Messages

16

Restoration / Re: How did the factory install convertible tops so fast?

« on: August 23, 2017, 12:29:35 AM »

I had a buddy at work that installed convertible tops on Pontiacs back in the day.  They assembled to tops on jigs next to the assembly line and had several available at anyone time.  The would actually install the top and then travel with the car as it continued down the line until the top was finally adjusted and smoothed out. He said they could install the entire top onto the car in about 15 minutes.  Once it was on they would travel back to the start of the trim line and pick up the next convertible and repeat the process.  There were 2 or 3 different teams dedicated to just convertible tops that worked on the cars as they came down the line.

17

Garage Talk / Re: My First Camaro - What was Yours?

« on: August 18, 2017, 07:36:57 PM »

Mine was a 68 LF7 3spd Saginaw with console, Teal blue with standard blue interior, white D90 sport stripe.  Bought it in 73 from a local bone yard for $250.  It had been punched in the rear between the taillights, looked like it slid into a pole or tree.  Fixed it up and drove it for my junior and senior HS years and some of my Navy years.  Blew the engine up (cam broke in 3 places, crank in 2 and punched a couple of rods thru the block) around 76 or 77 and replaced it with a 350 from precision motor rebuilders.  My brother sort of commandeered it while I was in the Navy.  Heres a picture from 78 or 79 looking kind of haggered.  Should have put the cowl hood on before it was painted.

18

General Discussion / Re: 67 big block convertible

« on: June 06, 2017, 04:22:21 AM »

All 67 VIN tags were supposed to be stamped with the delivery date by the dealer for warrantee work, it consists of the month and the last digit of the year (May of 67 in this case, 057).  The dealers were supposed to stamp them from the front side (very few actually did it).  When they are embossed from the back it means it was done by the factory (norwood in this case) and it usually indicates a car ordered for and destined for some interim use by GM prior to being sold to the public.  Cars like zone cars, executive cars, pace cars, show cars, engineering or sales vehicles all seem to have the rear embossed delivery date code on the VIN.   

The 67 Pacecars were technically sent to the Indianapolis Zone Office and the warrantee period started immediately so all of them sent to the zone have a rear embossed delivery dates on the VIN tags so that GM wasn't covering them for a longer period of time than they needed to no matter if they were used for the month of May 67 and sold immediately, or if it took the dealers till 68 to sell them.

You would have to get the NCRS sales record to see where this car was originally sent to to try and get an idea of what GM used it for.  It will probably come back as one of the various zone offices.

19

Mild Modifications / Re: Temp gauge w/electric fans

« on: May 27, 2017, 08:11:38 PM »

Factory and all temperature sensors used in these cars are essentially variable resistors that change the resistance between the single wire connector and the shell of the gauge as the coolant temperature changes. Resistance starts high, and goes lower as the coolant heats up.  This changes the current flow in the gauge and the gauge moves upscale as the temperature increases, and down scale as the coolant cools off.  Because the gauge circuit relies on the engine block ground as part of the circuit, if you grounded the fans to the block, when the fans come on the voltage difference between the block and the battery voltage changes (becomes less) because of the current flow thru the fans raises the blocks voltage potential which screws up the gauge reading.  If the gauges going weird on you corresponds to the fans starting its a 99% chance that is the reason.  Run the fan grounds back directly to battery ground.

20

General Discussion / Re: Drive it or trailor it?

« on: April 18, 2017, 02:08:13 AM »

These cars were peoples every day drivers 50 years ago (seems like a long time) driving them doesn't hurt them, that's what they were made for.

21

General Discussion / Re: I'm pretty sure this is illegal.

« on: March 24, 2017, 12:29:25 AM »

Technically the dynacorn body is a repair part.  It was never part of a GM manufactured vehicle and never had a VIN of its own.  It is a replacement for a failed component, either thru rust or damage.  It is a very fine line but legally its no different than a replacement fender in the grand scheme of things.  It is totally illegal to swap a VIN from one GM manufactured body that had a VIN assigned for your damaged GM manufactured body because both were originally part of a complete vehicle built by GM in compliance with the regulations of the day.  Not saying it is right or wrong, just that it can be done without going to jail.  Does it affect the value of said repaired vehicle when your done? You bet it does and it should be disclosed but probably isn't most times.

22

Originality / Re: 1969 Camaro vanity mirror

« on: January 25, 2017, 03:06:19 PM »

They are like door trim clips, you attach them to the mirror and then press them into the holes in the Masonite board and the little tangs hold them in place.  Got to be careful you don't crack the mirror when your pressing them onto the visor though.  The holes may actually already be there in the Masonite and you just have to find them and cut the vinyl/fabric away.  I put one in my convertible but it was like 30 years ago.  I don't remember having to drill holes in the Masonite board to install it though.

23

Originality / Re: Can this be a real Z10 Z/28???

« on: November 08, 2016, 11:49:36 PM »

Besides the options being in conflict, the VIN is also outside the date range that Z10's were available.  Could be a special order paint color Z28 but that's about it.

24

Decoding/Numbers / Re: Funny looking trim tag

« on: October 27, 2016, 10:34:18 PM »

I should have said that I know of when I said 3rd week of April.  Might be earlier ones, but it is somewhere in that vicinity.

25

Decoding/Numbers / Re: Funny looking trim tag

« on: October 27, 2016, 11:16:04 AM »

First 010 blocks appeared before this car was assembled, first casting date of an 010 block is in the third week of April, both 010 and 618 were in use by the first week of May most were 618s but there are a few 010s intermixed at this time.

26

Decoding/Numbers / Re: Odd color combo on X77?

« on: October 11, 2016, 03:32:01 PM »

Apparently a lot of people had some questionable taste in color combintations back in the late 60's.  There are some pretty strange combinations out there.

27

General Discussion / Re: Hot no start

« on: October 11, 2016, 03:30:38 PM »

Is your fuel line touching the face of head or the edge of the intake manifold where it comes across the right front side of the engine?  My 68 327's line did that and it would vapor lock on me after parking and even when running on a hot summer day.  Pulled it off the face of the head by about 1/4" and it never did it again.

28

Garage Talk / Re: First two firebirds going to auction

« on: October 11, 2016, 03:27:38 PM »

They weren't prototypes, they were pilot cars The body tubs were assembles in the No. 21 Detroit Pilot assembly line and sent over to Norwood (and a couple to LA) to be final assembled, just like if Fisher built the tub at Norwood and Chevrolet finished them.  Some were used for shows, some were used for engineering testing, some were used to prepare the tooling at the plants for the normal model year run.   Some, 4 at least, still exist with low VINs, and most have low body tag numbers (like less than 50).  The one odd surviving one is the one carrying the VIN100001, it has a body number of 920 for some unknown reason.  Best guess is that since it was a show car, and outfitted with a 120V lighting package it had to go back to Norwood and get reconfigured for sale, and it got its original cowl tag replaced at that time to indicate it complied with the Federal codes.  But that's a whole nother topic.

29

Originality / Re: 'yellow light' AM/FM radio?

« on: September 20, 2016, 03:26:35 PM »

Just for the record, none of my manuals that I have are for late 69, so there could be another part number out there that got added to a September parts manual, or radio service manual for an AM/FM stereo radio that had an internal multiplexor. So there may still be one out there, I just can't find it. 

My Delco manual is from early 69 and my Sam's radio manuals are issued monthly and I have them for most of the 67 to early 70 production periods, but they don't tell me specifically vehicle each radio would go in.  Sams manuals are kind of a pictorial guide to components on various different radios used in all Car lines in the late 60's and early 70's.  They were probably used by radio repair shops to repair broken radios back before we just threw a piece of broken electronics in the trash. They have pictures of the individual board inside the radios and identify the part numbers or model of the components on the board, much like the Delco manual do, but they cover a ton of different models, and probably not all of ones that interest us.

30

Originality / Re: 'yellow light' AM/FM radio?

« on: September 20, 2016, 10:47:08 AM »

Been trying to dig thru old posts, my Delco service manuals and some Sams Radio manuals to find out what the story is or was.  Came up with the following summary of 69 radio part numbers.

AM radio is 91APB1
 AM/FM is 91BPB1 (P/N 7307321)
 AM/FM Stereo is 91BFM1 (P/N 7307331)
 AM/FM Yellow light is 91BFM2

 Numbers decode as:

 9=model year (1969)
 1= GM Division, Chevrolet, 2= Pontiac
 A= A-Body Chassis, B= B body Chassis
 PB= Pushbutton, F= AM/FM
 B= Pushbutton (FM only), M= Multiplex
 last number = release number

 The multiplex unit is 91FMP11
 The under dash multiplex is 91BMP21 (dealer installed only)
 The under dash 8 track is 91BT411
 The under dash multiplexed 8 track is 91BT421
 The console mounted 8 track is 91FT221

The 91BFM2 shows up in the March Sams Radio Repair manuals around March or April of 69 and it does have an external multiplex unit attached to it.  The only differences I can see between the FM1 and FM2 is the transistors change to DS-74s from DS-27s,the dial lens and the stereo indicator lens part numbers change (they are the same part numbers used in Cadillac multiplex units at tis point).  The part number on the lenses change and while the parts list don't identify color I'm ASSUMING the indicator lens changed from blue to yellow at this point.  As a running change with no other apparent installation differences I would guess that it would be possible that a late March car could get one, while later cars could still get a 91BFM1 radio unit the original units were used up.  As a low production option, I don't know if the assembly plant would have a stockpile of them, or if they were delivered to the plants in small batches over time.  I can not find another radio part number for the multiplexed stereo that was specifically identified for the 69 Camaros later in production that did not have the external multiplexor.  If there is a non separate multiplex unit radio used, it must carry the 1970 model year tags.