J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

[Stephen S.]

I'm looking for advice regarding correct installation of the J-Bracket that holds the air intake hose to the driver's side inner fender skirt on a 1960 FI car.

The holes in the skirt of my car match the 2 rivet holes in a repro nut plate I bought, but there's no center hole between the 2 rivet holes where the J-bracket bolt should thread into the center hole in the nut plate. The Assy Manual shows 3 holes in a horizontal line ("FI-Air Cleaner," Sheet 2.00), but the car has only the 2 rivet holes. A picture of the skirt, nut plate and J-bracket is pasted below. How do I bolt the J-bracket to the nut plate?

J-Bracket 1960.jpg
Appreciate any advice,
Steve S.
1960 FI

[Keith R.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

Steve. Mine is of the first design from 1958 to January 1960 (see photo). Yours appears to be of the second or third design - I can't tell from the photo whether there were two additional "C-shaped" brackets or not. Nevertheless, it does appear that you are missing the center hole where the J bracket mounting bolt passes through the fiberglass. If there is no evidence of a filled hole (which does not appear to me in the photo), then you'll obviously need to add one. I can't help but wonder if your build was in a transitional period between the first and second design and the body was drilled for the mounting bracket but the center hole was not drilled because they were still using the first design C-bracket. Is there any evidence of the first "C-bracket" having been installed meaning drill holes for the pan head phillip screws where one might have been? Incidentally, the smaller hole below the bracket rivet holes is for the tab at the bottom of the J-bracket to fit into to prevent rotation. The tab on the repro bracket is on the wrong side - should be on the right.

[Jim L.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

Steve. Mine is of the first design from 1958 to January 1960 (see photo). Yours appears to be of the second or third design - I can't tell from the photo whether there were two additional "C-shaped" brackets or not..... I can't help but wonder if your build was in a transitional period between the first and second design and the body was drilled for the mounting bracket but the center hole was not drilled because they were still using the first design C-bracket.

As a point of minor interest which doesn't help you, Steve, my APRIL '60 fuelie has the first design hose retainer. There are no extra holes, no evidence it ever had the "J" shaped retainer.

Can you post a picture of the area where the fender and inner fender join?

[Stephen S.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

Thanks Keith and Jim.
Keith - I never noticed the manufacturing error in the bottom tab of the repro J-bracket. My car is a first week of May build, so based on the Judging Guide and barring GM production factors, May and following cars should have 2 "C" straps plus a J-bracket to mount the intake hose (i.e., 3rd design; 2nd design apparently had a J-bracket but no "C" strap at all per the JG). Yes, Keith, my car has 2 screw holes (upper and lower) for one "C" strap in addition to the 2 rivet holes for the J-bracket, so it seems to be a mix of designs 1 and 3.

Jim - In response to you question, below are two photos that show the inner/outer fender bond area. My markings in blue tape are my best effort at identifying holes after a considerable Assy Manual, JG and web photo search, but I may have made a mistake so no one should take them as absolute. The two tape marks "FI Strap" show the upper and lower screw holes for the "C" strap, which match a repro strap I bought. As you can see, there are no drilled holes for a second, more rearward "C" strap. Unfortunately the car does not have the FI unit, so I can't mock up original components.

Here is what I am thinking of doing:
1) Install the J-bracket (with a corrected bottom tab), which means I need to drill a hole for the bracket bolt between the two rivet holes. I don't like drilling the hole but I would be completing what seems to be a factory mistake of incomplete drilling and maybe incorrectly installing or not installing, the J-bracket; and

2) Install the single "C" strap in the existing drilled holes but not drill new holes for a second "C" strap, on the supposition that the assembly line was in what Keith called a "transitional period" or was just stretching available inventory or minimizing effort on the basis that "one is enough."

Would either of you do something different?

Bracket pic 2.jpg

Bracket pic 3.jpg

Steve S.
1960 FI

[Keith R.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

That's an interesting question Steve. I'd bet that there is evidence of threads cut in the holes where the C-strap mounted as I am thinking that yours came off the line with a single C-strap but no J-strap. Furthermore, after having taken a second look at the J-strap holes, it seems that the hole to prevent strap rotation is not placed correctly as it appears to be too far to the right for the J-strap tab to fit into. This makes me wonder if a previous owner drilled these holes to mount a J-strap and placed the anti-rotation hole incorrectly? When you align the J-strap with the holes in the inner fender, does it seem to be positioned properly to hold the air intake hose in place? If we presume that the J-strap holes were drilled sometime after the car was produced, then you could fill the J-strap holes and just go with the single C-strap as with Jim's car. Alternatively, if you are having it judged, you could configure it to correspond with the TIMJ and go with the single J-strap and drill a correct hole for the anti-rotation tab.

[Jim L.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

Stephan,
Those are great pictures. I'm inclined to agree with Keith that your car came with the "C" straps. The hole locations you marked look to be in the right places.

Here are a couple of pictures of my April '60, offered for whatever they are worth:
8738.jpg

8739.jpg

[Stephen S.]

Re: J-Bracket for Air Intake Hose, 1960 FI

Thanks Keith and Jim for the response and photos. We agree on the single "C" strap given the two screw holes for just the one strap.

It's the two rivet holes in the skirt that lean me towards correctly installing the J-bracket, though whether the rivet holes were drilled at the factory or by a previous owner is an unknown. Yes the third hole beneath the rivet holes is misplaced, the only way the J-Bracket fits with it's bottom tab in that hole is if the bracket is slanted back a bit too far to protect the air hose from the hood prop.

If the rivet holes weren't there, I wouldn't install the J-bracket, but since they are I think I'll correct what I think is a factory error: transitional, inventory, line worker or otherwise. The install is more than cosmetic, since the air hose is susceptible to damage without the J-bracket.

I appreciate your insights and helping me think this through.
Steve S.
1960