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Hi crew, sorry to bump this thread, it's not my intention, just wanted to say sorry for my absence here, but some of the nightmare machines I've had to fix lately [offset printing industry] have just about sent me to the mental hospital!! 
Seriously, I'm about 1 step away from pulling the battery out of my phone to get some peace, so I can concentrate on my baby!! 
Cheers,
Rob

Hi Gary, here's a link to were I found it
http://www.camaroowners.com/1969%20CHEVROLET%20CHASSIS%20OVERHAUL.pdf
I didn't include this link previously as it is to another site which may be outside protocol for crg and camaroowners.
Will glady let admins here decide if it's ok or not.
Found it's best to right mouse on the link and use 'save target as' method to get the file.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi Gary, I found exactly that manual you mentioned "1969 Chassis Overhaul Manual (ST 131-69)." Though not on this site, is it on crg somewhere? I found the pdf on camaroowners.com and yes, lots of good info! I've got some bedtime stories to read! 
Cheers,
Rob

[bold text]

Hi Crew, yes, yes, yes. Totally agree with all those who say 'When a tire is even just approaching it's 'use-by' date, get rid of it!'
I also have a Toyota Hilux Surf 4 x 4 [my Sherman Tank!!] 4wd tires are not cheap to buy, but will last you practically a life time, but there lies the problem, tread wear can well and truly outlast useful life span. My tank developed an annoying shake at about 50mph, similar to out of balance, I took her to my local Bridgestone Select in Malaga and my go-to man spotted the problem right away, one tire had a slight bulge on the inside shoulder, so I got him to get me a set of Desert Dulers.
Upon picking the vehicle up, I got him to show me the inside of the lumpy tire and it had started to de-laminate on the inside!
Still good tread, but falling apart rather badly on the inside.
So yes, learn to read the dot date [if you don't already know] and junk the tires when they have reached their use-by date. Tires, brakes, suspension and steering are not to be second guessed. Your life, your babies life and that of other road users, will only end in tears if something goes south at a bad time.
Guys and gals, this concern for car/road safety cannot be overstressed!! I'm also the proud owner of a GM-H VL Calais LE by HDT [Holden dealer team] and frequent the Brockcommodores forum to discuss all things that are HDT related, and we've even lost lives to people getting under a car that was not adequately supported by body stands 
And yet again, because I have the surf, I'm also a member of Toyotasurf.asn forum where we disuss all things Surf [+ related vehicles]
On that forum they had made in bold text everyone aware of a recall/upgrade that the manufacturer had issued which related to the drag link [relay rod as Toyota called it] which was to address an error in the manufacture of the relay rod in which the knuckle joint steering box end could break off leaving the driver with no steering!!  This had actually happened to one of the forum members, but fortunately he was on a reasonably level sealed surface with no other vehicles around and was able to bring his vehicle to a stop without further chaos!!
Many [if not all] of these Toyota Surfs were imports into Australia [as is mine] and the recall should have been fitted by the importer at their expense.
Upon checking my Surf, I couldn't find any of the identifying marks that were applied when the recall was fitted and it looked like my rod was the original, not the upgraded rod.
For a miserable AUD100.00 I got my man at Scarborough Toyota to get me another rod as per the recall kit, I couldn't care less who was suppose have to fitted it at who's expense, I just wanted to know that I wasn't going to loose steering while cruising the open road, or at close quarters to other freeway traffic.
Cheers,
Rob

I need to confirm the correct water pump rear cover plate for my '68 396 "284" short pump - which is correct:
The flat, plain version, or,
The version with the flared outer lip on it??
I have seen the flat plate on '65-'66 original pumps, but do not know when they changed the rear plate design.
Also, are the 1/4 x 20 attaching bolts 7/16" hex head like the Timing Cover, or are they flat-headed, slotted screw heads?

Any help greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Mine [12c 68 396]looks exactly like Camarocards pic, curled lip and hex bolts I thought I had pics on my comp, but can't find any atm. Will put some up tomorrow.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi crew, apology's for dragging up old dusty threads, but I have some catching up to do  With regard to my post above where I talk about an oddity with the GM-H VL and how the manual version has the yokes at 90 deg from each other, just thought I'd add a pic from the relative GM service manual for the VL [there's about 10 volumes that cover service operations on the VL] that quotes the yoke phasing for various engine/transmission combinations.
These vehicles were fitted with either a Nissan RB30e naturally aspirated motor or the RB30et turbo motor with either engine available with manual or auto transmission, the turbo motor received the heavy duty version of the transmission [either manual or auto].
As can be seen from the list under 'universal joint phasing', all auto's [turbo or non-turbo] as well as the non-turbo manual [3.0e engine with MF5 box] had the uni joints in phase, but the turbo manual [3.0et motor] with the heavy duty MX7 box had the phasing at 90 deg!!
I've just recently had a discussion with Andrew at Auto One Malaga about this conundrum and have got him on the hop as well!!

Hi Tim, I hear ya mate and in no way do I want to come across as disingenuous towards all mechanics as you are quite right in saying that there are many who are at the top of the game, which is what I meant in an earlier post when I said that it can be a challenge separating muppets from mechanics and I can tell you, that I have suffered utter misery at the hands of some engineering shops.
On the plus side, if I may sing the praises of a couple of places in my local area, look no further than Performance Modifications in Osborne Park for all your machining work, a bunch of lads who truly know their stuff and always set the excellence bar to a new height and Veem Engineering for all your balancing needs, you will not find better!
Cheers, back soon,
Rob

Rob,... there are muppets masquerading as mechanics everywhere I think... 

Ok, that is no doubt the case, but I guarantee you that Aussie muppets are faster than US muppets at screwing up the most mundane tasks!!
This prehistoric country I live in is full of cavemen and Neanderthals and that's being unkind to Neanderthal man who was actually quite a clever lad for his time.
Got some interesting pics that show how this country seems to be becoming more prehistoric!! but I'll save all that for another board along with headless chooks!!
But back on topic, I've been looking at the kit from Ricks, though I might get this one apart first, then get the shell redone in gold dichromate, then check out a mob here [hitech brake and clutch] and see if they can get the bits [they had all the cups and seals for the master cylinder] plus they seem to be anything but muppets, more lovers of petrol fumes and internal combustion!
Back soon with some more prehistoric muppet stories! 
Cheers,
Rob

Hi crew, did a search on this auction here but didn't find anything, if there is a thread somewhere that I missed, please point me to it.
The car in question is a 1969 HT 350 2 door Monaro that sold at auction for somewhere north of AUD500,000!!
I bring this car to the forum because General Motors Holden is/was a sister company of GM-Chevrolet and the HK HT HG series of Holdens have a close relationship to 1st Gen Camaros.
Here's the link to the auction page which is still up https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?smode=0&aid=6683&lid=1145480&pgn=1&pgs=10
If it does disappear, then I have created a pdf of all the text and pics etc.
I have lots more to say on these cars, but I'll leave it at this for now in case I'm doubling up on an already existing thread.
Cheers,
Rob

Ugh!!
That one was lost long before the fire

I concur with all the other comments here as well, the auto world got a bit poorer even before the fire. So sad, rip baby, I'll be thinking of you every time I drive mine. 

Rob,... there are muppets masquerading as mechanics everywhere I think... 

Hahaha rofl!!  Great comment, I'm still trying to get my eyes dry after reading it!! 
Oh dear, even the fabulous US has a muppet problem!
I've got more to say on muppets and headless chooks, but I post that in the general board as it's not particularly Camaro related, besides, I really have to go and dry my face!! 

Hi Gary, thanks for dropping in here  Yes, no doubt you've got experts In the US, but here in Australia it can be a challenge separating Mechanics from Muppets. There are good ones around and I always tell people "You find a good mechanic and stick with them!!"
I'll do some more research on the topic and study up on the overhaul section you mentioned, I guess at this stage I'm more interested in who does the best overhaul kit, regardless of cost.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi James, thanks for the welcome back into the 1st gen fold and for your comment regarding pictures. Yes, I have been a keen photographer all my life including underwater photography when I was teaching scuba diving [USA PADI system] and also developing and printing my own black and white photo's at school [the school had it's own darkroom], so I will keep them rolling 
Just one question for now, I've noticed various rebuild kits for these boosters, just wondering if you or anyone has any recommendations - cost is irrelevant. Also if anyone knows of any tools or techniques to getting the two halves safely apart? I need to carefully open, photograph everything as I remove the bits and get the two shell halves gold dichromated again.
Cheers,
Rob

Hi crew, my first post back here after a long......[long]absence. Talk about suffering withdrawal symptoms!!
Anyway, I have much to report on, but I won't unload here, I doubt that I would live long enough to tell all in any event!  I will filter relevant bits out as time goes by.
My baby finally has my undivided attention and I'm going over all her bits, documenting and taking pics as I go and first port of call are her brakes. IMO, effective deceleration is far more important than acceleration, in fact I have a rule of thumb, that a car should be equipped with such tyres, suspension and brakes that it can decelerate about twice as fast as it can accelerate.
Sorry to pick on this old dusty thread, but whilst searching booster specs and numbers, I found that I had started this thread on exactly this topic, so it gave me the answers I was looking for and I thought I would dust it off a little and add some pics of my stamps of the 326 numbers and 9078 numbers.
Cheers, best wishes to all, back with more soon 

Excellent!! Not only did you get it working, but you could see exactly why it wasn't working. Techs like to achieve both answers and even the next step 'how did it get into a faulty situation in the first place'.
From my experience, I can say that that with regard to 'how' and as you quite rightly noted, one has to be careful with pin alignment and proceed with caution and sensitive touch.

With many male/female connectors of this type where the connectors are sitting inside cavity's of the plastic/bakelite housing, the wire/s may be tensioning the pins a little one way or the other and with the clearance between the pin and cavity walls, can allow the other end of a pin to be moved off centre far enough such that it doesn't align adequately with it's mating hole and can end up getting bent over.

4 pin molex connectors as used in computers are serial offenders of this problem, especially when trying to plug in an extension/adapter cable.
They're reasonably chunky pins that don't bend easily, but I've been to hell and back on more than one occasion trying to complete a mundane/routine task as connecting an adapter cable.

It was lucky that no pins were broken off in your cars connector.  . Straightening them back again can require even more of a delicate touch.