Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

[David L.]

Attached is a photo of the battery box stud and j-bolt that I removed from a crashed 1966 Corvette back in 1980 at a salvage yard in Leominster, MA. I never used them because there were quite rusty and pitted. I believe that they are original.

The 3715712 stud measures about 9 3/8" long (9.38") which checks out with the theoretical measurement (9 21/64" = 9.33") listed in my 1966 Chevrolet Parts Catalog in Gr. 2.334. The 5/16"-18 thread length is 1" long on each end.

The j-bolt, GM # 3688699, apparently was never sold over the counter. The overall length of my original j-bolt measures 8 3/4" with the effective length measuring about 8 7/16". The 5/16"-18 thread length measures 1 3/4".

The 1966 Chevrolet Parts catalog lists GM # 6255817 in Gr. 2.334 for 53-66 Corvettes and is described as "BOLT (hook hd. 5/16-18 X 8 1/8" O.L.)".
It appears to me that the reproduction 3688699 j-bolts which are listed as 5/16"-18 X 8" on the web were reproduced using the 6255817 service j-bolt as the sample.
I would appreciate any comments particularly from those who still have original 63-66 Corvette the j-bolt and stud on the battery box.
Dave

[Alan D.]

Re: Original 63-66 Batter Box Stud & J-bolt

Here are the ones I have. Note the two longer one's, 8 1/8, would appear to be the 6255817 service J bolt. Do believe one of those two originally came with the car, but as you noted the, GM # 3688699 is 8 7/16" which neither of these are.

Did notice that the top of the bolt is very close to the heater hoses and would expect that the 8 7/16 bolt could cause damage to these hoses - perhaps why an 8 1/8 was a later length.
Not sure why I have the smaller bolt, however battery had been changed before I purchased car so dealer may have used the service J bolt due to interference with heater hoses.

Surprised by lack of information on these.

[Joe R.]

Re: Original 63-66 Batter Box Stud & J-bolt

Here's a pick of some of the hold down hardware that GM sold back in the 70's.

They worked and held the battery securely and that was all GM cared about! The NCRS was not on their minds! The hold down on the bottom is and original!

Enjoy, JR

IMG_0185[1].jpg

[David L.]

Re: Original 63-66 Batter Box Stud & J-bolt

Alan,

I was wrong about GM # 3688699 not being sold over the counter. My 1955 Corvette Parts Catalog (July 1955) lists GM # 3688699 in Gr. 2.334 for 1955 Corvettes (exc. V8) and is described as " BOLT, Battery Hanger Clamp 5/16-18 X 8 7/16 O.L.".

According to the Parts History Index in the back of my 1963 Chevrolet Parts Catalog (Oct. 1962) GM # 3688699 was replaced by GM # 6255817 in Oct. 1960. Apparently GM must have had thousands of 3688699 j-bolts left over so maybe they decided to use them on 1963-1966 Corvettes on the assembly line.
I am surprised by lack of information on these battery j-bolts as well. Shouldn't this be in the judging manuals?

My 1966 Chevrolet Parts Catalog (Oct. 1965) lists GM # 3715712 in Gr. 2.334 as the battery "STUD, retainer (5/16"-18 X 9 21/64 - thd. both ends), clamp".
9 21/64" (9.33") is very close to the length of my original 3715712 stud. I remeasured it and it actually measures more like 9 11/32" (9.34"). I guess that it's original.

Dave

[Mike B.]

Re: Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

Good Afternoon David,

I'm pleased to see your thread here on Battery Tray Studs & J-Bolts. I always learn something when I read your posts. I've read as many of the related threads that I can find in the NCRS TDB archives but I still don't have the definitive information I need to be sure that I'm looking at an original used or NOS AC or non-AC J-Bolt when I'm out hunting. There's just too many repros out there and I steer clear of it.

My biggest dilemma is trying to nail down the proper J-Bolt hook end shape and true dimensions to replace the missing ones for my '66 AC car. I agree with you, I wish NCRS cited the difference between authentic non-AC and AC battery tray J-bolt sizes. There are definite differences between the two types.

I'm attaching a snip photo of the title of one of my previous threads about the AC type J-bolts. Did you see it?

Good luck with this thread David.
Mike

C2 Battery Tray J-Bolts Thread.jpg

[David L.]

Re: Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

Mike,
I believe that the 3710340 battery box J-bolt was sold over the counter for 55-56 Chevrolets and Trucks. I sold my 1955 and 1956 Chevrolet parts catalogs so I can not verify anything.......yet.
Attached below is something that I found on the web from "Master Parts Book X-164001 September 1963". I think it's from a parts book for GMC and/or Chevrolet trucks. It states that GM # 3710340 was replaced with GM # 3688699 so GM # 3710340 was "sold over the counter" probably until 1956 or so.
Fact: The 3688699 J-bolt is 8 7/16" long (effective length). Could the 3710340 J-bolt possibly be 8 3/16" long (effective length)?
Dave

[Mike B.]

Re: Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

Good Evening Dave,

Once again, excellent info! After re-reading all of your prior posts, comparing what I've found in my GM Engineering Standards manuals, comparing '64~'67 AIM info and pestering all of my midyear AC buddies out there I think I finally have my answer about AC J-bolts #3710340. Thanks to you!

But first I'd like to resurrect a couple of pages from a very similar thread of yours. In this first snip you go over in-depth measurements that cover non-AC battery tray hardware. You ask for comments so I've added some dimensions that I've found in my GM Engineering Standards.

David L. Measurements with GM Eng. Stds. Specs..jpg

Next, I found a post between you and Bill Caldwell discussing exactly what I've just asked of you about AC battery tray J-bolts. Excellent!

David L. ~ Bill C. posts.jpg

Dave, it's information like this that really helps fellow NCRS members searching for these elusive answers. I'm gonna post this now and see how it reads. Then I'll back it all up with photos and measurements that my friends and I have come up with to help you with non-AC J-bolt info and to help those who want answers about AC J-bolts.

Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

OK, now for some excellent photos and measurements from my good friend Page Campbell. Through the years I've had countless AC questions answered by Page and I'm grateful.

I recently asked him to send me some photos of his original AC battery tray J-bolts with measurements. He had them stored with some non-AC battery tray stud bolts so he included them in these photos. Dave, you'll notice that they are spot-on with your measurements in the snip I just included that you wrote.

Check out the AC J-bolts pictured here. Between your lead of that September 1963 GMC Parts Catalog and these photos provided by Page I'm feeling confident that AC J-bolt #3710340 is indeed 8-3/16" long. Here's a snip of the email from Page and all of his photos. Enjoy, Mike

Page Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (1) edited.jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (2).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (3).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (5).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (6).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (6a).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (7).jpgPage Campbell AC Battery Hold Down Info (8).jpg

[David L.]

Re: Original 63-66 Battery Box Stud & J-bolt

Mike,
I remember exchanging information about the 1966 Corvette engine block with casting # 3858174 with Page via snail mail back in the early 1980's.
BTW, I must be getting old as I am repeating my research that I did 5 years ago. Too much time at home during this dark period, I guess. As we are down sizing I find boxes of parts that I have not seen for years and tend to get side tracked with research instead of selling the parts which is what I am supposed to do according to the boss.
Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: Original 63-66 Batter Box Stud & J-bolt

Alan,

Apparently GM must have had thousands of 3688699 j-bolts left over so maybe they decided to use them on 1963-1966 Corvettes on the assembly line.

Dave

Dave-------


Not necessarily. There are times when certain parts are replaced for SERVICE but continue to be used in PRODUCTION. This is not unusual, at all. I think this occurs when GMSPO decides they want to "consolidate" multiple functionally equivalent part numbers into one. So, why don't they do the same thing for PRODUCTION? Well, it may be that the SERVICE-available part does not produce a "factory-like" appearance for all applications. For example, a longer J-bolt might have too much "extra length" to cause a "factory-like" appearance. That kind of a "look" might be considered important for a new car (even though the battery hold-down bolt is not going to be seen by most buyers). For SERVICE, all they care about supplying is a part that will work. If it has some extra length, it's no big deal.