C3 correct heater hoses?

[kevin m. nelson]

i own a 20,800 mile all original base motor, a/c, auto coupe. the heater hoses seem to have been changed. the catalogs and the judging manuals seem to differ. what are the correct ones? ribbed or not? g.m. logo or not? also, my car was built on dec.23rd. it's vin#10329. what is the correct date for the plug wires? is it 3q71 or 1q72? thanks, kevin

[Tom R.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

The manual is somewhat vague which I would interpret to suggest...there is no clear, definitive answer to the questions you raise. The preponderence of what is known is that all are black, some have the GM logo, many have white letters and most common designs have ribs. My late model C3 has ribs, GM logo and white letters. However, I would trust the manual before I would trust catalogs.

I'm sure others will jump on and offer some insight but I would suggest doing a search of Restorer articles where someone may have already explored this topic and reported their findings. The easiest way to access would be the CD-Rom or plodding through the archives here onliine...year...by year!

[Gary S.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

Since you didn't state what year, can I assume that this is a 72, based on your question about plug wire dates? If so, I have seen two early, low mileage, 72's that still had original heater hoses. Both of them (one is mine) have ribs and the GM logo on it. Since I am not the original owner of my car, I can only guess that these hoses were original to my car. I have talked with three of the four previous owners and no one changed them out, so.... I would be happy to take digital photos of my hoses and send them to you off line. The hoses have been removed for safe keeping and are in my garage.

If your car is a 72, are you sure of the VIN and build date, because they seem to be inconsistent with the known production numbers?

Gary

[Jack H.]

Plug Wires

were installed on the final line vs. at the engine assy plant. They were randomly pulled from individual 'bins' (#1 plug wire, #2 plug wire, Etc.), hence dates could/did vary based on random luck of the draw.

Since you say your car's final assy date was late Dec '71, it'd be 'normal' for the wires to bear either a 4Q '71 or 3Q '71 date code. And, YES, I have seen untouched engines with mixed date code plug wires....

But, now the repro houses don't provide a full date code selection range. When dated wires were first offered you could pick & choose sets from all four quarters. Today, the selection is either 1Q or 3Q based on NCRS's 6-month rule and probably the desire to minimize inventory & reduce factory production runs.

The most likely candidate for your car would have been 4Q dating, but the best you're going to be able to do from available repro selection is a 3Q set. But, for the purpose of 'restored car' judging, that gets the job done....

[Harmon C.]

VIN number stated? Christmas Corvette

Your Vin 510329 is 19 after the final vin in December of 510310. If the final production day in 71 was 12-23-71 as it usually is for Christmas holiday vaction then your corvette may have set on the line till the first production day in 1972 with a 12-23 trim tag. Is your blue mylar sticker on the door say 12-71 or 1-72? as for the plug wires 3Q or 4Q 71 is best. This is the right time of the year to talk about a Christmas Corvette!

Happy Holidays!!! Lyle

[kevin m. nelson]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

food for thought,gang. it has come to my attention that the build date on my trim tag...E23(dec.23rd.) should actually be refigured to the first production day in january because of the holidays. the car would have been the 19th car built on that first final assy. line work day in january. you guys out there really know your stuff!! my hats off to you all and to all" happy holidays"!!!

[Geoff C.]

[Art A.]

[kevin m. nelson]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

upon further inspection,i found that the hoses are most likely original. the only reason i wanted to replace them with the correct repro's is because the old owner put one of those prestone flush kits in and spliced into the one hose. now, seeing that the hoses are original and still in very good shape, if i have the car judged, would it be better to put on repro hoses, leave well enough alone, or remove the flush kit and install a piece of pipe to connect the cut hose? here's the description of the hoses....5/8 hose has 1-white stripe,3-ribs, and the letters 78e62..ebo..11121+212. the 3/4 hose has 2-white stripes,3-ribs, and the letters epdm eb d06031. the clamps also seem to be the originals,too. does that sound right and help anyone?????

[Geoff C.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

Art,
Perhaps that is why there is no drawing for the GM logo on the heater hoses and no one has seen such. I have seen and I do have some other drawings for formed hoses (i.e. radiator) and they did specify the size and placement of such a GM logo, but they are not heater hoses.
What are you doing over here? Get back over there.
Geoffrey

[Geoff C.]

[kevin m. nelson]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

all the letters are capitals. there is no evidence of any gm logos. to clear things up, i should have stated the correct year and options of my car....1972 base motor,auto,a/c,every option except rear defogger and p02 hubcaps.i guess the letters and numbers might mean d=april, 06=june, 03=3rd day, and of course the 1 is 1971. my car has a build date of dec.23rd., but was not assembled till the first ass. day in jan. 1972. everything is starting to fit, huh????

[Geoff C.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

Kevin,
The same information would apply to 1972 models.
Geoffrey

[Art A.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

Geoffrey, I'm over here all the time and besides this is where you made the response---but at least over "there", I can say ncrs!!!!!!

Art
NCRS # 14981
Michigan NCRS Member
SACC Member
Vetteheads Founder
NCM Founder & Special Assistant to Dan Gale
Past President ACBS
Michigan ACBS Member
Member of the Antique Outboard Club

[Harmon C.]

Re: C3 correct heater hoses?

Kevin

It may be in your best intrest on your low milage 72 to have it judged NCRS before replacing parts with repo stuff. If your 72 has original paint and int. it may be a Bowtie canidate I don't know how original it is but bring it to a meet and you will learn alot.Also get the judging sheets as heater hoses usually have about 4 points and you can't lose much if they are black and hooked up. Having them be orginal only happens once.