck height and found the pistons are 0.050 down in the hole. More bad news. Looks like I need to change the pistons. The question. Does anyone know of a supplier of 327 pistons (preferably cast as a stock rebuild) that have the correct compression height of 1.675"? All the rebuilder pistons I've looked at seem to have a shorter compression height of 1.655", 0.020 shorter.

11

Restoration / 1967 Convertible Top Cylinder Fluid

« on: March 19, 2016, 03:22:57 AM »

I have a 1967 Convertible with 75,000 miles that has a power top. One of the cylinders is leaking so I'm going to replace both with aftermarket ones. I believe the cylinders that are in the car now are the originals as I've owned the car since 1978. I've never done anything with the system since I purchased the car and it has worked well but has only seen 13,000 miles in 38 years with lots of storage time.

My question is about the hydraulic fluid. The Body by Fisher Service Manual is very good on top mechanism service, repair and rebuild. In the section on hydraulics the manual states that the fluid is AC Delco Hydraulic fluid #11 or Delco Supreme brake fluid. The fluid in my system is clear so I'm assuming at this stage that it is brake fluid. Later models apparently used automatic transmission fluid. Can I change the fluid to automatic transmission fluid without any problems and do I have to flush it completely or will it mix it I get most of it out? I've just been through this with a friends hoist that we moved that has a hydraulic pump. The original installation of the hoist used clear #10 hydraulic oil and all the people we discussed this with recommended we change to transmission fluid. Apparently one of the big advantages to automatic fluid is much better performance in cold weather. Brake fluid is also nasty on paint etc. If I need to completely flush the system how would I go about doing this?

12

Originality / 1967 Camaro Dash Pads

« on: March 01, 2016, 06:03:28 AM »

I have an 11B 1967 Camaro convertible that I've owned since 1978 with 75K miles. I'm doing some work on it and took the dash pad off to paint the top of the dash as I have the windshield out. Attached is a photo of the dash pad next to the console and another dash pad in front of it. The dash pad from the car has seven attachment studs and the other has only four attachment studs. The other dash pad I've had for many years as a backup in case I need it. I also have another that I bought a few years ago that also has four attachment studs. All of these dash pads appear original GM. I believe the one from the convertible is original to the car.

Does anyone know what the difference is between the seven attachment stud dash pad and the four attachment stud one and when the change was made or if the four stud is Firebird?

13

Restoration / Holley Throttle Plate Screws

« on: December 02, 2015, 08:06:52 PM »

I'm rebuilding a 1967 Holley carburetor. The throttle plates in the base plate were a little rusty in the secondary and the primary throttle shaft was a little bent so I took the base plate apart by filing off the ends of the screws. Worked great. Built a fixture for the press to straighten the shaft. Worked great. Now I need some parts.

Does anyone know of a source for the original type throttle plate screws that are flat with a slot? The screws I've found are rounder with a phillips head. These seem to be the current replacement. Also I would like to know a source for the black phosphate throttle plates or how to refinish them. I've found three base plates in my collection so I've got a pretty good selection of throttle plates but none of them have a finish as good as I'd like.

14

Restoration / 1967 & 1968 Factory Air Conditioning Control

« on: June 27, 2011, 02:54:27 AM »

I'm working in a 1968 Camaro with factory AC. I need to find a heater air conditioning control.

Ii appears that 1967 controls are different and there appear to be two types of these, early and late. The late seem to coincide with the introduction of the Firebird. The 1968 controls appear to be all the same for the whole year. Does anyone know the differences in these controls and what I might have to pay for a 1968? From what I have found these are in short supply and expensive.