C2 Splash shields w/ side exhaust

[Scott Marzahl]

Just curious if any of the four splash shields were removed when side exhaust was installed as an option. My car is missing them and I didn't know if they were just lost along the way or what. I didn't see anything in the assembly manual to clarify this.

Thanks

[John H.]

Re: C2 Splash shields w/ side exhaust

N14 cars got the same splash shields used on cars with under-car exhaust, but the outer shields on N14 units didn't get the rubber seals stapled to them, and will not exhibit any staple holes.

[Mark L.]

Re: C2 Splash shields w/ side exhaust

I believe early 65's may have the rubber seal. GM must have decided to remove the seal when customers noticed a lot of smoke!

[Rob A.]

Re: C2 Splash shields w/ side exhaust

Can't say regarding '65, but I've had a '66 and '67 with factory installed side exhaust, both had inner and outer splash shields, the outer having no rubber or evidence of staple holes.

[Jack H.]

Here's the skinney....

My uncle's 'piper' car (April '65 build) had splash shield with rubber seals and the seals were melted/deteriorated when I restored it. I cleaned up the originals, freshened the paint on the shield and reinstalled them.

The first time I was judged, I took deduction(s) for the shields having the rubber seals installed on a piper car. So, I dropped the shields and removed the seals.

Then, on my next judging, I took deduction(s) for the shield having staple holes in them. Frustrated, I removed the shields, PITCHED them, and installed fresh repro's. All the judges at NCRS, NCCB and Chevy/Vettefest were then HAPPY!

Later, I'd talk to my mother (before she died) and she remembered going for a ride with my uncle and complaining there as a SMELL of something burning.... He told her he'd complained to the dealer and was told, "That's normal, give it a few months and it'll go away". It did!

After that I was curious and did some more research. I happened upon a '66 AIM book and noticed there was an ECR (I forget the date but it was LATE in '65--about the time it'd be warm outside and folks would be driving their cars with windows down/convertible top down) that advised assy workers to REMOVE the existing rubber seal from splash panels on piper cars.

Soooo, my car was originally factory correct for its build date and I inadvertently un-did a piece of factory originality by changing it to please the judges. No, I didn't go back and add seals & staples...who wants to smell burning rubber!

But, at this point, I'm convinced there are three configurations of the splash shields for piper cars:

(1) Early '65 build cars with both rubber and staples installed.
(2) Late '65 cars with rubber removed (might have been a service bulletin on this too) without rubber and staple holes in the shields.
(3) '66 Cars (whenever a separate PN was created for splash shields without rubber & staples) with no seal and no staple holes

[John H.]

Re: Here's the skinney....

Jack -

There was only one pair of part numbers (LH-RH) for the outer shields; the seals were stapled on at St. Louis after dip-priming the parts. The huge Bostitch staples (steel wire fed from a spool into the stapler, which cut, bent, and punched them through the part) created their own holes. Shields for N14 cars just didn't get the trip through the stapler.