1972 Base Motor Valve Cover Wire Clips

[Edward McComas]

The driver's side stamped steel valve cover used on base motor cars in 1972 has two wire clips spot welded to the inside edge. These wire clips are partially coated with a vinyl-like coating. The coating on the cover that I have is black, with no evidence of chevy orange paint. Other people have reported that the coating on their covers is painted chevy orange. What is correct?

Anybody know what the "assembly" process was for these valve covers. Perhaps something like:

1. Lower part of wire clip is partially coated with vinyl-like substance.
2. Upper part of wire clip is spot welded to unpainted valve cover.
3. Unpainted valve cover is installed on engine.
4. Entire engine is painted chevy orange, which would also include the vinyl-coated part of the wire clip.

I suspect that paint did not stick well to the vinyl coated part of the wire clip, which would explain why my clips have no paint on them.

Anybody have any thoughts or additional info on this subject?

FYI: I also understand that 1971 base motor valve covers only had one wire clip on the driver's side valve cover. Since 1971 / 1972 were the only years that used a push in rubber oil plug (in place of a twist in oil cap), that would make the 1971 driver's side cover unique, as well as the 1972 driver's side valve cover unique (Is this sentence complicated enough?).

Does all of this sound right? Anyone have conflicting information on the subject. There might be enough info here for a Restorer article.

[Patrick H.]

Re: 1972 Base Motor Valve Cover Wire Clips

Ed,

I've seen the clips with and without the coating, and with and without orange. I believe they were orange originally, and the paint has come off with time. They would have been supplied to the line already coated.

The covers are not unique to Corvettes. They were also used on other GM products, including Camaros and trucks at least.

Yes, the 1971 cover has only 1 clip, but again is used on other vehicles, at least trucks. Where do you think I got spares?

Patrick

[Edward McComas]

Re: 1972 Base Motor Valve Cover Wire Clips

Sane place I got my spares, from other Chevrolet products. But I have seen a multitude of clip configurations on 1971 / 1972 Chevrolet engines. I have a friend with a totally original 1972 Monte Carlo, and his driver's side cover has one clip (about 4.5 inches back from the front, on the inside). Where I would expect to see the other clip (about 11 inches back on the inside, his car has a mounting bracket to hold the rear of the A/C compressor, and no wire clip on the valve cover. I also have a 1971/1972 cover (based on the rubber oil plug configuration) that has a 1 clip on the inside edge, and 1 clip on the outside edge. No telling what this came on originally.

How many different wire clip configurations did Chevrolet use in 1972? I am not sure anyone can answer that question. But, the real question is: What other vehicle / option combinations used the very same covers as Corvettes? The search for answers continues.

In case I didn't say it before, thanks very much for the info you provided. It got me pointed in the right direction.

[Patrick H.]

Re: 1972 Base Motor Valve Cover Wire Clips

Ed,

I thik that several configurations were likely used in those two years. I'm relatively sure that Camaro was the same for 71 based on info from Camaro enthusiasts, and "a" truck (but don't know which) was the same as well. I think I've heard that Caprice may have been the same as well in 1971. I've therefore "extrapolated" that the same lines MIGHT be the same for 1972. Of course, it seems that every Camaro out there has had the original valve covers removed eons ago. My spares came from a truck motor that just happened to come in as a rebuilding core at the exact same time my motor was being rebuilt at a shop in 1996. My second set of spares are low mile take-offs from another 1971 Corvette. My set of 1972 spares I picked up as scrap from another rebuilder in 1998 or 1999. Rebuilders who get junkyard motors to use as cores seem to be a good source of valve covers.

Patrick